Willowmead Care Home

Wickham Bishops Road, Hatfield Peverel, Chelmsford CM3 2JL
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8.4 73 Reviews
  • Willowmead Care Home, Chelmsford
Willowmead Care Home, is a wonderful home based in Chelmsford. It has the capacity to care for even complex needs and have many ranges of residents, some of whom are living with dementia or Alzheimer's.

The opinions of loved ones are well respected by staff who are keen to make relatives feel welcome, while protecting the security and hygiene of the accommodation at all times.

The staff are well- trained and have been recognised by care quality commission as they practice safe and effective techniques when caring for their residence.

Care workers are the heart of the business. Willowmead Care Home has long standing staff who are devoted to caring and creating a friendly, fun, home-like atmosphere for their residents. Gold Care Homes invest in their hardworking staff, empowering them to advance in their career and their ideas are heard in order to improve their working environment/their residents home.

Many staff are able to speak different languages. This is available for residents who cannot speak English and this is especially beneficial for those living with dementia. Please contact to find out what languages are offered.

Residents will also benefit from:

-        Sensory Gardens & Flower beds
-        Modern Bedroom Furniture
-        Single or Double sized rooms
-        TV and Telephone points
-        En- Suite Facilities

Care Provided by Willowmead Care Home

  • Primary Care Categories
  • Dementia
  • Older Person Care
  • Respite Care
  • Sensory Impairment
  • Younger Adults
  • Care Types Provided
  • Dementia Residential Care
  • Residential Care
  • For a maximum of 60 Service Users
  • Privately Owned
  • Care Offered
  • Alzheimer's
  • Cancer Care
  • Hearing Impairment
  • Parkinson's Disease
  • Speech Impairment
  • Stroke
  • Visual Impairment
  • Other Care Provided
  • Convalescent Care
  • Day Care
  • End of Life Care
  • Own GP if required
  • Palliative Care

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Anita Shepherd (Home Manager)
  • Admission Criteria
    • Upon completion of pre-admission policy assessment to establish needs of prospective resident.
    • Ages from 18 to 105
  • Room Information
    • Single Rooms (27)
    • Couples/Companion Rooms (0)
  • Care Home Design/Build
    • Purpose Built: No
    • Last Refurbishment: 2025
    • Number of floors: 1

Funding & Fees Guide for Willowmead Care Home

  • Funding Types Accepted
  • Self funding (Private)
  • Local Authority with Top-Up
  • Local Authority
  • NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) Funding
  • Weekly Charges per Person
    • Self-Funded Residential Care £1,200 – £1,300
    • Self-Funded Residential Dementia Care £1,200 – £1,300
    • RESPITE Self-Funded Residential Care £1,300 – £1,400
    • RESPITE Self-Funded Residential Dementia Care £1,300 – £1,400
  • All fees are subject to needs assessment to determine dependency.


  • (these prices are only a guideline, please contact Willowmead Care Home to find out the exact price for your requirements)

Facilities

  • Bar/Café
  • Gardens
  • Lift
  • Minibus or other transport
  • Own Furniture if required
  • Pet Friendly (or by arrangement)
  • Phone Point in own room
  • Residents Internet Access
  • Residents Kitchenette
  • Smoking not permitted
  • Stairlift
  • Television point in own room
  • Wheelchair Access
  • Visiting
  • Visitors are welcome anytime.


  • Parking
  • On site parking available


Total of 73, showing 41-60
8.4

Willowmead Care Home has a Review Score of 8.4 (8.360) out of 10, based on 4 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Willowmead Care Home has 73 reviews.

Overall Experience

  • 37
  • 26
  • 4
  • 1
  • 5

Date Published

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My Auntie had been in Willowmead for getting on for 3 years. The general management and home have improved enormously over the last couple of years with new manager etc but the care quality has always been excellent, she couldn't have been better cared for.
They have loved her and done everything for
her and during her recent decline and sad passing, they were exemplary over and above the call of duty. Never ever worried whether she was ok we knew she would be looked after - thank you all for your compassion and care and being so supportive with us.

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Wonderful, thank you for your loyalty and your very kind comment - Best regards.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 1.0 out of 5

My mother in law has been left unwashed in her room on continuous occasions in just her briefs eating her lunch where I have had to give her personal care myself at 1pm. I don't think this is treating her with dignity and respect which every individual deserves particularly in their 80's. The manager
was verbally condescending when I brought this matter to his attention on the telephone and would rather believe his staff than myself. I understand that dementia residents can be challenging, however, I think basic care and dignity should be paramount and clearly here this home lacks these values. I would suggest the staff have training on how to deal with challenging behaviour and the Manager needs training on how to resolve issues with relatives not compound them.
There are no activities for the residents and they are left to sleep in chairs whilst staff play on their phones.
They should be engaging with the residents, not their social media.
This is God's waiting room.

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Hello, and thank you for your review. I can assure you that we have raised an investigation, and have contacted the manager and regional. Someone will be in touch with you shortly regarding your review. It won't be easy and it will take time but we hope that you eventually gain trust in the home once more. Right now we apologize and will resolve this matter.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

I have visited Wilomead several times to see my sister with my late brother, and with other members of my family and on my own. At every visit, I have been treated with the utmost respect, all my enquiries have been answered fully by the very busy staff and on every occasion been offered very welcome
refreshments by the ultra-busy staff. I not that my sister is receiving the best possible care and help that anyone could wish for. I highly recommend the home to others.

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Absolutely lovely review. We're incredibly humbled by your kind words and we're glad your sister is enjoying her time with us - Best regards.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Every one of the staff I have met has been very accommodating to our family and attentive to my father.

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Thank you for your feedback


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

The care staff in days and night are very good. I have only had kindness when here from both. The food good, be better but we will see.
There could be more entertainment for the patients as singing is very good for them.

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Thank you for your review and your suggestions to improve our service.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I am very happy with the care my Mum gets at Willowmead. The care staff are excellent and treat my Mum with dignity and respect. They make her life as near to living in her own home as possible.

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Thank you very much for your review!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Very good care. Helpful and considerate.

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Thank you very much for your review!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Facilities are generally very good but it is the staff who make the care home as good as it is. Attention to the small details is sometimes lacking but the bigger, important issues are always addressed. It is a very demanding mix of resident's needs and I am not sure dementia and non-dementia residents
mix well?

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Thank you very much for your review. We do have a mix of different residents and because of this, we offer taster days for the individuals to see if they feel comfortable living at the home. Please ask about 'taster days' at the Care Home.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

I have been impressed with the standard of care I have seen during my visits. My family member seems content most of the time and when she is distressed this is dealt with well. The staff are of a high standard and nothing is too much trouble.

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Thank you very much for your review!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Dad has been here for 4 months. He had also been here for a couple of respite breaks before becoming a permanent resident. The staff have always been very good to him, and us when we visit. We asked them to change a couple of things about the way they look after Dad and they were happy to listen to
us and try to change Dad's care. This was particularly around toileting and getting him involved in activities. Dad is generally happy here and when he is not having a good day, they manage him very well and keep the family informed and involved.

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Thank you very much for your review!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

I've visited twice so far. I bring a lady that I clean for in to visit a friend. It's lovely that you are able to accommodate visitors as we are only able to visit lunchtime because we live near Harwich. We are never asked to leave but in fact, are always invited to have lunch. The lunch is freshly
cooked and served by carers. The residents are treated with dignity and encouraged and helped to eat when they are unable to.

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Lovely comments, thank you.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Friendly, caring staff. They are aware of Mum's needs in day to day care. Staff are also aware of the need to support her where needed. Always welcoming girls.

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

We are glad that you find our staff welcoming and aware of your mum's needs. We truly appreciate your feedback, many thanks.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

An excellent care home where the staff are outstanding. Great communication from all management and also care staff.

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Great review, we are very flattered that you think our care staff are outstanding. We truly appreciate your kind words.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Mother is well looked after, staff are friendly and seem to care for the welfare of the residents.

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Fantastic review, we thank you for your kind feedback and we're glad your mother is enjoying her time at Willowmead.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

The members of staff have been very helpful and accommodating. A little thing: it would be really nice if staff members had their names large and visible on their clothing so that residents can see clearly and try to learn them.

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Fantastic suggestion! You will be seeing this change in the New Year. Best regards.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I would say that I was made to feel welcome on arrival for my visit with mum. I believe that a holistic approach is in place and this is evident by my observation of how staff interact with my mum and other residents. The atmosphere is homely and clearly themed around the residents here. Keep up the
good work and thank you.

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Lovely review, thank you for your kind words. Best regards.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 3.0 out of 5

Mother resident at Willowmead over 10 years.
Serious decline in provision up until July 2018.
Now some improvement but still a long way to go.
Watching some actions of care staff makes us seriously worried for our mother.
Not all staff, but the majority need to adhere to regulations.
The language
used to some residents, by some care staff, unacceptable!
Budget restrictions as to what food is supplied as standard needs attention.
Mother is on a soft diet and we have to buy yoghurts as an additional provision!

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Firstly, I am very sorry to hear these issues you’ve raised and I have already reported your concerns to our Regional and Care Home Manager.
We would really appreciate it if we can get some further details from you and will arrange a meeting so that we can set up a formal investigation into the staff that you mentioned.
We do not have any food restrictions and if you find that mother isn’t eating a particular brand or type of food we can easily resolve this issue in-house, please let management know about this as we want all our residents to thoroughly enjoy their food.
Again, we thank you for your review and would like to invite you to our relatives' meetings, we regularly arrange them for relatives who would like to share opinions and ideas to further improve our service. We understand your view of our home is negative, however, we hope with your help we can make it better for Mum and our many other residents. Our relatives' meeting will take place on the 12th of every month, we look forward to seeing you there – Kind regards.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Mum has only just recently moved here as her previous home closed. We've found the home so far to be very accommodating to her needs. Staff are friendly and residents are calm. We are very happy with the way mum is being treated and cared for.

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Thank you for your lovely review- Best regards.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Mum has been a resident since May 2018 and I cannot find fault with the staff. They have shown, not only my mum. But also family nothing but kindness and care. The building and rooms could benefit from a makeover, however.

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Thank you for your great review, we are looking into refreshing our home. We really value your feedback- Best regards.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Very pleased with my nan's care and lovely to see her happy and relaxed. Carers very caring.

Reply from Melissa Lawerence, Marketing Coordintaor at Willowmead Care Home

Thank you for your great review- Best regards.


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Current Review Score: 8.4 (8.360)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 8.4 (8.360) out of 10 for Willowmead Care Home is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  • a) The Average Rating is 4.7 out of 5 from 4 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 3.7 out of 5 from 4 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Care Home is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  • a) 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months.

    The Average Rating of 4.652 for Willowmead Care Home is calculated as follows: ( (33 Excellents x 5) + (10 Goods x 4) + (3 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 46 Ratings = 4.652

  • b) 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5').

    The 3.708 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Willowmead Care Home is based on 4 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    • i) 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 = 3.375

    • ii) 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the registered maximum number of service users in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Care Home registered for a maximum of 50 service users has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 60 registered maximum number of service users is 12. 4 Positive Reviews ÷ 12 = 0.333

  • When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.

  • If a Care Home does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Performance

Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating

Date: 13 Oct 2023

Overall
Requires improvement

  • Caring

    Good
  • Effective

    Requires improvement
  • Responsive

    Good
  • Safe

    Requires improvement
  • Well-led

    Requires improvement

Care Quality Commission is responsible for the registration and inspection of social care services in England.

View Latest Report

Bed Vacancies

2 Bed Vacancies

posted 13 Mar 2025

We would love to show you how we can help you or a loved one, so for more information or if you would like to arrange a visit, speak to our friendly team today.


Awards / Recognitions (9)

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Meet the Team (1)

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Anita Shepherd

Job Title: Home Manager

Joined: 2024

I would be delighted to show you our home and discuss how we can help you. Do not hesitate to get in touch with me.