Nichols House

1a, Church Road, Wilstead, Bedford, MK45 3HH

02083554666

Care Type

Residential Care

Assessment date

24 April 2026

Provider

Harriston Homes Limited

Beds

3 beds

Rating history

Requires ImprovementJun 2026

First inspected by CQC in 2026, rated Requires Improvement.

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

Costs and who runs this home

Run by Harriston Homes Limited, which runs 2 care homes in England: 1 rated Good and 1 Requires Improvement.

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 Nichols House

Nichols House, in Bedford, is a small care home supporting autistic people and people with a learning disability, with two people using the service at the time of assessment. The CQC rated it Requires Improvement overall, finding breaches relating to safe care and treatment and to governance. Inspectors found that systems were not always effective in managing risks around medicines, restrictive practices, environmental safety and care planning, and an action plan has been requested.

On the positive side, inspectors found people were supported by staff who knew them well and delivered person-centred care. Relatives described the service as caring, with people happy and settled, and staff spoke positively about feeling supported by leaders.

Source: CQC assessment, 8 June 2026

Specialist Care

Learning disabilitiesMental healthSensory impairmentsYounger 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: 3 places — this is not a vacancy count
Registration checked: Registered · MK45 3HH

Registered care categories

Caring for adults under 65 yrs; Caring for children; Learning disabilities; Mental health conditions; Sensory impairment.

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.

Assessment published 8 June 2026. Assessment date recorded: 24 April 2026.

Read CQC's assessment overview

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 8 June 2026. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Date of assessment: 27 April 2026 to 30 April 2026.
Nichols House is a care home supporting autistic people and people with a learning disability. At the time of our assessment, 2 people were using the service.
We assessed the service against 'Right support, right care, right culture' guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people respect, equality, dignity, choice and independence.
We identified breaches of the legal regulations relating to safe care and treatment, and governance. Systems were not always effective in identifying and managing risks associated with medicines, restrictive practices, environmental safety and care planning . We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to concerns found at this assessment.
However, we observed people received care from staff who knew them well and supported them in a person-centred way. Staff spoke positively about the service and told us they felt supported by leaders. A staff member said, “I enjoy working here. I feel the management are responsive, we have an open-door policy.”

Safe: Requires Improvement
Effective: Requires Improvement
Caring: Good
Responsive: Good
Well-led: Requires Improvement

Questions prompted by these ratings

Safe: What changes have been made to medicines, staffing and safeguarding since this rating?
Effective: How are staff training, nutrition and health outcomes checked now?
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 Nichols 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 Nichols 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 Nichols 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 Nichols 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