Barchester – Tennyson Wharf Care Home

What families say

What strikes visitors most is how content residents appear. You'll often spot them taking part in activities or relaxing in the pleasant surroundings. The atmosphere feels genuinely welcoming, with staff who take time to chat and connect. It's the kind of place where residents seem settled and families feel their loved ones are in good hands.

Based on 41 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth55
• Compassion & dignity58
• Cleanliness60
• Activities & engagement52
• Food quality52
• Healthcare58
• Management & leadership42
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2021-03-02 · Report published 2021-03-02 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"Tennyson Wharf was rated Good for safety at its January 2021 inspection. This domain covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and how the home responds to accidents and incidents. The published inspection summary does not include specific observations, staff ratios, or detail about how medicines are administered and checked. No concerns were recorded in relation to safety at that inspection. The previous Requires Improvement overall rating means safety standards will have been scrutinised closely at this visit.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is reassuring, but the published report does not tell you the specifics that matter most for day-to-day confidence. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety is most likely to slip in a care home, yet this inspection gives no information about overnight ratios for a 60-bed home. Agency staff usage is another key concern: our family review data shows that inconsistent staffing is a significant source of worry for families, and there is no published information here to reassure you either way. Ask directly how many permanent staff are on the night shift and how often agency workers cover those hours.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that night staffing levels and reliance on agency workers are the two areas where safety in care homes most commonly falls short, and neither is visible to families unless they ask directly.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you last week's actual staffing rota, not a template. Count how many night-shift slots were covered by permanent staff versus agency workers, and ask what the minimum staffing level is overnight for 60 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for Effective at the January 2021 inspection. This domain covers how well the home uses assessment and care planning to meet individual needs, whether staff have the right training, and how healthcare is accessed including GP input, medication review, and specialist referrals. Dementia is listed as a specialism. The published summary does not include specific observations about training content, care plan quality, or how food and nutritional needs are met.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Effective rating means inspectors were broadly satisfied that the home was translating its knowledge into practice for the people living there. For a home with a dementia specialism, this should mean staff are trained in dementia-specific communication and that care plans reflect not just medical needs but your parent's personal history, preferences, and what a good day looks like for them. Our family review data shows that 12.7% of positive reviews specifically mention dementia-aware care as a reason for satisfaction. The published report does not confirm what dementia training staff have received, so this is worth asking about on a visit. Food quality, which 20.9% of positive family reviews mention, is also not specifically described.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as living documents that should be reviewed regularly with family input. Homes where families are actively involved in care planning reviews show better outcomes for residents with dementia, particularly in managing behavioural and psychological symptoms.","watch_out":"Ask to see an example of a care plan (with personal details removed if needed) and check whether it includes the person's life history, preferred name, daily routines, and food preferences, not just a list of medical diagnoses and medication."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"Tennyson Wharf received a Good rating for Caring at the January 2021 inspection. This domain reflects whether staff treat the people who live there with warmth, dignity, and respect, and whether residents are supported to maintain independence. The published inspection summary does not include any direct quotes from residents or relatives, nor any specific inspector observations about how staff interacted with people on the day of the visit.","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 come close behind at 55.2%. A Good Caring rating tells you that inspectors did not find evidence of poor treatment, but the absence of published specific observations means you cannot tell from this report alone whether the warmth here is genuine and consistent or simply adequate. On a visit, watch how staff interact with residents in corridors and communal areas when they think no one important is watching. Do they make eye contact? Do they use preferred names? Do they slow down when someone needs more time? These are the observable signals that match what families in our data describe.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review highlights that for people with dementia, non-verbal communication, including touch, eye contact, tone, and pace, is often as important as spoken words. Homes where staff demonstrate these skills consistently show measurably better wellbeing outcomes for residents.","watch_out":"Arrive for your visit slightly early and sit quietly in a communal area before your formal tour begins. Watch whether staff passing through greet residents by name, make eye contact, and pause rather than walk past. This is harder to stage than a prepared tour."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"Tennyson Wharf was rated Good for Responsive at the January 2021 inspection. This domain covers whether care is tailored to individual needs, whether there is a varied and meaningful activity programme, and how the home handles complaints and end-of-life care. The published summary does not describe specific activities, individual engagement approaches, or how the home supports people who cannot join group activities.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive family reviews in our data, and resident happiness is the third most commonly mentioned theme at 27.1%. A Good Responsive rating is positive, but without published detail it is impossible to say whether the activity programme here is genuinely tailored to individuals or primarily group-based. This matters particularly for your parent if they have more advanced dementia and may not be able to engage in structured group activities. Good Practice research consistently finds that one-to-one activities and household-task-based engagement, such as folding laundry, tending plants, or helping to lay a table, are more beneficial for people with advanced dementia than formal group sessions, but these approaches require deliberate staffing and planning.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett and IFF rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based and task-focused individual activities, tailored to a person's life history and abilities, produce better wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia than group activities alone, and are often more practical to sustain day-to-day.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what a typical Tuesday looks like for a resident with moderate dementia who does not enjoy group sessions. If the answer focuses only on group timetables, that is worth noting."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Requires improvement

  {"found":"Well-led is the one domain rated Requires Improvement at the January 2021 inspection, even as the home improved across every other domain. This domain assesses whether there is a clear management structure, whether the culture supports openness and learning, whether governance systems are working, and whether the home acts on feedback. The published summary does not detail what specific concerns led to this rating. The registered manager, Mrs Sarah Diana Noutch, is named in the inspection record as in post.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement rating in Well-led is the finding that should give you most pause, even alongside the Good ratings elsewhere. Our family review data shows that management visibility and communication with families account for 23.4% and 11.5% of positive review themes respectively, and Good Practice research identifies leadership stability as one of the strongest predictors of whether care quality is sustained or slides. A home can score Good in caring and safety on a given inspection day while having governance gaps that only become visible over time. The inspection is also now over four years old, which is a long gap. The key question is what has changed in leadership and governance since 2021 and whether the Well-led rating has been revisited.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that leadership stability and a culture where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear are the two most reliable predictors of sustained quality in care homes. Homes that improve one domain while leaving Well-led at Requires Improvement are at higher risk of reverting.","watch_out":"Ask the registered manager directly: what specific issues led to the Requires Improvement rating in 2021, what actions were taken, and whether there has been a subsequent inspection or review that confirmed improvement. Also ask how long she has been in the role and whether the management team has changed since the inspection."}

  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 Tennyson Wharf cares for adults both under and over 65, including those with physical disabilities. The home has particular experience supporting people with dementia, with staff who understand how to provide dignified, person-centred care.. Gaps or open questions remain on Families with loved ones living with dementia report seeing positive outcomes here. The staff know how to provide attentive, professional support while ensuring residents can still participate in activities and maintain their dignity. It's reassuring for families to see their loved ones engaged and content despite their condition. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.