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The FairwaysWiltshire

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Rated:Requires ImprovementResidential

The Fairways

Malmesbury Road, Chippenham, SN15 5LJ
01249461239
Care Type

Residential Care

Assessment date

18 June 2026

Provider

Methodist Homes

Beds

60 beds

How this home compares nearby

Of 8 care homes for older people within 5 miles, 8 are rated higher by CQC, none are the same and none are lower.

None of these nearby homes has been inspected more recently than this one.

Based on CQC ratings, updated 22 October 2026. How we compare homes | See the nearby homes

Rating history

  1. Requires ImprovementMar 2016
  2. GoodJan 2017
  3. GoodAug 2019
  4. Requires ImprovementSept 2026

Rating dropped from Good to Requires Improvement in 2026. CQC has rated this home 4 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 Methodist Homes, which runs 69 care homes in England: 6 rated Outstanding, 54 Good and 9 Requires Improvement.

Average care home fees in the South West: £1,170 a week for residential care and £1,472 for nursing care (2024-25 averages). Self-funders usually pay more. See our care home costs guide.

  • 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 The Fairways

The Fairways is a residential care home located in Wiltshire, South West. Its registered care categories include dementia, mental health, older people, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments. The home has 60 beds. CQC records an overall rating of Requires Improvement, published in September 2026. The home is operated by Methodist Homes.

Specialist Care

DementiaMental healthOlder peoplePhysical disabilitiesSensory impairments

Practical details from the provider

  • The care home’s atrium includes a bistro, general store and hair salon.

Published on the provider's website, checked 2 October 2026. Confirm arrangements with the home before deciding.

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
60 places — this is not a vacancy count
Registration checked
Registered · SN15 5LJ

Registered care categories

Caring for adults over 65 yrs; Dementia; Mental health conditions; Physical disabilities; 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 1 September 2026. Assessment date recorded: 18 June 2026.

Read CQC's assessment overview

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 1 September 2026. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Date of assessment: 16 to 22 July 2026. The Fairways is a care home providing accommodation with personal care for up to 60 people. It provides care to adults over 65 years, people with physical disabilities, sensory impairment, dementia and people with mental health conditions. At the time of this assessment there were 56 people using this service.

Governance systems were not effective in assessing and monitoring quality and safety. Quality checks were not always identifying shortfalls and driving improvement where needed. Provider systems were not always being followed to make sure actions were taken when people had incidents or accidents. This meant there were times where follow up actions to help keep people safe were not taken.

The environment was in need of maintenance and decoration. Furniture was not always fit for purpose as there were many cushions missing and we observed some items were badly stained. The service was not always clean and free from odours.

Staff had been recruited safely and trained, however there was not enough of them to meet people’s needs. New staff had an induction when they commenced work and refresher training and support was regularly provided. Agency staff were being used but checks for their suitability and training were not being consistently carried out.

Care plans were not always having effective checks for quality. Information recorded was at times inaccurate or conflicting. Risk management plans had not always been put in place to help staff know how to provide safe care and support. Medicines had not always been managed safely.

Complaints had been recorded and responded to within the provider timescales. People were asked for their views about the care and support; however, actions had not always been taken to respond to people’s feedback.

There was not a registered manager in post. There had been changes in management prior to our assessment which had confused people and relatives about who was managing the service. An acting home manager was in place whilst the provider recruited a new registered manager. Staff said they enjoyed their work and could approach the temporary manager with any ideas or concerns.

We found 2 breaches of legal regulations for premises and equipment and good governance.

Safe
Requires Improvement
Effective
Requires Improvement
Caring
Good
Responsive
Requires Improvement
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?
  • Responsive: How are care plans, activities and complaints adapted to each resident?
  • 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 The Fairways'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 The Fairways, consider asking...

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

5 Things to Look For on Your Visit

When you visit The Fairways, look out for...

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

Could the NHS fund The Fairways'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

Malmesbury Road, Chippenham, SN15 5LJ

CQC Logo

The Fairways

CQC overall rating

Requires Improvement

Assessment date: 18 June 2026

View full inspection report
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