The Grange Care Home

What families say

The welcome here feels genuinely inclusive, with families describing how supported they felt during those difficult first visits. Staff show real kindness in their daily interactions with residents, treating people with consistent respect. There's a lovely tradition of pet visits that brings extra warmth to everyday life.

Based on 14 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness68
• Activities & engagement55
• Food quality55
• Healthcare65
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2020-11-11 · Report published 2020-11-11 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the October 2020 inspection, up from the previous Requires Improvement rating. This domain covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and how the home responds to accidents and incidents. No specific observations, resident quotes, or data points are included in the published summary. The improvement from the previous rating suggests real progress was made, but the detail behind that improvement is not available in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Safety is reassuring, and the improvement from Requires Improvement is meaningful. However, the inspection was carried out in October 2020 and the published report gives no specific information about night staffing ratios, agency staff use, or how incidents are logged and acted on. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most often slips in care homes, and with 74 beds across a mixed-specialism service, the overnight picture matters. You cannot rely on the rating alone here; ask directly about staffing numbers on nights.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base (IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University, 61 studies, March 2026) identifies night staffing ratios and agency staff reliance as two of the strongest predictors of safety risk in residential dementia care settings.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how many carers and senior staff are on duty overnight across the whole home, and what proportion of shifts in the last month were covered by agency staff rather than permanent employees?"}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good, covering training, care planning, healthcare access, and food. This domain also applies to the home's dementia specialism, meaning inspectors were satisfied that staff had the knowledge and tools to care for people with dementia and other complex needs. No specific observations about care plan content, GP visit frequency, mealtime quality, or training programmes are included in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For your parent, particularly if they are living with dementia, the Effective rating means inspectors were satisfied that staff knew what they were doing at the time of the visit. Our family review data shows that food quality (mentioned in 20.9% of positive reviews) and dementia-specific care (12.7%) are among the things families notice and remember most. The inspection gives no detail on either. Good Practice research points to care plans as living documents that should be reviewed regularly with family input, but there is no evidence in this report about how often that happens at The Grange. This is a gap you need to fill on a visit.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review highlights that regular, structured dementia training, covering non-verbal communication and person-centred approaches, is one of the strongest predictors of good outcomes for people with dementia in residential care.","watch_out":"Ask to see an example of how a care plan is reviewed: who is involved, how often it is updated, and whether families are routinely invited to contribute. Also ask what dementia training staff complete and when it was last updated."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good, covering staff warmth, dignity, respect, and how residents are treated as individuals. This is the domain most directly linked to the day-to-day experience of living in the home. The published summary records no specific observations, no quotes from residents or relatives, and no examples of how staff interacted with people during the inspection. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied, but the evidence behind that judgement is not visible in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned by name in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. These are the things you are most likely to notice, and most likely to remember, from a visit. The inspection does not describe specific moments of warmth or kindness, so you cannot take this on trust. Good Practice research confirms that non-verbal communication, particularly how staff approach a person with dementia who cannot easily articulate their feelings, matters as much as what staff say. Watch for whether staff knock before entering rooms, use your parent's preferred name, and move without appearing hurried.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research identifies non-verbal communication and unhurried interaction as the most meaningful signals of person-centred care for people with dementia, particularly for those who have limited verbal communication.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch an unscripted moment: a staff member passing a resident in the corridor, or supporting someone at a meal. Do they make eye contact, use the person's name, and move at the resident's pace rather than their own?"}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good, covering activities, individual engagement, responsiveness to changing needs, and end-of-life planning. The home specialises in dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment, which means the Responsive domain is particularly important. No specific examples of activities, individual engagement plans, or end-of-life arrangements are described in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Resident happiness and engagement appear in 27.1% of positive family reviews, and activities are mentioned in 21.4%. For a parent with dementia, the question is not just whether the home runs group activities but whether there is something meaningful for your parent to do on a day when they cannot or do not want to join a group. Good Practice research highlights that Montessori-based approaches and everyday household tasks, such as folding, sorting, or simple cooking, are particularly effective for people with advanced dementia and far more sustaining than passive entertainment. The inspection gives no detail on this. Ask specifically about one-to-one engagement.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research identifies tailored individual activities, including everyday domestic tasks adapted to the person's history and preferences, as significantly more effective for wellbeing in dementia care than group-only activity programmes.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator: what happens for a resident with advanced dementia who cannot join a group session? Can they show you a recent example of a one-to-one activity that was planned around a specific resident's interests or past life?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good, up from Requires Improvement at the previous inspection. The report records a named registered manager and a nominated individual, which indicates the formal governance structure was in place. No detail is available on how long the current manager has been in post, how staff are supported, how the home handles complaints, or how learning from incidents is embedded in practice.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management and leadership account for 23.4% of positive family reviews, and communication with families is mentioned in 11.5%. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good in Well-led is one of the more encouraging signals in this report, because Good Practice research consistently shows that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of a home's quality trajectory over time. However, the inspection is now more than four years old, and the published detail is thin. Staff turnover, the current manager's tenure, and whether the culture of openness that drove the improvement has been sustained are all questions you should ask directly.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research identifies leadership stability and a culture in which staff can raise concerns without fear as among the strongest predictors of sustained quality in care homes over time.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long they have been in post, whether they work regular hours on the floor of the home, and how a family member would raise a concern and expect it to be followed up. A confident, specific answer is a good sign; a vague or deflecting one is worth noting."}

  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 Grange cares for people with dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairments, welcoming both younger adults under 65 and older residents. They're equipped to support people with complex needs across different age groups.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, the team shows particular skill in managing behavioural challenges with professional investigation and appropriate support. Staff maintain that crucial balance of dignity and safety when caring for people living with dementia. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.