The Willow

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 20 January 2026. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Date of assessment: 11th December 2025.

The Willow is a residential care home providing support to up to 11 older people, some of whom were living with dementia. There were 10 people living at the home at the time of our inspection.

The service was unrated due to a new provider taking over in May 2024.

The environment was safe, medicines were managed safely, and people’s health was monitored. Risks relating to people’s health, safety and welfare were in place, but documentation to support staff to mitigate risk was not always robust. Care planning did not always reflect people’s current needs.

People were supported to maintain independence, choice and control. People and their representatives were involved in decisions about their care, and staff provided information people could understand. People were treated with kindness, compassion, and respect, and staff protected their privacy and dignity.

People’s representatives could visit the home at any time they wished, and people were encouraged to maintain their relationships with family, friends and local community.

Staff responded to people in a timely way and were supported by leadership to carry out their roles. Leaders were visible, knowledgeable and supportive, and ensured there were multiple opportunities and methods to support people and staff to provide feedback about the service. Systems were not always in place to monitor the quality of the service. Infection Prevention and Medication audits had taken place.

We found the provider and registered manager to be very responsive to our feedback throughout the course of inspection and took action quickly to address concerns.