Tinkers Hatch

New Pond Hill Cross In hand, Heathfield, East Sussex, TN21 0LX

01435863119

Care Type

Residential Care

Inspection date

13 June 2022

Provider

Tinkers Hatch Limited

Beds

32 beds

Rating history

GoodSept 2015
Requires ImprovementDec 2017
Requires ImprovementJan 2019
Requires ImprovementJan 2020
Requires ImprovementAug 2022

Rating dropped from Good to Requires Improvement in 2017.

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

Costs and who runs this home

This is the only care home Tinkers Hatch Limited runs in England.

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.

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 Tinkers Hatch

Tinkers Hatch is a residential care home in East Sussex, offering a warm and familiar setting where residents can feel genuinely at home. The surrounding area provides a pleasant backdrop for everyday life, with the local community playing an important part in the fabric of the home. For families exploring care options, it can be reassuring to know that the team here is committed to creating an environment where people are treated with kindness and genuine consideration.

Tinkers Hatch provides accommodation and personal care to 22 people, though it is registered for 32. The service supports people with learning disabilities and autistic people in a residential care setting. At the time of inspection, the registered manager explained that recent changes to the home had reduced the number of bedrooms from the registered capacity.

The staff focus on ensuring residents experience respect, equality, dignity, and choice while supporting their independence and access to local community activities.

Source: CQC inspection report, 3 August 2022

Specialist Care

Learning disabilitiesOlder peoplePhysical 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: 32 places — this is not a vacancy count
Registration checked: Registered · TN21 0LX

Registered care categories

Caring for adults over 65 yrs; Caring for adults under 65 yrs; Learning disabilities; Physical 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.

Rating report published 3 August 2022. Latest inspection date recorded: 13 June 2022.

Safe: Requires improvement
Effective: Requires improvement
CaringPublished 25 January 2020: 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 Tinkers Hatch'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 Tinkers Hatch, 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 Tinkers Hatch, 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 Tinkers Hatch'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