The Haven
- Care home
- 32 beds
- No nursing
- Dementia care
- Registered since 2010
- Colchester, Essex, East of England
Inadequate
Rated on
Rating from the Care Quality Commission.
At a glance
6 ratings
Its last inspection moved it down from Good to Inadequate.
This month
The latest rating was published.
4 of 361
rated care homes in Essex are rated Inadequate, like this one.
The Haven: inspection record
Rated Inadequate in October 2026, down from Good.
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | ||||||||||||
| Safe | ||||||||||||
| Effective | ||||||||||||
| Caring | ||||||||||||
| Responsive | ||||||||||||
| Well-led |
Ratings published by the Care Quality Commission.
Compare nearby
Nearest rated Good or Outstanding: AYS Care (Good, less than 0.1 miles away) and Colonia Court Care Home (Good, 0.1 miles away).
Nearest care homes:
- G AYS Care Good, less than 0.1 miles away
- G Colonia Court Care Home Good, 0.1 miles away
- G Gables Good, 0.6 miles away
- G Mickleboro Lodge Good, 0.6 miles away
- RI Priory Lodge Requires improvement, 0.6 miles away
What inspectors found
From the Care Quality Commission's assessment published 6 October 2026 (assessment visit 6 July 2026). Quoted under the Open Government Licence.
This assessment took place on the 20 July 2026 and 22 July 2026. This assessment was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. We undertook a responsive assessment to review and looked at all the quality statements.
- Safe Inadequate
- Effective No rating
- Caring No rating
- Responsive No rating
- Well-led Inadequate
Read the rest of CQC's summary
The Haven is a residential care home providing accommodation with personal care to up to 32 people. At the time of our assessment there were 29 people using the service. The service is registered to provide care and support to people over 65 and people with dementia.
The service was also providing care and support to 1 person with a learning disability. We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence, and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people; this guidance was considered as part of the assessment. We found the provider was not working within this guidance.
We found significant concerns regarding the leadership, governance and oversight of the service. Whilst people were supported by a caring and committed staff team who knew them well and had developed positive relationships with them. We found systems to ensure care was safe, effective, person-centred and well managed were not consistently effective.
The provider was in breach of legal regulation’s relating to person-centred care, infection prevention, medicines, risk management, premises and equipment and good governance.
In instances where CQC has begun a process of regulatory action, we may publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded, if the action has been taken forward. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance.
At this assessment the overall rating for the service has changed from good to inadequate based on the findings of this assessment.
This service is being placed in special measures. The purpose of special measures is to ensure that services providing inadequate care make significant improvements. Special measures provide a framework within which we use our enforcement powers in response to inadequate care and provide a timeframe within which providers must improve the quality of the care they provide.
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Safe
Inadequate
Safe – this means we looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to inadequate.
This meant people were not safe and were at risk of avoidable harm.
The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to safe care and treatment, infection control, medicines management, risk management, and environmental safety.
-
Effective
No rating
Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.
At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has changed to requires improvement.
This meant the effectiveness of people’s care, treatment and support did not always achieve good outcomes or was inconsistent.
-
Caring
No rating
Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has changed to requires improvement.
This meant people did not always feel well-supported, cared for or treated with dignity and respect.
The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to person centred care not working within the right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance that CQC expects providers to work within when supporting people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
-
Responsive
No rating
Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.
At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has changed to requires improvement.This meant people’s needs were not always met.
The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to person centred care not working within the right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance that CQC expects providers to work within when supporting people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
-
Well-led
Inadequate
Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.
At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has changed to inadequate.
This meant there were widespread and significant shortfalls in leadership. Leaders and the culture they created did not assure the delivery of high-quality care.
The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to good governance.
Questions to ask when you visit
- Safe was rated Inadequate on 6 October 2026. Ask how medicines are managed, how staffing levels are decided and how incidents are reviewed.
- Effective was rated Requires improvement on 6 October 2026. Ask about staff training and how health appointments are arranged.
- Caring was rated Requires improvement on 6 October 2026. Ask how staff protect dignity and how residents are involved in decisions about their care.
- Responsive was rated Requires improvement on 6 October 2026. Ask to see how care plans are kept up to date, how complaints are handled and what activities are on offer.
Registration details
- Registered with the CQC since
- What it provides
- Care home service without nursing
- Who it supports
- Dementia, Older People
Inspection report
Read the full inspection report (opens the Care Quality Commission website)12 inspection reports, latest 31 August 2023. Latest assessment published 6 October 2026; the Care Quality Commission's newer assessments are published on its website rather than as reports.
The rating is the Care Quality Commission's. We show it as published and do not change it.
Who runs it
- Ownership type
- Organisation
- Companies House number
- 03445099 (opens Companies House)
Getting help from Essex County Council
The council can assess what care someone needs and tell them what help with the cost they may get.
- Adult social care at Essex County Council
- Ask for a care needs assessment
- Phone: 0345 603 7630, Monday to Thursday 8.45am to 5pm, Friday 8.45am to 4.30pm
- Contact adult social care online
- Support for carers
- Paying for care: Essex County Council
Checked on the council's website, November 2026.
Common questions
- Does The Haven provide nursing care?
- No. The Care Quality Commission lists The Haven as a care home without nursing.
- How many beds does The Haven have?
- The Care Quality Commission's register lists 32 beds at The Haven.
- When was The Haven last inspected?
- The Care Quality Commission's latest rating for The Haven was published on 6 October 2026.
- Who runs The Haven?
- The Haven is run by Comfort Care Services (Colchester) Limited.
- What is The Haven's CQC rating?
- Its overall rating from the Care Quality Commission is Inadequate, published on 6 October 2026.
Contact
- Phone
- 01206 867143
- Address
- 84 Harwich Road, Colchester, CO4 3BS Map (opens Google Maps)
Compare nearby
Nearest rated Good or Outstanding: AYS Care (Good, less than 0.1 miles away) and Colonia Court Care Home (Good, 0.1 miles away).
Nearest care homes:
- G AYS Care Good, less than 0.1 miles away
- G Colonia Court Care Home Good, 0.1 miles away
- G Gables Good, 0.6 miles away
- G Mickleboro Lodge Good, 0.6 miles away
- RI Priory Lodge Requires improvement, 0.6 miles away