The Rectory Care Home

What families say

What strikes families most is how staff treat residents with real respect and kindness, taking time for proper conversations rather than rushing through care tasks. People notice their relatives seem happier here, with a real sense of being valued as individuals.

Based on 5 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth55
• Compassion & dignity55
• Cleanliness55
• Activities & engagement50
• Food quality50
• Healthcare50
• Management & leadership60
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-03-07 · Report published 2023-03-07 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for safety at the January 2023 inspection. The published report does not include specific detail about staffing ratios, night cover, medication management, falls recording, or agency staff use. A monitoring review in July 2023 found no evidence to change the rating. The home has 25 beds and lists dementia care as a specialism, making night staffing and consistent staffing particularly important factors to explore.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is reassuring, but for a home where your parent may have dementia, the detail behind that rating matters considerably. Good Practice research consistently shows that night staffing is where safety problems are most likely to appear in smaller homes, and that high agency staff use undermines the consistency of care that people with dementia need. The published findings do not tell us how many staff are on overnight, or how often agency staff cover shifts at The Rectory. You will need to ask those questions directly. Cleanliness is identified by 24.3% of positive family reviews as a key concern, and the inspection does not describe the physical environment, so use your visit to check communal areas and bathrooms yourself.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that night staffing ratios and reliance on agency staff are two of the most consistent predictors of safety risk in care homes, particularly for people living with dementia who may become distressed or have falls overnight.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for last week, not a template. Count how many permanent staff were on each night shift and ask specifically what the overnight staffing ratio is for the 25 beds."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for effectiveness at the January 2023 inspection. The published report does not describe care plan content, GP access arrangements, medication management processes, dementia training completed by staff, or how food quality and dietary needs are managed. The dementia specialism is declared but not described in the findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in a dementia care setting means, in practice, that staff know your parent as an individual, that their care plan is updated regularly, and that health changes are caught early and acted on. Our Good Practice evidence base, drawn from 61 studies, highlights that care plans should function as living documents reviewed at least monthly and shaped by the person's own history and preferences, not just their diagnosis. Food quality is mentioned positively in 20.9% of family reviews, and the texture, presentation, and choice of food is often a reliable signal of how well a home understands the people in its care. None of this is described in the published findings for The Rectory, so it needs to be explored on your visit.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett University evidence review found that regular, person-centred care plan reviews, combined with consistent access to GP and specialist support, are among the strongest predictors of good health outcomes for people with dementia in residential care.","watch_out":"Ask to see a blank version of the care plan template the home uses, and ask how often care plans are reviewed and whether families are invited to contribute. Also ask what dementia training all care staff have completed in the past 12 months."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for caring at the January 2023 inspection. The published report does not include inspector observations about how staff interact with residents, whether residents are addressed by preferred names, how staff respond to distress, or whether the pace of care feels unhurried. No resident or relative quotes are included in the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single most important factor in family satisfaction, mentioned in 57.3% of positive family reviews, and compassion and dignity account for 55.2%. These are not abstract qualities. They show up in specific, observable moments: whether a carer knocks before entering a room, whether your mum is called by the name she prefers, whether staff sit down to talk rather than speak on the move. The inspection gives The Rectory a Good rating for caring, but without specific observations or quotes to draw on, you should treat this as a starting point rather than a conclusion. Observe those small interactions yourself when you visit. They are the most reliable signal of how your parent will actually be treated day to day.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review highlights that non-verbal communication, including tone, pace, and physical proximity, is as important as verbal interaction for people with advanced dementia, and that staff who know a resident's personal history are significantly more likely to respond appropriately to distress.","watch_out":"During your visit, notice whether staff address the people who live there by name, whether they make eye contact and speak at a calm pace, and whether any resident appears to be waiting for attention for more than a few minutes. These are things you can observe without asking anyone."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for responsiveness at the January 2023 inspection. The published report does not describe the activity programme, whether one-to-one engagement is available for residents who cannot join group activities, how end-of-life care is approached, or how individual preferences shape daily routines. The dementia specialism is listed but not described in terms of what responsive, individualised care looks like in practice.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Responsiveness, in plain terms, means whether your parent will have a life here rather than simply a safe place to sleep. Activities are mentioned positively in 21.4% of family reviews, and resident happiness accounts for 27.1%. For someone with dementia, the Good Practice evidence base is clear that group activities are not enough: people who cannot participate in groups need structured one-to-one engagement, including everyday tasks such as folding, sorting, or tending plants, to maintain a sense of purpose and reduce distress. The published findings give no detail on whether The Rectory offers this. Ask specifically about one-to-one provision and ask to see last week's actual activity record, not just the planned schedule.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett University evidence review found that Montessori-based and task-led individual activities, rather than group-only programmes, significantly reduce agitation and improve wellbeing in people with moderate to advanced dementia.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity record for the past two weeks, not a printed schedule. Look for evidence of one-to-one engagement for residents who stay in their rooms or who cannot follow a group activity, and ask who is responsible for delivering that engagement when the activities coordinator is not on shift."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for well-led at the January 2023 inspection. A named registered manager, Mrs Abbie Claire Foster, and a named nominated individual, Mr David Edwin Wills White, are confirmed in post. The published report does not describe the management culture, how staff are supported or supervised, how the home learns from incidents, or how families are kept informed and involved. The monitoring review in July 2023 found no reason to change the rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time, according to the Good Practice evidence base. A home where the manager is visible, known to residents and staff, and creates a culture where staff can raise concerns will consistently outperform one where management is distant or frequently changing. The inspection confirms a registered manager is in place at The Rectory, which is a positive sign, but does not describe how that leadership shows up in practice. Communication with families is mentioned positively in 11.5% of family reviews. Ask how the home would contact you if your parent's condition changed, and ask how long the current manager has been in post, as tenure is a meaningful indicator of stability.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University review found that management stability and a culture of bottom-up empowerment, where care staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, are among the most consistent predictors of sustained quality in care homes.","watch_out":"Ask how long the current registered manager has been in post and whether there have been any significant staffing changes in the past six months. Then ask how a family member would be informed if their parent had a fall, a health change, or a medication incident."}

  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 Rectory specialises in dementia care and supports adults over 65.. Gaps or open questions remain on The home's approach to dementia care focuses on emotional wellbeing and maintaining dignity. Families particularly value how staff help residents feel settled and content in their surroundings. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.