Nursing home · Milton Keynes

The Willows Care Home

Heathercroft, Great Linford, Milton Keynes, MK14 5EG

Good Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good Rated 1 year ago

CQC rating

Good
Published 9 April 2025 Rated 1 year ago ?
  • SafeAre people protected from abuse and avoidable harm?72%Good
    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?60%Requires improvement
    See the breakdownHide the breakdown3 of 5 below good
    • Independence, choice and controlSome shortfalls
    • Responding to people's immediate needsSome shortfalls
    • Treating people as individualsSome shortfalls
    • Kindness, compassion and dignityGood
    • Workforce wellbeing and enablementGood
  • ResponsiveAre services organised to meet people's needs?64%Good
    See the breakdownHide the breakdown3 of 7 below good
    • Person-centred careSome shortfalls
    • Planning for the futureSome shortfalls
    • Providing InformationSome shortfalls
    • Care provision, integration and continuityGood
    • Equity in accessGood
    • Equity in experiences and outcomesGood
    • Listening to and involving peopleGood
  • Well-ledIs the home well managed, with a culture of high-quality care?71%Good
    See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 7 below good
    • Governance, management and sustainabilitySome shortfalls
    • Capable, compassionate and inclusive leadersGood
    • Freedom to speak upGood
    • 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: 25 good, 8 below good. Use “See the breakdown” on each key question for its standards. ?

Earlier ratings ?

  • April 2023GoodSECRW
  • January 2022Inspected, no new rating
  • June 2019GoodSECRW
  • May 2017GoodSECRW
  • May 2015GoodSECRW

Read the full report on the CQC website ↗

How it compares in Milton Keynes

The Willows Care Home is in the Good, with an area to improve tier ?, with 4 other homes in Milton Keynes. 88% of rated homes here are Good or Outstanding (England: 82%).

  • Outstanding 3 (6%)
  • Good, with Outstanding areas 1 (2%)
  • Good 28 (60%)
  • Good, with an area to improve 5 (11%)
  • Requires improvement 4 (9%)
  • Inadequate 1 (2%)
  • Not yet rated 5 (11%)

See all 47 care homes in Milton Keynes →

Care homes nearby

  • Neath Hill Care Home
    Milton Keynes · MK14 6NS · Residential care home · 47 beds0.5 km
    Good S: GoodE: GoodC: GoodR: GoodW: Good Rated 7 years ago
  • ABI Homes - Dyers Mews
    Milton Keynes · MK14 6ER · Residential care home · 6 beds0.9 km
    Good S: GoodE: GoodC: GoodR: GoodW: Good Rated 2 years ago
  • Highclere Care Home
    Milton Keynes · MK14 7NH · Nursing home · 40 beds1.2 km
    Not yet rated S: not ratedE: not ratedC: not ratedR: not ratedW: not rated
  • The Applewood
    Milton Keynes · MK14 5AF · Residential care home · 78 beds1.7 km
    Not yet rated S: not ratedE: not ratedC: not ratedR: not ratedW: not rated
  • Milton Keynes Short Breaks and Shared Lives
    Milton Keynes · MK13 7AG · Residential care home · 12 beds2.1 km
    Outstanding S: GoodE: GoodC: GoodR: OutstandingW: Outstanding Rated 8 years ago
  • Westbury Grange
    Newport Pagnell, Milton Keynes · MK16 8JA · Nursing home · 45 beds2.9 km
    Good S: GoodE: GoodC: GoodR: GoodW: Good Rated 7 years ago

More care homes near MK14 5EG →

The Willows Care Home at a glance

Willows Care Centre Limited runs The Willows Care Home, a nursing home in Milton Keynes with room for 130 residents. It is registered to care for older people, people with dementia and younger adults. That is larger than most homes in Milton Keynes, where the typical home has 29 beds.

The current CQC rating is Good, published in April 2025. Safe, effective, responsive and well-led were also Good. Caring was rated Requires improvement. It was also rated Good at the inspection before, in April 2023. Ratings in Milton Keynes are typically about 4 years old, which makes this one newer than most. 8 of its 33 scored standards were below good, including “independence, choice and control”.

The nearest home with a higher rating is Milton Keynes Short Breaks and Shared Lives (Outstanding), 2.1 km away. The kitchen has a food hygiene rating of 5 (very good), from September 2026. That is true of 85% of homes in Milton Keynes. Across Milton Keynes, 88% of rated homes are Good or Outstanding, against 82% for England.