Stainsbridge House

What families say

Visitors describe walking into an environment that feels welcoming rather than clinical. Family members mention finding staff members friendly and helpful during their visits, creating a relaxed atmosphere for both residents and their loved ones.

Based on 8 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth55
• Compassion & dignity55
• Cleanliness60
• Activities & engagement50
• Food quality50
• Healthcare55
• Management & leadership65
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-06-21 · Report published 2019-06-21 · Inspected 4 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The July 2024 inspection rated this domain Good. The home is registered for 46 beds and covers dementia and mental health conditions, which places particular demands on safe care. Beyond the headline rating, the published text does not record specific findings about staffing levels, medicines management, infection control practices, or falls prevention. The Safe domain being rated Good is encouraging, but without supporting detail it is difficult to assess what drove that rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for Safe means inspectors did not find the serious concerns that would trigger a lower rating, and that is meaningful. However, Good Practice research consistently finds that night staffing is where safety most often slips in care homes, and our own review data shows that attentive, present staff is what families identify as the clearest indicator of safety. With 46 beds and a dementia specialism, you need to know specifically how many staff are on duty overnight and what proportion of those are permanent rather than agency. The inspection text does not answer those questions, so you will need to ask directly.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance and inadequate night cover are the two factors most consistently associated with safety failures in dementia care settings. A Good rating does not rule these out; it means they were not found to be problematic at the time of inspection.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for a recent week, not a template. Count the names on the night shift and ask which are permanent staff and which are agency. For 46 beds with a dementia specialism, there should be more than one carer supported by a senior on duty overnight."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The July 2024 inspection rated this domain Good. Effective covers training, care planning, healthcare access, nutrition, and whether care reflects each person's needs and preferences. The home holds dementia as a registered specialism, which means it is expected to have staff trained in dementia care and care plans that reflect the specific needs of people living with dementia. No specific findings about training content, GP access, care plan detail, or food quality are recorded in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent living with dementia, Effective is one of the most important domains because it determines whether staff actually know who your mum or dad is as a person, not just as a diagnosis. Our review data shows food quality (20.9% weight) and healthcare access (20.2% weight) are among the eight themes families care most about, and neither is described in any detail in this inspection. Good Practice evidence is clear that care plans should be living documents updated when a person's needs change, and that dementia-specific training should go well beyond basic awareness. You need to ask the home what that training looks like in practice.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that care plans which record personal histories, routines, and individual preferences are associated with significantly better wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia, and that homes where staff cannot describe a resident's life history tend to show lower scores on person-centred care measures.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample care plan, with names removed if needed, and check whether it records the person's preferred name, their daily routine before moving into the home, what they find comforting, and what triggers distress. A plan that reads like a medical summary rather than a personal portrait is a warning sign."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The July 2024 inspection rated this domain Good. Caring covers how staff interact with residents, whether people are treated with dignity and respect, and whether staff know and respond to individuals as people. A Good rating here means inspectors did not observe the kinds of concerns, rushed care, dismissive interactions, or undignified treatment, that would prompt a lower rating. No direct observations, resident quotes, or relative comments are recorded in the published text available.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, appearing in 57.3% of positive reviews by name, and compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. These are the things you will look for on a visit, whether staff greet your parent by their preferred name, whether they move at a pace that suits the person rather than the rota, and whether they respond to someone becoming distressed with patience rather than efficiency. A Good Caring rating is the inspection's signal that these things were broadly in order, but you cannot confirm them without visiting and observing directly.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research highlights that for people with advanced dementia, non-verbal communication, tone of voice, eye contact, and unhurried physical presence, matters as much as spoken words. Homes where staff are trained to read and respond to non-verbal cues show measurably better wellbeing outcomes for residents who can no longer communicate verbally.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch what happens in a corridor or communal space when a resident becomes unsettled or calls out. Does a staff member move towards them, make eye contact, and respond calmly? Or does the interaction feel hurried and task-focused? That moment tells you more than any inspection rating."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The July 2024 inspection rated this domain Good. Responsive covers whether the home offers activities and engagement that suit individuals, whether complaints are handled well, and whether care adapts to changing needs including at the end of life. No specific information about the activity programme, individual engagement for residents who cannot join groups, or complaint handling is recorded in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and meaningful engagement are cited in 21.4% of positive family reviews and resident happiness in 27.1%. For your parent living with dementia, the question is not just whether there is a weekly timetable on the wall, but whether someone sits with your mum or dad one to one on days when a group activity is not right for them. Good Practice research consistently finds that group-only activity programmes leave the most vulnerable residents, those with advanced dementia, isolated for large parts of the day. The inspection's Good rating for Responsive is a positive signal, but without detail you need to observe this yourself.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review found that Montessori-based approaches and the inclusion of familiar household tasks, such as folding, sorting, or simple food preparation, produce significantly better engagement and reduced distress in people with moderate to advanced dementia compared with structured group activities alone.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what a typical Tuesday looks like for a resident with moderate dementia who finds large groups overwhelming. If the answer focuses entirely on group sessions, ask specifically what happens for that person between sessions and in the evenings."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The July 2024 inspection rated this domain Good. Well-led covers the quality of management, governance, culture, and whether the home learns from incidents and feedback. The registered manager, Mrs Amanda McNally, is named in post and Mr David Gillespie is the Nominated Individual, representing a clear governance structure. No specific findings about manager visibility, staff culture, quality audits, or incident review processes are recorded in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time. Good Practice research finds that homes with a consistent, visible manager who staff feel able to speak to honestly tend to maintain quality between inspections, while homes where leadership changes frequently or where staff feel unable to raise concerns are more likely to deteriorate. Our review data shows management and communication with families together carry a 34.9% combined weighting in what families say matters. A Good Well-led rating is reassuring, but you should ask how long the current manager has been in post and how the home communicates with families when something changes for your parent.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review identified leadership stability as the single strongest predictor of sustained quality in care homes, noting that bottom-up staff empowerment, where frontline carers feel confident raising concerns without fear, was consistently associated with better outcomes for residents.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long she has been in post and what changed between the previous Requires Improvement rating and the current Good rating. A manager who can answer that question specifically, describing what was wrong and what was done about it, is a stronger signal of genuine leadership than a manager who gives a general reassurance."}

  Verified by inspector

Source: CQC inspection report →

What the evidence base says

Against the DCC Good Practice in Dementia Care standards, this home’s evidence aligns most strongly on The home provides specialist support for people living with dementia and other mental health conditions. Their experience caring for adults over 65 means they understand the complex needs that can arise as people age.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, the team works to maintain a calm and reassuring environment. The approachable nature of staff can be particularly important when supporting someone through the challenges of memory loss. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.