Dementia Care Home

Willow Court Care Home

Charlton Road, Andover, Hampshire, SP10 3JY

Nursing homes

At a Glance

The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.

DCC Family Score
62/ 100
Weighted from family reviews
Dementia SpecialismConfirmed

Nursing homes

Families Rate The Staff72 / 100

Staff warmth score

“Well Looked After”60%

of reviewers answered yes

Good to know

  • Registered beds66
  • SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Caring for adults under 65 yrs, Dementia
  • Last inspected2022-10-01

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The Evidence

What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.

Section 01

What families say

Visitors mention feeling welcomed from the moment they arrive, with reception and nursing staff taking time to chat. Several people have commented on seeing residents looking content and engaged, particularly during activities like therapy dog visits.

The eight family priority themes

  • Staff warmth72
  • Compassion & dignity72
  • Cleanliness60
  • Activities & engagement58
  • Food quality55
  • Healthcare45
  • Management & leadership45
  • Resident happiness60
Section 02

What inspectors found

Inspected 2022-10-01

  • Is this home safe?

    Not yet rated
    Safe was rated Requires Improvement at the October 2025 inspection. This is one of three domains where inspectors found the home was not yet meeting the required standard. The published summary does not provide detail on the specific concerns identified, but a Requires Improvement rating in Safe typically covers areas such as staffing levels, medicines management, risk assessment, and infection control. This is the domain that most directly affects your parent's day-to-day physical security.
    Verified by inspector
  • Is the care effective?

    Not yet rated
    Effective was rated Requires Improvement at the October 2025 inspection. This domain covers training, care planning, healthcare access, and nutrition. A Requires Improvement rating here means inspectors found the home was falling short in at least one of these areas. The published summary does not specify which elements were of concern. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which makes the Effective rating particularly important: dementia care requires staff who are not just present but trained and confident in specialist approaches.
    Verified by inspector
  • Is this home caring?

    Not yet rated
    Caring was rated Good at the October 2025 inspection. This is the strongest finding in the report and means inspectors were satisfied that staff treated residents with warmth, dignity, and respect. A Good rating in Caring typically reflects observed staff interactions, resident and relative testimony, and evidence that people are supported to maintain their independence. This is a meaningful finding in a report where three other domains fell short.
    Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded
  • Is the home responsive?

    Not yet rated
    Responsive was rated Good at the October 2025 inspection. This domain covers how well the home organises care around individual needs, including activities, engagement, and responsiveness to complaints and preferences. A Good rating here suggests that care was reasonably tailored to the people living there and that the home responded appropriately when things went wrong. No specific detail about activity programmes or individual engagement is available in the published summary.
    Verified by inspector
  • Is the home well-led?

    Not yet rated
    Well-led was rated Requires Improvement at the October 2025 inspection. A named registered manager, Mrs Jane Selvage, is in post, and the home is run by Hampshire County Council. A Requires Improvement rating in Well-led typically means inspectors found that governance systems, quality monitoring, or leadership culture were not yet working consistently. This is significant because leadership quality is the strongest predictor of whether a home maintains and improves its standards over time. The home has improved from a previous Requires Improvement overall rating, which suggests some progress, but the leadership rating means that progress is not yet secure.
    Verified by inspector
  • Source: CQC inspection report →

    Section 03

    What the evidence base says

    Willow Court cares for adults under 65, those over 65, and people living with dementia. The home welcomes residents with dementia as part of their wider community. Staff work to ensure these residents feel comfortable and included in daily life. 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.

62/ 100

DCC Family Score

Willow Court scores in the mid-range, reflecting genuine strengths in how staff treat the people who live there, alongside real concerns about safety, effectiveness, and leadership that the inspection flagged as Requires Improvement. The caring and responsive domains provide reassurance, but the three Requires Improvement ratings mean this home needs careful scrutiny before you commit.

Homes in South East typically score 68–82.

The three-lens summary

Lens 01

What families tell us

Visitors mention feeling welcomed from the moment they arrive, with reception and nursing staff taking time to chat. Several people have commented on seeing residents looking content and engaged, particularly during activities like therapy dog visits.

Lens 02

What inspectors have recorded

Staff presence throughout the home catches visitors' attention, with managers often seen in communal areas rather than tucked away in offices. While most find the team approachable and helpful, some have experienced challenges reaching staff by phone or getting timely responses to queries.

Lens 03

How it sits against good practice

If you're considering Willow Court for someone you love, visiting in person will give you the clearest picture of life there.

DCC Recommendation

Worth a visit

Willow Court Nursing Home in Andover was assessed in October 2025, with the report published in January 2026. The home is run by Hampshire County Council and has a registered manager in post. The overall picture is mixed: Caring and Responsive were both rated Good, which means inspectors were satisfied that staff treated residents with kindness and that care was organised around individual needs. This is a meaningful improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating. However, Safe, Effective, and Well-led were all rated Requires Improvement at this inspection, and that is significant if you are considering this home for your parent. Three out of five domains falling short means you need to ask hard, specific questions before deciding. On a visit, ask the manager to show you last week's actual staffing rota (not a template) and ask how many permanent versus agency staff worked night shifts. Ask what specific actions have been taken since the inspection to address the safety and leadership concerns, and request a copy of the improvement plan.

The three questions to ask when you visit

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In Their Own Words

How Willow Court Care Home describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.

What Willow Court Care Home says about itself

Friendly nursing home where residents settle into comfortable routines

Willow Court Nursing Home – Expert Care in Andover

When families visit Willow Court Nursing Home in Andover, they often notice how staff greet both residents and visitors warmly as they move through the home. This South East nursing home supports adults of all ages, including those living with dementia. People describe the atmosphere as welcoming, with managers visible in communal areas and residents appearing settled in their daily routines.

Care & specialisms

Who they care for

    Willow Court cares for adults under 65, those over 65, and people living with dementia.

    How they describe their dementia care

    The home welcomes residents with dementia as part of their wider community. Staff work to ensure these residents feel comfortable and included in daily life.

    “If you're considering Willow Court for someone you love, visiting in person will give you the clearest picture of life there.”

    DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.

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