Ashefields 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 beds20
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Dementia
- Last inspected2019-12-28
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STAGE 4 — RESEARCHING CARE HOMES
Visit homes. Compare them side by side. Choose with confidence.
Most of us will view care homes the way we view houses, impression, atmosphere, the feeling in the corridor. We go home, try to remember what we saw, and make a permanent decision from a blurred memory.
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The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
What stands out is how residents seem to truly relax here. Families talk about seeing their loved ones happy and settled in ways they hadn't achieved in other homes. There's something about the atmosphere that helps people feel genuinely at ease.
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth70
- Compassion & dignity70
- Cleanliness68
- Activities & engagement65
- Food quality62
- Healthcare65
- Management & leadership72
- Resident happiness68
What inspectors found
Inspected 2019-12-28
Is this home safe?
Is the care effective?
Effective is rated Good, covering training, care planning, healthcare access, and nutritional care. Dementia is listed as a specialism, which means inspectors would have considered whether staff are appropriately trained to support people with dementia. No specific training content, care plan detail, or healthcare access information is included in the published summary. Food quality and dietary management are not described. The improvement from the previous rating suggests care planning and effective practice were areas that needed work and have since been addressed.Is this home caring?
Caring is rated Good, covering staff warmth, dignity, respect, and independence. This is the domain that most directly reflects the day-to-day experience of your parent in the home. No direct quotes from residents or relatives, and no specific inspector observations about staff interactions, are included in the available report text. The Good rating implies inspectors did not witness concerning or undignified care. In a 20-bed home, the culture of caring is closely tied to the stability and character of a small, consistent staff team.Is the home responsive?
Responsive is rated Good, covering activities, engagement, individuality, and end-of-life planning. No specific activities, programmes, or examples of tailored engagement are described in the available report text. In a small 20-bed home with a dementia specialism, the quality of responsiveness often comes down to whether staff have both the time and the knowledge to engage individuals — not just run a group session. End-of-life planning is not specifically addressed in the published summary.Is the home well-led?
Well-led is rated Good, and the home is led by Mrs Lesley Jane Rowan, who holds both the registered manager and nominated individual roles. In a 20-bed home, this level of personal accountability is meaningful — it means the same person who is legally responsible for the service is also the day-to-day manager. The improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating across all five domains suggests genuine leadership-driven change. No specific governance detail, staff survey data, or examples of learning from incidents are included in the published summary.
Source: CQC inspection report →
What the evidence base says
The home specialises in dementia care for adults over 65, with staff who understand the complexities this brings. Families particularly value how staff understand the ups and downs of dementia. They've noticed staff can often lift a resident's spirits during difficult moments — sometimes more effectively than family members themselves. When health concerns arise, they arrange same-day GP visits, which brings real reassurance. 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
Ashefields has achieved a solid Good rating across all five domains following a previous Requires Improvement, which is a meaningful turnaround — but the inspection report provides limited specific detail, so scores reflect positive but general findings rather than richly evidenced strengths.
Homes in East Midlands typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
What stands out is how residents seem to truly relax here. Families talk about seeing their loved ones happy and settled in ways they hadn't achieved in other homes. There's something about the atmosphere that helps people feel genuinely at ease.
What inspectors have recorded
How it sits against good practice
Sometimes the right care makes all the difference to how someone experiences their later years.
Worth a visit
Ashefields Residential Care Home in Etwall, Derby is a small 20-bed home specialising in dementia and older adult care, rated Good across all five inspection domains as of January 2022. This is a genuine improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating, and reflects a home that has addressed earlier concerns under the leadership of registered manager Mrs Lesley Jane Rowan, who is both the registered manager and nominated individual — a sign of committed, hands-on oversight in a home of this size. A subsequent monitoring review in July 2023 found no evidence to change that rating. The main limitation here is that the published inspection summary contains very little specific detail — no direct quotes from your parent's potential future neighbours, no inspector observations of how staff actually behave on the floor, and no specifics on night staffing, agency use, activities, or food. A Good rating is reassuring, but it tells you that minimum standards are met rather than painting a picture of daily life. When you visit, ask to see the dementia unit after 5pm, ask how many permanent staff are on overnight, and watch how staff greet residents they pass in the corridor — those small moments are often the most honest answer to whether this is the right home.
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In Their Own Words
How Ashefields Residential Care Home describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Where understanding dementia makes all the difference
Ashefields Residential Care Home – Your Trusted residential home
Finding the right dementia care can feel overwhelming, but Ashefields Residential Care Home in Derby brings something special to this challenge. Families describe a place where their loved ones don't just receive care — they genuinely settle and find contentment. One family, who'd experienced several care homes before, found something here they hadn't seen elsewhere.
Who they care for
The home specialises in dementia care for adults over 65, with staff who understand the complexities this brings.
Families particularly value how staff understand the ups and downs of dementia. They've noticed staff can often lift a resident's spirits during difficult moments — sometimes more effectively than family members themselves. When health concerns arise, they arrange same-day GP visits, which brings real reassurance.
“Sometimes the right care makes all the difference to how someone experiences their later years.”
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
Ashefields has achieved a solid Good rating across all five domains following a previous Requires Improvement, which is a meaningful turnaround — but the inspection report provides limited specific detail, so scores reflect positive but general findings rather than richly evidenced strengths.
Homes in East Midlands typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
What stands out is how residents seem to truly relax here. Families talk about seeing their loved ones happy and settled in ways they hadn't achieved in other homes. There's something about the atmosphere that helps people feel genuinely at ease.
What inspectors have recorded
How it sits against good practice
Sometimes the right care makes all the difference to how someone experiences their later years.
Worth a visit
Ashefields Residential Care Home in Etwall, Derby is a small 20-bed home specialising in dementia and older adult care, rated Good across all five inspection domains as of January 2022. This is a genuine improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating, and reflects a home that has addressed earlier concerns under the leadership of registered manager Mrs Lesley Jane Rowan, who is both the registered manager and nominated individual — a sign of committed, hands-on oversight in a home of this size. A subsequent monitoring review in July 2023 found no evidence to change that rating. The main limitation here is that the published inspection summary contains very little specific detail — no direct quotes from your parent's potential future neighbours, no inspector observations of how staff actually behave on the floor, and no specifics on night staffing, agency use, activities, or food. A Good rating is reassuring, but it tells you that minimum standards are met rather than painting a picture of daily life. When you visit, ask to see the dementia unit after 5pm, ask how many permanent staff are on overnight, and watch how staff greet residents they pass in the corridor — those small moments are often the most honest answer to whether this is the right home.
The three questions to ask when you visitSave this home. Compare it against your shortlist.
Let our analysis show you how Ashefields Residential Care Home measures up against the other homes you’re considering. Free account.
In Their Own Words
How Ashefields Residential Care Home describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Where understanding dementia makes all the difference
Ashefields Residential Care Home – Your Trusted residential home
Finding the right dementia care can feel overwhelming, but Ashefields Residential Care Home in Derby brings something special to this challenge. Families describe a place where their loved ones don't just receive care — they genuinely settle and find contentment. One family, who'd experienced several care homes before, found something here they hadn't seen elsewhere.
Who they care for
The home specialises in dementia care for adults over 65, with staff who understand the complexities this brings.
Families particularly value how staff understand the ups and downs of dementia. They've noticed staff can often lift a resident's spirits during difficult moments — sometimes more effectively than family members themselves. When health concerns arise, they arrange same-day GP visits, which brings real reassurance.
“Sometimes the right care makes all the difference to how someone experiences their later years.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
