The Grove, Thurnscoe Care Centre

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
• Healthcare68
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-06-11 · Report published 2019-06-11 · Inspected 3 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The home received a Good rating for Safe at its February 2026 assessment. No specific detail about staffing ratios, medicines management, falls recording, infection control, or incident learning was published in the report. The home is registered for 28 beds, but no information about current occupancy or agency staff use was included.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is reassuring, but our Good Practice evidence base highlights that safety most often slips at night, when staffing is thinnest and oversight is lowest. With 28 residents living with dementia, the overnight carer-to-resident ratio matters a great deal. The published report gives no figures here, so this is the most important question to ask directly before making a decision. In our review data, safe environment is mentioned in 11.8% of positive family reviews, which tells you it registers when things go well but it is often only noticed when something goes wrong.","evidence_base":"Research across 61 studies in the IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that night staffing levels are the single most consistent predictor of safety incidents in residential dementia care. A good daytime rating does not guarantee adequate overnight cover.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota from last week. Count how many permanent carers and how many agency staff were on duty overnight, and ask what the minimum safe number is for 28 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The home received a Good rating for Effective at its February 2026 assessment. No specific evidence about care plan quality, dementia training content, GP access, medicines reviews, or food quality was published. The home is registered as a dementia specialism provider, but no detail about what that means in practice was included in the report.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in a dementia care home comes down to whether staff genuinely know your parent as an individual, whether care plans are kept up to date, and whether health needs are caught early. Food quality is also a reliable marker: in our review data, 20.9% of positive reviews specifically mention food, and when meals are good it usually signals that the home pays attention to individual preferences more broadly. None of this can be confirmed or denied from the published report, so you will need to ask to see an example care plan and, ideally, visit at a mealtime.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that care plans treated as living documents, updated with family input after any health change, are strongly associated with better outcomes for people living with dementia. Homes where plans are reviewed infrequently tend to miss early signs of decline.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how often care plans are reviewed and whether families are invited to take part. Then ask to see a sample plan (with personal details removed) to judge for yourself whether it reflects a real person or reads like a template."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The home received a Good rating for Caring at its February 2026 assessment. No inspector observations about staff warmth, use of preferred names, pace of care, or response to distress were published. No resident or family quotes were included in the report.","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 not abstract qualities: they show up in specific, observable moments, such as whether a carer knocks before entering a room, uses the name your parent prefers, or pauses to listen rather than hurrying to the next task. Because the published report contains no observations about any of this, your visit is the only way to form a view. Spend time in a communal area and watch how staff move through the space.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that non-verbal communication, including pace, eye contact, and physical proximity, matters as much as spoken words for people living with advanced dementia. Homes where staff are observed moving without urgency consistently score higher on dignity measures.","watch_out":"Sit in a communal area for at least 20 minutes during your visit and watch how staff interact with the people who live there. Notice whether they crouch to make eye contact, use names, and respond when someone calls out or looks unsettled."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The home received a Good rating for Responsive at its February 2026 assessment. No detail about the activity programme, individual engagement, end-of-life planning, or how the home responds to changing needs was published. The home is registered for dementia care, but no description of how daily life is structured for residents was included.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement matter more than many families initially expect. In our review data, 21.4% of positive reviews mention meaningful activities, and 27.1% mention residents appearing happy and settled. For people living with dementia, the quality of day-to-day engagement often determines whether they are calm or distressed, connected or withdrawn. The Good Practice evidence base specifically highlights one-to-one activities for people who cannot join groups, a provision that is often missing even in good homes. None of this is described in the published report, so ask to see actual activity records rather than a programme on the wall.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that Montessori-based approaches and everyday household tasks, such as folding, watering plants, or helping set tables, provide meaningful engagement for people with advanced dementia who cannot participate in organised group activities. Homes that rely solely on group sessions tend to leave the most vulnerable residents unstimulated.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity records from the last four weeks, not the planned schedule. Look for evidence that people who cannot join groups, including your parent if that applies, received individual engagement. Ask specifically what staff do with someone who prefers to stay in their room."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The home received a Good rating for Well-led at its February 2026 assessment. A named registered manager is recorded as being in post. The home is operated by St Philips Care Limited. No detail about the manager's visibility, staff culture, governance systems, or how the home handles complaints and learning was published.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time. In our review data, management and leadership features in 23.4% of positive reviews, and communication with families is mentioned in 11.5%. A home where the manager is visible on the floor, where staff feel able to raise concerns, and where families receive prompt updates tends to be a safer and more consistent environment. The published report confirms a manager is in post but says nothing about how they lead in practice. Ask how long the current manager has been in the role and how the home would communicate with you if your parent's needs changed.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that leadership stability, specifically manager tenure and consistent senior team membership, is the most reliable predictor of a home's quality trajectory. Homes with frequent manager turnover show measurable deterioration in care standards within 12 months.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly how long they have been in post, and ask staff you encounter on the floor whether they feel supported to raise concerns. If the manager has been in post for less than six months, ask who provides leadership continuity during periods of change."}

  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 specialises in dementia care alongside general support for adults over 65. They offer both long-term residential placements and shorter respite stays to give family carers a break.. Gaps or open questions remain on The team at The Grove has experience supporting residents with different stages of dementia. Their approach includes helping people maintain daily routines and providing the right level of assistance as needs change. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.