SafeAre people protected from abuse and avoidable harm?38%Inadequate
See the breakdownHide the breakdown7 of 8 below good
Involving people to manage risksSignificant shortfalls
Learning cultureSignificant shortfalls
Safe and effective staffingSignificant shortfalls
Safe environmentsSignificant shortfalls
SafeguardingSignificant shortfalls
Infection prevention and controlSome shortfalls
Medicines optimisationSome shortfalls
Safe systems, pathways and transitionsGood
EffectiveDoes care achieve good outcomes and a good quality of life?50%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown6 of 6 below good
Assessing needsSome shortfalls
Consent to care and treatmentSome shortfalls
Delivering evidence-based care and treatmentSome shortfalls
How staff, teams and services work togetherSome shortfalls
Monitoring and improving outcomesSome shortfalls
Supporting people to live healthier livesSome shortfalls
CaringAre staff kind, compassionate and respectful?0%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 5 below good
Workforce wellbeing and enablementSignificant 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 breakdown2 of 7 below good
Care provision, integration and continuitySignificant shortfalls
Providing InformationSome shortfalls
Equity in accessGood
Equity in experiences and outcomesGood
Listening to and involving peopleGood
Person-centred careGood
Planning for the futureGood
Well-ledIs the home well managed, with a culture of high-quality care?29%Inadequate
See the breakdownHide the breakdown7 of 7 below good
Capable, compassionate and inclusive leadersSignificant shortfalls
Freedom to speak upSignificant shortfalls
Governance, management and sustainabilitySignificant shortfalls
Learning, improvement and innovationSignificant shortfalls
Partnerships and communitiesSignificant shortfalls
Shared direction and cultureSignificant shortfalls
Workforce equality, diversity and inclusionSome shortfalls
Percentages are CQC scores from its newer way of assessing homes. ?
CQC scored 33 standards: 10 good, 23 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. ?
Oak Cottage is a 25-bed residential care home in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. The home is its own registered provider. It is registered to care for older people, people with dementia, younger adults and people with mental health needs.
The kitchen has a food hygiene rating of 5 (very good), from March 2025. 92% of homes in Hertfordshire also score 5. Across Hertfordshire, 76% of rated homes are Good or Outstanding, against 82% for England. The nearest home with a higher rating is Honister (Good), 0.2 km away.
CQC's latest rating, from February 2026, is Inadequate overall. Safe and well-led were also Inadequate. Effective was rated Requires improvement. CQC rated caring and responsive as Good. Before that, in February 2024, it was rated Requires improvement. The typical rating in Hertfordshire is about 5 years old, so this one is fairly recent. CQC found significant shortfalls in “workforce wellbeing and enablement”, one of 23 standards out of 33 scored below good.
