The Chase

What families say

Residents find their days filled with purpose through the structured activity programme. Regular bingo sessions, music events, and daily activities create natural opportunities for social connection. The atmosphere feels lively rather than institutional, with genuine engagement between staff and residents throughout the day.

Based on 26 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 & leadership74
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2021-09-09 · Report published 2021-09-09 · Inspected 5 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the August 2021 inspection. This covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and how the home manages risk. The previous Requires Improvement rating means inspectors had previously found shortfalls in one or more of these areas, and the move to Good indicates those were addressed. No specific detail about night staffing ratios, falls rates, or medicines practices is included in the published findings for a home of 110 beds.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For a home of 110 beds, including a dementia specialism, night staffing is the area where safety most often slips according to Good Practice research. The published inspection does not tell you how many permanent carers are on duty overnight, and that is the single most important question to ask before you decide. Our review data shows that families frequently flag concerns about staff attentiveness (mentioned in around 14% of reviews), and those concerns are almost always linked to nights and weekends rather than daytime. The Good rating is reassuring as a baseline, but it is four years old. Ask to see the actual rota for last week, not a staffing template.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (2026) found that night staffing levels are one of the most consistent predictors of safety outcomes in care homes, yet they are often the least scrutinised area during family visits.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you last week's actual night-shift rota for the whole home. Count how many permanent carers and how many agency staff covered the 110 beds across those seven nights, and ask what the minimum safe staffing level is according to their own policy."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good. This domain covers staff training, care planning, access to healthcare professionals, nutrition, and hydration. The home specialises in dementia care, which means inspectors would have considered whether staff training is adequate for that specialism. No specific examples of care plan content, GP access arrangements, dementia training programmes, or mealtime observations are recorded in the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Good Practice research consistently identifies care plans as living documents that should be updated every time your parent's condition changes, not just on a fixed annual schedule. Dementia-specific training is equally important: there is a significant difference between general care training and training that covers how to communicate with someone in the later stages of dementia. The Effective rating tells you the inspectors found these things were broadly in place in 2021. What it cannot tell you is how detailed your parent's individual care plan would be, or whether the same training standards are maintained now. Food quality is also part of this domain, and mealtimes are often where you see the most about how a home genuinely treats the people who live there.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that structured dementia training, particularly training focused on non-verbal communication and person-centred approaches, significantly improves the quality of daily interactions between staff and people living with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the manager what specific dementia training staff complete, how recently the majority of the team were trained, and whether you can see an example (anonymised) of a care plan for a resident with a similar level of need to your parent, so you can judge the level of individual detail."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good. This covers how staff interact with residents, whether people are treated with dignity and respect, and whether residents feel their independence is supported. A Good rating requires inspectors to find positive evidence in these areas. The published inspection summary does not include specific observed interactions, preferred name use, or resident or relative quotes from the 2021 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 account for a further 55.2%. These are not abstract qualities: they show up in whether staff knock before entering a room, whether they use your parent's preferred name, and whether they sit down to speak rather than standing over someone. The Caring rating tells you inspectors were satisfied in 2021. What you need to observe yourself on a visit is whether the atmosphere feels unhurried, whether staff acknowledge your parent as a person rather than a task, and how staff respond when a resident seems upset or confused.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that non-verbal communication is as important as spoken language in dementia care. Staff who make eye contact, speak at the same level, and avoid rushing produce measurably better outcomes for people with dementia, even in the later stages.","watch_out":"When you visit, watch a corridor or lounge interaction between a staff member and a resident. Does the staff member stop, make eye contact, and use the resident's name? Does the interaction feel unhurried? These observable signals are more reliable than any policy document."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good. This covers how well the home tailors care to individual needs, the activities programme, and end-of-life care planning. The home's dementia specialism means inspectors would have considered whether activities are appropriate for people at different stages of dementia. The published findings do not describe specific activities, one-to-one engagement provision, or how end-of-life care is approached.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Resident happiness is the third most commonly mentioned theme in our family review data, appearing in 27.1% of positive reviews, and activities are mentioned in 21.4%. Good Practice research is clear that group activities alone are not sufficient for people with more advanced dementia, who may need one-to-one engagement, familiar household tasks, or sensory activities. The Responsive rating tells you the home met the standard in 2021, but it does not tell you what a typical day looks like for your parent, or what happens when they do not want to join a group session. That is the gap to close on your visit.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that Montessori-based and everyday-task approaches to activity, rather than entertainment-focused group sessions, are significantly more effective at maintaining engagement and reducing distress in people with moderate to advanced dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the activities co-ordinator how they support a resident who cannot or will not join group activities. Ask to see the activity plan for last week and check whether one-to-one sessions are listed alongside group events. Ask specifically what happens on evenings and weekends when activities staff may not be on duty."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-Led domain was rated Good. The home is operated by Healthcare Homes (LSC) Limited and has a named registered manager (Mrs Ana Maria Ciobotaru) and a named nominated individual (Mrs Helen Gidlow). The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good across all domains suggests that leadership took previous inspection findings seriously and made demonstrable changes. No specific information about staff culture, governance meetings, or how the management team communicates with families is included in the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time, according to Good Practice research. A named, permanent registered manager who is known to staff and residents is a positive sign. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good is also meaningful: it is not a small step, and it requires the manager to lead genuine change rather than cosmetic fixes. What the published findings cannot tell you is whether the current manager is still in post (the inspection was in 2021), how long they have been there, and how they communicate with families when something goes wrong. Communication with families appears in 11.5% of our positive review data, and proactive communication is consistently what separates good homes from average ones.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that leadership stability, defined as a registered manager in post for more than two years with low senior staff turnover, is one of the most reliable predictors of sustained quality improvement in care homes.","watch_out":"Ask whether Mrs Ana Maria Ciobotaru is still the registered manager and how long she has been in post. Ask how the home informs families when a resident has a fall, a health change, or a complaint is raised. Ask whether there is a regular family meeting or newsletter, and when the last one took place."}

  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 over 65 and under 65, with particular expertise in dementia support.. Gaps or open questions remain on Staff show genuine understanding of dementia's challenges, responding with patience when residents experience confusion or difficult behaviour. The structured daily programme helps provide the routine and stimulation that people with dementia often benefit from. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.