The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has just published it’s report on The Limes Care Home, Henlow.

The CQC carried out the latest inspection on 24 February 2026 and found that The Limes Care Home in Henlow, is performing well and meeting their expectations. The report was published on 30 April 2026.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has just published it’s report on Thorn Springs Care Home, Houghton Regis.

The CQC carried out the latest inspection on 11 February 2026 and found that Thorn Springs Care Home in Houghton Regis, is performing well and meeting their expectations. The report was published on 22 April 2026.

A personal and reflective account from Alan, volunteer and Director, Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire

In early 2023 I was given cause to seek an assessment for Autism via my GP. The referral was sent to Adult Autism Assessment Service in Bedford shortly after, and within a few days I was sent some questionnaire forms to fill in online.

I heard no more until September 2023 when I was invited to a Phase 1 assessment in Dunstable, and I was advised that there was more than enough to proceed to a Phase 2 assessment. After that everything went into slow motion, and the timescale kept being put further away, and I was told the wait time was up to 3.5 years for the Phase 2.

Fast forward to March 2026, when I called the Adult Autism Assessment Service again, and I was advised of the Right to Choose service, where I contact my GP and they make that referral. I had a telephone conversation with my GP, and while on the phone he looked up the Right to Choose providers, and chose the one with the shortest waiting list, and that referral went within a couple of days. A few days later I got a 4 part online questionnaire which I completed straight away, and was advised that the next step would be about 5 weeks away.

I called them at the 5 week point, and I was given an appointment for a Phase 1 assessment the next week. After that two hour assessment I was told that I should hear about the Phase 2 assessment within 2 weeks. A week later I received an email with a link to book the Phase 2 assessment, and I chose the one a 2pm that day. The appointment lasted an hour with some probing questions, and observations while online. At the end of the hour I was informed that I was indeed Autistic, and the whole process was completed in around 6 weeks.

The message here is that if you are awaiting an assessment via the NHS, ask your GP to refer you via the Right to Choose service, it is a lot faster, and will take some of the load from the NHS option as they remove you from their waiting list after you inform them of the outcome of the Right to Choose pathway.

As you can see from Alan’s experience, the service he received was one that made him feel reassured and heard. 

Right to Choose – Information for Patients (Central Bedfordshire)

As part of the Autism and ADHD assessment pathway, many patients choose to use the Right to Choose option. This allows you to have more choice and flexibility in where you are assessed.

Under Right to Choose, you can select from a range of approved providers, including some independent (private) organisations, to carry out your assessment at no cost to you.

However, it is important to be aware of the following:

• If you are diagnosed and require medication, NHS prescriptions are only routinely supported through Psychiatry UK in our area.
• If you choose a different provider, you may still receive your assessment free of charge, but any medication prescribed by that provider may need to be paid for privately.

We recommend considering this carefully when choosing your provider, particularly if you feel medication may be part of your treatment.

If you would like support in choosing a provider or understanding your options, please contact the practice.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has just published it’s report on Dr Jinmi & Partners, otherwise known as Houghton Regis Medical Centre.

The CQC carried out their inspection on 3 November 2025 and found that Dr Jinmi & Partners failed to meet the regulations relating to safeguarding, safe care and treatment, and governance.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has just published it’s report on Elm Lodge Nursing and Residential Home in Leighton Buzzard.

The CQC carried out their inspection on 4 December 2025 and found that Elm Lodge Nursing and Residential Home failed to meet the regulations relating to safeguarding, safe care and treatment, and the leadership being inadequate.

Under the Equality Act 2010, organisations have a legal duty to ensure their services are accessible to people with disabilities. This includes making reasonable adjustments—changes in how services are delivered so everyone can access care fairly and equally.

💡 What’s new?

A new information standard, published in December 2025, requires all publicly funded National Health Service (NHS), health, and social care providers to:

• ✔️ Record
• ✔️ Share
• ✔️ Act on

your reasonable adjustment needs through the National Care Records Service (NCRS).

🗓️ Deadline for implementation: 30 September 2026

This means your needs—such as communication support, longer appointments, or information in accessible formats—should be clearly recorded and consistently followed across services.

✅ Why this matters

You shouldn’t have to repeat your needs or face barriers when accessing care. These changes aim to make services more inclusive, consistent, and person-centred, ensuring you receive the support you are entitled to.

🤝 How Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire can help

If you feel services in Central Bedfordshire are not making the reasonable adjustments you need, we’re here to support you. We can:

• ✔️ Listen to your experience in confidence
• ✔️ Help you understand your rights
• ✔️ Signpost you to local complaints or advocacy services
• ✔️ Share your feedback with NHS and care providers to help improve services locally

📩 Get in touch

Share your experience with us and help improve services for everyone in Central Bedfordshire.

📞 0300 303 8554
✉️ info@healthwatch-centralbedfordshire.org.uk

On Wednesday 15 April 2026, the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK) vascular hub will be relocating from Bedford Hospital to Luton and Dunstable University Hospital (L&D).

The new Vascular Centre will feature two state‑of‑the‑art hybrid operating theatres, providing facilities for both open and endovascular surgery.

Modern vascular surgery increasingly relies on a combination of traditional open techniques and minimally invasive endovascular procedures. The new hybrid theatres integrate advanced, high‑resolution imaging systems within a fully equipped surgical environment, enabling clinicians to switch seamlessly between approaches during the same operation.

Key benefits for patients:

• Better theatre and imaging facilities will improve the quality of treatments and have shorter operative times, which in turn will improve patient outcomes
• Modern machines have inbuilt radiation reduction protocols which provides further protection to patient and staff from harmful radiation
• Enhanced access to high-qualitycare by a small volume of specialist staff
• Improved patient outcomes, increased patient satisfaction, shorter length of stay and reduction in readmission rate
• Opportunities for closer integration with co-located interdependent services such as the Hyper Acute Stroke Unit (HASU)
• Increase overall operating theatre capacity for Bedfordshire residents resulting in reduced waiting times for vascular procedures across BLMK and creating additional theatre availability at Bedford Hospital for other surgical specialties, improving access for patients local to Bedford.

Key benefits for staff:  

• Hybrid theatre provision and fit for purpose Vascular Interventional Radiology (VIR) facilities – co-located in a theatre environment to facilitate high level of integration of the vascular and IR clinicians and an integrated team of specialist support / technical staff (including interventional radiographers)
• Attract and retain high quality specialist clinical staff
• Allow the team to develop new services
• Service and workforce resilience – the concentration of the wider clinical team with other acute interdependent services onto the L&D site should mean greater resilience for the service
• Fully compliant with national guidance from Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) and the Vascular Society

From 15 April, all major vascular surgery, vascular interventional radiology procedures, and emergency or planned vascular admissions will take place at the L&D. In‑patients will be cared for on Ward 20, located adjacent to a newly refurbished area that will house the vascular outpatient clinic and a new vascular laboratory.

Most outpatient appointments, diagnostics, and minor procedures – including varicose vein surgery – will continue to be delivered at patients’ local hospitals in Bedford, Milton Keynes, or Luton.

The new centre will be staffed by an expanded multidisciplinary team, including 10 vascular and endovascular surgeons, an associate specialist, two specialist trainees, four senior clinical fellows and four specialist nurses.

As part of the service redesign, the vascular team has worked closely with colleagues across the network to streamline pathways and introduce new services. These include a Limb Salvage Clinic, a one‑stop service for patients with critical limb‑threatening ischaemia, and a forthcoming one‑stop chronic wound care clinic.

This investment represents a major step forward in delivering high‑quality, modern vascular care for the BLMK population.