Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvementRated 1 year ago↓ Down from Good
SafeAre people protected from abuse and avoidable harm?50%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown8 of 8 below good
Infection prevention and controlSome shortfalls
Involving people to manage risksSome shortfalls
Learning cultureSome shortfalls
Medicines optimisationSome shortfalls
Safe and effective staffingSome shortfalls
Safe environmentsSome shortfalls
Safe systems, pathways and transitionsSome shortfalls
SafeguardingSome shortfalls
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?75%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdownAll 5 good
Independence, choice and controlGood
Kindness, compassion and dignityGood
Responding to people's immediate needsGood
Treating people as individualsGood
Workforce wellbeing and enablementGood
ResponsiveAre services organised to meet people's needs?54%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown6 of 7 below good
Care provision, integration and continuitySome shortfalls
Equity in accessSome shortfalls
Equity in experiences and outcomesSome shortfalls
Listening to and involving peopleSome shortfalls
Person-centred careSome shortfalls
Planning for the futureSome shortfalls
Providing InformationGood
Well-ledIs the home well managed, with a culture of high-quality care?54%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown6 of 7 below good
Capable, compassionate and inclusive leadersSome shortfalls
Freedom to speak upSome shortfalls
Governance, management and sustainabilitySome shortfalls
Learning, improvement and innovationSome shortfalls
Partnerships and communitiesSome shortfalls
Shared direction and cultureSome shortfalls
Workforce equality, diversity and inclusionGood
Percentages are CQC scores from its newer way of assessing homes. ?
CQC scored 33 standards: 13 good, 20 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. ?
Run by Runwood Homes Limited, Blackthorns is a residential care home in Halstead, Essex with 62 registered beds. It is registered to care for older people, people with dementia, younger adults, people with a physical disability and people with a sensory impairment. Most homes in Essex are smaller: the median there is 22 beds.
Food hygiene inspectors scored the kitchen 5 out of 5 in April 2026. 89% of homes in Essex also score 5. Across Essex, 84% of rated homes are Good or Outstanding, against 82% for England. The nearest home with a higher rating is 18 Acorn Avenue (Good), 0.2 km away. 46 of Runwood Homes Limited’s 55 rated homes are Good or Outstanding (compare care home groups).
The current CQC rating is Requires improvement, published in March 2025. It was Requires improvement for safe, responsive and well-led as well. Effective and caring were rated Good. Before that, in March 2023, it was rated Good. That is more recent than most ratings in Essex, where the typical rating is about 5 years old. 20 of its 33 scored standards were below good, including “care provision, integration and continuity”.
