Working at Southside
1653 Stratford Road, Birmingham, B28 9JB
Operated by Southside Specialist Dementia Care Ltd
12 bedsResidential homes
Workplace Score
5.5/10
AI analysis of latest data
Our AI workplace review
PlainSight AI Review
Last updated: 10 February 2026
Score: 5.5/10
Key Finding
"Staff feel supported with enough staffing and varied activities, but managers not always on site and delayed safety reporting are concerns."
Safety & Risk
6/10
✓
There had been 4 recent incidents, where although appropriate actions had been promptly taken... the provider's policies for reporting incidents to the local authority safeguarding team and CQC had not always been followed. Processes to monitor and check the storage of medication had not identified loose tablets...
Staff Culture
6/10
✓
The staff we spoke with all told us they felt supported, valued, and appreciated by the management team. They told us they had received supervisions and attended team meetings. One staff member said, 'To be fair, managers to me personally, have been good...'
Staffing Levels
6/10
✓
Staff we spoke with told us they felt there was enough staff on duty to support people. We found people were not left waiting for support for long periods of time. One staff member said, 'Staffing is more than enough.'
Training & Dev
5/10
!
There was a slight difference of opinion between staff on the quality of the training being provided. Some staff felt the training was effective... while others preferred a more 'hands on' and 'face to face' approach. One staff member said, 'Training is alright it could improve. We do a lot on-line training...'
Management
4/10
!
The deputy manager was accountable for the day to day activities... whilst also being the registered manager for one of the provider's other homes. This meant Southside did not always have a manager on site and staff told us this could be problematic when issues arose.
Programmes
6/10
✓
People were offered the opportunity to join in with a variety of planned activities both in and outside of the home. For example, social events at local pubs and restaurants, day trips and holidays, cycling and gardening. There were also numerous board games within the home.
Points to consider
Managers are not always on site, so it can be hard to get quick help when problems come up.
Southside did not always have a manager on site and staff told us this could be problematic when issues arose and it was not always possible to contact a manager immediately. The lack of daily manager attendance was also echoed by relatives we spoke with.
Training is mostly online with a standard induction, and some staff want more hands-on sessions.
There was a slight difference of opinion between staff on the quality of the training being provided... 'We do a lot on-line training and sometimes it feels we are left to own devices and I struggle sometimes.'
A few concerns about possible abuse were not reported to authorities right away, and loose tablets were found in the medicine cabinet.
There had been 4 recent incidents... the provider's policies for reporting incidents to the local authority safeguarding team and CQC had not always been followed... Processes to monitor and check the storage of medication had not identified loose tablets being stored in the medication cabinet that should otherwise have been destroyed.
AI Generated
CQC Inspection Overview
CQC Inspection
Last inspected: October 2023
Good
Safe
✓
Good
Effective
✓
Good
Caring
✓
Good
Responsive
✓
Good
Management Quality
Well-led: Requires improvement
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- Care Quality Commission (CQC) Inspection Data
- PlainSight staff reviews