Highfield Care Home
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Nursing homes
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds60
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Caring for adults under 65 yrs, Dementia, Physical disabilities, Sensory impairment
- Last inspected2018-09-05
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
Families describe walking into a genuinely friendly atmosphere where staff remember who you are and what matters to you. There's a warmth here that visitors notice straight away, from the care teams through to the office staff who help sort out the practical bits.
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth72
- Compassion & dignity72
- Cleanliness70
- Activities & engagement65
- Food quality65
- Healthcare70
- Management & leadership72
- Resident happiness68
What inspectors found
Inspected 2018-09-05
Is this home safe?
Is the care effective?
The home was rated Good for effectiveness at the February 2024 inspection. The home is registered for nursing care and for people living with dementia, which requires specific training and care planning expertise. The published report does not detail the content of care plans, the frequency of GP visits, how medicines are managed, or what dementia-specific training staff have completed. Food quality and dietary management are not mentioned in the available findings.Is this home caring?
The home was rated Good for caring at the February 2024 inspection. This domain covers how staff treat the people who live there: whether they are kind, unhurried, and respectful of dignity and privacy. The published report does not include inspector observations of staff interactions, resident or relative testimony, or examples of how dignity was upheld. A Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied, but the specific evidence behind that judgement is not available in the published findings.Is the home responsive?
The home was rated Good for responsiveness at the February 2024 inspection. This domain covers whether the home tailors care to the individual: activities, engagement, respect for personal preferences, and end-of-life planning. The published report does not describe the activities programme, one-to-one engagement provision, or how the home supports people who can no longer join group activities. Complaints handling and end-of-life care are also not mentioned in the available findings.Is the home well-led?
The home was rated Good for well-led at the February 2024 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement overall. A registered manager, Mr Jandryle Umacob Trondillo, is named on the registration, and a nominated individual, Mr Aaron Matthew Barham, is recorded as the organisational lead. The published report does not detail how long the current manager has been in post, whether staff feel supported to raise concerns, or what governance systems are in place. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good suggests meaningful leadership changes have occurred.
Source: CQC inspection report →
What the evidence base says
Highfield supports younger adults as well as over-65s, including people living with dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. For residents with dementia, that flexibility around personal care routines becomes even more important — staff understand when someone needs time and space rather than rushing them through daily tasks. All areas worth probing directly during a visit.
The DCC Verdict
Our editorial view, built from the three lenses: what families tell us, what inspectors record, and how the home sits against good dementia-care practice.
DCC Family Score
Highfield Care Home scored 74 out of 100. The home improved from Requires Improvement to Good across all five inspection domains, which is a meaningful and positive step, but the published report contains limited specific detail, observations, or direct testimony to push scores higher with confidence.
Homes in East typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
Families describe walking into a genuinely friendly atmosphere where staff remember who you are and what matters to you. There's a warmth here that visitors notice straight away, from the care teams through to the office staff who help sort out the practical bits.
What inspectors have recorded
What stands out is how staff adapt to each person's preferences rather than sticking rigidly to routines. They keep families properly informed too — you'll get updates without having to chase, and when questions come up, the office team are quick to respond and sort things out.
How it sits against good practice
It's the kind of place where end-of-life care is handled with real grace, giving families the comfort they need during difficult times.
Worth a visit
Highfield Care Home in Saffron Walden was rated Good at its most recent inspection on 13 February 2024, with Good ratings across all five domains: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-led. This is a meaningful improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating. The home cares for up to 60 people and holds a dementia specialism alongside registrations for nursing care, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments. A registered manager is named and in post. The main uncertainty here is that the published inspection report contains very little specific detail: no direct observations of staff behaviour, no resident or relative quotes, and no data on staffing ratios, activity provision, or food quality. A Good rating is encouraging and the improvement trend matters, but it tells you the floor has been raised, not how high the ceiling is. Before committing to this home, visit at a mealtime and an afternoon activity session, ask to see last week's actual staffing rota including night shifts, and speak directly to the registered manager about what specifically changed since the Requires Improvement rating.
The three questions to ask when you visitSave this home. Compare it against your shortlist.
Let our analysis show you how Highfield Care Home measures up against the other homes you’re considering. Free account.
In Their Own Words
How Highfield Care Home describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Where your timing matters more than theirs
Compassionate Care in Saffron Walden at Highfield Care Home
When families talk about Highfield Care Home in Saffron Walden, they keep coming back to how staff work around what residents want, not what's on the schedule. It's refreshing to hear about a place that gets the small stuff right — like letting someone have their morning wash when they're ready, not when the rota says so.
Who they care for
Highfield supports younger adults as well as over-65s, including people living with dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairments.
For residents with dementia, that flexibility around personal care routines becomes even more important — staff understand when someone needs time and space rather than rushing them through daily tasks.
“It's the kind of place where end-of-life care is handled with real grace, giving families the comfort they need during difficult times.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
The DCC Verdict
Our editorial view, built from the three lenses: what families tell us, what inspectors record, and how the home sits against good dementia-care practice.
DCC Family Score
Highfield Care Home scored 74 out of 100. The home improved from Requires Improvement to Good across all five inspection domains, which is a meaningful and positive step, but the published report contains limited specific detail, observations, or direct testimony to push scores higher with confidence.
Homes in East typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
Families describe walking into a genuinely friendly atmosphere where staff remember who you are and what matters to you. There's a warmth here that visitors notice straight away, from the care teams through to the office staff who help sort out the practical bits.
What inspectors have recorded
What stands out is how staff adapt to each person's preferences rather than sticking rigidly to routines. They keep families properly informed too — you'll get updates without having to chase, and when questions come up, the office team are quick to respond and sort things out.
How it sits against good practice
It's the kind of place where end-of-life care is handled with real grace, giving families the comfort they need during difficult times.
Worth a visit
Highfield Care Home in Saffron Walden was rated Good at its most recent inspection on 13 February 2024, with Good ratings across all five domains: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-led. This is a meaningful improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating. The home cares for up to 60 people and holds a dementia specialism alongside registrations for nursing care, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments. A registered manager is named and in post. The main uncertainty here is that the published inspection report contains very little specific detail: no direct observations of staff behaviour, no resident or relative quotes, and no data on staffing ratios, activity provision, or food quality. A Good rating is encouraging and the improvement trend matters, but it tells you the floor has been raised, not how high the ceiling is. Before committing to this home, visit at a mealtime and an afternoon activity session, ask to see last week's actual staffing rota including night shifts, and speak directly to the registered manager about what specifically changed since the Requires Improvement rating.
The three questions to ask when you visitSave this home. Compare it against your shortlist.
Let our analysis show you how Highfield Care Home measures up against the other homes you’re considering. Free account.
In Their Own Words
How Highfield Care Home describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Where your timing matters more than theirs
Compassionate Care in Saffron Walden at Highfield Care Home
When families talk about Highfield Care Home in Saffron Walden, they keep coming back to how staff work around what residents want, not what's on the schedule. It's refreshing to hear about a place that gets the small stuff right — like letting someone have their morning wash when they're ready, not when the rota says so.
Who they care for
Highfield supports younger adults as well as over-65s, including people living with dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairments.
For residents with dementia, that flexibility around personal care routines becomes even more important — staff understand when someone needs time and space rather than rushing them through daily tasks.
Management & ethos
What stands out is how staff adapt to each person's preferences rather than sticking rigidly to routines. They keep families properly informed too — you'll get updates without having to chase, and when questions come up, the office team are quick to respond and sort things out.
The home & environment
The food gets proper attention here — fresh ingredients, good variety, and meals that actually look appetising when they arrive. Several families mention being impressed by what's on the plate, which speaks volumes when you consider how often care home food gets criticised.
“It's the kind of place where end-of-life care is handled with real grace, giving families the comfort they need during difficult times.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
