Review by Mary Jane Keenan

Having visited the home just yesterday I was beyond pleasantly surprised. Some residential homes are not purpose built and this can sometimes mean little to no room for family functions, a lack of accessible outdoor space and even a lack of real indoor amenities such as a bath without a hoist (which makes having a bath as an older person so much more manageable). In this care home there are floor to ceiling glass windows to allow residents to feel connected to outside, multiple dining-rooms, a large picturesque garden, secure entrance doors, coffee lounge stations, a cinema room, multiple lounges and many other areas that one might miss out on, if not living in a home that is purpose built.

The decor is as stylish as a showroom, soft, functional, trendy and comfortable. When you enter the building you are greeted by a lady on reception who has been with the company since the opening of queens manor, which I learned during conversation. It was refreshing to be greeted by someone who knows the environment and enjoys their workplace. As we were walking around the home, the receptionist knew the residents and would answer questions or just generally have a polite personal conversation with them until they finished the conversation. The reason that detail has been added in particular is because people living with dementia may otherwise feel unwelcome, confused, or unsure of their environment if those supporting them don’t seem interested in conversation or them as a person. So to see that not only the care staff but other staff naturally have the compassion and interest in those who live at queens manor was a relief and really appealed to me.

Also another positive I took from the walk around was the fact there is a health and well-being team of staff members who plan the weeks events based on what residents have asked for, should you look on their Facebook page you will see that the home and the health and well-being team are always doing things and planning ahead. With the use of the company minibus residents go on day trips to
Museums, garden centres and other local attractions. One home I visited did not have access to a minibus and taxis were the only option for travel, which again can’t be done in groups and if I think of someone like my own mother, she would want to be out in a group and not alone.

I was also introduced to other staff members from other departments who were often on the middle of their jobs but even from those small interactions I can say staff are at minimum well presented, polite and busy. Busy is good, as there is always lots to be done when taking care of older people.

I would feel confident knowing my mum was happy here, if she made that decision. Placing a loved one in a “care home” is never easy and never anyone’s first option but if you are in two minds then you want the home to feel like a home and have all the amenities your loved one would have wanted at home. Just because your loved one is in a home it doesn’t mean that the family dynamic needs to change as this home has lounges designed for family gatherings and the well-being team is there to support family connections and to remind relatives and friends that the home is designed with your loved one in mind and that means you can spend hours there in a lounge and taking light walks to the coffee bar. I have viewed 3 different homes in the area so far and this is the only one I felt deserved a review.

Having also read the last care inspectorate report I feel certain that what I seen from my walk around was a fabulous representation of the quality of care provided in such a beautiful and open care home.