Highfield Residential Care Home
- Care home
- 31 beds
- No nursing
- Registered since 2011
- Hythe, Kent, South East
Requires improvement
Rated on
Rating from the Care Quality Commission.
At a glance
4 ratings
Its last inspection moved it down from Good to Requires improvement.
2 months
since the latest rating was published.
89 of 445
rated care homes in Kent are rated Requires improvement, like this one.
Highfield Residential Care Home: inspection record
Rated Requires improvement in August 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: Abbey Lodge Residential Home (Good, 0.2 miles away) and Villa Maria (Good, 0.3 miles away).
Nearest care homes:
- G Abbey Lodge Residential Home Good, 0.2 miles away
- G Villa Maria Good, 0.3 miles away
- – 15 Seabrook Not yet rated, 0.6 miles away
- G 24 Seabrook Road Good, 0.6 miles away
- G 26 Seabrook Road Good, 0.6 miles away
What inspectors found
From the Care Quality Commission's assessment published 11 August 2026 (assessment visit 28 May 2026). Quoted under the Open Government Licence.
Date of assessment: On site visits 4 and 10 June 2026. The service is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for older people and people living with dementia. The service can support a maximum of 31 people. There were 24 people living in the service at the time of inspection.
This inspection was prompted in part by concerns received by CQC about potential poor care and neglect, which included poor catheter care. We found no specific concerns in relation to catheter care as lessons had been learnt in this area. Although staff knew people well, we found 4 breaches of legal regulations. These were in relation to person centred care, safe care and treatment, including how people’s medicines were managed, mental capacity and consent and how the service was governed.
- Safe No rating
- Effective No rating
- Caring Good
- Responsive No rating
- Well-led No rating
Read the rest of CQC's summary
Potential risks to people’s health and welfare had not always been consistently identified and mitigated against with individual guidance for staff to follow. The premises were not always maintained well, so people were not always spending time in a safe and pleasant environment. People were not always protected from the risk of infection. The provider was not always following the Mental Capacity Act 2005 when assessing people’s capacity and ability to make decisions. People did not always receive care and support that was individual to them. The systems to monitor the quality and safety of the service were not effective. When shortfalls had been identified, action had not been taken to make improvements and the shortfalls continued.
Staffing levels were sufficient, however, staff did not always receive the training and supervision they required to ensure a good service was provided.
People were kept safe from abuse by staff who knew them well and treated them with kindness. People were supported to maintain their independence. There were a range of activities people could join in to occupy them through the day and they had equal access to opportunities.
-
Safe
No rating
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 good. At this assessment the rating has changed to requires improvement. This meant some aspects of the service were not always safe and there was limited assurance about safety. There was an increased risk that people could be harmed
The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to people’s safe care and treatment including the ways people’s medicines were managed safely.
-
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.The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to consent.
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Caring
Good
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 remained good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.
-
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.
-
Well-led
No rating
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 requires improvement. This meant the management and leadership was inconsistent. Leaders and the culture they created did not always support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.
The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to the governance of the service.
Questions to ask when you visit
- Safe was rated Requires improvement on 11 August 2026. Ask how medicines are managed, how staffing levels are decided and how incidents are reviewed.
- Effective was rated Requires improvement on 11 August 2026. Ask about staff training and how health appointments are arranged.
- Responsive was rated Requires improvement on 11 August 2026. Ask to see how care plans are kept up to date, how complaints are handled and what activities are on offer.
- Well-led was rated Requires improvement on 11 August 2026. Ask about changes in management and what has changed since the report.
Registration details
- Registered manager
- Christina Clark
- Registered with the CQC since
- What it provides
- Care home service without nursing
- Who it supports
- Older People
Inspection report
Read the full inspection report (opens the Care Quality Commission website)7 inspection reports, latest 17 April 2021. Latest assessment published 11 August 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
- Provider
- Silverleaf Care Homes Limited
- Ownership type
- Organisation
- Companies House number
- 07130059 (opens Companies House)
Getting help from Kent 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 Kent County Council
- Ask for a care needs assessment
- Phone: 03000 41 61 61, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
- Contact adult social care online
- Support for carers
- Paying for care: Kent County Council
Checked on the council's website, November 2026.
Common questions
- Does Highfield Residential Care Home provide nursing care?
- No. The Care Quality Commission lists Highfield Residential Care Home as a care home without nursing.
- How many beds does Highfield Residential Care Home have?
- The Care Quality Commission's register lists 31 beds at Highfield Residential Care Home.
- When was Highfield Residential Care Home last inspected?
- The Care Quality Commission's latest rating for Highfield Residential Care Home was published on 11 August 2026.
- Who runs Highfield Residential Care Home?
- Highfield Residential Care Home is run by Silverleaf Care Homes Limited.
- What is Highfield Residential Care Home's CQC rating?
- Its overall rating from the Care Quality Commission is Requires improvement, published on 11 August 2026.
Contact
- Phone
- 01303 267036
- Address
- 77 Seabrook Road, Hythe, CT21 5QW Map (opens Google Maps)
Compare nearby
Nearest rated Good or Outstanding: Abbey Lodge Residential Home (Good, 0.2 miles away) and Villa Maria (Good, 0.3 miles away).
Nearest care homes:
- G Abbey Lodge Residential Home Good, 0.2 miles away
- G Villa Maria Good, 0.3 miles away
- – 15 Seabrook Not yet rated, 0.6 miles away
- G 24 Seabrook Road Good, 0.6 miles away
- G 26 Seabrook Road Good, 0.6 miles away