Dementia Care Home

Highfield House Care Home

London Road, Halesworth, Suffolk, IP19 8LP

Residential homes

At a Glance

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

DCC Family Score
68/ 100
Weighted from family reviews
Dementia SpecialismConfirmed

Residential homes

Families Rate The Staff55 / 100

Staff warmth score

“Well Looked After”55%

of reviewers answered yes

Good to know

  • Registered beds40
  • SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Caring for adults under 65 yrs, Dementia, Physical disabilities, Sensory impairment
  • Last inspected2022-08-06

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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

The eight family priority themes

  • Staff warmth55
  • Compassion & dignity55
  • Cleanliness55
  • Activities & engagement50
  • Food quality50
  • Healthcare55
  • Management & leadership40
  • Resident happiness55
Section 02

What inspectors found

Inspected 2022-08-06

  • Is this home safe?

    Good
    Inspectors rated the Safe domain Good at the June 2022 inspection. This indicates that the home met the required standards for safety, including medicines management, infection control, and staffing. The home had previously been rated Inadequate, so this improvement represents a significant change. The published report does not provide specific observations about falls management, night staffing numbers, or agency staff usage at this inspection.
    Verified by inspector
  • Is the care effective?

    Good
    Inspectors rated Effective as Good at the June 2022 inspection. This domain covers training, care planning, healthcare access, and nutrition. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which means inspectors would have considered whether staff have relevant training and whether care plans reflect the specific needs of people living with dementia. The published text does not include specific examples of care plan content, GP access arrangements, or how food preferences are recorded.
    Verified by inspector
  • Is this home caring?

    Good
    Inspectors rated the Caring domain Good at the June 2022 inspection. This domain reflects whether staff treat residents with warmth, respect, and dignity. A Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied that the people living at Highfield House were treated kindly and that their privacy and independence were respected. The published text does not include specific inspector observations or resident and family quotes that would allow a more detailed picture.
    Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded
  • Is the home responsive?

    Good
    Inspectors rated Responsive as Good at the June 2022 inspection. This domain covers whether the home responds to individual needs, offers meaningful activities, supports people's independence, and has adequate end-of-life planning in place. The home's specialisms include dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment, which means responsiveness to a range of complex needs was part of what inspectors considered. The published report does not describe specific activities, individual engagement examples, or end-of-life planning arrangements.
    Verified by inspector
  • Is the home well-led?

    Requires improvement
    The Well-led domain was rated Requires Improvement at the June 2022 inspection. This is the only domain where the home did not achieve Good, and it stands out given that the previous overall rating was Inadequate. A Requires Improvement in Well-led means inspectors found gaps in governance, leadership, or the home's ability to monitor and improve its own quality. The registered manager at the time of inspection was Miss Natalie May Rose Gray. The published text does not describe the specific reasons for this rating.
    Verified by inspector
  • Source: CQC inspection report →

    Section 03

    What the evidence base says

    The team supports residents with dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They also care for younger adults under 65 who need residential support. Residents with dementia receive specialised care in a secure environment. The home accommodates varying stages of dementia, including advanced conditions requiring close supervision. 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.

68/ 100

DCC Family Score

Highfield House has made a significant recovery from an Inadequate rating to a Good rating across four of five domains, which is encouraging. However, the Requires Improvement in Well-led tempers confidence, and the inspection report provides limited specific detail across all themes, so scores reflect a cautious positive rather than a strongly evidenced one.

Homes in East typically score 68–82.
DCC Recommendation

Worth a visit

Highfield House Care Home in Halesworth was rated Good overall at its inspection in June 2022, with Good ratings in Safe, Effective, Caring, and Responsive. This is a meaningful improvement from a previous Inadequate rating, and it tells you that inspectors found the home had addressed the serious concerns that prompted the earlier failure. The one note of caution is the Well-led domain, which was rated Requires Improvement. Leadership and governance are the foundations on which everything else rests, and this rating means inspectors were not fully satisfied with how the home is run at a management level. The published inspection text is brief and provides limited specific detail, so many questions about daily life, staffing ratios, dementia-specific care, and family communication remain unanswered. Visit in person, ask concrete questions about the management changes made since the previous inspection, and request to see last week's staffing rota.

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In Their Own Words

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

What Highfield House Care Home says about itself

Dementia and disability care home in historic market town

Highfield House Care Home – Expert Care in Halesworth

Highfield House Care Home in Halesworth provides residential care for older adults and those with physical disabilities. The home welcomes residents with dementia and sensory impairments, offering specialised support in a traditional care setting. Located in this East Suffolk market town, the home serves families from across the region.

Care & specialisms

Who they care for

    The team supports residents with dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They also care for younger adults under 65 who need residential support.

    How they describe their dementia care

    Residents with dementia receive specialised care in a secure environment. The home accommodates varying stages of dementia, including advanced conditions requiring close supervision.

    “Families considering Highfield House are encouraged to visit and speak with staff about their loved one's specific care needs.”

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

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