SafeAre people protected from abuse and avoidable harm?69%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown2 of 8 below good
Infection prevention and controlSome shortfalls
Involving people to manage risksSome shortfalls
Learning cultureGood
Medicines optimisationGood
Safe and effective staffingGood
Safe environmentsGood
Safe systems, pathways and transitionsGood
SafeguardingGood
EffectiveDoes care achieve good outcomes and a good quality of life?0%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?0%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 5 below good
Workforce wellbeing and enablementSome shortfalls
Independence, choice and controlGood
Kindness, compassion and dignityGood
Responding to people's immediate needsGood
Treating people as individualsGood
ResponsiveAre services organised to meet people's needs?0%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 7 below good
Care provision, integration and continuitySome shortfalls
Equity in accessGood
Equity in experiences and outcomesGood
Listening to and involving peopleGood
Person-centred careGood
Planning for the futureGood
Providing InformationGood
Well-ledIs the home well managed, with a culture of high-quality care?71%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 7 below good
Governance, management and sustainabilitySome shortfalls
Capable, compassionate and inclusive leadersGood
Freedom to speak upGood
Learning, improvement and innovationGood
Partnerships and communitiesGood
Shared direction and cultureGood
Workforce equality, diversity and inclusionGood
Percentages are CQC scores from its newer way of assessing homes. ?
CQC scored 33 standards: 28 good, 5 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. ?
Halcyon Days is a 57-bed residential care home in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, run by GCH (Hertfordshire) Ltd. Its CQC registration covers older people, people with dementia and younger adults. That is larger than most homes in Hertfordshire, where the typical home has 30 beds.
Of the 6 closest rated homes, none is rated above it. 5 of GCH (Hertfordshire) Ltd’s 5 rated homes are Good or Outstanding (compare care home groups). The kitchen has a food hygiene rating of 3 (generally satisfactory), from June 2026. In Hertfordshire, 92% of homes score 5. 121 other homes in Hertfordshire share its tier, “Good”.
In June 2026, CQC gave it Good overall, and Good for each of the five key questions too. It was also rated Good at the inspection before, in August 2018. The typical rating in Hertfordshire is about 5 years old, so this one is fairly recent. CQC found some shortfalls in “workforce wellbeing and enablement”, one of 5 standards out of 33 scored below good.
