Highmarket House

North Bar Place, Banbury OX16 0TD
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9.9 148 Reviews
  • Highmarket House, Banbury
Highmarket House is a purpose-built setting close to the centre of Banbury, providing the latest in luxurious facilities combined with high-quality care. The dedicated and skilled team offers a full range of residential care for older people, including short-term respite care and specialist care for people living with dementia. They also offer sensitive end-of-life care.

The team believes that when a person moves into a care home they should be able to continue to enjoy the lifestyle that they always have – keeping busy, seeing friends. Residents can enjoy being pampered in the hair salon and enjoy great food from the chef-led kitchen team. Meanwhile you can have the peace of mind that expert care is on hand 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

Highmarket House is a ‘Veteran Friendly Framework’ accredited care home, recognising the best practice and highest standards of care for the Armed Forces community.

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Care Provided

Primary Care Categories

  • Older Person Care
  • Dementia

Length of Stay

  • Permanent Care
  • Respite Care

Care Types Provided

  • Residential Care
  • Nursing Care
  • Dementia Residential Care
  • For a maximum of 73 Service Users

Dementia Care Types

  • Mild Dementia
  • Moderate Dementia
  • Advanced/Complex Dementia

Other Care Provided

  • Parkinson's Disease
  • Stroke
  • Palliative / End of Life Care

Facilities

  • Own Furniture if required
  • Smoking not permitted
  • Close to Local shops
  • Near Public Transport
  • Minibus or other transport
  • Lift
  • Wheelchair Access
  • Gardens
  • Bar/Café
  • Phone Point in own room
  • Television point in own room
  • Residents Internet Access

Funding & Fees

Weekly Charges per Person

  • Self-Funded Residential Care: from £1590
  • Self-Funded Residential Dementia Care: from £1680
  • Self-Funded Nursing Care: from £1830
  • RESPITE Self-Funded Residential Care: from £1800
  • RESPITE Self-Funded Residential Dementia Care: from £1890
  • RESPITE Self-Funded Nursing Care: from £2040

Fees are subject to a pre-admission needs assessment which is required to fully understand the level
of care and support required by each individual. Premium rooms normally require an additional charge.
Nursing fees include the Funded Nursing Contribution (FNC) if you are eligible.


What’s included?
• All care and support including a monthly review of care plans
• All meals, snacks and drinks freshly prepared every day by our chef
• In-house café with homemade cakes, and a variety of speciality teas and coffees
• Use of in-house cinema
• Access to landscaped gardens
• Activities and lifestyle programme
• All utilities and other accommodation costs
• Housekeeping and laundry services
• WiFi internet access


Please note, the weekly fee does not include hairdressing, chiropody or other healthcare visits or
appointments not covered by the NHS, toiletries, newspapers or magazines, any over the counter
medications that a GP wouldn’t normally prescribe such as paracetamol and indigestion relief, and any
other privately arranged healthcare. Should you require an escort to hospital appointments, we may apply
an agreed hourly charge for this service.

These prices are only a guideline, please contact Highmarket House to find out the exact price for your requirements.

Funding Types Accepted

  • Self Funding (Private)
  • Local Authority with Top Up
  • Local Authority
  • NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC)

Support you may be entitled to

If you chose a care home based in England, you may be eligible for NHS Funded Nursing Care (FNC), which helps cover the cost of nursing. This is worth £254.06 per week and is usually paid directly to the care home.

Good to Know

Group/Owner

Person in charge

  • Francesca Cowley (Home Manager)

Local Authority / Social Services

Admission Criteria

  • Ages 55+

Care Home Design/Build

  • Purpose Built: Yes

Room Information

  • Single Rooms (73)
  • Single Rooms with Ensuite Wet Room (71)

Parking

  • Parking on-site

Highmarket House Reviews (148)

Total of 148, showing 61-80
9.9

Highmarket House has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.860) out of 10, based on 40 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Highmarket House has 148 reviews.

Overall Experience

  • 136
  • 11
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0

Date Published

148
9
17
40
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Review from J M (Respite Resident) published on 16 September 2021
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

1. My medication was provided but not at the times specified by my doctor. These times were written on a list and given to the person who controlled this. For instance, my levothyroxine needed to be taken on an empty stomach and Simvastatin taken last thing at night.
2. At my interview I was told that
I could have satellite TV in my room and the right equipment was supplied by my granddaughter who works for a satellite TV company in a senior position. This failed as a 91-year-old failed to supply his parents permission to use it.

Reply from Samantha Debenham, Personal Assistant at Highmarket House

Thank you for your excellent review of Highmarket House. We were delighted to hear you had an enjoyable respite stay with us. We were very happy to hear your positive comments about the staff and the food as you left. We always encourage residents to mention any concerns they have to the staff at the time so that we can take away any worries and make your stay a happy one. Your comment regarding medication is of concern but our records indicate these were administered correctly. We were pleased to be able to set the TV up for you to watch football using satellite. We do hope we can welcome you to Highmarket House again in the future.

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Review from Mike M (Son of Resident) published on 14 September 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The leadership team and staff at Highmarket House really helped and supported our family during the process of moving Mum from hospital to the care home. The whole process was handled professionally and sensitively.

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Review from Maggie H (Daughter-in-law of Resident) published on 7 July 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

It has been a turbulent couple of weeks for our family. My husband's father passed away very suddenly, leaving behind his wife of 57 years, who has a diagnosis of vascular dementia with Alzheimer's. He was her main carer and her rock.
We spoke to the staff at Highmarket House, following a recommendation
from my dearest friend and we have not looked back. We are so grateful for the wonderful care and support the team have given to us and my mother-in-law. They have definitely been a light in the tunnel and have helped us all cope with the trauma of such a sudden loss.
We have all grown to love our visits to Highmarket and already feel very much part of a very special family.
Thank you for caring so much and for all you've done for our family.

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Review from Annette T (Daughter of Resident) published on 23 February 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

From the first crisis sos we did to the unflappable staff member, we have been so impressed with Highmarket. If you were judging results on the caring lovely staff they would rate highly and this was of utmost importance to us as they are the ones that would be looking after our mother. Not only were
her needs put first but also our sensitive feelings and concerns at this difficult time. Every day my brother and I phone mother on the portable phone and it is always answered in such a chirpy manner you never feel a nuisance. The nurses update weekly is so invaluable and every aspect of her medical care is explained fully. Fast forward 2 weeks onwards and we have had a successful and easy visit in the pod and look forward to another next week.
So thank you.

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Review from Stuart M (Son of Resident) published on 26 January 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My mum arrived at Highmarket House in the early stages of the first Covid-19 lockdown. In her mid 90's she was unstable on her feet, not well at the time and in need of more support than was possible with carers who had been supporting her at assisted living accommodation. The team at Highmarket House
were quick to assess her situation and put in place a number of measures to reduce risks and aid her recovery. As a result of the great care and support she receives she is doing well (albeit frustrated like most at the constraints of the lockdown). She talks highly of the care and attention given to her by staff, enjoys the activities and comments frequently and positively about the food. We appreciate the great communication, feedback and regular (monthly) reviews from the management and team at Highmarket House.

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Review from Brenda H (Mother of Resident) published on 16 September 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My mum is 94 and has been in Highmarket House for the past two years. Previously, she was a resident in another care home, but we moved her to Highmarket House when we moved house as I wanted her close to me. We felt very fortunate to place Mum in Highmarket; she settled in well and told us that she
was much happier there than at her other care home, although she was not unhappy at her other care home. She like being in the centre of town with the park around the corner and shops and restaurants nearby. She loves being able to go out shopping and dining, which she was not able to do so readily at her previous care home because of its location.
All the staff are truly marvellous, kind and caring and very involved with all residents. There is plenty for them to do and lots of get-togethers which include family etc. The food is exceptionally good, and the chef works very hard to serve interesting and tasty meals. I love the fact that cake and coffee/tea is always available to us.

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Review from Stephen J (Son of Resident) published on 3 September 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My mother has been a resident at Highmarket House since late 2017 and has received excellent care in a very pleasant environment for all that time. She has enjoyed group activities such as crafting and singing and also receives individual attention addressing her needs. Members of staff spend time getting
to know the residents as individuals. The last six months have been challenging for all due to the Covid-19 restrictions, but staff have all worked hard to care for and entertain the residents. Family video calls have been made available, together with ‘garden’ visits when restrictions allowed them.
Before the lockdown, Highmarket House was always very welcoming to visitors. I am sure this welcome inside for family time, refreshment and activities will resume as soon as the time is right.

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Review from Rachael K (Daughter of Resident) published on 7 August 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Highmarket House is a real gem. They talk about the Care team being visitors in the residents home. This is exactly how the approach looking after everyone. They are so thoughtful, caring, knowledgeable but also fun with a great sense of humour. There’s an amazing array of activities arranged to keep
everyone occupied and to help make friends. The food is lovely, with cake, BBQs and a drinks night on Friday. During the recent COVID -19 pandemic, they were amazing, the hygiene and distancing rules were stuck to religiously, but to help keep us all in touch we had skype calls and then garden visits as the rules relaxed. My Mum is very happy there. Would recommend Highmarket House and the team to anyone looking for a wonderful place for a relative to move to if they can’t quite cope home and need a safe and fun place to live.

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Review from Caroline C (Daughter of Resident) published on 4 June 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

During this very challenging time of Covid-19, Highmarket House have managed their residents with compassion, care and efficiency.
At all times the well-being of the residents seems to have been paramount, and the carers have remained cheerful and kind throughout. The mood in the care home is kept
light by lots of activities and music, a musician has come and played in the grounds so that residents could hear and see him from balconies and windows.
I don't think my mother could have been looked after better, and I am very, very grateful for everyone's patience and kindness at such a difficult time.

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Review from Julia T (Niece of Resident) published on 4 June 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My sister and I have been grateful for the personal care and attention to our Aunt. Particularly during the difficult times with coronavirus widespread in care homes. We were pleased with the response of Highmarket, as represented by closing the home to visitors early on, staff recruitment and deployment
policies, and the kind and individual care we witnessed on our Skype calls. We have had little cause for anxiety with reference to our Aunt's care. Thank you, Highmarket staff!

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Review from J R (Daughter of Resident) published on 27 February 2020
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Staff are mostly extremely helpful, certainly very good with my parent. Food is excellent and service encouraging. I feel there could be more encouragement to participate in the entertainment on offer. Very helpful with organisation and fees. Very empathetic. Wait for an urgent bell to be answered can
be long ie 15 minutes plus.

Reply from Samantha Debenham, Personal Assistant at Highmarket House

Thank you for your excellent review of Highmarket House. We are delighted that our care and support is rated very highly and that you consider your parents to be treated with dignity. Our lifestyle team take time to develop activities around resident’s hobbies and preferences so they can continue doing the things they love. Residents are encouraged to participate in our entertainment but we respect their decision not to do so. On your parents suite, while we have a high carer to resident ratio, there is a high reliance on call bell usage. Some residents can call the bell minutes after being visited by which time we are with another resident. We monitor this daily and are now implementing portable pagers to reduce the waiting time.

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Review from Wendy W (Niece of Resident) published on 19 February 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My aunt has now been at Highmarket House for 12 months and her love of her home and the care she receives has only increased.
The varying in-house activities and the trips out into the town with the staff are highlights for her, as are the meals.
As a family member, I am always welcomed into the
home and I also enjoy some of the activities, especially visiting singers!
I cannot recommend Highmarket house too highly.

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Review from C L (Son of Resident) published on 18 February 2020
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We believe our mother is receiving an excellent service from all members of staff. We could not ask for any more. They are all superb.

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Review from Lynda C (Sister of Resident) published on 11 February 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My sister moved into Highmarket House just before Christmas 2019. We as a family thought it would be an awkward time to move, busy with Christmas activities, etc. However, the welcome was second to none, caring cheerful people who could not have done more to make her feel at home and all of us welcome.
Maintenance men had her ballet and dance pictures and television installed without delay. She is severely partially sighted so the pictures are her start-up conversation, with people asking her about them and the television she can listen to programs. Two very important aspects of her life. This level of care is the normal daily routine for "team Highmarket" the activities and the outings, mean such a lot. We have experienced three care homes in the last eighteen months or so, Highmarket is streets ahead. We kept hearing all good reports before the move, all of which are true. Social services chose this home initially for us to view. So glad we did. Highly recommend.

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Review from J D (Daughter of Resident) published on 16 December 2019
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Everything about Highmarket House has been amazing. The made the last weeks of my mum's life so comfortable. The staff were all so warm and caring, the nursing care was fantastic. Not only did they care for my mum with dignity and respect, they also took great care of me, so that I could spend the last
two weeks with my Mum. Their support, love and warmth made my mum's passing more bearable.

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Review from M L (Son of Resident) published on 25 November 2019
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

From the first time I entered Highmarket House, I have been very impressed by the warm welcome from all the staff that I met, and the lovely home that has been created there. My mother has settled in and is very happy and is being well cared for. I am also appreciative of all the help and advice that
has been given to my mother and I, by the management team over the past few months.

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Review from Jon B (Son of Resident) published on 8 November 2019
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Came last Sunday for Sunday lunch with Mum and the food and service were good and I enjoyed it very much. Also, visited today and Mum had been out for the day and then back to an entertaining singalong - she had a great time. Great that Mum has these things to do.

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Review from P S (Daughter of Resident) published on 3 October 2019
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My mother stayed for two weeks respite/holiday to be near family. She had a lovely time and joined in many of the activities. It also, made life easier for us, not having to care 24/7. She lives many miles away from us, so it's a chance for her to see family, friends and join in celebrations.

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Review from A R (Respite Resident) assisted by family/friend published on 27 August 2019
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Food and washing great. Staff very friendly.
Altogether a good experience of respite care.

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Review from Lynne F (Daughter of Resident) published on 17 June 2019
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Overall extremely pleased with the home. Wonderful staff, all very friendly and efficient. The home is outstanding with beautiful furnishings and good large rooms. A small complaint is that Mum's room is not cleaned on a daily basis, especially the bathroom.

Reply from Samantha Debenham, Personal Assistant at Highmarket House

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review of Highmarket House. We are delighted to read that you consider the overall standard of care to be excellent and that you would highly recommend the home. We are very sorry to hear your concerns about the cleaning of your mother’s room. As we pride ourselves on the high standards of cleanliness within the home, we have immediately addressed this with our head housekeeper and we have put additional checks in place to prevent this happening again. Don’t hesitate to talk to us should you have any further concerns – it’s important that you remain highly satisfied with all aspects of your mother’s care here at Highmarket House.

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Current Review Score: 9.9 (9.860)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.9 (9.860) out of 10 for Highmarket House is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  • a) The Average Rating is 4.9 out of 5 from 40 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 40 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 4.860 for Highmarket House is calculated as follows: ( (410 Excellents x 5) + (58 Goods x 4) + (4 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 472 Ratings = 4.86

  • 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 5 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Highmarket House is based on 40 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 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4

    • 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 73 registered maximum number of service users is 14.6, which has been reached with 40 Positive reviews. Points = 1

  • 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.

Regulatory Rating

Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating

Date: 8 May 2025

Overall
Requires improvement

  • Caring

    Good

  • Effective

    Good

  • 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.

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Bed Vacancies

Please Contact Us for Latest Vacancies

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Awards / Recognitions (104)

Meet the Team (1)

Francesca

Francesca Cowley

Job Title: Home Manager

Joined: 2018

As a Home Manager, I am constantly striving to make the home a better place. At Highmarket House we’re very passionate about supporting residents to live well, whether that’s delivering tailored activities, award-winning food or providing residents living with dementia namaste care, every department pulls together to support residents’ health and well-being.


Having a leadership role is a privilege, making the residents’ and teams' day is important to me. I worked for Care UK for 5 years, Care UK is an excellent care provider to work for, it’s a growing organisation focused on the delivery of quality care.


Knowing I’m making a positive impact on residents' lives is what motivates me. I’m very proud of the way the team delivers exceptional care to residents and their loved ones. It’s one big family at


Highmarket House and that’s what makes it a very special home. I’ve worked in the care sector since 2008 when I was 18 years old. I’ve worked my way up doing different roles, including Team Leader, Trainer and Unit Manager. I joined Care UK in 2018 because I’d heard good things about the organisation, and I’m very proud to be the Home Manager at Highmarket House.


I have a passion for what I do, and I’ve done it for a long time, and I’m always looking to make a difference to the people we care for. Everyone who works at Highmarket House takes a ‘whole home’ approach to caring for residents. Away from work, I like to spend time with my family. I like listening to music, watching TV and going to a good shop!

Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of carehome.co.uk. Please contact Highmarket House to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Highmarket House has an Enhanced Service - more info.