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74 Old Ford EndBedford

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Rated:GoodResidential

74 Old Ford End

Queens Park, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 4LY
01234364022
Care Type

Residential Care

Assessment date

8 December 2025

Provider

Voyage 1 Limited

Beds

6 beds

Rating history

  1. GoodApr 2016
  2. Requires ImprovementSept 2019
  3. GoodJan 2026

Improved from Requires Improvement to Good in 2026. CQC has rated this home 3 times since 2016.

Source: CQC inspection reports. Contains CQC data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Costs and who runs this home

Run by Voyage 1 Limited, which runs 244 care homes in England: 11 rated Outstanding, 207 Good, 22 Requires Improvement and 4 not yet rated.

  • How to pay for a care home explains the council means test, what counts as capital and the funding you can ask to be assessed for.

About 74 Old Ford End

74 Old Ford End is a residential care home in Bedford, supporting autistic people and people with a learning disability. Further details from the CQC's most recent inspection are set out below.

74 Old Ford End is a small care home supporting up to six autistic people and people with a learning disability, offering personalised support in a family-style home environment.

The CQC found the service now meets its expectations, with previous breaches around safeguarding, safe care, person-centred support and governance all resolved. Inspectors found medicines were managed safely, staffing was adequate, and people were supported to take part in community activities. Relatives described the home as excellent and welcoming, saying their family members were happy and treated with kindness.

Source: CQC assessment, 27 January 2026

Specialist Care

Learning disabilitiesYounger adults

Fees and availability

We have not verified a current weekly fee for this home. Ask for a written quote based on the room and care needed, including any extra charges.

Check current vacancies, the admission assessment and visiting arrangements directly with the home.

Care and inspection details

Checked against the CQC register on 20 September 2026. This is a check of published information, not a visit to the home.

Registered service
Care home service without nursing
Registered capacity
6 places — this is not a vacancy count
Registration checked
Registered · MK40 4LY

Registered care categories

Caring for adults under 65 yrs; Learning disabilities.

These describe the registration. The home must assess whether it can meet the individual person's needs and whether a place is available.

CQC ratings in more detail

Overall rating shown by CQC: Good.

Assessment published 27 January 2026. Assessment date recorded: 8 December 2025.

Read CQC's assessment overview

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 27 January 2026. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Date of assessment 11 December 2025 to 06 January 2026. 74 Old Ford End is a care home. This is a specialist service that is used by autistic people or people with a learning disability. There were 6 people living at the service at the time of our assessment.We assessed the service against 'Right support, right care, right culture' guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.At our last inspection we found 4 breaches of the legal regulations concerning safeguarding, safe care and treatment, person-centred care and governance.At this inspection we found these breaches had been met. Medicines were now managed safely, safeguarding concerns were identified and reported as required. People’s health and safety was assessed. There were enough staff and environment and infection prevention and control practices were now safe. Governance systems identified areas for improvement. People were now supported to ensure enough support was in place to enable them to participate in activities.

Safe
Good
Effective
Good
Caring
Good
Responsive
Good
Well-led
Good

Read 74 Old Ford End's CQC record and reports.

Contains Care Quality Commission information under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Ratings and registration details can change after the date checked.

5 Questions to Ask on Your Visit

When visiting 74 Old Ford End, consider asking...

  1. 1.What happens if my relative's care needs increase significantly -- will they have to move?
  2. 2.How do you handle concerns or complaints from families?
  3. 3.What does the monthly fee cover and what will cost extra?
  4. 4.How do you keep families informed about their relative's day-to-day wellbeing?
  5. 5.What happens if my relative is unhappy here?

5 Things to Look For on Your Visit

When you visit 74 Old Ford End, look out for...

  1. 1.Do staff greet residents by name and stop to chat?
  2. 2.Are residents dressed, up and occupied, or sitting alone in front of a TV?
  3. 3.Does the home smell fresh and feel clean without being clinical?
  4. 4.Do residents look comfortable and at ease, or anxious and withdrawn?
  5. 5.Does the manager answer your questions openly or deflect?

Could the NHS fund 74 Old Ford End's fees?

The average nursing home costs £1,535 per week. That's £79,820 a year. NHS Continuing Healthcare could cover all of it. No means test, no contribution from you.

Location

Queens Park, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 4LY

CQC Logo

74 Old Ford End

CQC overall rating

Good

Assessment date: 8 December 2025

View full inspection report
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