Westwood

55 St Helens Park Road, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 2JJ

01424428805

Care Type

Residential Care

Inspection date

24 November 2022

Provider

Hastings and Bexhill Mencap Society

Beds

9 beds

Rating history

Requires ImprovementJan 2016
GoodFeb 2017
Requires ImprovementApr 2020
Requires ImprovementDec 2022

Rating dropped from Good to Requires Improvement in 2020. 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

This is the only care home Hastings and Bexhill Mencap Society 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 Westwood

Westwood is a residential care home in East Sussex, offering a warm and familiar environment where residents are treated as individuals. Families seeking care for their loved ones can take comfort in knowing that the team at Westwood is genuinely committed to the wellbeing and dignity of those in their care.

This residential care home provides accommodation and personal care for nine people with specialist needs including Down syndrome, dementia, autism and mental health conditions. At the time of inspection, there were no vacancies. Staffing levels in the evenings and at night were insufficient to meet people's needs, though this was addressed and increased following the inspection.

The home uses consistent agency staff where possible to cover sickness and annual leave, providing continuity of care for residents.

Staff demonstrate the skills and knowledge to support residents effectively, with plans to develop specialist training in Makaton sign language and Positive Behavioural Support. Medicines are stored safely and administered according to prescriptions, with support offered for residents to manage their own medications where appropriate.

Source: CQC inspection report, 31 December 2022

Specialist Care

Learning disabilitiesMental healthOlder 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: 9 places — this is not a vacancy count
Registration checked: Registered · TN34 2JJ

Registered care categories

Caring for adults over 65 yrs; Caring for adults under 65 yrs; Learning disabilities; Mental health conditions; 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 31 December 2022. Latest inspection date recorded: 24 November 2022.

Safe: Requires improvement
Effective: Good
CaringPublished 10 April 2020: Good
ResponsivePublished 10 April 2020: 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?
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 Westwood'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 Westwood, 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 Westwood, 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 Westwood'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