SafeAre people protected from abuse and avoidable harm?25%Inadequate
See the breakdownHide the breakdown8 of 8 below good
Infection prevention and controlSignificant shortfalls
Involving people to manage risksSignificant shortfalls
Learning cultureSignificant shortfalls
Medicines optimisationSignificant shortfalls
Safe and effective staffingSignificant shortfalls
Safe environmentsSignificant shortfalls
Safe systems, pathways and transitionsSignificant shortfalls
SafeguardingSignificant shortfalls
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?25%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 inclusionSignificant shortfalls
Percentages are CQC scores from its newer way of assessing homes. ?
CQC scored 33 standards: 18 good, 15 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. ?
The Cottage Residential Care Home is in the Inadequate tier ?, with 3 other homes in Essex.
84% of rated homes here are Good or Outstanding (England: 82%).
What the data says about The Cottage Residential Care Home
The Cottage Residential Care Home is one of 395 care homes in Essex: a 10-bed residential care home in Colchester, run by Mr Roy Bellhouse. CQC registers it to look after people with dementia, people with a physical disability, people with a learning disability or autism and people with mental health needs. That is smaller than most homes in Essex, where the typical home has 22 beds.
CQC last rated the home in September 2025, giving it Inadequate overall. It was Inadequate for safe and well-led as well. CQC rated effective, caring and responsive as Good. Its previous rating, in December 2018, was Good, so the home has slipped. Ratings in Essex are typically about 5 years old, which makes this one newer than most. CQC found significant shortfalls in “infection prevention and control”, one of 15 standards out of 33 scored below good.
In Essex, 84% of rated care homes are Good or Outstanding (England 82%). About 0.8 km away, Four Winds is rated Good.
