Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvementRated 4 months ago↓ Down from GoodNew owner since April 2025
SafeAre people protected from abuse and avoidable harm?56%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown6 of 8 below good
Infection prevention and controlSome shortfalls
Involving people to manage risksSome shortfalls
Medicines optimisationSome shortfalls
Safe and effective staffingSome shortfalls
Safe environmentsSome shortfalls
SafeguardingSome shortfalls
Learning cultureGood
Safe systems, pathways and transitionsGood
EffectiveDoes care achieve good outcomes and a good quality of life?58%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown4 of 6 below good
Assessing needsSome shortfalls
Delivering evidence-based care and treatmentSome shortfalls
How staff, teams and services work togetherSome shortfalls
Monitoring and improving outcomesSome shortfalls
Consent to care and treatmentGood
Supporting people to live healthier livesGood
CaringAre staff kind, compassionate and respectful?70%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 5 below good
Responding to people's immediate needsSome shortfalls
Independence, choice and controlGood
Kindness, compassion and dignityGood
Treating people as individualsGood
Workforce wellbeing and enablementGood
ResponsiveAre services organised to meet people's needs?71%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 7 below good
Person-centred careSome shortfalls
Care provision, integration and continuityGood
Equity in accessGood
Equity in experiences and outcomesGood
Listening to and involving peopleGood
Planning for the futureGood
Providing InformationGood
Well-ledIs the home well managed, with a culture of high-quality care?61%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown4 of 7 below good
Capable, compassionate and inclusive leadersSome shortfalls
Governance, management and sustainabilitySome shortfalls
Learning, improvement and innovationSome shortfalls
Shared direction and cultureSome shortfalls
Freedom to speak upGood
Partnerships and communitiesGood
Workforce equality, diversity and inclusionGood
Percentages are CQC scores from its newer way of assessing homes. ?
CQC scored 33 standards: 17 good, 16 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 Headington Care Home is in the Requires improvement tier ?, with 14 other homes in Oxfordshire.
88% of rated homes here are Good or Outstanding (England: 82%).
Run by GCH (Alder) Ltd, The Headington Care Home is a nursing home in Oxford, Oxfordshire with 60 registered beds. It is registered to care for older people, people with dementia, younger adults and people with mental health needs.
GCH (Alder) Ltd has run the home since April 2025, when it changed owner. 14 other homes in Oxfordshire share its tier, “Requires improvement”. The kitchen has a food hygiene rating of 5 (very good), from October 2025. 88% of homes in Oxfordshire also score 5. 4 of GCH (Alder) Ltd’s 7 rated homes are Good or Outstanding (compare care home groups). About 0.7 km away, St Luke's Hospital - Oxford is rated Good.
CQC's latest rating, from June 2026, is Requires improvement overall. It was Requires improvement for safe, effective and well-led as well. CQC rated caring and responsive as Good. That is down from Good in September 2019. The typical rating in Oxfordshire is about 6 years old, so this one is fairly recent. Of the 33 standards CQC scored, 16 fell below good. The lowest was “responding to people's immediate needs” (some shortfalls).
