Abbeyfield Friars Mead

Would highly recommend this care home.

My Mum has been in Friars Mead for 5 months and I know that I made the right choice for her. Mum is totally blind and needed to feel safe in a smaller environment, so with only 25/26 rooms, Friars Mead seemed perfect for her. I have continued to be impressed with the high level of care and attention that she has received. Settling Mum into the care home when she had previously been living independently was quite a challenge with her disability, but I can honestly say that the staff have been great in their dealings with her. In the early days when I needed something to make life easier for her nothing was ever too much trouble. There are lots of well-run activities. The food is excellent and I say this from first-hand experience having eaten there with Mum on a couple of occasions. I would have no hesitation in recommending this well-run care home to others looking to place their loved ones somewhere safe where they will be treated with the love and respect that they deserve.

One of the main reasons for choosing Friars Mead was that it seemed very friendly, and almost 'home away from home'. My mother has been at the home for 16 months now and those initial impressions were absolutely correct. The staff, in all departments, are excellent, and I have seen them treat residents with a kind, calm and dignified manner without exception. They always know where my Mum is and how she is feeling whenever I visit. There have been a growing number of events and activities that are all very well planned and enjoyed by all. The food is tasty and menus varied. The management of the threat of covid was/is extremely impressive. I would have no hesitation in recommending Friars Mead.

My mother has been at Friars Mead for nearly 4 years now. Overall she has and remains to be happy there. My first impression when I initially went there was a feeling of friendliness and cleanliness. My previous experience of walking into other homes was the smell of stale urine and this was not the case at Friars Mead! The staff are very caring there and I am happy knowing that my mother is being cared for at a good standard. There has been a change of management over the last few months, which like any organisation has had its issues. This has stabilised and some changes are starting to make a difference now to the day-to-day running. From my point of view, I would always recommend Friars Mead for value and the level of care.

I am now very happy and settled here. Everyone is kind and good.

I should add that I had come straight from Day Surgery at the Hospital. We had booked in for one week respite care. Friars Mead said I would need to quarantine - OK. We had requested separate rooms, expecting my wife could join the other residents for meals and social activities, which she did for the day I was in hospital. Instead, we were allocated a twin bedroom which had apparently not been used for some time. The facilities were not as described when we were shown round the home about three weeks before. The review, therefore, relates our experiences for respite care. It was very expensive for the facilities we actually experienced. Friars Mead was obviously not set up for respite care, with little thought to what was needed or checking that facilities were working properly.

It has been an extremely unusual year with Covid. However, my father and all the residents were kept healthy and safe, which meant there were no losses due to the pandemic. Life was very difficult for my father as he often felt isolated, especially when confined to his bedroom, as he is a very social person, but I understand the reasons for this. A pod was set up for visitors as soon as allowed, and it is great that he is allowed out and about again. Thank you to all the staff at Friars Mead for keeping him safe.

Friars Mead is a very friendly and caring care home. Communications have always been excellent with the manager and all the staff. We have been happy with the policies and procedures during covid which has been very difficult for everyone but so please that the residents were kept safe, felt like an extended family.

I have been a resident in Friars Mead for 2 months, after living alone in my own bungalow. I settled in immediately and have received nothing but help, kindness and immediate response from management, carers and maintenance staff. A very happy care home.

In our hour of need, the manager provided very caring and pragmatic options for the family to consider. It has been very much appreciated. I have no hesitation in recommending people to discuss care options with the home.

The staff went above and beyond on numerous occasions. My uncle stated that Friars Mead should be used as a benchmark for excellence in care homes. I and the rest of the family, agree with him. My uncle is doing incredibly well these days.

In my opinion, Friars Mead was the best decision for my uncle from the independence of living in his own home to having full time care.

I am really pleased to have found such a great home for my mother.

Mum really enjoys the food and I have been very impressed with the range of activities on offer every day. The general atmosphere is warm, friendly, supportive and respectful.

Delighted by their support through this difficult transition.

I find the manager and staff very helpful going out of their way to help my mother. Simple requests are always attended to immediately.

During the time my mother has been a resident, for nearly two years now, I have continually been impressed by the care she has received. As her needs have increased, the staff have responded with sensitivity, consulting with me as necessary to ensure she experiences the best quality of life in her older age. She is encouraged to reach her full potential, at the same time being allowed to have control over whatever level of independence, or care, she feels she needs. Efforts are made to provide a range of stimulating activities for the residents, which must surely be a challenge! All the staff deserve a high commendation for their kindness and care. As a relative, I am always greeted with a friendly face and warmly welcomed. I have full confidence that my mother is in good hands at all times. Thank you.

My mother has been at Friars Mead for almost 6 months and the transition has been seamless. From the assessment stage, I have been impressed with the senior management, carers and nursing staff, who have all made my mother feel very comfortable in her new environment.

Mum was so well looked after during her respite stay at Friars Mead. The staff are caring and attentive and even though mum was only there for 3 weeks respite I know it helped her to recover from her stay in hospital. Karoline and her staff were always so welcoming to mum's family and her visitors during a difficult time for all of us.

Friars Mead is a warm and caring home where the staff spend the time to get to know each resident so they can help and support them and each resident is treated with real dignity.

The level of personal care my mother gets is very high.