SafeAre people protected from abuse and avoidable harm?66%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown3 of 8 below good
Infection prevention and controlSome shortfalls
Learning cultureSome shortfalls
Safe systems, pathways and transitionsSome shortfalls
Involving people to manage risksGood
Medicines optimisationGood
Safe and effective staffingGood
Safe environmentsGood
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?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?75%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdownAll 7 good
Care provision, integration and continuityGood
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?75%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdownAll 7 good
Capable, compassionate and inclusive leadersGood
Freedom to speak upGood
Governance, management and sustainabilityGood
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: 30 good, 3 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 Acer Healthcare Operations Limited, Highfield Care Home is a nursing home in Saffron Walden, Essex with 60 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. The typical home in Essex has 22 beds, so this one is bigger than average.
In Essex, 84% of rated care homes are Good or Outstanding (England 82%). Food hygiene inspectors scored the kitchen 5 out of 5 in June 2025. 89% of homes in Essex also score 5. 7 of Acer Healthcare Operations Limited’s 7 rated homes are Good or Outstanding (compare care home groups). Of the 5 closest rated homes, none is rated above it.
Its CQC rating, from April 2024, is Good across the board: overall and for every key question. It was also rated Good at the inspection before, in September 2018. Ratings in Essex are typically about 5 years old, which makes this one newer than most. 3 of its 33 scored standards were below good, including “infection prevention and control”.
