Whitby Dene Care Home – Care UK

What families say

Families talk about the difference regular activities make to residents' moods — from organised entertainment to social gatherings that lift spirits. People notice how staff give the same attentive care whether someone has straightforward needs or more complex conditions.

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

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement62
• Food quality62
• Healthcare68
• Management & leadership74
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-05-27 · Report published 2023-05-27 · Inspected 4 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The inspection rated the Safe domain as Good, an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating. This means inspectors were satisfied that the home had addressed whatever safety concerns were identified previously. However, the published text does not record specific observations about medicines management, falls procedures, infection control, or night staffing numbers. A named manager structure is confirmed, which supports accountability for safety.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Safe rating that has improved from Requires Improvement is meaningful: it tells you that inspectors found the home had done the work to fix earlier problems. That said, our Good Practice evidence base highlights that safety most commonly slips on night shifts and in homes that rely heavily on agency staff, and the inspection text gives no information on either of those areas. Before your visit, write down two specific questions: how many permanent staff are on the dementia unit after 8pm, and what percentage of shifts in the last three months were covered by agency staff. The answers will tell you more than the rating alone.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that night staffing levels and agency staff reliance are the two factors most commonly linked to safety incidents in care homes. A Good daytime rating does not automatically confirm safe night-time cover.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the last two weeks, not a template. Count permanent staff names against agency names, especially on night shifts, and ask what the minimum staffing level is overnight for the 60-bed home."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good. This covers training, care planning, healthcare access, and food quality. The published inspection text does not provide specific evidence in any of these areas: there are no records of dementia training completion rates, no care plan examples, no detail about GP access arrangements, and no information about menus or dietary support. The Good rating confirms inspectors were satisfied, but the detail behind that judgement is not available in the published report.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For a home supporting people with dementia, an Effective rating should mean staff know how to communicate with your parent when words become difficult, that care plans are updated as needs change, and that GPs are contacted promptly when health dips. Our Good Practice evidence highlights care plans as living documents that should be reviewed at least monthly for people with changing dementia needs, not filed and forgotten. Because the inspection text gives no specific evidence here, you will need to ask these questions yourself on a visit. Food quality, which features in 20.9% of positive family reviews, is another area where you should ask to see a weekly menu and, ideally, join a mealtime.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base confirms that dementia-specific training covering non-verbal communication, behavioural responses, and person-centred approaches is a consistent predictor of better outcomes. Ask specifically what dementia training staff have completed, not just whether training exists.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how often are care plans formally reviewed for people with dementia, and who leads that review? Then ask to see a current menu and find out how the home handles someone who refuses to eat or has significant swallowing difficulties."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good. This is the domain that covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and how staff respond to distress. The published inspection text does not include any inspector observations of staff interactions, any resident testimony about how they feel treated, or any specific examples of dignified care. A Good rating in Caring confirms inspectors were satisfied at the time of their visit.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single most important driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned 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 on a visit. Do staff use your parent's preferred name? Do they knock before entering a room? Do they sit at eye level when speaking to someone who is seated? Do they respond to agitation calmly rather than redirecting quickly to move on? None of these things are recorded in the published findings, so you will need to observe them yourself. Arriving unannounced at a mealtime or in the mid-afternoon, when inspections are less likely to have been anticipated, gives you the most honest picture.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review confirms that non-verbal communication is as important as verbal communication for people living with dementia. Staff who make eye contact, use touch appropriately, and slow their pace produce measurably better outcomes for wellbeing, even when a person can no longer express preferences in words.","watch_out":"On your visit, watch what happens when a resident calls out or appears unsettled. Note whether staff respond within a few minutes, whether they crouch or sit to speak at the person's level, and whether they use the person's name. That single interaction tells you more than any policy document."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good. This covers activities, individual engagement, and how well the home adapts to each person's preferences and changing needs. The published inspection text provides no detail about the activity programme, no description of individual engagement for people with advanced dementia, and no information about how the home supports people at the end of life. The Good rating confirms inspectors were satisfied, but without published detail the evidence base here is thin.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Resident happiness features in 27.1% of positive family reviews, and meaningful activities are mentioned in 21.4%. For people living with dementia especially, the difference between a home that offers group activities a few times a week and one that provides daily, tailored, one-to-one engagement is enormous. Our Good Practice evidence highlights that Montessori-based approaches and everyday household tasks, folding, sorting, tending plants, are more beneficial for people with dementia than formal group entertainment. The inspection text gives no information about whether Whitby Dene does any of this. Ask specifically about what happens for someone who cannot join a group session, and ask on a weekday afternoon rather than a scheduled activity morning.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that one-to-one activity provision for people with advanced dementia is consistently associated with reduced agitation and better quality of life, but it is also the provision most likely to be cut when staffing is stretched. Group activities are easier to deliver and easier to evidence during an inspection.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator: what would a typical Wednesday afternoon look like for a resident with moderate dementia who does not join group sessions? Ask to see the activity records for one resident over the past month to see whether one-to-one time is actually documented, not just planned."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good, improving from Requires Improvement. A named registered manager, Mrs Salima Tanima Baidoo, is recorded as in post, and a nominated individual, Ms Rachel Louise Harvey, is also named. The published text does not describe the manager's visibility to residents and staff, the culture within the team, how staff are supported to raise concerns, or what governance systems are used to monitor quality. The improvement in this domain is the most positive signal in the report, as leadership quality is a strong predictor of overall home trajectory.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management visibility is cited in 23.4% of positive family reviews, and our Good Practice evidence consistently links leadership stability to better care outcomes. A home that has moved from Requires Improvement to Good in Well-led suggests that someone took the earlier concerns seriously and acted on them, which is genuinely encouraging. What you want to establish now is whether that improvement is embedded or whether it depended on one person. Ask how long the current manager has been in post, whether they work Monday to Friday only or have a presence across other shifts, and how staff are supported to raise concerns if something does not feel right. Communication with families is mentioned in 11.5% of positive reviews: ask how the home would contact you if your parent had a fall or a significant health change.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of sustained quality in care homes. Homes where the registered manager has been in post for more than two years, and is known by name to both residents and staff, consistently outperform those with high management turnover.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: how long have you been in this role, and how long was the previous registered manager in post before you? Then ask what changes were made between the Requires Improvement inspection and this one, and who led those changes."}

  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 with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, mental health conditions and dementia.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents with dementia, staff show particular skill in managing the anger and confusion that can accompany the condition, keeping situations calm when distress levels rise. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.