Dashwood Manor

Dashwood Manor provides residential, nursing, and dementia care across three floors of a modern building, supporting older adults within a well-maintained and pleasantly decorated environment. While the home demonstrates strong areas in daily support and resident relationships, our latest inspection highlighted several important operational and clinical areas requiring immediate attention and structured improvement.

In terms of safety, the home managed infection control effectively and followed thorough recruitment checks, while fire safety measures and building maintenance were robust. However, medicines management required stricter adherence to guidance, particularly regarding time-sensitive prescriptions and consistent health monitoring, and some risk assessment records contained conflicting information about people's mobility needs.

Regarding effectiveness, residents had balanced meals with appropriate nutrition monitoring, and staff maintained helpful connections with visiting healthcare professionals. Despite this, the service did not consistently follow legal frameworks for mental capacity and consent, lacking proper documentation for best-interest decisions around care plans, hourly welfare checks, and specific medication choices.

The service excelled in its caring approach, with residents and their families consistently praising staff for being kind, affectionate, and genuinely attentive. Observers noted that staff treated individuals with noticeable dignity, patience, and respect during daily routines and mealtimes.

On the responsive side, care plans were personalized with people's personal histories and daily preferences, and the home offered a variety of engaging activities to keep residents active and connected. The layout included dementia-friendly signage, quiet spaces, and easy access to a well-presented garden.

Finally, leadership and oversight showed the need for stronger quality assurance, as internal audits failed to catch several record-keeping and medicine-management issues found during the visit. Although the registered manager responded promptly to feedback and began corrective actions, governance processes require tighter control to ensure consistent standards across all units.