Stamford Court Care Home

What families say

Based on 7 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement65
• Food quality65
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2022-11-22 · Report published 2022-11-22 · Inspected 4 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the October 2022 inspection, which represents an improvement from the home's previous rating of Requires Improvement. This domain covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and how the home responds to accidents and incidents. The published text does not include specific observations about night staffing ratios, falls management, or infection control practices. The improvement from a lower rating suggests the home addressed whatever safety concerns were previously identified, but the detail of what changed is not available in the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating after a period of Requires Improvement is reassuring, but it is worth understanding what had previously gone wrong and what has changed. Good Practice research is clear that night staffing is where safety most often slips, and our family review data shows that staff attentiveness is a significant concern for families (referenced in 14% of positive reviews, meaning its absence features heavily in negative ones). The inspection did not publish specific night staffing ratios for Stamford Court, so you should ask this directly. Medicines management and falls logging are also worth asking about, particularly if your parent takes multiple medications or has had falls before.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance is one of the clearest predictors of inconsistent safety outcomes, particularly for people with dementia who are less able to communicate concerns. Ask how many shifts in the past month were covered by agency staff.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not the planned template. Count the number of permanent staff versus agency names on night shifts, and ask what the minimum staffing level is overnight for the current number of residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good, covering areas including staff training, care plan quality, nutrition and hydration, and access to healthcare professionals. Dementia is listed as a specialism, which means inspectors would have considered whether staff have appropriate dementia-specific training. The published text does not include specific observations about care plan content, food quality, or how often a GP visits the home. The Good rating suggests inspectors were satisfied with these areas at the time of inspection.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Food quality is the eighth most cited theme in our family review data, appearing in 20.9% of positive reviews, and it is often one of the first things families notice on a visit. The inspection did not record specific observations about meals at Stamford Court, so this is worth checking directly. Care plans being kept as living documents, updated as your parent's needs change, is one of the strongest predictors of effective care for people with dementia according to the Good Practice evidence base. Ask how often care plans are formally reviewed and whether families are invited to contribute.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that dementia training which goes beyond basic awareness, covering communication, behaviour that challenges, and person-centred approaches, is associated with better outcomes. Ask what dementia training staff at Stamford Court have completed and when they last refreshed it.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample care plan (anonymised if needed) and check whether it records your parent's preferred name, daily routines, food likes and dislikes, and how they communicate when distressed. A good care plan should read like a description of a specific person, not a generic medical record."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good, covering staff warmth, dignity, respect, and how well staff know the people they care for. This is the domain that most directly reflects the day-to-day experience of your parent. The published text does not include specific observations or quotes from residents or relatives about how staff behave, which is unusual for a full inspection report. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with the quality of interactions they observed, but without specific examples it is difficult to assess the depth of that finding.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, cited in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity together account for 55.2%. These are not abstract concepts. They show up in observable behaviours: whether staff knock before entering a room, whether they use your parent's preferred name, whether they sit at eye level when speaking to someone, and whether they move without hurry. The inspection found these things satisfactory but gave no specific examples. On your visit, notice what happens in the corridor and the communal lounge, not just in the room you are shown to.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies non-verbal communication as particularly important for people with advanced dementia who may have limited speech. Staff who make eye contact, use calm touch appropriately, and respond to facial expressions rather than words are demonstrating genuine person-centred care. This cannot be verified from the published inspection text alone.","watch_out":"During your visit, sit quietly in a communal area for at least 15 minutes. Notice whether staff pass through without acknowledgement or whether they stop to speak to people. Watch whether residents are addressed by their preferred names and whether anyone appears to be waiting without acknowledgement for longer than a few minutes."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good, covering activities, individual engagement, and whether the home responds to people's personal preferences and changing needs. The home's specialisms include dementia and physical disabilities, which means the inspection would have considered whether activities and care are adapted for people with different abilities. No specific activities, examples of individual engagement, or descriptions of the activity programme are recorded in the published text. End-of-life care planning is typically assessed within this domain, but no detail is available.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Resident happiness is cited in 27.1% of positive family reviews, and activities and engagement appear in 21.4%. The Good Practice research is particularly clear that group activities alone are not sufficient for people with moderate to advanced dementia, who may not be able to participate in a group setting but can engage meaningfully in one-to-one activities or familiar everyday tasks such as folding, gardening, or reminiscence conversations. The inspection did not record what Stamford Court offers in this area. Ask specifically what happens for a resident who cannot join a group activity.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett review found that Montessori-based and activity-based approaches that build on retained abilities, rather than focusing on deficit, are associated with reduced agitation and improved wellbeing in people with dementia. Ask whether the activity coordinator has specific dementia activity training.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity planner for last month, not just the current week. Check whether there are any one-to-one sessions listed alongside group activities, and ask what happens on days when the activity coordinator is off sick or on leave."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good, which is particularly significant given the home's previous rating of Requires Improvement. The home is registered with a named manager (Mrs Susan Margaret Jackson) and a nominated individual (Ms Anna Gretchen Selby). An improvement across all five domains suggests that leadership has been effective in driving change since the previous inspection. The published text does not include specific observations about management visibility, staff culture, or how the home handles complaints and feedback.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management leadership is cited in 23.4% of positive family reviews, and communication with families appears in 11.5%. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality over time. The fact that this home has improved from Requires Improvement to Good across every domain is a positive signal, but it is worth asking how long the current manager has been in post and whether there have been significant staff changes recently. A home that has recently improved can sometimes be fragile if the leadership that drove the change moves on.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that homes where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear of negative consequences show better outcomes for residents. A culture of openness, where staff can speak up, is a marker of good leadership that is difficult to assess from an inspection report alone.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long they have been in post at Stamford Court specifically, not just in care management generally. Also ask what the home's current occupancy is and whether it has changed significantly in the past year, since rapid occupancy growth can stretch staffing and culture in ways that do not always show up immediately in inspection findings."}

  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 cares for adults both under and over 65 years old, including residents living with dementia and physical disabilities.. Gaps or open questions remain on The home accepts residents living with dementia, though specific details about their approach to dementia care aren't widely documented in family feedback. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.