Chaucer House
- Care home
- 60 beds
- Nursing care
- Dementia care
- Registered since 2020
- Canterbury, Kent, South East
Inadequate
Rated on
Rating from the Care Quality Commission.
At a glance
6 ratings
Its last inspection moved it down from Good to Inadequate.
4 months
since the latest rating was published.
8 of 445
rated care homes in Kent are rated Inadequate, like this one.
Chaucer House: inspection record
Rated Inadequate in June 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: Willow Tree Lodge (Good, 0.6 miles away) and Highland House (Good, 0.9 miles away).
Nearest care homes:
- G Willow Tree Lodge Good, 0.6 miles away
- – The Beeches Residential Home Not yet rated, 0.8 miles away
- G Highland House Good, 0.9 miles away
- G Roper House Good, 1.2 miles away
- G L'Arche Kent The Rainbow Good, 1.2 miles away
What inspectors found
From the Care Quality Commission's assessment published 25 June 2026 (assessment visit 29 April 2026). Quoted under the Open Government Licence.
We completed an inspection between 06 May 2026 and 15 May 2026. Chaucer House is a residential care home providing nursing care to older people and people living with dementia. We identified significant shortfalls in relation to risks to people. We carried out the inspection in response to concerns raised in relation to risks to people.
- Safe Inadequate
- Effective Inadequate
- Caring Inadequate
- Responsive Inadequate
- Well-led Inadequate
Read the rest of CQC's summary
We found 6 breaches of legal regulations in relation to dignity and respect, person centred care, safe care and treatment, safeguarding, safe and effective staffing and good governance.
People were not safeguarded from the risk of harm or abuse. People’s health needs were not well managed including managing the risks of pressure ulcers.
People were not supported by staff who were competent to meet their needs safely and in line with their preferences.
People were not supported consistently in a respectful, kind or dignified way. People shared that some staff were ‘rough’ during personal care.
Effective governance systems were not in place to identify the concerns we found during inspection.
The culture at the service was poor and staff had not always reported concerns or incidents when they occurred. Staff told us there was a blame culture by senior leaders when things went wrong.
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 user our enforcement powers in response to inadequate care and provide a timeframe within which providers must improve the quality of the care they provide. In instances where CQC have decided to take civil or criminal enforcement action against a provider, we will publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded.
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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 good. 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 safeguarding people from abuse and harm, safe and effective staffing and managing people’s health risks.
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Effective
Inadequate
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 inadequate. This meant there were widespread and significant shortfalls in people’s care, support and outcomes.
The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to person centred care and managing people’s health risks.
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Caring
Inadequate
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 inadequate. This meant people were not treated with compassion and there were breaches of dignity; staff caring attitudes had significant shortfalls.
The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to people’s dignity and respect.
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Responsive
Inadequate
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 inadequate. This meant services were not planned or delivered in ways that met people’s needs.
The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to person centred care.
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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 25 June 2026. Ask how medicines are managed, how staffing levels are decided and how incidents are reviewed.
- Effective was rated Inadequate on 25 June 2026. Ask about staff training and how health appointments are arranged.
- Caring was rated Inadequate on 25 June 2026. Ask how staff protect dignity and how residents are involved in decisions about their care.
- Responsive was rated Inadequate on 25 June 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 with nursing
- Who it supports
- Dementia, Older People, Physical Disability, Sensory Impairment, Younger Adults
Inspection report
Read the full inspection report (opens the Care Quality Commission website)1 inspection report, latest 25 February 2023. Latest assessment published 25 June 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
- Avante Care and Support LimitedBrand: Avante Care & Support
- Ownership type
- Organisation
- Companies House number
- 02565021 (opens Companies House)
- Charity number
- 1002727
Avante Care and Support Limited runs 14 services in England, 8 of them in the South East. 9 are rated Good or Outstanding, 3 are rated Requires improvement or Inadequate and 2 have no rating yet.
Other services run by Avante Care and Support Limited
- G Amherst Court Good. Care home with nursing, Medway
- G Avante Home Care and Support Service Good. Home care, Kent
- G Bridge Haven Good. Care home, Kent
- G Court Regis Good. Care home, Kent
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 Chaucer House provide nursing care?
- Yes. The Care Quality Commission lists Chaucer House as a care home with nursing.
- How many beds does Chaucer House have?
- The Care Quality Commission's register lists 60 beds at Chaucer House.
- When was Chaucer House last inspected?
- The Care Quality Commission's latest rating for Chaucer House was published on 25 June 2026.
- Who runs Chaucer House?
- Chaucer House is run by Avante Care and Support Limited. It runs 14 services in England, 8 of them in the South East.
- What is Chaucer House's CQC rating?
- Its overall rating from the Care Quality Commission is Inadequate, published on 25 June 2026.
Contact
- Phone
- 01227 671985
- Address
- 82 St. Martins Hill, Littlebourne Road, Canterbury, CT1 1PS Map (opens Google Maps)
Compare nearby
Nearest rated Good or Outstanding: Willow Tree Lodge (Good, 0.6 miles away) and Highland House (Good, 0.9 miles away).
Nearest care homes:
- G Willow Tree Lodge Good, 0.6 miles away
- – The Beeches Residential Home Not yet rated, 0.8 miles away
- G Highland House Good, 0.9 miles away
- G Roper House Good, 1.2 miles away
- G L'Arche Kent The Rainbow Good, 1.2 miles away