SafeAre people protected from abuse and avoidable harm?72%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 8 below good
Medicines optimisationSome shortfalls
Infection prevention and controlGood
Involving people to manage risksGood
Learning cultureGood
Safe and effective staffingGood
Safe environmentsGood
Safe systems, pathways and transitionsGood
SafeguardingGood
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?90%★Outstanding
See the breakdownHide the breakdown3 of 5 exceptional
Responding to people's immediate needsGood
Treating people as individualsGood
Independence, choice and controlExceptional
Kindness, compassion and dignityExceptional
Workforce wellbeing and enablementExceptional
ResponsiveAre services organised to meet people's needs?79%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 7 exceptional
Care provision, integration and continuityGood
Equity in accessGood
Equity in experiences and outcomesGood
Listening to and involving peopleGood
Person-centred careGood
Providing InformationGood
Planning for the futureExceptional
Well-ledIs the home well managed, with a culture of high-quality care?82%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown2 of 7 exceptional
Freedom to speak upGood
Governance, management and sustainabilityGood
Partnerships and communitiesGood
Shared direction and cultureGood
Workforce equality, diversity and inclusionGood
Capable, compassionate and inclusive leadersExceptional
Learning, improvement and innovationExceptional
Percentages are CQC scores from its newer way of assessing homes. ?
CQC scored 33 standards: 26 good, 6 exceptional, 1 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. ?
Heron Hill Care Home is in the Good, with Outstanding areas tier ?, with 5 other homes in Westmorland and Furness.
89% of rated homes here are Good or Outstanding (England: 82%).
Abbey Healthcare (Kendal) Limited runs Heron Hill Care Home, a nursing home in Kendal, Westmorland and Furness with room for 86 residents. CQC registers it to look after older people and people with dementia. That is larger than most homes in Westmorland and Furness, where the typical home has 29 beds.
Of the 6 closest rated homes, none is rated above it. Across Westmorland and Furness, 89% of rated homes are Good or Outstanding, against 82% for England.
The current CQC rating is Good, published in November 2025. Safe, effective, responsive and well-led were also Good. CQC rated caring as Outstanding. It was also rated Good at the inspection before, in March 2023. That is more recent than most ratings in Westmorland and Furness, where the typical rating is about 5 years old. CQC found some shortfalls in “medicines optimisation”, one of 1 standards out of 33 scored below good.
