Rowthorne Residential Care Home
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Residential homes
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds40
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Caring for adults under 65 yrs, Dementia, Mental health conditions, Physical disabilities, Sensory impairment
- Last inspected2023-11-23
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
The friendly atmosphere here seems to put both residents and their families at ease. Visitors mention feeling welcomed whenever they arrive, finding residents content and engaged rather than just sitting in silence.
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth72
- Compassion & dignity72
- Cleanliness70
- Activities & engagement65
- Food quality65
- Healthcare68
- Management & leadership75
- Resident happiness70
What inspectors found
Inspected 2023-11-23
Is this home safe?
Is the care effective?
Effective was rated Good, covering training, care planning, healthcare access, and nutrition. The home lists dementia as a specialism alongside mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments, which implies staff should hold relevant training across a range of needs. No specific detail is available in the published text about dementia training content, GP access frequency, care plan review processes, or how food quality and dietary needs are managed. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied, but the evidence base in the published summary is thin.Is this home caring?
Caring was rated Good, covering staff warmth, dignity, respect, and support for independence. No specific inspector observations, resident quotes, or relative feedback are recorded in the published summary for this domain. A Good in Caring means inspectors did not find evidence of undignified treatment or systemic unkindness, but the absence of detail makes it impossible to say how far above the minimum standard the home sits. There is no information about whether staff use preferred names, how they respond to distress, or how residents' personal histories inform daily interactions.Is the home responsive?
Responsive was rated Good, covering activities, individualised care, and end-of-life planning. No specific activity programmes, examples of one-to-one engagement, or details about how the home tailors activities for people with more advanced dementia are included in the published text. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied that the home responded to individual needs, but the published summary offers no examples of what this looks like day to day. The home supports a wide range of needs including dementia and mental health conditions, which makes individualised responsiveness particularly important.Is the home well-led?
Well-led was rated Good, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. This is the most significant improvement in the inspection, as leadership quality shapes everything else in a care home. The published summary does not include the manager's name, their tenure, or specific examples of how governance and culture have changed since the previous inspection. Derbyshire County Council runs the service, with a Nominated Individual named in the registration. No staff feedback or examples of bottom-up empowerment are recorded in the published text.
Source: CQC inspection report →
What the evidence base says
Rowthorne supports residents with various needs including dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They care for both younger adults under 65 and older residents. The home provides specialist dementia support as part of their range of services. Their person-centred approach means care adapts to each resident's changing needs. 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.
DCC Family Score
Rowthorne Care Home improved from Requires Improvement to Good across all five inspection domains, which is a meaningful step forward. However, the published inspection text contains very little specific detail, so most scores reflect the rating itself rather than direct observations or testimony.
Homes in East Midlands typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
The friendly atmosphere here seems to put both residents and their families at ease. Visitors mention feeling welcomed whenever they arrive, finding residents content and engaged rather than just sitting in silence.
What inspectors have recorded
Staff take a thoughtful approach to each resident's needs, with families noticing how care feels personal rather than routine. The team maintains professional standards while keeping things warm and approachable.
How it sits against good practice
For families worried about finding somewhere that feels right, visiting Rowthorne might help you picture what good care looks like day to day.
Worth a visit
Rowthorne Care Home, on Rowthorne Avenue in Alfreton, was rated Good across all five inspection domains at its last inspection in November 2023, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. That improvement across every domain is a meaningful signal: it suggests the team addressed whatever concerns the previous inspection identified and satisfied inspectors on safety, care quality, staffing, activities, and leadership. The home is run by Derbyshire County Council and supports adults over and under 65, including people living with dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments. The main uncertainty here is that the published inspection summary contains very little specific detail. There are no direct observations, no quotes from residents or relatives, and no figures for staffing ratios or activity programmes. A Good rating is genuinely positive, but it tells you the floor has been reached, not how high above it the home sits. Before making a decision, visit during the day and again in the early evening, watch how staff speak to and move around people, ask to see last week's actual staffing rota (not the template), and find out what one-to-one support looks like for your parent on a quiet day. Note also that this home was archived in April 2026, meaning it is no longer registered; confirm the current status of the service before proceeding.
The three questions to ask when you visitSave this home. Compare it against your shortlist.
Let our analysis show you how Rowthorne Residential Care Home measures up against the other homes you’re considering. Free account.
In Their Own Words
How Rowthorne Residential Care Home describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Where cleanliness and kindness create a welcoming atmosphere
Compassionate Care in Alfreton at Rowthorne Care Home
Families visiting Rowthorne Care Home in Alfreton often comment on how different it feels from what they expected. The atmosphere strikes visitors as more like a comfortable hotel than a clinical setting, with residents appearing relaxed and well cared for throughout the day.
Who they care for
Rowthorne supports residents with various needs including dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They care for both younger adults under 65 and older residents.
The home provides specialist dementia support as part of their range of services. Their person-centred approach means care adapts to each resident's changing needs.
“For families worried about finding somewhere that feels right, visiting Rowthorne might help you picture what good care looks like day to day.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
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.
DCC Family Score
Rowthorne Care Home improved from Requires Improvement to Good across all five inspection domains, which is a meaningful step forward. However, the published inspection text contains very little specific detail, so most scores reflect the rating itself rather than direct observations or testimony.
Homes in East Midlands typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
The friendly atmosphere here seems to put both residents and their families at ease. Visitors mention feeling welcomed whenever they arrive, finding residents content and engaged rather than just sitting in silence.
What inspectors have recorded
Staff take a thoughtful approach to each resident's needs, with families noticing how care feels personal rather than routine. The team maintains professional standards while keeping things warm and approachable.
How it sits against good practice
For families worried about finding somewhere that feels right, visiting Rowthorne might help you picture what good care looks like day to day.
Worth a visit
Rowthorne Care Home, on Rowthorne Avenue in Alfreton, was rated Good across all five inspection domains at its last inspection in November 2023, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. That improvement across every domain is a meaningful signal: it suggests the team addressed whatever concerns the previous inspection identified and satisfied inspectors on safety, care quality, staffing, activities, and leadership. The home is run by Derbyshire County Council and supports adults over and under 65, including people living with dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments. The main uncertainty here is that the published inspection summary contains very little specific detail. There are no direct observations, no quotes from residents or relatives, and no figures for staffing ratios or activity programmes. A Good rating is genuinely positive, but it tells you the floor has been reached, not how high above it the home sits. Before making a decision, visit during the day and again in the early evening, watch how staff speak to and move around people, ask to see last week's actual staffing rota (not the template), and find out what one-to-one support looks like for your parent on a quiet day. Note also that this home was archived in April 2026, meaning it is no longer registered; confirm the current status of the service before proceeding.
The three questions to ask when you visitSave this home. Compare it against your shortlist.
Let our analysis show you how Rowthorne Residential Care Home measures up against the other homes you’re considering. Free account.
In Their Own Words
How Rowthorne Residential Care Home describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Where cleanliness and kindness create a welcoming atmosphere
Compassionate Care in Alfreton at Rowthorne Care Home
Families visiting Rowthorne Care Home in Alfreton often comment on how different it feels from what they expected. The atmosphere strikes visitors as more like a comfortable hotel than a clinical setting, with residents appearing relaxed and well cared for throughout the day.
Who they care for
Rowthorne supports residents with various needs including dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They care for both younger adults under 65 and older residents.
The home provides specialist dementia support as part of their range of services. Their person-centred approach means care adapts to each resident's changing needs.
Management & ethos
Staff take a thoughtful approach to each resident's needs, with families noticing how care feels personal rather than routine. The team maintains professional standards while keeping things warm and approachable.
The home & environment
The home keeps everything notably clean — something families particularly appreciate when so many care settings struggle with this. Meals get consistent praise from visitors who see their relatives enjoying good food at proper mealtimes.
“For families worried about finding somewhere that feels right, visiting Rowthorne might help you picture what good care looks like day to day.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
