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Clarence House
Residential Care
2 June 2025
Southey Care (Dorset) Limited
29 beds
How this home compares nearby
Of 41 care homes for older people within 5 miles, 4 are rated higher by CQC, 35 are the same and 2 are lower.
8 of these nearby homes have been inspected more recently than this one.
Based on CQC ratings, updated 22 October 2026. How we compare homes | See the nearby homes
Rating history
- Apr 2023
- Aug 2023
- Jul 2025
Improved from Requires Improvement to Good in 2025.
Source: CQC inspection reports. Contains CQC data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Costs and who runs this home
This is the only care home Southey Care (Dorset) Limited runs in England.
Average care home fees in the South West: £1,170 a week for residential care and £1,472 for nursing care (2024-25 averages). Self-funders usually pay more. See our care home costs guide.
- This home lists dementia care, which usually costs more than standard residential care. See dementia care home costs. NHS Continuing Healthcare may apply where someone's needs are primarily health needs.
- How to pay for a care home explains the council means test, what counts as capital and the funding you can ask to be assessed for.
About Clarence House
Clarence House is a residential care home in Dorset, offering care for older adults and people living with dementia. Details of the most recent CQC findings are set out below.
Clarence House is a residential care home registered for up to 29 people, providing care for older adults and people living with dementia. At the time of the assessment, 19 people were living there. The CQC found the service was performing well overall, with up-to-date risk assessments, safe recruitment practices and enough trained, well-supported staff to meet people's needs safely.
Inspectors found people and their relatives spoke highly of the care provided, describing staff as kind and attentive. People were involved in decisions about their care and supported to make their own choices, with activities that were inclusive and enjoyed by residents. The service was rated Good overall.
Source: CQC assessment, 10 July 2025
Specialist Care
Fees and availability
We have not verified a current weekly fee for this home. Ask for a written quote based on the room and care needed, including any extra charges.
Check current vacancies, the admission assessment and visiting arrangements directly with the home.
Care and inspection details
Checked against the CQC register on 20 September 2026. This is a check of published information, not a visit to the home.
- Registered service
- Care home service without nursing
- Registered capacity
- 29 places — this is not a vacancy count
- Registration checked
- Registered · BH22 8JF
Registered care categories
Caring for adults over 65 yrs; Dementia.
These describe the registration. The home must assess whether it can meet the individual person's needs and whether a place is available.
CQC ratings in more detail
Overall rating shown by CQC: .
Assessment published 10 July 2025. Assessment date recorded: 2 June 2025.
Read CQC's assessment overview
The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 10 July 2025. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.
Clarence House is a residential care home registered to provide care and support for up to 29 people. The service provides care for older adults and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection, 19 people were using the service. During the inspection we assessed all the quality statements under the key questions of safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led. The inspection took place between 10 June and 11 June 2025. People had up-to-date risk assessments and care plans in place that reflected their individual needs and helped keep them safe. Staff followed safeguarding procedures and understood how to raise concerns both internally and externally. They expressed confidence in the registered manager’s response to concerns. People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment when this is in their best interests and legally authorised under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). In care homes, and some hospitals, this is usually through MCA application procedures called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA, whether appropriate legal authorisations were in place when needed to deprive a person of their liberty, and whether any conditions relating to those authorisations were being met. Recruitment practices were safe and robust. Pre-employment checks, including references and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, had been completed before staff began working with people. Interview records showed that values-based recruitment was used to assess candidates' suitability for working in care. New staff completed a comprehensive induction programme. Ongoing supervision, training, and competency checks ensured staff had the skills and knowledge to meet people's needs safely and effectively. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Staff said they felt supported and valued. A staff member told us, “I feel proud to be here, we have a wonderful team.”
- Safe
- Effective
- Caring
- Responsive
- Well-led
Contains Care Quality Commission information under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Ratings and registration details can change after the date checked.
5 Questions to Ask on Your Visit
When visiting Clarence House, consider asking...
- 1.What specific dementia training do staff receive and how recently?
- 2.How do you support a resident who becomes distressed or confused?
- 3.How does the home keep a record of a resident's life history and personal preferences?
- 4.How do you involve families as dementia progresses and communication becomes harder?
- 5.What happens when a resident's dementia reaches an advanced stage?
5 Things to Look For on Your Visit
When you visit Clarence House, look out for...
- 1.Is the environment calm, uncluttered and easy to navigate?
- 2.Do staff speak to residents with patience and dignity, even if they repeat themselves?
- 3.Are there memory cues around the home -- photos, familiar objects, clear signage?
- 4.Do residents seem settled and safe, or agitated and unsupervised?
- 5.Is there meaningful activity happening, or are residents just sitting quietly with nothing to do?
Could the NHS fund Clarence House's fees?
The average nursing home costs £1,535 per week. That's £79,820 a year. NHS Continuing Healthcare could cover all of it. No means test, no contribution from you.
Location
6 Dudsbury Crescent, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 8JF

Clarence House
CQC overall rating
Assessment date: 2 June 2025
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