Stallcombe House

What families say

The team here seems genuinely committed to what they do. People have noticed how staff really engage with their work and the values that guide the home's approach to care.

Based on 12 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness72
• Activities & engagement68
• Food quality65
• Healthcare68
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2022-05-11 · Report published 2022-05-11 · Inspected 4 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the June 2025 inspection. This means inspectors were satisfied that risks to people living at Stallcombe House were identified and managed, that medicines were handled appropriately, and that staffing was considered adequate. The home supports people with a wide range of needs, including dementia, physical disabilities, and mental health conditions, all of which carry specific safety considerations. No concerns or Requires Improvement findings were recorded in this domain. The published report does not include specific observations about staffing ratios, night cover, falls management, or infection control practices.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safe rating is reassuring, but the detail that matters most to families, particularly those with a parent with dementia, is often what happens after 8pm. Good Practice research consistently shows that night staffing is where safety slips in otherwise well-run homes, and agency reliance undermines the consistency that people with dementia need most. The published findings do not record specific night staffing numbers or agency usage at Stallcombe House, so you will need to ask those questions directly. When you visit, check whether there is a signed-in visitors log and whether staff on the floor seem to know each resident by sight without consulting a board.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that night staffing ratios and agency staff reliance are among the strongest predictors of safety incidents in care homes. Homes rated Good overall can still have variable night cover, so specific numbers matter.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how many staff are on duty overnight for the 33 residents, and what proportion of shifts in the last month were covered by agency staff rather than permanent employees? Ask to see the actual rota for last week."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the June 2025 inspection. This covers care planning, staff training, access to healthcare professionals, nutrition and hydration, and whether care is built around each person's assessed needs. Dementia and learning disabilities are listed specialisms, meaning inspectors would have considered whether training and care planning reflected those specific needs. No concerns were raised. The published report does not describe specific training content, how frequently care plans are reviewed, or how the home works with GPs and other healthcare professionals.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Effective rating tells you inspectors were satisfied that staff know what they are doing and that care plans exist and are followed. What it does not tell you is whether your parent's plan would be genuinely tailored to them as an individual, reviewed regularly, and updated when their needs change. Our Good Practice evidence base, drawing on 61 studies, identifies care plans as living documents: the best homes review them at least monthly and invite families to contribute. Ask the home directly how often plans are reviewed and whether you would be contacted before, not after, a significant change is made. For a parent with dementia, the training content matters too. Ask what specific dementia training staff complete and how recently.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that care plans updated less than monthly, and those developed without family input, were associated with poorer person-centred outcomes for people with dementia. Regular GP access was also identified as a key quality marker.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how often is each resident's care plan formally reviewed, and what is the process for including family members in those reviews? Ask to see an example of how a plan has been updated following a change in a resident's condition."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the June 2025 inspection. This domain covers whether staff treat people with warmth, dignity, and respect, whether residents are addressed by their preferred names, whether privacy is maintained, and whether people's independence is supported. A Good rating in this domain means inspectors were satisfied with what they observed. No concerns were raised. The published report does not include specific observations of staff interactions, direct quotes from residents or relatives about how they feel treated, or examples of dignity practices in action.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. These are the things that are hardest to measure from a report and easiest to observe in person. When you visit, watch how staff move through the home: do they stop to speak with residents unprompted, do they use names, do they seem unhurried? Good Practice research highlights that non-verbal communication matters as much as words for people with dementia. A staff member who crouches to eye level, maintains calm body language, and touches a shoulder gently is demonstrating genuine skill. The inspection was satisfied here, but the absence of recorded specifics means you need to see it for yourself.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett review found that person-centred caring requires staff to know each individual's history, preferences, and communication style. Homes where staff could describe residents' life histories from memory, rather than from a file, showed consistently better wellbeing outcomes.","watch_out":"During your visit, ask a staff member on the floor (not the manager) what your parent's preferred name would be called, and watch whether any staff initiate conversation with residents they pass in corridors without being prompted."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the June 2025 inspection. This covers whether activities are meaningful and tailored to individuals, whether the home responds to changing needs, whether complaints are handled well, and whether end-of-life care is planned. Dementia is a listed specialism, which means inspectors would have considered whether people with dementia have access to appropriate individual engagement. No concerns were raised. The published report does not describe specific activities, individual engagement plans for people who cannot join groups, or how complaints have been responded to.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive family reviews in our data, and resident happiness is the third most cited theme at 27.1%. For a parent with dementia, the critical question is not whether there is a activities programme on a noticeboard but whether someone will sit with your parent one to one when group activities are not possible or appropriate. Good Practice research strongly supports individual, tailored engagement over group-only provision. Montessori-based approaches and familiar household tasks have the strongest evidence base for people with moderate to advanced dementia. Ask specifically what happens on a Tuesday afternoon for someone who cannot follow group activities.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that individual, tailored activities, including familiar domestic tasks and reminiscence work, produced measurably better wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia than group-only activity programmes.","watch_out":"Ask the activities co-ordinator (or whoever leads on this): what would a typical day look like for a resident with moderate dementia who finds large groups overwhelming? Ask to see last week's actual activity records, not the planned schedule."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the June 2025 inspection. The registered manager is named as Mrs Carianne Louise Bright, and the nominated individual is Mrs Sonia Nye. A clear leadership structure was in place and assessed as satisfactory. This domain covers whether the home has a positive culture, whether staff feel able to raise concerns, whether governance systems are effective, and whether the home learns from incidents and complaints. No concerns were raised. The published report does not describe management visibility, staff culture, incident learning processes, or how long the current manager has been in post.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management quality accounts for 23.4% of positive family reviews in our data, and Good Practice research identifies leadership stability as one of the strongest predictors of quality trajectory over time. A named, known manager who has been in post for more than a year, and who staff feel comfortable approaching with concerns, is a significant asset. The inspection was satisfied with leadership here, but the published findings do not tell you how long Mrs Bright has been in post or whether staff feel genuinely empowered to raise concerns. Communication with family is cited positively in 11.5% of our reviews and is worth asking about directly, because it is rarely covered in inspection detail.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett review found that leadership stability, specifically manager tenure of over 12 months, was associated with lower staff turnover, better incident learning, and more consistent person-centred care outcomes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how long have you been in post here, and what is your current staff turnover rate? Ask how families are kept informed when something changes in their parent's care, and what the process is for raising a concern out of hours."}

  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 supports people with sensory impairments, physical disabilities, learning disabilities and mental health conditions. They're equipped to care for both younger adults and those over 65, with experience supporting people with autism alongside other complex needs.. Gaps or open questions remain on Stallcombe House includes dementia care among their specialisms, supporting residents with cognitive changes alongside their other areas of expertise. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.