Vicarage Court Nursing & Residential Home

What families say

Families describe staff who take time to chat with residents about their lives and interests, offering comfort during difficult transitions. The warmth extends to practical touches too — helping residents with grooming for special occasions and remembering what makes each person feel valued. Several families noted how staff provided dignified, attentive support during end-of-life care, helping residents live longer and more comfortably than doctors initially expected.

Based on 28 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth70
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness60
• Activities & engagement65
• Food quality60
• Healthcare58
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-09-27 · Report published 2019-09-27 · Inspected 4 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Requires improvement

  {"found":"Safety was rated Requires Improvement at the January 2022 inspection. This was the one domain that did not reach a Good rating, and it is the same domain that had previously caused concern. The published report does not set out the specific reasons for the Requires Improvement rating, so it is not possible to say whether the concern was about staffing numbers, medicines management, infection control, or another issue. This is a significant gap in the available evidence.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Requires Improvement in Safety is the most important thing to understand before choosing this home for your mum or dad. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety is most likely to slip in a care home, and agency reliance can undermine the consistency that people with dementia especially need. Because the published report does not explain what the inspectors found, you cannot assess the risk from the findings alone. The inspection is also more than three years old, so conditions may have changed. Visit the home and ask directly what the safety concern was and what has been done about it. Do not accept a general reassurance.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that agency staff usage and gaps in night staffing are among the strongest predictors of safety failures in care homes. Without knowing whether either of these was the reason for the Requires Improvement rating here, the risk cannot be properly assessed.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: what exactly did the January 2022 inspection identify as Requires Improvement in Safety, and can you show me evidence of what has been done to address it? Then ask to see the actual staffing rota for last week, including the overnight shifts, and count how many permanent staff names appear versus agency names."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the January 2022 inspection. This domain covers whether staff have the right training, whether care plans reflect what each person needs, whether healthcare needs are met, and whether nutrition is properly managed. A Good rating indicates inspectors were broadly satisfied in all of these areas. However, the published findings do not include specific observations, examples, or quotes that would allow a more detailed assessment.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for Effectiveness is reassuring, particularly for a home that supports people with dementia, mental health conditions, and physical disabilities, all of which require staff who genuinely understand how to adapt care to the individual. What this rating cannot tell you is how good the dementia-specific training actually is in practice, or how frequently your parent's care plan would be reviewed. Our family review data shows that healthcare access (20.2% weight in satisfaction) and food quality (20.9%) are both highly important to families. Neither is described in detail in the published report, so these are areas to probe directly on a visit.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as living documents, not paperwork filed and forgotten. Regular reviews that include the family, and that change when the person changes, are a marker of genuinely effective care. Ask how often care plans are updated and whether you would be invited to review meetings.","watch_out":"Ask to see a blank template of the care plan format used here, and ask how often plans are reviewed when a resident's needs change. Then ask how recently the dementia training was updated and what it covers beyond manual handling and medication."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the January 2022 inspection. This domain looks at whether staff treat people with warmth, respect their dignity, protect their privacy, and support their independence. A Good rating indicates inspectors observed or gathered evidence of positive practice in these areas. No specific quotes from residents or relatives are recorded in the published findings, and no direct inspector observations are cited, which limits the detail available here.","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 rating in Caring is therefore the most important domain rating for many families. What is missing from the published report is the texture: whether staff use preferred names, whether they move without hurrying, whether they notice when someone is distressed and respond well. These things cannot be assessed from a domain rating alone. Observe them yourself when you visit. Arrive unannounced if you can, or at a mealtime, and watch how staff interact with the people who live there in the corridors and communal areas.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research shows that non-verbal communication matters as much as spoken words for people with advanced dementia. Staff who crouch to eye level, maintain gentle physical contact, and read body language are doing more to support wellbeing than staff who simply complete tasks efficiently. This is not something that appears in a rating; it is something you have to see.","watch_out":"When you visit, spend ten minutes in a communal area and watch whether staff address residents by name, whether they pause to chat rather than moving straight to the next task, and whether any resident appears to be waiting a long time for attention."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the January 2022 inspection. This domain covers whether the home provides activities that are meaningful to each individual, whether complaints are handled well, and whether end-of-life care is planned appropriately. A Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with the overall picture. No specific detail about what activities are offered, how they are tailored, or how end-of-life planning is approached is recorded in the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating in Responsiveness matters especially if your parent has dementia or another condition that makes it hard to join in group activities. Our family review data shows that activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive satisfaction signals, and resident happiness accounts for 27.1%. Good Practice research is clear that group activities alone are not sufficient: people at a more advanced stage of dementia need one-to-one engagement, including familiar household tasks or sensory activities, to maintain wellbeing. The published findings do not tell you whether Vicarage Court provides this level of individual attention, so ask directly.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review, drawing on 61 studies, found that Montessori-based approaches and everyday household activity (folding laundry, tending plants, simple cooking tasks) are among the most effective ways to maintain engagement and reduce distress in people with dementia. Ask whether the activity programme includes this kind of individual, purposeful engagement.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what they would do with a resident who cannot join group sessions because of advanced dementia or high anxiety. Ask how many hours per week of one-to-one activity time each resident receives, and whether that is recorded in the care plan."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the January 2022 inspection. The home is run by Calsa Care Limited, with Mrs Tracy Michelle Smith as the registered manager and Mr Jagjit Singh as the nominated individual. A Good rating in this domain indicates inspectors were satisfied that the management team has the oversight, governance, and culture needed to run the home properly. The improvement from the previous Requires Improvement overall rating suggests the leadership team responded constructively to earlier concerns.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management quality and family communication together account for around 35% of the satisfaction signals in our family review data. The fact that this home improved from a previous Requires Improvement rating is a meaningful indicator: it suggests the leadership team identified problems and acted on them, which is exactly what good leadership looks like. What the published report cannot tell you is how stable that leadership has been since the January 2022 inspection, or whether the registered manager is still in post. Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of sustained quality, according to the Good Practice evidence base. Check whether the same manager is still running the home.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality trajectory in care homes. A home that has changed manager several times in a short period is at higher risk of decline, even if the most recent inspection was positive.","watch_out":"Ask whether Mrs Tracy Michelle Smith is still the registered manager. If not, ask how long the current manager has been in post and whether there have been other management changes since 2022. Then ask how the manager gets feedback from residents who cannot easily express concerns verbally."}

  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 both under and over 65, including those with physical disabilities and mental health conditions. They also support people living with dementia.. Gaps or open questions remain on While the home accepts residents with dementia, some families have expressed concerns about the level of structured activities and environmental stimulation available. It's important to discuss specific activity programmes and safety measures during your visit to ensure they meet your loved one's needs. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.