- Independent mental health service
The Langford Centre
Assessment report published 29 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
An assessment of The Langford Centre took place on 17 and 18 March 2026 using our Single Assessment Framework. As part of the assessment, we visited the service on 17 and 18 March 2026. We decided to conduct an assessment covering 33 quality statements across the five key questions to assess whether the service was Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well led, because it was rated Requires improvement overall and in all five key questions since our last inspection in July 2024.
The Langford Centre was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in 2011 to deliver the following regulated activities:
- Assessment or medical treatment for persons detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.
- Diagnostic and screening procedures.
- Treatment of disease, disorder or injury.
The service had a newly appointed hospital director at the time of this assessment, but the registered manager had not changed. The new hospital director was already working at The Langford Centre prior to this appointment.
The Langford Centre is an independent mental health hospital in Bexhill-on-Sea East Sussex, providing care and treatment to working-age adults with severe mental illness. The Langford Centre provides low secure forensic services and acute inpatient mental health services to male and female working-age adults. The service is provided by The Langford Clinic Limited.
The hospital is purpose built with 47 beds over three wards. Since our last assessment, the provider had closed two wards. We visited all 3 wards as part of this assessment, Cooden, Fairlight and Pevensey wards. Cooden was an acute ward for males supporting up to 15 patients. Fairlight was an acute ward for females supporting up to 16 patients. Pevensey was a low secure forensic ward for males supporting up to 16 patients.
We assessed this service under the assessment service groups of acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units, and forensic inpatient or secure wards.
We rated the service as requires improvement. At this assessment we identified breaches of regulations: 12 Safe Care and Treatment and 17 Good Governance. In the acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units we found two breaches of regulations in relation to safe environments and medicines optimisation, and governance. In the forensic inpatient ward we found a breach in relation to governance.
We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.