Dementia Care Home

Deerswood Lodge – Shaw Healthcare

Ifield Green, Crawley, Sussex, RH11 0HG

Residential homes

At a Glance

The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.

DCC Family Score
63/ 100
Weighted from family reviews
Dementia SpecialismConfirmed

Residential homes

Families Rate The Staff55 / 100

Staff warmth score

“Well Looked After”55%

of reviewers answered yes

Good to know

  • Registered beds90
  • SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Caring for adults under 65 yrs, Dementia
  • Last inspected2021-10-12

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The Evidence

What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.

Section 01

What families say

People describe finding their loved ones content and engaged here. The home runs regular activities that bring residents together, creating opportunities for friendship and shared experiences. Staff are consistently noted for their friendly, helpful approach.

The eight family priority themes

  • Staff warmth55
  • Compassion & dignity58
  • Cleanliness60
  • Activities & engagement50
  • Food quality50
  • Healthcare58
  • Management & leadership42
  • Resident happiness55
Section 02

What inspectors found

Inspected 2021-10-12

  • Is this home safe?

    Good
    Safe was rated Good at the August 2021 inspection. This means inspectors were broadly satisfied with how the home managed risk, staffing, medicines, and infection control. The home had previously held a Requires Improvement rating, so this Good in Safe represents a genuine improvement. No specific incidents, staffing ratios, or medicine management examples are described in the published summary. The home supports 90 residents, including people with dementia, which makes night staffing numbers and agency reliance particularly important to verify.
    Verified by inspector
  • Is the care effective?

    Good
    Effective was rated Good at the August 2021 inspection. This covers training, care planning, healthcare access, and food. The published summary does not include specific examples of care plan quality, GP access frequency, dementia training content, or food provision. A Good in Effective suggests inspectors were satisfied that the home's systems met the required standard, but without direct observations or records cited, it is not possible to assess depth from the published text alone. The home's dementia specialism makes the quality and personalisation of care planning particularly relevant.
    Verified by inspector
  • Is this home caring?

    Good
    Caring was rated Good at the August 2021 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and whether residents feel genuinely cared for as individuals. Staff warmth is the single highest-weighted theme in our family review data, cited in 57.3% of positive reviews. The published summary for Deerswood Lodge records no direct observations of staff interactions, no resident quotes, and no specific examples of how dignity was maintained. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied, but families considering this home cannot rely on the published text alone to assess day-to-day kindness.
    Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded
  • Is the home responsive?

    Good
    Responsive was rated Good at the August 2021 inspection. This domain covers whether the home tailors care to individuals, offers meaningful activities, and plans for end of life. The published summary contains no specific detail on activity provision, one-to-one engagement, or how the home responds to individual preferences for people with dementia. The home has a dementia specialism and 90 beds, which makes the question of whether activities are available to people who cannot join groups particularly important. No information on end-of-life planning is included in the published text.
    Verified by inspector
  • Is the home well-led?

    Requires improvement
    Well-led remains rated Requires Improvement at the August 2021 inspection, even as the other four domains improved to Good. This is the most significant concern in this inspection report. The published summary does not describe what specific governance or leadership failures were identified. The registered manager is named as Mrs Suwannarut Illman and the nominated individual as Mr Liam Francis Scanlon. A review of available data in July 2023 found no evidence requiring a change to the rating, but that review was not a full inspection visit. Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time.
    Verified by inspector
  • Source: CQC inspection report →

    Section 03

    What the evidence base says

    The home cares for adults both over and under 65, with particular experience supporting people living with dementia. For residents with dementia, the team works to maintain connection and engagement through structured activities and social opportunities that suit individual abilities. All areas worth probing directly during a visit.

The DCC Verdict

Our editorial view, built from the three lenses: what families tell us, what inspectors record, and how the home sits against good dementia-care practice.

63/ 100

DCC Family Score

Deerswood Lodge scores 63 out of 100, reflecting a home that has improved from Requires Improvement to Good overall, but where the published inspection findings contain limited specific detail and where leadership remains rated Requires Improvement, which tempers confidence.

Homes in South East typically score 68–82.

The three-lens summary

Lens 01

What families tell us

People describe finding their loved ones content and engaged here. The home runs regular activities that bring residents together, creating opportunities for friendship and shared experiences. Staff are consistently noted for their friendly, helpful approach.

Lens 02

What inspectors have recorded

Staff show particular care during life's most challenging moments. Families have shared how the team provided gentle, attentive support during end-of-life care, making space for loved ones to be present while ensuring comfort and dignity.

Lens 03

How it sits against good practice

If you're weighing up care options in Crawley, spending time at Deerswood Lodge could help you get a feel for their approach.

DCC Recommendation

Worth a visit

Deerswood Lodge, on Ifield Green in Crawley, was rated Good overall at its inspection in August 2021, an improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating. The home supports up to 90 people, including adults with dementia, and is run by Shaw Healthcare Limited. Four of the five inspection domains, Safe, Effective, Caring, and Responsive, were rated Good, which is a meaningful step forward and suggests the home addressed the concerns that prompted the earlier lower rating. The important caveat is that Well-led remains rated Requires Improvement, which means inspectors found the management and governance of the home still needed work even as other areas improved. The published inspection summary is brief and contains no direct observations, resident quotes, or specific examples to give you a detailed picture of daily life. Before deciding, visit the home on a weekday and again at a weekend, ask to see the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks (not just the template), and specifically ask the manager what progress has been made on the Well-led concerns since October 2021. A July 2023 review found no reason to change the rating, but that review was based on available data rather than a fresh inspection visit.

The three questions to ask when you visit

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In Their Own Words

How Deerswood Lodge – Shaw Healthcare describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.

What Deerswood Lodge – Shaw Healthcare says about itself

Where kindness meets companionship in Crawley's caring community

Deerswood Lodge – Your Trusted residential home

Deerswood Lodge in Crawley brings together thoughtful care with genuine warmth. This South East care home specialises in supporting people over 65, those under 65 who need care, and residents living with dementia. Families often mention the friendly atmosphere and how staff take time to know each resident personally.

Care & specialisms

Who they care for

    The home cares for adults both over and under 65, with particular experience supporting people living with dementia.

    How they describe their dementia care

    For residents with dementia, the team works to maintain connection and engagement through structured activities and social opportunities that suit individual abilities.

    “If you're weighing up care options in Crawley, spending time at Deerswood Lodge could help you get a feel for their approach.”

    DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.

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    Related:

    What Real Families Say About Dementia Care Homes: The Eight Things That Matter Most

    A Which? Report for Care Homes: Real Family Reviews, Not Just Official Inspections

    Step-by-Step Guide to Finding a Care Home for Your Mum in the UK

    What Does 'Dementia Specialist' Actually Mean? How to Tell If a Care Home Really Is One

    Best UK Website for Comparing Dementia Care Homes (Beyond CQC Ratings)

    Dementia care gifts that help

    The Thoughtful Gift That Makes a Difficult Day Easier

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    Digital Photoframe

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    Digital Calendar

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