
































Handford House Nursing Homes in Ipswich
27a Cumberland Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 3PA
Handford House provides care and support appropriate to the needs of each individual, in a friendly, warm and supportive atmosphere.
New care enquiry
01473 945370Friends and relatives
01473 231111Handford House: A warm, friendly and comfortable care home in Ipswich
Handford House provides a high standard of holistic nursing care provision to each individual living and staying at the home at all times. The home offers a warm, friendly, comfortable and safe environment, and we promote and support personal choices and individual care at all times. With 52 bedrooms arranged across two floors, this care home in Ipswich provides dedicated accommodation alongside a range of communal spaces for residents.
Service facilities
-
En-suite bedrooms
-
Gardens
-
Minibus
-
Wifi access
-
Wheelchair access
-
Lift
-
Specialist equipment available
-
Dietary requirements met
-
Regular hairdresser visits
Care services
-
Residential Care










-
Nursing Care










-
Respite Care










-
Dementia Care










-
Palliative Care










-
Care for under 65's










-
Care for younger adults with disabilities










-
Nursing Dementia Care










-
Residential Dementia Care










More info
Handford House is situated in the town of Ipswich in Suffolk. It is a home designed to provide comfortable, safe and accessible accommodation. Residents and families are able to enjoy our gardens and two patio areas with raised flower beds and seating available, and we have large activity rooms.
Dedicated lounges are available for residents to enjoy daily living activities, relax and unwind. We provide bespoke service to ensure the best quality of person-centred care is provided to all of our residents. We support social, psychological and spiritual needs alongside clinical and care support to enable individuals to lead the life they wish, where possible.
After opening in 2009 as a purpose-built care home in Ipswich, Handford House has continued to evolve with the people who live there. A particularly memorable chapter began during the Covid-19 pandemic, when a visiting pod was created in the garden to help residents stay connected with loved ones.
In 2023, this pod was transformed into Ray’s Café following a donation from the family of a resident in memory of her brother, Ray. Today, the café provides a dedicated space for residents to meet friends and relatives, continuing its original purpose as a place for connection and companionship.
Book a visit by calling us on 01473 945370, or fill in our enquiry form, and one of our friendly advisors will get back to you shortly.






We ensure that our daily activities provide stimulation and a sense of wellbeing. We believe that activities are a fundamental part of our residents’ lives. Activities are always tailored and designed to benefit each individual. Our aim is to always help improve quality of life and create a stimulating, friendly environment where each person has the choice to contribute.
We involve residents in the planning of our weekly activities timetables and offer one-to-one bespoke and tailored opportunities as requested. We’re also passionate about keeping our homes and residents at the heart of the local community, working closely with community groups, schools and other community connections to keep residents involved in local activities.
The activities at Handford House have also produced some extraordinary moments. In December 2025, a shared love of Sir David Attenborough’s nature documentaries inspired residents to write to him. They were delighted to receive a handwritten letter in reply, with his response giving residents a wonderful surprise and plenty to talk about.
This story has become a memorable part of life at our care home in Ipswich and a lovely example of where passionate, shared interests can lead.
Some of our regular activities include:
- Mind body and soul sessions
- Gardening club
- Virtual trips around the world
- Regular animal therapy visits
- Movement to music
- Scheduled shopping trips
Dining is an essential part of the care package we provide to our residents, not only from a general health and wellbeing perspective, but we believe residents should be able to enjoy eating what they want, when they want.
Each floor has designated dining areas which are dressed and maintained to provide a pleasant and enjoyable eating experience. We look, listen and hear the views, opinions and wishes of all our residents, their families and friends in the home to enable them to contribute to ensuring the meals we provide are to their expectations.
Dining is restaurant-style. Meal times are flexible, and the menus offer choice and variety. Residents may request food not on the menu by discussion and arrangement with the chef. Our chef fully assesses all dietary needs, including likes and dislikes, allergies and special diets, through to preferred portion sizes and mealtimes.
Our catering team prides itself on producing food of the highest quality, using local suppliers to create fresh, homemade dishes each day.
Food is also available at Handford House beyond the main mealtimes, with meals, snacks, and drinks included as part of residents’ daily provision. Sweet and savoury foods are provided between the main meals, giving residents further opportunities to enjoy something delicious to eat throughout the day.
Our meals reflect our residents’ nutritional needs, with individual dietary requirements approached on a person-centred basis.
Handford House is located very close to Ipswich town centre, allowing for residents and families to visit the town for a trip to the local shops or restaurants.
Ipswich has a wealth of green space, heritage, and culture.
Christchurch Park covers 33 hectares and was opened as Ipswich’s first public park in 1895. Its grounds surround Christchurch Mansion, a Tudor house built on the site of a 12th-century priory. The mansion dates back more than 500 years and houses works by celebrated Suffolk artists. This list includes John Constable, a major English Romantic painter, and Thomas Gainsborough, one of 18th-century England’s most celebrated artists.
The Waterfront adds another dimension to life in Ipswich, centred on a wet dock that opened in 1842. At the time, it was one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Today, listed buildings, waterside cafés, charming bistros, and popular bars line its quaysides, many with views across the marina.
The town also has established cultural destinations, including the Regent Theatre, which has been hosting first-rate live entertainment since 1929. This playhouse presents a varied, regular programme of touring shows, West End musicals, live music, comedy, dance, and family shows throughout the year, giving residents of the Handford House the chance to take in a show if they so desire.
Ipswich is the oldest Anglo-Saxon town in England and steeped in history – you’d be hard pushed to move far in the town centre without seeing something worth stopping for. Visitors to the area can enjoy a walk around the historical town, a visit to Handford House or time spent enjoying the local shops and eateries.
The health and wellness of our residents is very important, and we work closely in partnership with local health and wellness professionals to ensure every resident is able to lead a full and enriched life. We welcome visiting professionals such as GPs, chiropodists, and opticians, and can arrange visits to other professionals if and when it may be required.
Each resident also has their own key care worker, supported by trained staff around the clock, providing familiar points of contact throughout daily life.
For a no-obligation chat about Handford House, call us on 01473 945370 or use our simple enquiry form.
What types of care does Handford House provide?
Handford House provides dementia, nursing, palliative, residential, and respite care. This care home in Ipswich also supports younger adults with disabilities and people living with physical disabilities or sensory impairments.
The range of services at Handford House means we can adapt our support to different circumstances, considering each person’s needs and required level of assistance as part of our holistic approach to care.
Can residents personalise their bedrooms at Handford House?
Yes. Residents can bring personal belongings to create a space that feels familiar and personal.
Handford House has 52 bedrooms across two floors, with each room furnished with essentials, including a bed, bedside table, chest of drawers, armchair, and wardrobe.
Residents’ personal items, like photographs, ornaments, and other treasured possessions, add a familiar touch and help them enjoy their new surroundings that much more.
How can I arrange a visit to Handford House?
You can contact Healthcare Homes to arrange a visit to Handford House at a time convenient to you. During your visit, you can look around the accommodation and shared spaces, meet members of our team, and learn more about life at this care home in Ipswich. You can also discuss any individual requirements and ask questions about our available care.
How are residents at Handford House supported in maintaining their interests?
Our residents are encouraged to continue the hobbies and interests that matter to them, as well as find new ones they might like to take part in. Handford House provides activities including baking, books, gardening, music, and shopping trips, alongside one-to-one opportunities shaped around individual preferences.
Residents contribute to planning the activities programme, so they have a voice in what takes place, ensuring there are always opportunities suited to a range of interests and abilities.
What are mealtimes like at Handford House?
Handford House provides restaurant-style dining with flexible mealtimes and a choice of what to eat. Our catering team considers each resident’s personal preferences and dietary needs, including allergies, favourite foods, and preferred portion sizes. Residents can also discuss alternative dishes with the chef if they would like something that is not on the menu.
Our accommodation
Arranged over two floors, our 52 bedrooms can be personalised to make them a real home-from-home, and residents are able to enjoy a selection of lounges, dining rooms and well-kept gardens for relaxing, socialising and entertaining.
All of our bedrooms are provided ready-furnished with the essentials for instant comfort, and we happily encourage our residents to bring their own treasured furnishings and belongings if they would like to do so.
Amongst our range of well-equipped areas and facilities, there’s always space for quiet contemplation, or for enjoying the company of kindred spirits, and for relishing in interests and pursuits.
Our in-house hairdressing and beauty salon provides the perfect sanctuary to keep our residents feeling their best, whilst our vast gardens, bordered by flower beds and mature trees, offer an al fresco setting to enjoy anything from regular exercise to taking tea.
As summer temperatures rise, it is vital to understand how to care for elderly and vulnerable people during hot weather. High temperatures can quickly worsen...
Doris, on her trip to RSPB Minsmere Doris, a resident at Aldringham Court, enjoyed a special trip down memory lane when she returned to...
Join us at Handford House for a creative afternoon of flower arranging. Have fun creating your own arrangements using a beautiful selection of fresh and...
Make a quick enquiry about care at Handford House
Our friendly advisors are here to answer any questions you may have about residential care. Call us on 01473 945370 for a no obligation chat or use our simple enquiry form to request a call back from one of the team.
Nearby care services
Terms and Conditions
If you will be funding your stay privately, please click here to view our Resident Contract of Admission for Self-Funders.
If a Local Authority may be funding your stay, please click here to view our Resident Terms and Conditions for a Local Authority Funded Stay.
Your Local Authority might locate/suggest a care home that is/your Local Authority believes is suitable to meet your care and support needs, that is of a lower cost than our required weekly fee. In this circumstance the Local Authority is unlikely to agree to fully fund your stay if you choose to select our care home instead of the less expensive establishment it has sourced for/suggested to you. In this event, private ‘top-up’ payments will be necessary in order to address the shortfall between our weekly fee and the weekly fee funding available from/offered by your Local Authority.
An additional top-up payment will almost certainly be required if you select, or we only have available, a non-standard room in the care home and your Local Authority is only prepared to pay for a standard room. If you select, or we only have available, a non-standard room in the care home, the additional cost for that non-standard room will have to be met by top-up payments.
Owing to the fact that your financial means will have been assessed by your Local Authority, it is very likely that the Local Authority will require private top-up payments to be made by a third party from their own funds. Although the Guidance to the Care Act 2014 states that a Local Authority ought itself collect top-up payments, some require us to collect such payments on their behalf. Should the Local Authority require us to collect top-up payments, we would issue the third party who is to fund the top-up with a contractual agreement for their review and signature.
If a Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) may be funding your stay, please click here to view our Resident Terms and Conditions for a CCG Funded Stay.




