






Yew Tree Cottage is a small privately owned, well-established care home on the outskirts of Chard.
The home provides 24-hour permanent, respite and day care for older people, with or without dementia.
Waking night staff are on hand every night to assist with the needs of the clients. Yew Tree Cottage consistently receives Good inspection reports from all the regulatory inspection bodies.
The home is owned and managed by a qualified nurse...
Care Provided by Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home
Primary Care Categories
- Older Person Care
- Dementia
- Physical Disability
- Visual / Hearing Impairment
Length of Stay
- Permanent Care
- Respite Care
Care Types Provided
- Residential Care
- Dementia Residential Care
- For a maximum of 7 Service Users
Dementia Care TypesMild Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "mild dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Memory problems such as misplacing items and not be able to recall recent events (however, in some forms of dementia a person's memory may be unchanged)
- Difficulties thinking through problems and planning, making decisions
- Language and communication issues such as finding it difficult to recall the appropriate word in a conversation or following a conversation
- Poor orientation, getting lost in areas previously familiar to them
- Difficulty judging distances (more falls than usual)
- Changes in their normal mood including anxiety and depression
- In certain types of dementia, personality and behaviour changes may be present alongside or instead of issues with memory or concentration.
Moderate Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "moderate dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Worsened memory problems. Not always recognising own family members and friends. Repeating the same questions over and over again
- Worsened language and communication issues, forgetting what they are saying mid-sentence. Not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- More frequent confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Advanced Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "severe dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Severe memory problems. Not recognising family members and friends. Not being able to recall their own name
- Severe language and communication issues, not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- Severe confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Verbally or physically aggressive behaviour
If your loved one displays this type of behaviour you may need a care home that has specially trained staff. Verbal/physical aggression is often defined:
- Consistent shouting and screaming
- Verbal abuse
- Physical abuse
How we define Dementia Care Types
Mild Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "mild dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Memory problems such as misplacing items and not be able to recall recent events (however, in some forms of dementia a person's memory may be unchanged)
- Difficulties thinking through problems and planning, making decisions
- Language and communication issues such as finding it difficult to recall the appropriate word in a conversation or following a conversation
- Poor orientation, getting lost in areas previously familiar to them
- Difficulty judging distances (more falls than usual)
- Changes in their normal mood including anxiety and depression
- In certain types of dementia, personality and behaviour changes may be present alongside or instead of issues with memory or concentration.
Moderate Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "moderate dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Worsened memory problems. Not always recognising own family members and friends. Repeating the same questions over and over again
- Worsened language and communication issues, forgetting what they are saying mid-sentence. Not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- More frequent confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Advanced Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "severe dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Severe memory problems. Not recognising family members and friends. Not being able to recall their own name
- Severe language and communication issues, not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- Severe confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Verbally or physically aggressive behaviour
If your loved one displays this type of behaviour you may need a care home that has specially trained staff. Verbal/physical aggression is often defined:
- Consistent shouting and screaming
- Verbal abuse
- Physical abuse
How we define Dementia Care Types
- Mild Dementia
Other Care Provided
- Parkinson's Disease
- Stroke
- Palliative / End of Life Care
- COPD/Pulmonary Disease
- Convalescent Care
- Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
- Day Care
Facilities
- Own Furniture if required
- Pet Friendly (or by arrangement)
- Smoking not permitted
- Close to Local shops
- Minibus or other transport
- Stairlift
- Gardens
- Residents Kitchenette
- Phone Point in own room
- Television point in own room
- Residents Internet Access
Funding & Fees
Weekly Charges per Person
The price(s) shown are provided by the care home. Contact Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home for full pricing details and T&Cs.
Contact Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home to confirm what's included and get a personalised quote:
Funding Types Accepted
- Self-Funding (Private)
- Local Authority with Top-up
- Local Authority
- NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC)
Good to Know
Owner
- Ambridge Estates Ltd
- Private Owned
Person in charge
- Sarah Ambridge (Manager/Owner)
Local Authority / Social Services
Admission Information
- Ages 50+
Care Home Design/Build
- Purpose Built: No
- Last Refurbishment: 2024
- Number of floors: 2
Room Information
- Single Rooms (5)
- Couples/Companion Rooms (1)
Visiting
- Visitors are always welcome.
Parking
- There is onsite parking
Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home Reviews (17)
Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home has a Review Score of 9.5 (9.460) out of 10, based on 6 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home has 17 reviews.
Yew Tree Residential Home is very happy and the staff are very helpful. Lovely place to be looked after. Thank you.
It was an absolute pleasure to look after you whilst you stayed with us. We look forward to seeing you again soon.
Care provided by staff is outstanding. Cosistant attention is given to understanding and meeting my mother's individual needs with dignity. Now that my mother has high needs for support due to dementia, this home surpasses quality of care day and night that we were able to acheieve whilst she lived at home.
We always strive to give personalised holistic care to all our residents to ensure they are living their best lives with the support from our excellent staff team.
Supporting families to come to terms with moving a loved one into care is a massive step and...
A really warm, friendly home where nothing is ever too much trouble for the staff. Meals are freshly prepared with a good range of choice. All needs are taken care of where possible including trips to appointments and requests for particular shopping items. Always a pleasure to visit.
My mother-in-law took up residency at Yew Tree Cottage earlier this year in May 2025 and all her family are very pleased with the care she receives. The owners, who are 'hands on' and all the staff are very kind, attentive and always make sure she is well looked after. It's very reassuring for her to be in such a comfortable and welcoming place and it's testament to the owners that all the staff have been employed there long term.
Much are settled and contented. She has plenty of visitors and trips out.
The family support if amazing
I couldn't recommend Yew Tree Cottage more highly. All the staff are extremely conscientious, and make sure that my father is very well cared for (as are all the other residents from what I have seen). My father is treated with the utmost respect, kindness, compassion, dignity - and humour when appropriate. My father is very happy staying at Yew Tree Cottage (and has said so often), and I am sure that all the other residents are treated equally as well.
Thank you for your lovely review. Your Father is an absolute gentleman to care for.
A lovely home from home with a lovely calm atmosphere and a lovely garden. Staff are very caring and friendly and welcoming when I visit. My Father feels he is home and is happy there. Always very clean and lovely home cooked food. I always leave, after a visit, that he is well cared for
It makes me happy to see my husband happy and settled into a lovely environment at Yew Tree Cottage.
Would highly recommend to anyone.
Yew Tree Cottage is a small residential care home, more like someone's country home with no sense of an institutional building. All the staff are very friendly but professional in what they do and my Aunt has settled in much more easily than we could initially have hoped for. She receives excellent care and attention.
I am very happy to let the care home look after my husband. He's absolutely happy to go. I feel very relaxed while he's away.
Thank you, Mary, as usual, your husband is always a pleasure to have.
There is always laughter to be heard and a wonderful aroma of fresh flowers or home cooking.
Kind and caring staff, always the same continuity of care really is the key to this home's great reputation and the proposed extension for an extra two residents will make some lucky clients very happy.
Thank you for your lovely comments, I will pass them on to the girls. We look forward to seeing you again soon.
Friendly and helpful staff and warm, relaxing country home atmosphere made the move so much easier for my friend. She feels safe and secure in their hands and this has led to a great improvement in her overall health and disposition.
My mother was very fortunate to find a room for respite care at Yew Tree Cottage. She absolutely loved her stay and is already planning to book again for next year! The staff who own and run the home are a great team, very professional, and an absolute delight to be with. The gardens are beautifully kept and provide a wonderful and stimulating environment. All the food I saw was home made (even tailored to individual residents) and of a very high standard. Residents are very much treated as family members by the owners, who I have regularly seen 'going the extra mile' to help and support those in their care. Conversation and activities are encouraged to keep residents alert and engaged. I was also made very welcome when visiting my Mum and taking her out - this is just as important for family as for residents themselves. I would not hesitate to recommend this residential home.
My husband has just spent the week in respite at Yew Tree Cottage where he said he has been treated like a king and nothing had been too much trouble for the owners and staff. The hospitality and care far surpassed any expectations. He enjoyed the company, the food and all the extra help was given which was quite unexpected but gratefully received. The next stay has already been agreed and he is looking forward to it.
The home is run at a very high standard. Everywhere you go it is spotlessly clean. The food is very good. The staff are excellent in caring for their needs, and keeps everyone happy. The owners are very welcoming and nothing is too much trouble. There is nothing detriment I can say about the home or staff, very very satisfied.
Very well looked after.
This home cares for a small number of residents perhaps five or six. I was very impressed with the care and personal touch, staff and owners provided. It had a lovely warm homely feel. I visited a dear friend it felt like her own home. Everywhere was clean. I would be most happy for any relative of more to be there. Home from home.
Thank you Judith.
My dad said everyone was kind, the food was brilliant, also it was lovely and warm. He enjoyed sitting in the conservatory, listening to the indoor birds, but watching the wild birds feed in the garden.
Regulatory Rating
Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating
Date: 25 February 2026Good
- CaringGood
- EffectiveGood
- ResponsiveGood
- SafeGood
- Well-ledGood
Inspection ratings
We rate most services according to how safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led they are, using four levels:
- Outstanding - The service is performing exceptionally well.
- Good - The service is performing well and meeting our expectations.
- Requires Improvement - The service isn't performing as well as it should and we have told the service how it must improve.
- Inadequate - The service is performing badly and we've taken action against the person or organisation that runs it.
- Not rated - we have not yet rated this area of the service, this is normally because the assessments we have carried out have been focused on other key questions.
Bed Vacancies
Please contact us for latest vacancies.
News (0) & Events (0)
There are no news items for Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home.
There are no upcoming events for Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home.
Awards / Recognitions (11)
- 15 Feb 2016Recipient: Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home
- 22 Dec 2015Recipient: Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home
- 01 Feb 2015Recipient: Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home
Accreditations
There are no accreditations posted yet for Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home.
Meet the Team (6)

Sarah is a Qualified Nurse with many years of experience caring for older people and end-of-life care.
Sarah works both days and nights within the home to provide total care and support for her residents, supported by Catherine, her Deputy.
Sarah maintains her clinical expertise via St Margarets Hospice and the NHS.
After leaving the NHS, where she had been working as Clinical Nurse Specialist, Clinical Tutor and Assessor at The Royal Berkshire Hospital, Sarah remains committed to teaching and delivering a high standard of care to meet individual needs.
Outside work, Sarah enjoys country pursuits with her horse and her dogs and is a keen National Hunt Racegoer. She enjoys gardening, flower arranging and cooking, especially home-grown produce and locally sourced meat and vegetables.
She is an active member of the Royal College of Nursing, which promotes and maintains standards in the Care Sector.

Graham is a QS by profession but only works on a consultancy basis now.
He deals with the day to day financial running of the home mainly but his other roles include cooking our renowned Sunday lunches! Assisting with appointment transport and generally keeping everybody happy.He helps maintain the cottage and the vast grounds with great support from our professional gardener, Chris Bishop.
Outside of work Graham enjoys flying his Microlight plane and walking his three terriers, helping with his wife's horse and following his Syndicate Race Horses.
He enjoys cooking, especially with our home grown and locally sourced produce.

Catherine has supported the home for 10 years, and was a qualified nurse who has moved to the area, from Birmingham, to be nearer her elderly parents.
She has many years of experience both in care homes and in the community.
Catherine is our Moving and Handling assessor, and she supports Sarah with all mandatory training. She specialises in diabetes and stroke management.
She supports Sarah with the day-to-day running of the Home. She works both days and nights, so she has full insight into our residents' needs.
Outside of work, Catherine likes to support her parents, her husband and her soon-to-be 21-year-old daughter, who has recently qualified as an educational goal as a qualified Early Years Practitioner.
Catherine is also an avid fan of Birmingham City football club and enjoys watching Strictly Come Dancing.

Shayna has been with us for over ten years. She originally came from the hospitality sector. Shayna is passionate about her work, she loves walking, holidays and wine!
She has three grown-up daughters, one of whom worked here during a gap year before going on to be a zoologist!

She is a lively and energetic member of the team with many years of experience in domiciliary care.

Dawn has been with us for nearly 5 years. She has many years of domiciliary care experience.
She is from a farming background and enjoys country shows and steam rallies.
Frequently Asked Questions about Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home
What types of Care is Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home registered for?
Older Person Care, Dementia, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment are the registered (by the Care Quality Commission) categories of Care.
How many Rooms does Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home have?
There are 5 Single Rooms and 1 Couples/Companion Room.
What are the Facilities & Services at Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home?
Own Furniture if required, Pet Friendly (or by arrangement), Smoking not permitted, Close to Local shops, Minibus or other transport, Stairlift, Gardens, Residents Kitchenette, Phone Point in own room, Television point in own room, Residents Internet Access are some of the Facilities & Services.
How far is Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home to the centre of Chard?
1.2 mile(s) as the crow flies, distance by road may be significantly further.
Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of carehome.co.uk. Please contact Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home has an Enhanced Service -more info.