Which nursing homes in Hitchin are listed on Care Assura?

Six nursing homes serving Hitchin are listed, each with a profile of its own. They include Fairfield Manor Care and Nursing Home, Benslow Nursing Home and Stagenhoe Park, alongside the others shown on this page. Every entry comes from current Care Quality Commission registration data for the area. Opening a profile shows the rating a home holds and leads you to the inspection report behind it.

What is the difference between a care home and a nursing home?

A care home provides accommodation together with personal care, covering help with washing, dressing, eating, medication and company through the day. A nursing home does all of that and keeps a registered nurse on the premises at all hours, which matters where somebody needs wound care, injections, a feeding tube or close clinical monitoring. The homes listed on this page are registered to provide nursing. Nursing fees are usually higher, though a contribution towards the nursing element may be available through NHS funded nursing care.

What should I ask when I visit a nursing home in Hitchin?

Ask how many registered nurses are on duty on each shift, including nights and weekends, and how often agency staff are used to cover gaps. Ask who reviews medication and how often, and how the home works with local GPs and district nurses. Request a written schedule of fees setting out what is included, what carries an extra charge, and whether NHS funded nursing care has been applied for. Finally, ask what the home did with the findings of its most recent inspection.

How do I arrange a care needs assessment in Hitchin?

Contact the adult social care team at Hertfordshire County Council and ask for a care needs assessment, which you may request for yourself or for a relative who agrees. It is free and is carried out whatever the household income or savings. An assessor will discuss daily tasks, health conditions, medication, mobility and any clinical needs, in person or by telephone. Ask for the written outcome and support plan, because homes will want to see what level of care has been identified.

Can Hertfordshire County Council pay towards a nursing home placement in Hitchin?

It can, but only after both a care needs assessment and a financial assessment have been completed. Hertfordshire County Council considers income, savings and in most cases the value of any property, and someone with capital above the upper threshold is expected to meet the cost themselves at first. Separately, anyone assessed as needing care from a registered nurse may qualify for NHS funded nursing care, which is paid towards the nursing part of the fee regardless of savings. Where health needs dominate altogether, NHS continuing healthcare may cover the full cost, so it is worth asking which route applies.

How early should I start looking for a nursing home in Hitchin?

Often there is less notice than with residential care, because the move is frequently prompted by a hospital admission or a sudden change in health. Where the situation is stable, three to six months ahead allows time to visit homes twice and to let an assessment run its course. With only six nursing homes serving the town, a vacancy may not exist on the day you need one, so having a second choice already visited is genuinely useful. If a discharge is driving the timetable, ask the ward to involve the social care team immediately.

Nursing Homes in Hitchin

Hitchin has 6 CQC registered nursing homes. 5 are rated Good, 1 Requires improvement. 5 of the 6 were last inspected more than three years ago.

Source: Care Quality Commission register, kept up to date as ratings change.

Hitchin at a glance

What the local numbers say about care for older people in Hitchin, to help you judge the options below.

Hertfordshire County Council pays, residential care: £906 a week. Self-funders are typically asked £1,585 to £1,856, median £1,700
Care home beds filled across Hertfordshire: 86%. The 12 month average is 85%.
Care home beds per 1,000 people aged 75+: 90. Hertfordshire average is 79.
People aged 75 and over: 14,800. Rising to 17,100 by 2035, up 16%
Care homes, last 12 months: 0 opened, 2 closed. 3 changed owner, covering 146 beds.
Who pays, across Hertfordshire (estimate): 34% council, 49% self. The rest is NHS funded or other.
Living with dementia, aged 65 and over (estimate): 2,000. Rising to 2,500 by 2035, up 24%
People aged 85 and over: 4,400. Rising to 6,400 by 2035, up 45%

Planned and recent building work within 5 miles

129 High Street, Arlesey. Application for a 64 bed care home. Submitted 24 October 2025. Approved 13 February 2026. (4.1 miles away)

Powered by Orrery Intelligence. Market model built 22 October 2026 (ONS 2022 based population projections, CQC register), published care home prices, council planning records.

Choosing a nursing home in Hitchin and what to look for

Round the clock clinical cover is what you are paying for with a nursing home, and it is worth being precise about why that matters. A registered nurse on the premises at all hours can manage wounds, give injections, handle a feeding tube and spot deterioration early, none of which a residential home is registered to do. All six homes listed for Hitchin hold that registration.

What the inspection record shows

Five of the homes serving Hitchin are rated Good, among them Fairfield Manor Care and Nursing Home, Benslow Nursing Home and Stagenhoe Park, while one sits at Requires Improvement. Open each report and pay particular attention to the sections on safety and on staffing, because in a nursing home those cover the handling of medicines and whether nurse cover is reliable overnight. Note the inspection date too. Where a home holds the lower rating, ask the manager directly what has changed and who is overseeing the improvements.

What to look for when you visit

Ask how many registered nurses are on duty on each shift, including nights and weekends, and how often agency staff are used to cover. Ask who reviews medication and how often, and how the home works with the local GP practice and district nurses. Go at a busy hour rather than a quiet one, and watch whether people are helped unhurriedly at mealtimes, since mealtimes are where thin staffing shows first.

Arranging care and sorting out the funding

Nursing care brings a second funding route into play, so it is worth understanding both before fees are discussed.

Requesting a care needs assessment

You can ask for an assessment on your own behalf or for a relative who consents, and the right to one does not depend on income or savings. The assessor looks at washing, dressing, eating, medication, mobility, continence and any clinical needs, then produces a written support plan. Ask for a copy, because every home will want to see it. Say clearly where nursing input is already being provided, as that shapes the level of care identified.

Who pays, and how much

Assessments and funded placements in Hitchin are handled by Hertfordshire County Council Adult Social Care, which carries out a financial assessment alongside the needs assessment to establish the household contribution. Income, savings and usually the value of a property are all taken into account, and anyone with capital above the upper threshold pays privately at first. Separately, anyone assessed as needing care from a registered nurse may qualify for NHS funded nursing care, a contribution paid directly to the home towards the nursing element of the fee. Where health needs dominate altogether, NHS continuing healthcare may be assessed instead, so ask which route is being considered.

6 nursing homes in Hitchin

Benslow Nursing Home · Hitchin, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Lavender Fields - Care Home with Nursing · Hitchin, Hertfordshire · CQC Requires improvement
Symonds House - Care Home with Nursing Physical Disabilities · Hitchin, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Fairfield Manor Care and Nursing Home · Hitchin, Central Bedfordshire · CQC Good
Wymondley Nursing & Residential Care Home · Hitchin, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Stagenhoe Park · Hitchin, Hertfordshire · CQC Good

What care costs in Hertfordshire, per week

Type of care	What the council pays	What self-funders are typically asked
Residential care Middle half of prices from 12 Hertfordshire homes. Median £1,700.	£906	£1,585 to £1,856
Nursing care East of England figure, because too few Hertfordshire homes publish this price. 17 homes. Median £1,935.	£1,036	£1,800 to £2,126
Residential dementia care Middle half of prices from 12 Hertfordshire homes. Median £1,766.	Not published separately	£1,678 to £1,874
Nursing dementia care East of England figure, because too few Hertfordshire 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

Benslow Nursing Home, 29 July 2026, Good
Lavender Fields - Care Home with Nursing, 26 March 2022, Requires improvement
Fairfield Manor Care and Nursing Home, 9 December 2021, Good

Longest since a report

Stagenhoe Park, 15 January 2020, Good
Wymondley Nursing & Residential Care Home, 17 January 2020, Good
Symonds House - Care Home with Nursing Physical Disabilities, 29 February 2020, Good

Frequently asked questions about nursing homes in Hitchin

How many nursing homes are there in Hitchin?

Hitchin has 6 CQC registered nursing homes: 5 Good, 1 Requires improvement. Counts come from the CQC register and are kept up to date as ratings change.

How much does a nursing home cost in Hitchin?

Hertfordshire County Council pays an average of £906 a week for residential care. Self-funders are typically asked £1,585 to £1,856 a week. Middle half of prices from 12 Hertfordshire homes. Median £1,700. 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 nursing homes in Hitchin were inspected most recently?

Benslow Nursing Home (29 July 2026), Lavender Fields - Care Home with Nursing (26 March 2022) and Fairfield Manor Care and Nursing Home (9 December 2021) have the most recent CQC reports.

Local care news in Hertfordshire

CQC register adds a new care home in North Hertfordshire: Monread Lodge (5 November 2026)

More local care news for Hertfordshire