England

The WillowsNorfolk

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

Rated:Requires ImprovementResidential

The Willows

School Lane, Besthorpe, Attleborough, Norfolk, NR17 2LH

01953451542

Care Type

Residential Care

Assessment date

12 September 2024

Provider

Westward Care Homes Limited

Beds

19 beds

Rating history

Requires ImprovementJan 2016
GoodFeb 2017
Requires ImprovementSept 2019
Requires ImprovementApr 2025

Rating dropped from Good to Requires Improvement in 2019. 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 Westward Care 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 The Willows

The Willows is a residential care home in Norfolk providing support to adults with a learning disability and/or autism. Details of the most recent CQC inspection are set out below.

The Willows is a residential care home providing support to adults with a learning disability and/or autism. The CQC rated the service Requires Improvement overall, identifying breaches relating to safe care and treatment and to governance. Inspectors found parts of the building unclean and in need of repair, and some risk assessments in care plans had not been followed to keep people safe.

Relatives spoke positively about the home and felt it had improved over the past year, and inspectors observed warm, familiar care from staff who knew people well. However, quality audits were not always effective at spotting or fixing problems, and the provider has been asked for an action plan to address the concerns found.

Source: CQC assessment, 16 April 2025

Specialist Care

Learning disabilitiesYounger 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: 19 places — this is not a vacancy count
Registration checked: Registered · NR17 2LH

Registered care categories

Caring for adults under 65 yrs; Learning disabilities.

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 16 April 2025. Assessment date recorded: 12 September 2024.

Read CQC's assessment overview

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 16 April 2025. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Date of assessment 29 October 2024 to 9 December 2024. We visited the service on 29 October 2024 and 6 November 2024, with one visit being in the evening. The Willows is a residential care home, providing support to adults who live with a learning disability and/or autism. We found two breaches of the legal regulations in relation to safe care and treatment and governance. We found parts of the service to be unclean and in need of maintenance to ensure peoples safety. Where risk assessments in peoples care plans had identified actions required to keep people safe, these had not always been followed. Whilst the provider undertook internal quality audits, these were not always effective at identifying concerns and driving improvements. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.

Safe: Requires Improvement
Effective: Good
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?
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 Willows'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 Willows, 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 The Willows, 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 The Willows'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