Barchester Tower

31 De Cham Road, St Leonards On Sea, East Sussex, TN37 6JA

01424435398

Care Type

Residential Care

Inspection date

5 January 2023

Provider

Mr & Mrs P A Hughes

Beds

20 beds

Rating history

Requires ImprovementFeb 2016
GoodJun 2017
GoodFeb 2020
Requires ImprovementDec 2020
GoodFeb 2023

Improved from Requires Improvement to Good in 2023. CQC has rated this home 5 times since 2016.

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

Costs and who runs this home

This is the only care home Mr & Mrs P A Hughes runs in England.

This home lists dementia care, which usually costs more than standard residential care. See dementia care home costs. NHS Continuing Healthcare may apply where someone's needs are primarily health needs.
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 Barchester Tower

Barchester Tower is a residential care home in East Sussex, providing personal care for older people. The findings below set out the CQC's most recent assessment of the service.

Barchester Tower provides personal care for up to 20 older people living with dementia or dementia-type illness. At inspection, 13 residents were living at the home. Staff completed safeguarding training and demonstrated awareness of how to recognise and report concerns, working with other agencies and health professionals to ensure people's health and support needs were met.

Infection prevention and control measures were in place, with staff using PPE appropriately and reporting health concerns when required. The home appeared clean and tidy. Medicines systems and processes supported people to receive their medicines as prescribed.

Source: CQC inspection report, 3 February 2023

Specialist Care

Dementia

Facilities & Amenities

Garden

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: 20 places — this is not a vacancy count
Registration checked: Registered · TN37 6JA

Registered care categories

Dementia.

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.

Rating report published 3 February 2023. Latest inspection date recorded: 5 January 2023.

Safe: Good
EffectivePublished 26 February 2020: Good
CaringPublished 26 February 2020: Good
ResponsivePublished 26 February 2020: Good
Well-led: Good

Read Barchester Tower'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 Barchester Tower, consider asking...

1.What specific dementia training do staff receive and how recently?
2.How do you support a resident who becomes distressed or confused?
3.How does the home keep a record of a resident's life history and personal preferences?
4.How do you involve families as dementia progresses and communication becomes harder?
5.What happens when a resident's dementia reaches an advanced stage?

5 Things to Look For on Your Visit

When you visit Barchester Tower, look out for...

1.Is the environment calm, uncluttered and easy to navigate?
2.Do staff speak to residents with patience and dignity, even if they repeat themselves?
3.Are there memory cues around the home -- photos, familiar objects, clear signage?
4.Do residents seem settled and safe, or agitated and unsupervised?
5.Is there meaningful activity happening, or are residents just sitting quietly with nothing to do?

Could the NHS fund Barchester Tower'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.

Find out if the NHS could fund these fees