Care Homes in Harwich
Harwich has 10 CQC registered care homes. 9 are rated Good, and 1 has not yet been rated. 7 of the 10 were last inspected more than three years ago.
Source: Care Quality Commission register, kept up to date as ratings change.
Harwich at a glance
What the local numbers say about care for older people in Harwich, to help you judge the options below.
- Essex County Council pays, residential care: £849 a week. Self-funders are typically asked £1,384 to £1,672, median £1,520
- Care home beds filled across Essex: 88%. The 12 month average is 87%.
- Care home beds per 1,000 people aged 75+: 68. Essex average is 67.
- People aged 75 and over: 25,100. Rising to 28,900 by 2035, up 15%
- Care homes, last 12 months: 1 opened, 0 closed. 4 changed owner, covering 88 beds.
- Who pays, across Essex (estimate): 36% council, 38% self. The rest is NHS funded or other.
- Living with dementia, aged 65 and over (estimate): 3,200. Rising to 4,000 by 2035, up 25%
- People aged 85 and over: 6,400. Rising to 9,500 by 2035, up 48%
Powered by Orrery Intelligence. Market model built 22 October 2026 (ONS 2022 based population projections, CQC register), published care home prices, council planning records.
Weighing up the care homes in Harwich and what to notice
What the ratings cover and what they miss
Eight of the ten homes listed hold a Good rating and two have no rating yet. An absent rating is not a warning in itself, since newly registered homes are inspected in due course, but it does mean there is no published evidence to lean on and the conversation with the manager has to do more work. For rated homes, read the caring and responsive sections, where inspectors describe how staff speak to people and how the home handles distress. Check the inspection dates as well.
Seeing past a guided tour
A visit arranged for a weekday morning shows a home at its most organised. Try to come back at a different hour, and watch the ordinary moments. Notice whether residents are spoken to in passing rather than only when a task is being carried out, whether anyone sits without a drink within reach, and how call bells are answered. Ask how long the manager has been in post and what proportion of staff have worked there more than a year.
Fitting the home to the person
Practical fit is what makes a placement hold once quality is established. Think about how far relatives will travel and how often they realistically will come, whether a busier or quieter household suits better, and whether diet, faith or first language need accommodating. Ask how the home responds when needs increase and what happens if nursing care becomes necessary, since all the homes listed here are registered for personal care rather than nursing.
Arranging an assessment and settling the cost
The assessment of need
Anyone who appears to need care and support has a right to a free assessment, whatever their income or savings. A practitioner will work through washing, dressing, eating, managing medicines, mobility and safety at home, and will consider how much a family carer is already managing. The written outcome becomes the yardstick for comparing homes and the basis for any funding decision. Requests are made through Essex County Council adult social care, which also arranges funded placements and reviews them.
How the funding decision is made
A financial assessment follows the assessment of need. Capital above the national threshold means funding a placement privately, while people below it receive a contribution towards the weekly fee, and a property is disregarded in certain circumstances, for example where a partner continues to live in it. Anyone with a significant ongoing health need should also ask about NHS continuing healthcare, which is assessed on clinical grounds rather than on means.
Getting fees set out clearly
Weekly fees vary between homes and between rooms within the same home, shaped by size, whether there is an ensuite and the level of support required. Ask for a written schedule showing what is included and what is charged separately, since hairdressing, chiropody, outings and newspapers normally sit outside the fee. Ask how often fees are reviewed and what notice is given of an increase.
10 care homes in Harwich
- Don Thomson House Residential Care Home · Low Road, Harwich, Essex, CO12 3TS
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Sanctuary Care Limited
Don Thomson House Residential Care Home is in Harwich, Essex, providing a settled and comfortable home for older people who can no longer manage easily on their own. Many of the people who live here are living with dementia. Our approach...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Respite Care - Three Cups · High Street, Harwich, Essex, CO12 5AQ
Care home · CQC Good · Run by The Berrys Carehome Limited
We at Three Cups are proud to offer a welcoming residential care home in the heart of Harwich, Essex, where compassionate support meets a true sense of community. Our home provides residential care for older people, younger adults, and...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Younger Adults, Respite Care - The Tamarind · 112 Ramsey Road, Harwich, Essex, CO12 4RN
Care home · CQC Good · Run by AGL Care Ltd
The Tamarind is a residential care home in Harwich supporting adults, including adults with learning disabilities and autism, and we offer planned respite stays as well as longer term places. This is somebody's home, and that governs how...
Specialisms: Learning Disability / Autism, Respite Care - Rowland House · 7 Rowlands Yard, Harwich, Essex, CO12 4ND
Care home · CQC Good · Run by J Moor
Rowland House is a residential care home in Harwich, Essex, supporting adults with a learning disability or autism and people with a physical disability, including younger adults. We also offer respite stays. This is somebody's home before...
Specialisms: Learning Disability / Autism, Physical Disability, Younger Adults, Respite Care - Lime Trees · Sparrows Corner, Harwich, Essex, CO12 5AD
Care home · CQC Good · Run by J Moor
Lime Trees is a residential care home in Harwich, and we like to think of ourselves as a proper part of the town rather than a building set apart from it. People come to us when living at home has become difficult, and our aim is simply...
Specialisms: Dementia Care, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Respite Care, Eating Disorders - Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust - Cook Close (Dover Court) · 14 Cook Close, Harwich, Essex, CO12 3UE
Care home · CQC Good · Run by The Disabilities Trust
We are a residential home in Harwich, Essex, part of a trust whose work is the rehabilitation of people living with brain injury. We support younger adults and older people, including people with physical disabilities, and we also offer...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Physical Disability, Younger Adults, Respite Care - Waters View Residential Care Home · 85 Harwich Road, Harwich, Essex, CO12 5JA
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Waters View Residential Care Home Ltd
Waters View is a residential care home in Harwich. We support older people and younger adults, and our experience covers dementia, mental health needs, physical disabilities, and sight and hearing loss. We also offer respite stays. With...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Respite Care - Oakley House · 11 Oakley Road, Harwich, Essex, CO12 4QZ
Care home · CQC Good · Run by J Moor
Oakley House is a residential care home in Harwich in Essex. We support adults with learning disabilities, autistic adults and people managing mental health conditions, and we offer respite stays for people whose usual home is elsewhere....
Specialisms: Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Respite Care - Phoebe House · 52 Rectory Road, Harwich, Essex, CO12 5JU
Care home · Run by J Moor
Phoebe House provides residential care in Harwich for older people and younger adults, including people with mental health needs, people with physical disabilities and people who have sight or hearing loss. We also support people with...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Respite Care, Eating Disorders - Alexandra House · Marine Parade, Harwich, Essex, CO12 3JY
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Methodist Homes
Alexandra House in Harwich is a care home on the Essex coast. We provide residential care for older people, including those living with dementia, and we offer respite stays as well as permanent places. We are a home rather than an...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Respite Care
What care costs in Essex, per week
| Type of care | What the council pays | What self-funders are typically asked |
|---|---|---|
| Residential care Middle half of prices from 11 Essex homes. Median £1,520. | £849 | £1,384 to £1,672 |
| Nursing care East of England figure, because too few Essex homes publish this price. 17 homes. Median £1,935. | £1,103 | £1,800 to £2,126 |
| Residential dementia care East of England figure, because too few Essex homes publish this price. 33 homes. Median £1,785. | Not published separately | £1,602 to £1,877 |
| Nursing dementia care East of England figure, because too few Essex homes publish this price. 10 homes. Median £1,940. | Not published separately | £1,870 to £2,100 |
Published prices are often starting prices, and come from homes that publish fees, so treat them as a guide. Ask the home for its own price. Powered by Orrery Intelligence.
Inspected most recently
- Three Cups, 10 July 2026, Good
- Lime Trees, 19 December 2023, Good
- Waters View Residential Care Home, 8 September 2022, Good
Longest since a report
- Don Thomson House Residential Care Home, 16 March 2018, Good
- The Tamarind, 18 January 2019, Good
- Rowland House, 1 February 2019, Good
Frequently asked questions about care homes in Harwich
How many care homes are there in Harwich?
Harwich has 10 CQC registered care homes: 9 Good, 1 not yet rated. Counts come from the CQC register and are kept up to date as ratings change.
How much does a care home cost in Harwich?
Essex County Council pays an average of £849 a week for residential care. Self-funders are typically asked £1,384 to £1,672 a week. Middle half of prices from 11 Essex homes. Median £1,520. Published prices are often starting prices, and come from homes that publish fees, so treat them as a guide. Ask the home for its own price.
Which care homes in Harwich were inspected most recently?
Three Cups (10 July 2026), Lime Trees (19 December 2023) and Waters View Residential Care Home (8 September 2022) have the most recent CQC reports.
Local care news in Essex
- New 55 bed care home registered with CQC in Basildon: Oaklands (Essex) (5 November 2026)
- Highfield Care Home registered as a 60 bed care home in Uttlesford (5 November 2026)
More local care news for Essex