Blackthorns

My father has been at Blackthorns since June 2019 and the whole family have been made very welcome every time we visit. He always looks happy and well-fed and the staff are always helpful. The home manager is wonderful at communicating with relatives and has a host of festive activities planned which all the family may participate in. Thank you to all the fabulous staff for your care and love throughout these difficult times.

My aunt is happy there and always praises the menu.

The whole atmosphere felt nicer and it was a pleasure to be there. In the past, I could not wait to leave.

The facilities are outstanding and all the staff and management go out of their way to make all the people in their care happy and cared for and supported. I found the staff and management very helpful and very happy with what they do. The facilities and the activities are excellent.

My family friend seems to be well looked after, the only issue I would feel needs sorting is the chiropodist as he rarely cuts her nails and she is always in a lot of pain until they are cut again, as the time between visits is so long.

I think the personal touch of the home is very important. We feel that our mother is safe here and well looked after. We had family here before so we do know the home for a long time. The wide range of activities. It is a clean environment and professional but at the same time person-centred.

They acted on any request we or my mother made.

Mum has benefitted from the many organised and fun activities run by compassionate and caring staff.

Excellent all-round, staff very friendly everyone works very hard. Residents are always made to feel welcome and happy. I am allowed to take in my dog which makes my partner and residents very happy.

My mother has been with Blackthorns for a number of years and is in a wheelchair and requires a lot of physical assistance. The home is friendly and very comfortable mum is happy and has many friends and enjoys the atmosphere and daily routine including the varied activities. The staff are caring and considerate particularly during lockdown with visiting facilities and regular updates by phone. Thank you to all the staff for your care and support with mum it is very much appreciated.

Staff have coped very well with the Covid pandemic.

Have not been happy with the previous manager. The deputy manager has improved things greatly. Feel very impressed with the new manageress. Very approachable seems to get things sorted, seems very efficient. The refurbishment to the home is wonderful. As my mum is approaching her 100th birthday in March I feel more than content with the way the home is being managed.

While staff are very caring, there are times they are run off their feet. With many residents in wheelchairs, their needs are greater, often leaving more able residents to fend for themselves. Although residents are clean, it is questionable how often they have a bath or shower. In my opinion more staff is required. There are activities but not consistently. A paid member of staff to organise and stimulate individuals and groups would be of benefit. Those residents at the end of life, staff have very little time to devote to them.

To all the amazing, hard-working staff at Blackthorns Care Home. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the care and attention you've given to my mother these past 18 months. It is so sad, her journey in this life has come to an end, but without you all being there for her it wouldn't have been the same. You gave her the company she so desperately needed and looked after her every need. Her room was always so clean and tidy, she was always dressed to perfection and ready to mingle with all her friends. I will miss coming in to see her and saying hello to all of you, in fact, I'm bringing in thank you cards this weekend, as there are some very special people working there that I need to thank personally.

On the whole, my Mother is being looked after very well. The staff are respectful and caring. Sometimes, because of her dementia, my Mother can be a bit of a handful, but the staff help adjust with her needs. In my opinion, she's safe, well looked after and kept clean and fed.

Dad was in Blackthorns until August 2018 when I moved him. The experience was shocking. He had Alzheimer's and the staff treated him as if he was "naughty" when he was showing typical behaviour for the disease. Staff would often say when I arrived "I haven't a clue where he is dear". There was never enough staff on duty and the staff were often made up of a considerable number of Agency staff. The Activities personnel were almost non-existent, and any activities mostly consisted of Bingo. The food was sometimes ok and on other occasions inedible as vegetables had been boiled to within an inch of their lives and food would arrive which looked as if it had been cremated. Safeguarding complaints were made. Avoid this place.

Would highly recommend Blackthorns care home.

My family was very happy with the care received by my elderly mother from the moment she was welcomed to Blackthorns. Every single staff member was friendly, helpful and kind to my mother and she enjoyed her time there. Nothing was too much trouble - and they ensured that she was always well dressed and looked after. I was particularly impressed by the time taken to talk to her and explain issues and to encourage her to interact. It was a very positive experience and Blackthorns seemed very well organised, well kept (always clean and tidy) with a very pleasant atmosphere.

My Mum has now been a resident here at Blackthorns Halsted for just over a year. I am extremely happy with the care package provided for my Mum with the safety/security being paramount. The staff always have time to speak with me on my visits and update me on the health and wellbeing of my Mum on a regular basis.

My stay in Blackthorns was a very happy time. All the staff and management were always friendly and any help I needed it was no trouble. The carers were brilliant in all the 10 months I was in there, I didn't want to leave.