SafeAre people protected from abuse and avoidable harm?69%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown2 of 8 below good
Involving people to manage risksSome shortfalls
Medicines optimisationSome shortfalls
Infection prevention and controlGood
Learning cultureGood
Safe and effective staffingGood
Safe environmentsGood
Safe systems, pathways and transitionsGood
SafeguardingGood
EffectiveDoes care achieve good outcomes and a good quality of life?75%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdownAll 6 good
Assessing needsGood
Consent to care and treatmentGood
Delivering evidence-based care and treatmentGood
How staff, teams and services work togetherGood
Monitoring and improving outcomesGood
Supporting people to live healthier livesGood
CaringAre staff kind, compassionate and respectful?65%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown2 of 5 below good
Independence, choice and controlSome shortfalls
Kindness, compassion and dignitySome shortfalls
Responding to people's immediate needsGood
Treating people as individualsGood
Workforce wellbeing and enablementGood
ResponsiveAre services organised to meet people's needs?75%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdownAll 7 good
Care provision, integration and continuityGood
Equity in accessGood
Equity in experiences and outcomesGood
Listening to and involving peopleGood
Person-centred careGood
Planning for the futureGood
Providing InformationGood
Well-ledIs the home well managed, with a culture of high-quality care?71%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 7 below good
Governance, management and sustainabilitySome shortfalls
Capable, compassionate and inclusive leadersGood
Freedom to speak upGood
Learning, improvement and innovationGood
Partnerships and communitiesGood
Shared direction and cultureGood
Workforce equality, diversity and inclusionGood
Percentages are CQC scores from its newer way of assessing homes. ?
CQC scored 33 standards: 28 good, 5 below good. Use “See the breakdown” on each key question for its standards. ?
CQC hasn't inspected this home for more than 5 years. It re-inspects based on risk, so an old rating doesn't count against a home on this site, but it may not reflect the home today. ?
Gainsborough Care Home is a 48-bed residential care home in Swanage, Dorset. The home is its own registered provider. CQC registers it to look after older people, people with dementia, people with a physical disability, people with mental health needs and people with a sensory impairment. Most homes in Dorset are smaller: the median there is 31 beds.
CQC rated it Good overall and in all five key questions in July 2025. That matches its previous rating, from November 2021. The typical rating in Dorset is about 3 years old, so this one is fairly recent. Of the 33 standards CQC scored, 5 fell below good. The lowest was “independence, choice and control” (some shortfalls).
Across Dorset, 94% of rated homes are Good or Outstanding, against 82% for England. The kitchen has a food hygiene rating of 5 (very good), from April 2026. That is true of 100% of homes in Dorset. None of the 5 nearest rated homes has a higher rating.
