Shearwater
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 beds60
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Dementia
- Last inspected2019-06-26
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
People visiting Shearwater often comment on the happy atmosphere and how residents seem content. The home has a welcoming feel that encourages social interaction, with entertainment and activities bringing people together.
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth55
- Compassion & dignity55
- Cleanliness55
- Activities & engagement50
- Food quality50
- Healthcare55
- Management & leadership60
- Resident happiness55
What inspectors found
Inspected 2019-06-26
Is this home safe?
Is the care effective?
Shearwater was rated Good for effectiveness at its March 2021 inspection. This domain covers training, care planning, healthcare access, and nutrition. The published inspection text does not describe the content of staff training, dementia-specific skills, the frequency of care plan reviews, GP access arrangements, or how food quality and choice are managed. The home is registered as a dementia specialist, but no specific detail about what effective dementia practice looks like here is available from the published findings.Is this home caring?
Shearwater was rated Good for caring at its March 2021 inspection. This domain covers the warmth of staff interactions, dignity, respect, privacy, and whether residents are treated as individuals. The published text does not include inspector observations of staff behaviour, descriptions of how residents are addressed, or accounts from residents or relatives about their experience of care. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied, but the specific evidence behind that judgement is not available in the published findings.Is the home responsive?
Shearwater was rated Good for responsiveness at its March 2021 inspection. This domain covers activities, individualised engagement, the ability to respond to changing needs, and end-of-life planning. The published inspection text does not describe the activity programme, whether one-to-one engagement is offered to residents who cannot join group sessions, how individual preferences are recorded and acted upon, or how end-of-life care is approached. The home's dementia registration suggests awareness of specialist need, but no specific practice detail is available.Is the home well-led?
Shearwater was rated Good for leadership at its March 2021 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. A named registered manager was in post. The home is run by Portsmouth City Council. The published text does not describe the manager's visibility on the floor, staff culture, governance systems, how families are communicated with, or how the home responds to complaints and incidents. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good in this domain is a positive signal, as leadership quality is closely linked to overall care trajectory.
Source: CQC inspection report →
What the evidence base says
Shearwater provides specialist dementia care alongside general support for older adults over 65. The team understands the particular needs of residents living with dementia. For residents with dementia, the caring approach of the staff becomes even more important. The team work to maintain that welcoming, social atmosphere that helps people feel settled and engaged. 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
Shearwater holds a Good rating across all five domains, which is a meaningful improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating. However, the published inspection text provides very limited specific detail, so most scores sit in the mid-range reflecting the positive rating rather than confirmed, observed evidence.
Homes in South East typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
People visiting Shearwater often comment on the happy atmosphere and how residents seem content. The home has a welcoming feel that encourages social interaction, with entertainment and activities bringing people together.
What inspectors have recorded
The staff here are consistently described as caring and attentive to residents' needs. While some visitors have noticed the team can seem stretched during busy periods, the quality of care and genuine warmth from staff still shines through.
How it sits against good practice
If you're weighing up options in Portsmouth, visiting during different times of day might give you the fullest picture of life at Shearwater.
Worth a visit
Shearwater, in Portsmouth, was rated Good across all five inspection domains at its most recent inspection in March 2021. This is a meaningful result because the home had previously been rated Requires Improvement, meaning inspectors found that earlier concerns had been resolved. The home is run by Portsmouth City Council and is registered to care for up to 60 adults over 65, including people living with dementia. A named registered manager was in post at the time of inspection. The main limitation of this report is the very thin publicly available detail from the inspection text. None of the specific evidence that families most value, such as direct observations of staff warmth, descriptions of mealtimes, activity programmes, or dementia-specific care, is described in the published findings. A Good rating is encouraging, but it tells you the home met the threshold at a single point in 2021. The inspection is now several years old. Before making a decision, visit in person, ask to see last week's staffing rota, watch how staff interact with residents at mealtimes, and ask the manager what has changed since the previous Requires Improvement rating.
The three questions to ask when you visitSave this home. Compare it against your shortlist.
Let our analysis show you how Shearwater measures up against the other homes you’re considering. Free account.
In Their Own Words
How Shearwater describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Caring staff create warm atmosphere despite busy days
Dedicated residential home Support in Portsmouth
When you're looking for care in Portsmouth, you want to know the staff genuinely care about residents, not just go through the motions. At Shearwater, visitors notice how engaged the team are with residents, though some have mentioned they seem stretched at times. This care home specialises in dementia support for people over 65.
Who they care for
Shearwater provides specialist dementia care alongside general support for older adults over 65. The team understands the particular needs of residents living with dementia.
For residents with dementia, the caring approach of the staff becomes even more important. The team work to maintain that welcoming, social atmosphere that helps people feel settled and engaged.
“If you're weighing up options in Portsmouth, visiting during different times of day might give you the fullest picture of life at Shearwater.”
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
Shearwater holds a Good rating across all five domains, which is a meaningful improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating. However, the published inspection text provides very limited specific detail, so most scores sit in the mid-range reflecting the positive rating rather than confirmed, observed evidence.
Homes in South East typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
People visiting Shearwater often comment on the happy atmosphere and how residents seem content. The home has a welcoming feel that encourages social interaction, with entertainment and activities bringing people together.
What inspectors have recorded
The staff here are consistently described as caring and attentive to residents' needs. While some visitors have noticed the team can seem stretched during busy periods, the quality of care and genuine warmth from staff still shines through.
How it sits against good practice
If you're weighing up options in Portsmouth, visiting during different times of day might give you the fullest picture of life at Shearwater.
Worth a visit
Shearwater, in Portsmouth, was rated Good across all five inspection domains at its most recent inspection in March 2021. This is a meaningful result because the home had previously been rated Requires Improvement, meaning inspectors found that earlier concerns had been resolved. The home is run by Portsmouth City Council and is registered to care for up to 60 adults over 65, including people living with dementia. A named registered manager was in post at the time of inspection. The main limitation of this report is the very thin publicly available detail from the inspection text. None of the specific evidence that families most value, such as direct observations of staff warmth, descriptions of mealtimes, activity programmes, or dementia-specific care, is described in the published findings. A Good rating is encouraging, but it tells you the home met the threshold at a single point in 2021. The inspection is now several years old. Before making a decision, visit in person, ask to see last week's staffing rota, watch how staff interact with residents at mealtimes, and ask the manager what has changed since the previous Requires Improvement rating.
The three questions to ask when you visitSave this home. Compare it against your shortlist.
Let our analysis show you how Shearwater measures up against the other homes you’re considering. Free account.
In Their Own Words
How Shearwater describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Caring staff create warm atmosphere despite busy days
Dedicated residential home Support in Portsmouth
When you're looking for care in Portsmouth, you want to know the staff genuinely care about residents, not just go through the motions. At Shearwater, visitors notice how engaged the team are with residents, though some have mentioned they seem stretched at times. This care home specialises in dementia support for people over 65.
Who they care for
Shearwater provides specialist dementia care alongside general support for older adults over 65. The team understands the particular needs of residents living with dementia.
For residents with dementia, the caring approach of the staff becomes even more important. The team work to maintain that welcoming, social atmosphere that helps people feel settled and engaged.
Management & ethos
The staff here are consistently described as caring and attentive to residents' needs. While some visitors have noticed the team can seem stretched during busy periods, the quality of care and genuine warmth from staff still shines through.
The home & environment
The home is kept clean and well-maintained, which families appreciate when they visit. The environment feels fresh and cared for, creating pleasant spaces for residents to enjoy their day.
“If you're weighing up options in Portsmouth, visiting during different times of day might give you the fullest picture of life at Shearwater.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
