SafeAre people protected from abuse and avoidable harm?72%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 8 below good
Safe and effective staffingSome shortfalls
Infection prevention and controlGood
Involving people to manage risksGood
Learning cultureGood
Medicines optimisationGood
Safe environmentsGood
Safe systems, pathways and transitionsGood
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: 32 good, 1 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 Willows is in the Good, with an area to improve tier ?, with 47 other homes in East Sussex.
85% of rated homes here are Good or Outstanding (England: 82%).
The Willows is one of 281 care homes in East Sussex: a 6-bed residential care home in Bexhill On Sea, run by Affinity Trust. Its CQC registration covers older people, younger adults and people with a learning disability or autism. The typical home in East Sussex has 24 beds, so this one is on the small side.
It is one of 4 homes run by Affinity Trust. 4 of those with a rating are Good or Outstanding. Of the 5 closest rated homes, none is rated above it. In East Sussex, 85% of rated care homes are Good or Outstanding (England 82%). Its kitchen was rated 5 for food hygiene in January 2025. 90% of homes in East Sussex also score 5.
The current CQC rating is Good, published in September 2024. It was Good for effective, caring, responsive and well-led as well. Safe was rated Requires improvement. That matches its previous rating, from July 2019. That is more recent than most ratings in East Sussex, where the typical rating is about 4 years old. Of the 33 standards CQC scored, 1 fell below good. The lowest was “safe and effective staffing” (some shortfalls).
