The Orchards

2 Forsythia Road, Ely, CB6 1DP

01353885900

Care Type

Residential Care

CQC rating published

5 December 2025

Provider

Greensleeves Homes Trust

Beds

66 beds

How this home compares nearby

Of 6 care homes for older people within 5 miles, 6 are rated higher by CQC, none are the same and none are lower.

1 of these nearby homes has been inspected more recently than this one.

Based on CQC ratings, updated 21 October 2026. How we compare homes | See the nearby homes

Rating history

GoodFeb 2021
Requires ImprovementDec 2025

Rating dropped from Good to Requires Improvement in 2025.

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

Costs and who runs this home

Run by Greensleeves Homes Trust, which runs 26 care homes in England: 2 rated Outstanding, 16 Good, 7 Requires Improvement and 1 Inadequate.

Average care home fees in the East of England: £1,034 a week for residential care and £1,411 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 Orchards

The Orchards is a residential care home in Cambridgeshire, providing personal care for older people. The findings below set out what CQC inspectors observed there.

The Orchards is a residential care home in Cambridgeshire providing personal care to up to 66 older people, including those with physical disabilities, sensory impairment or dementia. The CQC rated the service Requires Improvement overall, identifying breaches around safe care and treatment and governance. Inspectors found inconsistent records of people's risks and health conditions, including gaps in blood sugar monitoring for people with diabetes, and found that quality checks were not robust enough to catch these issues.

Despite this, staff were found to be kind, and people felt safe and well cared for. There were enough staff, medicines were managed safely, and consent principles were followed. A new manager had been recruited after the previous registered manager left.

Source: CQC assessment, 5 December 2025

Specialist Care

DementiaOlder peoplePhysical disabilitiesSensory impairments

5 Questions to Ask on Your Visit

When visiting The Orchards, 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 The Orchards, 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 The Orchards'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