The 10 best-rated, ranked from published Care Quality Commission data, not opinion or advertising. 353 of the 411 residential care home in Essex currently hold a Good or Outstanding rating.
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Laindon, SS15
Operated by Kingswood Care Services Limited
Registered to support younger adults, learning disability and autism. 7 beds. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 8/22/19.
55 Railway Approach, Laindon, Essex, SS15 6JX
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Dagenham, RM9
Registered to support older people, dementia care, physical disability. 45 beds. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 5/21/26.
George Brooker House, 100 Dagenham Avenue, Dagenham, Essex, RM9 6LH
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Brentwood, CM14
Operated by St. Michael's Homes Limited
Registered to support older people, younger adults, dementia care. 74 beds. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 2/21/20.
Beacon Hill Road, Kelvedon Common, Brentwood, Essex, CM14 5FQ
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Romford, RM7
Registered to support older people, dementia care. 39 beds. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 12/25/18.
438 Rush Green Road, Romford, Essex, RM7 0LX
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
South Ockendon, RM15
Registered to support older people, younger adults, learning disability and autism. 14 beds. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 11/4/21.
130 High Street, Aveley, South Ockendon, Essex, RM15 4BX
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Basildon, SS14
Operated by Excellence Care Ltd
Registered to support mental health. 6 beds. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 11/10/18.
15 Clayburn Circle, Basildon, Essex, SS14 1PZ
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Maldon, CM9
Operated by Sohal Healthcare Limited
Registered to support older people, dementia care. 32 beds. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 10/2/19.
7 The Street, Heybridge, Maldon, Essex, CM9 4NB
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Harwich, CO12
Operated by Waters View Residential Care Home Ltd
Registered to support older people, younger adults, dementia care. 15 beds. Rated Good by CQC, published 9/8/22.
85 Harwich Road, Little Oakley, Harwich, Essex, CO12 5JA
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Leigh On Sea, SS9
Operated by SummerCare Limited
Registered to support older people, younger adults, dementia care. 6 beds. Rated Good by CQC, published 9/6/24.
211 Manchester Drive, Leigh On Sea, Essex, SS9 3ET
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Canvey Island, SS8
Operated by Kingswood Care Services Limited
Registered to support younger adults, learning disability and autism. 4 beds. Rated Good by CQC, published 9/6/24.
28 Shell beach Road, Canvey Island, Essex, SS8 7NU
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Showing 10 of 353 residential care home in Essex that currently hold a published Good or Outstanding rating, out of 411 registered in total. Services with no published rating are excluded: newly registered services often have none, and no rating is not a poor rating.
Based on Care Quality Commission data published 01 July 2026, used under the Open Government Licence. No provider has paid for a position on this page, and none can.
A residential care home provides somewhere to live, meals, and help with personal care. It does not have nurses on site, which is the line between it and a nursing home.
People who can no longer manage safely at home even with visiting care, but whose needs are personal care rather than medical. Common reasons are advancing frailty, dementia where supervision is needed, repeated falls, or isolation.
Usually charged separately: hairdressing, chiropody, newspapers, some outings, and personal toiletries.
Fees are means tested through the council, with the £23,250 upper capital limit and the property rules above.
If your needs are primarily health needs, check NHS Continuing Healthcare, which is not means tested and pays for everything.
Use our means test calculator to estimate your contribution.
Visit more than once, and at least once unannounced around a mealtime. Look at:
Ask what proportion of residents are council funded. A very high self-funder rate usually means higher prices.
411 CQC-registered residential care home have a registered office in Essex, East of England. Of those, 353 currently hold a published Good or Outstanding rating, which is the pool this ranking is drawn from.
That depends on your finances, not your postcode. Above £23,250 in capital you normally pay the full cost. Below £14,250 your capital is ignored. Your council carries out the financial assessment, and NHS Continuing Healthcare pays in full where needs are primarily health needs. 2026/27 thresholds for England.
It means it was rated Good at the last inspection, and the gap between inspections can run to years. Use the rating as a starting point, read the full report, and visit in person before deciding.
A residential home provides accommodation and personal care: help with washing, dressing, medication and meals. A nursing home also has registered nurses on site for people with medical needs such as complex wounds, PEG feeding or unstable conditions. CQC registers them as care homes with and without nursing.
Your property is normally counted for a permanent care home place, but it is disregarded if your partner, a relative aged 60 or over, a disabled relative or a child under 16 still lives there. There is also a 12 week disregard at the start, and a deferred payment agreement can let the council recover fees from your estate later instead.
Carevo does not inspect or endorse services. CQC ratings change between inspections. Check the current rating on the CQC website and read the full report before deciding.