Messenger House

73 Messenger Road, Smethwick, Birmingham, West Midlands, B66 3EB

Care Type

Residential Care

Inspection date

18 February 2021

Provider

Hickam Healthcare Ltd

Beds

4 beds

About Messenger House

Messenger House is a residential care home in Sandwell providing personal care to people with a learning disability. Full details from the CQC's most recent inspection are set out below.

Messenger House is a residential care home providing personal care to three people with a learning disability, with capacity for up to four residents. The service is designed in a domestic style that blends naturally into the residential neighbourhood, with no external signage or identifying features typical of care facilities.

During inspection, staff care plans and risk assessments were found to lack sufficient detail in some areas to properly guide staff on how to meet residents' individual needs effectively.

Source: CQC inspection report, 9 April 2021

Specialist Care

Learning disabilitiesOlder peopleYounger 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 21 September 2026. This is a check of published information, not a visit to the home.

Registered service: Care home service without nursing
Registered capacity: 4 places — this is not a vacancy count
Registration checked: Registered · B66 3EB

Registered care categories

Caring for adults over 65 yrs; 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: Requires improvement.

Rating report published 9 April 2021. Latest inspection date recorded: 18 February 2021.

Safe: Requires improvement
EffectivePublished 21 December 2019: Good
CaringPublished 21 December 2019: Good
ResponsivePublished 21 December 2019: Good
Well-led: Requires improvement

Questions prompted by these ratings

Safe: What changes have been made to medicines, staffing and safeguarding since this rating?
Well-led: What has changed in management, checks and oversight since this rating?

These are questions for your visit, not a claim about conditions today.

Read Messenger House'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 Messenger House, consider asking...

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

5 Things to Look For on Your Visit

When you visit Messenger House, look out for...

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

Could the NHS fund Messenger House'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