The Ashton Care Home

What families say

Families consistently notice how staff greet residents and visitors with genuine warmth, initiating friendly chats rather than waiting to be approached. Several people have remarked on the respectful way staff speak with residents, avoiding the patronising tone that can creep into care settings. The management team takes time to understand new residents before they arrive, learning their preferences and making the transition feel more personal.

Based on 32 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity75
• Cleanliness60
• Activities & engagement65
• Food quality60
• Healthcare60
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-05-04 · Report published 2023-05-04 · Inspected 9 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Requires improvement

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Requires Improvement at the inspection in March 2023. This is the one domain that did not achieve Good, despite the overall rating improving from the previous inspection. The published report summary does not specify which aspect of safety, whether staffing levels, medicines management, risk assessments, or infection control, drove this rating. The four other domains were all rated Good, which suggests the safety concerns were specific rather than widespread, but they were significant enough to hold this domain back.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement rating in Safety is the most important finding in this report for you as a family. Our review data shows that 14% of positive family reviews specifically mention staff attentiveness as a reason for confidence, and Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most often slips. The fact that the overall rating improved is encouraging, but it does not resolve the safety question. You need to know what the inspectors found, what the home did about it, and whether those changes have held. Do not accept a general reassurance. Ask for the specific action plan and ask whether a follow-up inspection has taken place or is scheduled.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance and inconsistent night cover are the most common contributors to safety ratings that do not meet the Good standard. Homes that improve Safety ratings sustainably tend to have invested in permanent staffing rather than short-term fixes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to name the specific issues the Safety rating was based on, and ask to see the action plan and any evidence of improvement since March 2023. Then ask how many permanent carers, not agency staff, were on the dementia unit last night."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the March 2023 inspection. This domain covers whether staff have the right training and knowledge, whether care plans are kept up to date, and whether residents get timely access to healthcare. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which should mean staff are trained to understand and respond to dementia-specific behaviour. The published summary does not provide specific detail about care plan content, GP access arrangements, or medication management, so the Good rating is the main evidence available here.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for Effectiveness is a reassuring baseline, but it tells you the minimum rather than the full picture. Our review data shows that healthcare access (20.2% weighting) and dementia-specific care (12.7% of positive mentions) matter a great deal to families. Good Practice research is clear that care plans should be living documents, reviewed regularly and updated when your parent's needs change, not written once and filed. Ask when your parent's care plan would first be written, who would contribute to it, and how often it would be reviewed. Family involvement in that process is not guaranteed and is worth asking about explicitly.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base found that dementia training which goes beyond basic awareness, covering communication, behaviour that challenges, and pain recognition in non-verbal residents, produces measurably better outcomes for people living with dementia. Ask what specific dementia training the care staff have completed and when they last refreshed it.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how often are care plans formally reviewed, and will you be invited to take part in those reviews? Ask to see an example of how a care plan is structured, with personal history, preferences, and health information included."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the March 2023 inspection. This domain covers how staff treat residents, whether dignity and privacy are respected, and whether people are supported to be as independent as possible. A Good rating here means inspectors were satisfied that staff interactions were respectful and that residents were treated as individuals. The published summary does not include specific observations or quotes from residents or relatives recorded during this inspection.","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%. A Good Caring rating is therefore the most important positive signal in this report for day-to-day life. What this rating tells you is that inspectors did not find evidence of unkindness or disrespect. What it cannot tell you is whether the staff your parent will meet every day are warm in the way that matters to your family. That is something you can only assess by visiting and observing. Watch whether staff use your parent's preferred name, whether they knock before entering rooms, and whether they move without hurry.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research is clear that non-verbal communication matters as much as spoken language for people living with dementia. Staff who are trained to notice and respond to facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice provide significantly better emotional care than those who rely solely on verbal interaction.","watch_out":"When you visit, watch a corridor interaction between a staff member and a resident. Does the staff member stop, make eye contact, and use the resident's name? Or do they pass by without acknowledgement? That moment tells you more than any rating."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the March 2023 inspection. This domain covers whether care is tailored to the individual, whether activities are meaningful and varied, and whether the home responds well to complaints and concerns. The home supports a wide range of needs including dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment, which means the activity and engagement programme should be designed to include people with very different abilities. The published summary does not include specific detail about activities, individual engagement, or how complaints are handled.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our review data shows that resident happiness (27.1% weighting) and activities (21.4% weighting) are among the themes families care most about when choosing a home. A Good Responsive rating suggests the home is meeting individual needs at a basic level, but the detail matters enormously for someone with dementia. Good Practice research identifies a significant gap between group activity programmes and what is needed for people who cannot participate in groups. If your parent is in the later stages of dementia, ask specifically what would happen for them on an ordinary Tuesday afternoon, not what the timetable says but what actually happens.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett and IFF rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based approaches and everyday household tasks, folding, sorting, familiar domestic routines, produce better engagement and wellbeing outcomes for people with dementia than structured group activities alone. Ask whether staff are trained in any of these approaches.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity record for last week, not the planned timetable but the actual record of what took place. Check whether one-to-one engagement is recorded for residents who did not join group sessions, and ask who leads activities on weekends."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-Led domain was rated Good at the March 2023 inspection. A registered manager, Mrs Gurpreet Kaur Hundal, was in post, alongside a nominated individual, Mr Christopher David Ridgard. Good leadership ratings typically reflect that governance processes are working, that staff feel supported, and that the home has a clear sense of accountability. The improvement from a previous Requires Improvement overall rating to a Good overall rating suggests that leadership has driven meaningful change. The published summary does not provide detail about management visibility, staff culture, or how the home handles complaints.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our review data shows that management quality (23.4% weighting) and communication with families (11.5% weighting) are important to families choosing a home. Good Practice research is consistent on one point: leadership stability predicts quality trajectory more reliably than almost any other factor. The fact that the home improved its overall rating under its current leadership is a positive signal. What you cannot know from the published findings is how long the registered manager has been in post, whether staffing has been stable, and whether the culture of the home supports staff to raise concerns. These are questions worth asking directly.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research found that homes where staff feel able to speak up about concerns without fear of reprisal consistently outperform those where a top-down culture discourages challenge. Ask whether the home has a formal way for care staff to raise concerns, separate from line management.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long she has been in post at this home, and ask what the main change was that moved the home from Requires Improvement to Good. A manager who can give you a specific, honest answer to that question is a good sign."}

  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 Ashton supports younger adults under 65 alongside older residents, caring for people with physical disabilities, sensory impairments and mental health conditions. They also provide specialist dementia support.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, the home's emphasis on natural, respectful conversation becomes particularly valuable. Staff focus on maintaining dignity through everyday interactions, treating each person as an individual rather than defining them by their condition. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.