England

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The Polegate Care HomeEast Sussex

Illustrative image. Photographs of this home have not yet been added.

Rated:Requires ImprovementNursing

The Polegate Care Home

Black Path, Polegate, East Sussex, BN26 5AP

01323485888

Care Type

Nursing Care

Inspection date

13 December 2022

Provider

HC-One No.1 Limited

Beds

44 beds

How this home compares nearby

Of 58 care homes for older people within 5 miles, 49 are rated higher by CQC, 9 are the same and none are lower.

28 of these nearby homes have 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

GoodApr 2017
GoodJan 2020
Requires ImprovementJan 2023

Rating dropped from Good to Requires Improvement in 2023.

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

Costs and who runs this home

Run by HC-One No.1 Limited, which runs 37 care homes in England: 18 rated Good, 3 Requires Improvement, 1 Inadequate and 15 not yet rated.

Average care home fees in the South East: £1,243 a week for residential care and £1,579 for nursing care (2024-25 averages). Self-funders usually pay more. See our care home costs guide.

NHS-funded Nursing Care pays £267.68 a week to the home towards registered nursing care for eligible residents (2026/27). A quoted fee may already exclude it.
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 Polegate Care Home

The Polegate Care Home brings together nursing care and a genuine sense of community in the heart of East Sussex. Families looking for a place where their loved ones feel at home will find a dedicated team working to provide attentive, compassionate support day to day. East Sussex offers a wonderful setting for later life, and The Polegate Care Home aims to make that experience as comfortable and reassuring as possible.

The Polegate Care Home provides nursing and personal care for up to 44 people, with 25 residents living there at the time of inspection. Residents have a range of nursing and support needs.

The home faced staffing challenges, with several vacancies requiring agency staff to maintain adequate levels. New staff were unable to access residents' care plans, creating reliance on verbal information sharing. Experienced staff did not consistently support new team members.

Care plans and risk assessments were in place and reviewed monthly or more frequently as needed.

Source: CQC inspection report, 6 January 2023

Specialist Care

DementiaOlder 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 with nursing
Registered capacity: 44 places — this is not a vacancy count
Registration checked: Registered · BN26 5AP

Registered care categories

Caring for adults over 65 yrs; Caring for adults under 65 yrs; 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: Requires improvement.

Rating report published 6 January 2023. Latest inspection date recorded: 13 December 2022.

Safe: Good
EffectivePublished 25 January 2020: Good
CaringPublished 25 January 2020: Good
ResponsivePublished 25 January 2020: Good
Well-led: Requires improvement

Questions prompted by these ratings

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 Polegate Care Home'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 Polegate Care Home, 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 Polegate Care Home, 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 Polegate Care Home'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