Westerfield Residential Care Home

What families say

People visiting the home frequently mention the kind and welcoming approach of the care team. Several families have noted how staff create a calm, reassuring atmosphere during their visits.

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
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement65
• Food quality65
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2017-10-14 · Report published 2017-10-14 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The inspection awarded a rating of Good for Safe at its assessment on 31 December 2025. The published report does not contain specific narrative detail about how safety is managed, including staffing ratios, medicines management, falls recording, or infection control practice. The home is registered for 37 beds and covers a range of needs including dementia and physical disabilities. No concerns or breaches were identified in relation to safety.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for Safe is reassuring, but it tells you the minimum rather than the full picture. Good Practice research consistently shows that safety risks, particularly for people with dementia, are highest after 8pm when staffing levels typically fall and agency cover is more common. Our review data shows that families who later raised concerns about safety almost always say, in hindsight, that the night-time experience was never discussed with them before they chose the home. Because the inspection text gives no specific detail on night staffing, medicines, or falls management here, you need to ask those questions directly.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (2026) found that agency staff reliance is one of the strongest predictors of safety incidents in care homes, because unfamiliar staff are less likely to recognise subtle behavioural changes in people with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how many permanent carers and how many senior staff are on duty overnight for the 37 beds? Then ask to see the actual rota from last week, not the template, and count the permanent versus agency names on night shifts."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The inspection rated Effective as Good at the assessment completed on 31 December 2025. The published text does not include specific findings about training content, care plan quality, GP access, or food. The home's registration covers dementia care, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments, which requires staff to hold relevant skills across multiple areas of need. No concerns were identified in this domain.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in a care home context means staff know how to care for your parent's specific condition, not just how to follow general routines. For people with dementia in particular, Good Practice evidence shows that care plans need to function as living documents, updated as needs change, and that dementia-specific training makes a measurable difference to the quality of daily interactions. The inspection did not record specific detail on either of these areas here. Food quality is also a marker of genuine care; in our review data, 20.9% of positive family reviews specifically mention meals as a sign of how well a home treats the people who live there.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (2026) found that dementia training that goes beyond basic awareness, covering communication, behaviour as communication, and person-centred approaches, produces measurable improvements in resident wellbeing and reduces incidents.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: what specific dementia training do all staff complete, including kitchen and domestic staff, and when was the last time it was updated or refreshed? A confident, detailed answer is a good sign; a vague one is worth noting."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The inspection rated Caring as Good at the assessment completed on 31 December 2025. The published text does not include inspector observations of staff interactions, resident testimony about kindness or dignity, or specific examples of how the home supports independence. No concerns were raised in this domain.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data: 57.3% of positive reviews across more than 5,400 UK care homes mention it by name, and 55.2% mention compassion and dignity specifically. These are not soft extras; they are the foundation of good dementia care. Because the published report does not describe specific interactions, you cannot yet assess this from the paperwork alone. The way to check it is to visit, ideally unannounced or at a different time from your first appointment, and watch how staff move through communal spaces, whether they make eye contact with residents, use preferred names, and respond when someone calls out.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base (IFF Research, 2026) highlights that non-verbal communication, including pace, eye contact, and physical proximity, is as important as spoken words for people with advanced dementia, and is the most reliable observable signal of a caring culture.","watch_out":"During your visit, sit quietly in a communal area for ten minutes without joining a conversation. Watch whether staff passing through acknowledge residents, use their names, and slow down when someone speaks to them. Unhurried presence is the clearest sign of a genuinely caring environment."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The inspection rated Responsive as Good at the assessment completed on 31 December 2025. The published text does not describe the activity programme, individual care planning, or how the home supports people who cannot engage in group activities. End-of-life care arrangements are not discussed in the published findings. No concerns were identified in this domain.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Responsiveness matters most when your parent's needs change, or when they are having a difficult day and cannot join in with what others are doing. Good Practice research is clear that meaningful activities for people with dementia should not be group-only; one-to-one engagement, including everyday tasks like folding, sorting, or tending plants, maintains a sense of purpose and reduces distress. In our review data, 27.1% of positive family reviews mention resident contentment and engagement as a key reason for satisfaction. Because the inspection did not record specific activity detail for Westerfield House, this is an area to explore directly.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett review (2026) found that Montessori-based and occupation-focused approaches, where everyday household tasks are offered as meaningful engagement rather than scheduled entertainment, produce the strongest outcomes for people with moderate to advanced dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to show you the actual record of what happened last week, not the printed timetable. Then ask: what would happen for my parent on a day when they do not want to join the group session? A good answer describes a specific one-to-one approach, not a general commitment to flexibility."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The inspection rated Well-led as Good at the assessment completed on 31 December 2025. Mrs Louise Nicola Coote is named as the Registered Manager and Mr Mohamed Maqsud Khan as the Nominated Individual, indicating that defined leadership roles are in place. The published text does not describe management visibility, staff culture, governance systems, or how the home handles complaints and learning from incidents.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time. Good Practice research shows that homes with consistent, visible managers who are known by name to residents and staff tend to maintain quality more reliably than those with frequent leadership changes. A named manager is a positive starting point, but the inspection text does not tell you how long they have been in post, how often they are present on the floor, or how the home has responded to any concerns raised. Our review data shows that 23.4% of positive family reviews specifically credit visible, responsive management as a reason for trust. These are questions worth asking directly.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review (2026) found that bottom-up empowerment, where front-line staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, is a stronger predictor of sustained Good ratings than governance paperwork alone.","watch_out":"Ask how long the current Registered Manager has been in post, and then ask a carer the same question separately. If the answers match and the carer can name the manager without hesitation, that is a strong signal of an embedded, visible leadership culture."}

  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 over and under 65 with physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They also provide support for people living with dementia.. Gaps or open questions remain on While the home accepts residents with dementia, families considering this type of care may want to discuss staffing levels and specific support available during their visit. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.