Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvementRated 1 year ago↓ Down from Good
SafeAre people protected from abuse and avoidable harm?50%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown6 of 8 below good
Medicines optimisationSignificant shortfalls
Safe and effective staffingSignificant shortfalls
Involving people to manage risksSome shortfalls
Learning cultureSome shortfalls
Safe environmentsSome shortfalls
SafeguardingSome shortfalls
Infection prevention and controlGood
Safe systems, pathways and transitionsGood
EffectiveDoes care achieve good outcomes and a good quality of life?62%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown3 of 6 below good
Assessing needsSome shortfalls
Consent to care and treatmentSome shortfalls
Monitoring and improving outcomesSome shortfalls
Delivering evidence-based care and treatmentGood
How staff, teams and services work togetherGood
Supporting people to live healthier livesGood
CaringAre staff kind, compassionate and respectful?65%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown2 of 5 below good
Treating people as individualsSome shortfalls
Workforce wellbeing and enablementSome shortfalls
Independence, choice and controlGood
Kindness, compassion and dignityGood
Responding to people's immediate needsGood
ResponsiveAre services organised to meet people's needs?64%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown3 of 7 below good
Equity in experiences and outcomesSome shortfalls
Listening to and involving peopleSome shortfalls
Person-centred careSome shortfalls
Care provision, integration and continuityGood
Equity in accessGood
Planning for the futureGood
Providing InformationGood
Well-ledIs the home well managed, with a culture of high-quality care?57%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown4 of 7 below good
Governance, management and sustainabilitySignificant shortfalls
Capable, compassionate and inclusive leadersSome shortfalls
Freedom to speak upSome shortfalls
Learning, improvement and innovationSome shortfalls
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: 15 good, 18 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. ?
Lancaster Court is in the Requires improvement tier ?, with 49 other homes in Hertfordshire.
76% of rated homes here are Good or Outstanding (England: 82%).
Run by Runwood Homes Limited, Lancaster Court is a nursing home in Watford, Hertfordshire with 65 registered beds. CQC registers it to look after older people, people with dementia, younger adults, people with a physical disability and people with a sensory impairment. Most homes in Hertfordshire are smaller: the median there is 30 beds.
Food hygiene inspectors scored the kitchen 5 out of 5 in November 2025. 92% of homes in Hertfordshire also score 5. Across Hertfordshire, 76% of rated homes are Good or Outstanding, against 82% for England. It is one of 55 homes run by Runwood Homes Limited. 46 of those with a rating are Good or Outstanding. St Peter's Home, 1.2 km away, is the closest home rated Good.
CQC last rated the home in April 2025, giving it Requires improvement overall. It was Requires improvement for safe and well-led as well. Effective, caring and responsive were rated Good. Its previous rating, in February 2019, was Good, so the home has slipped. The typical rating in Hertfordshire is about 5 years old, so this one is fairly recent. 18 of its 33 scored standards were below good, including “medicines optimisation”.
