Austen House Care Home

Kilnsea Drive,

Lower Earley,

Reading,

Berkshire,

RG6 3UJ

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Care enquiries 01189 145 484

New care enquiry phone lines are open 8am - 8pm

All other calls 01189 266 100

Austen House Care Home in Reading

Austen House is a purpose built residential care home in Reading, set in a semi-rural location and within easy reach of Wokingham and London. Our staff at Austen House are dedicated to meeting residents’ personal needs and our nurses are on duty 24-hours a day to provide top quality elderly care.

Staff on Austen House’s specialised Memory Lane Community (for people living with dementia) have been awarded certificates by the Alzheimer's Society for passing a course that helped with enhancing their understanding of dementia. It involves improved insight into dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and learning that feelings matter most.

Austen House welcomes enquiries and is pleased to show people – whether they're looking for advice or support – around if they would like to drop in to investigate for themselves.

Latest News

Following significant investment, Austen House has a brand new look! The appearance of our home has been carefully designed with the people we care for in mind, including our Memory Lane Community for people living with dementia. Our bright new reception area is the perfect spot for socialising or taking part in one of our many daily activities. Our beautiful new dining room is a wonderful place to enjoy a three-course home-made lunch and our new bedrooms are comfortable and tastefully decorated. Why not take a look at our virtual tour to see our brand new look? Or alternatively, pop in to our home to see for yourself!

Types of care

At Austen House, our qualified Nurses and Carers achieve job satisfaction through making a difference each and every day to residents' lives.

In our Memory Lane communities of Thames, Bourne and Loddon, we care for individuals living with dementia, and in our Kennet unit, we provide nursing care for individuals with a wider range of nursing needs.

Prior to moving into our home, a full assessment of individual needs will be undertaken to ensure that the care services we provide are person-centred. Care needs are reviewed each month - or upon any change in need - and we encourage the involvement of loved ones in this and indeed all aspects of the care we provide.

In our last Care Quality Commission inspection, Austen House was rated as 'Good' for 'Caring', with residents telling inspectors that, "the staff have big hearts."

Dementia Care

Respite / Short Stay

Services for Under 65

Facilities

Wi-fi available
Sky TV
En-suite rooms
Pet-friendly

On-site

Activity room
Bar/café
Flexible mealtimes
Internet access/wifi

Accessibility

Disabled bathroom
Disabled WC/facilities
Disabled parking
Disability awareness/equality training

Accommodation

Electric profiling bed
En-suite toilet
Furnished rooms and own furniture welcomed
Nurse call system

Our Team

The dedicated and experienced team are passionate about providing quality care to each individual living at the home.

Lisa Stevens

General Manager

Hi, my name is Lisa and I am the General Manager here at Austen House. Welcome to our website!

Get in touch Meet my team

Anna Luker Atkins

Deputy Manager

I have been a qualified registered nurse since 1989. I have specialised in care of the elderly and have worked in the care home sector for many years now in both nursing and management roles.

I have a BSc in Business Management and an MSc in Nursing and I am passionate about delivering the highest standard of care to those we support.

I am thrilled to be part of the Barchester family and endeavour to do my best for all concerned.

Maureen Catlyn

Head of Unit - Kennet & Thames

Maureen initially started working in the healthcare industry in 1996 as a carer, but with a desire to further her career, undertook an NVQ Level 3 in Elderly Care and then higher education in Health Studies, Psychology and Integrated Science. Maureen then went on to complete her Nursing Programme in 2006, gaining experience working on surgical, orthopaedics, rehabilitation and elderly hospital wards in addition to district nursing.

For 5 years Maureen, worked within a busy nursing home, gaining a greater insight into patient care and practicing a holistic and person-centred approach.

Maureen joined Austen House as Head of Unit in 2016 and describes the home as "warm, friendly and caring" and states that she would, without a doubt, recommend the home to her own friends and family.

Esther Hehetror

Unit Manager

I have been an RGN for over 35 years and have been working in elderly care since 2004. I am passionate about making a positive difference into the care of residents and love my job as a Unit Manager.

Jo Swerling

Customer Relationship Manager

I joined Barchester Healthcare in August having previously worked for a couple of other care providers. My role is to support the Team in this beautiful home with events, activities, relationship building with families, residents and the local community. I am passionate about care and I’m a real people person. In my spare time I love to fundraise and recently Trekked the Great Wall of China! I love to socialise with friends and family.

Wendy Riache

Administrative Assistant

Wendy provides clerical and administrative support to the Administrator and General Manager. She meets and greets all visitors to Austen House, both on the telephone and face-to-face.

Maricar Guerrero

Head of Activities

I was a Carer for around 5 years before becoming the Head of Activities at Austen House. I am responsible for organising daily activity programmes; I love my job and always provide activities with passion and care.

Sunita Biyani & Teresa Humphreys

Activities Coordinators

Sunita (left) and Teresa (right) are at the centre of the all the activities here in Austen House. They work together and have a great team of staff who provide a wide range of interesting activities for those we support.

We have a programme of weekly activities that includes musical entertainment, beauty therapies, baking, flower arranging, movement to music, arts and crafts and one-to-one sessions. and ensure that there is something for everyone.

We host one big event every month and invite loved ones and people from our community to attend. We are passionate about the importance of activities and will go that extra mile to put a smile on residents' faces.

Ainsworth Brown

Head Chef

Ainsworth started working in the hospitality industry in 2004 as a second chef at a different care home. He gained further experience as a Chef De Partie, preparing various English, Asian and French authentic dishes, before being promoted to Head Chef.

Ainsworth started at Austen House in 2015 and has gained experience in elderly care and understands about the nutritional welfare of those we support, catering for varying diets, including vegan, diabetic, celiac and authentic cultural cuisines.

Elliot Smallbone

Head of Maintenance

Elliot is responsible for ensuring that every aspect of health and safety has been observed, that everything is working and that Austen House remains a well-maintained home away from home.

Life at Austen House Care Home

Our home is designed so that each person we care for feels completely supported in every aspect of their lives. First and foremost, the care and services we provide are delivered by trained professionals who are dedicated to looking after the health of each resident. Our activities programme is tailored around particular interests and our facilities are designed to enhance the lives of everyone living at the home. We also offer tasty and nutritious food that is prepared by a skilled team of chefs.

Food & Nutrition

Our fantastic catering team are always on hand to prepare tasty and nutritious food with fresh, seasonal produce that is cooked to the highest of standards.

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Activities & events

Our varied activities programme reflects the dedication of our skilled staff, who bring a certain uniqueness to the home, which can’t be found anywhere else.

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Care & Facilties

Our home is equipped with a number of facilities and features that serve to enhance the lives of those we support.

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Austen House Barchester Healthcare

Email us

What is the nature of your enquiry

01189 145 484Care Enquiries

01189 266 100 All other calls

What happens now?

Are you ready to discuss your individual care requirements? Pick up the phone and talk to us, book a visit to our care home or come and take a look around our facilities.

Care enquiries

New care enquiry phone lines are open 8am - 8pm

01189 145 484

All other calls

01189 266 100

Send us an email

Use our online form

Useful downloads

Here to help you make the right decision about your care requirements.

Find us

Kilnsea Drive Lower Earley Reading RG6 3UJ Get directions

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