The Old Downs Residential Care Centre

Castle Hill, Hartley, Longfield DA3 7BH
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9.8 55 Reviews
  • The Old Downs Residential Care Centre, Longfield
Situated in the pretty village of Hartley, near Dartford, The Old Downs is a residential and dementia home caring for up to 41 residents. Nestled in beautiful surroundings and gardens, the character home has been at the heart of the local community since its beginnings in 1887.

Beautifully retained period features complement the modern facilities at The Old Downs and the spacious home has been tastefully extended to provide a light and airy conservatory that boasts beautiful views across the valley. The onsite hair salon and beauty room is perfect for a bit of pampering, while the various lounges offer different places to sit and relax.

The Old Downs’ Recreation and Well-being team ensures residents have access to tailored activities and entertainment seven days a week, to suit each person’s hobbies and interests, on an individual and group basis. Residents enjoy regular outings to nearby garden centres, a variety of arts and crafts, pet therapy, live music and professional entertainers. Residents are also encouraged to remain active and pursue hobbies and interests, both old and new.

As advocates for tailored nutrition for older people and those with dementia, Nellsar employ a Head of Nutrition and Wellness for their homes. The Old Downs acknowledges that nutrition and hydration are an integral part of good health and well-being, and the catering team provide tasty nutritious meals and snacks to residents every day.

The Old Downs also benefits from a well-being team of fully-qualified holistic therapists who use nurturing touch, complementary therapies and relaxing treatments to improve residents’ quality of life and sense of well-being.

Employing the Care Vision® digital care management system throughout the Home ensures that the entire care service delivery, recording and reporting systems are optimised and centred around residents and their personalised care.
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Care Provided

Primary Care Categories

  • Older Person Care
  • Dementia
  • Learning Disability / Autism
  • Mental Health Condition
  • Physical Disability
  • Visual / Hearing Impairment

Length of Stay

  • Permanent Care
  • Respite Care

Care Types Provided

  • Residential Care
  • Dementia Residential Care
  • For a maximum of 41 Service Users

Dementia Care Types

  • Mild Dementia
  • Moderate Dementia
  • Advanced/Complex Dementia

Other Care Provided

  • Parkinson's Disease
  • Stroke
  • Palliative / End of Life Care
  • Bariatric Care/Obesity
  • Convalescent Care
  • Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
  • Day Care

Facilities

  • Own Furniture if required
  • Pet Friendly (or by arrangement)
  • Smoking not permitted
  • Close to Local shops
  • Near Public Transport
  • Minibus or other transport
  • Lift
  • Stairlift
  • Wheelchair Access
  • Gardens
  • Residents Kitchenette
  • Television point in own room
  • Residents Internet Access

Funding & Fees

Weekly Charges per Person

  • Self-Funded Residential Care: £1300 – £1350
  • Self-Funded Residential Dementia Care: £1300 – £1350
  • RESPITE Self-Funded Residential Care: £1300 – £1350
  • RESPITE Self-Funded Residential Dementia Care: £1300 – £1350

Fees do not include hairdressing, chiropody or occupational therapists.

These prices are only a guideline, please contact The Old Downs Residential Care Centre to find out the exact price for your requirements.

Funding Types Accepted

  • Self Funding (Private)
  • Local Authority with Top Up
  • Local Authority
  • NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC)

Good to Know

Person in charge

  • Nicoleta Cristescu (Home Manager)

Local Authority / Social Services

Admission Criteria

  • Ages 55+

Care Home Design/Build

  • Purpose Built: No
  • Last Refurbishment: 2025
  • Number of floors: 3

Room Information

  • Single Rooms (37)
  • Couples/Companion Rooms (2)

Visiting

  • The home maintain an open-hours visiting policy, which means relatives and friends are welcome to drop by and see loved ones at any time. Families are always welcome to join relatives for afternoon tea or lunch if booked in advance.

Parking

  • Plenty of onsite parking available.

The Old Downs Residential Care Centre Reviews (55)

9.8

The Old Downs Residential Care Centre has a Review Score of 9.8 (9.786) out of 10, based on 16 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time The Old Downs Residential Care Centre has 55 reviews.

Overall Experience
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Date Published
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Reviewer Connection to The Old Downs Residential Care Centre
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Total of 55, showing 41-55
Review from A B (Son of Resident) published on 3 October 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 3.0 out of 5
Our experience within the home is satisfactory. Our relative seems very happy on a daily basis. Concerns that we have had have been addressed in a timely fashion. Carers seem to treat residents with dignity and when issues have arisen we have been updated. The activity supervisor meets the needs and
capabilities of the residents.
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Review from T S (Daughter of Resident) published on 18 September 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
My mother has been a resident for a few years now and the standard of care has remained consistently excellent. The dedicated staff are supportive and communicate effectively with family members. I would not hesitate to recommend The Old Downs as a residential care centre that puts people first.
Reply from Caroline Cheeseman, Manager at The Old Downs Residential Care Centre

All the staff at The Old Downs work extremely hard to maintain dignity for our residents. Thank you for recognising this in the care that your mum receives.

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Review from Helen A (Daughter of Resident) published on 13 February 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My Dad is 89, with moderate but increasing dementia, and just about managing to remain in his own home with his wife, also in her late 80s. Dad has spent two separate weeks recently at Old Downs, to give his wife a short respite from his care needs.
I have visited Dad daily, at various times of the
day. On each occasion, I have been impressed with the wonderful level of care and attention he has received from all the staff. Every person has treated Dad with utmost respect and compassion, holding his hand, speaking gently with him and listening to him. This might be the lady with the tea trolley, any of the care/activities staff, whether in the lounges, the dining room, or at Reception. Dad has a sense of humour & he has clearly enjoyed the relaxed chit-chat with all the staff. Everybody knew Dad's name, and he was welcomed back on his repeat visit like a member of the family.
The staff are kind and gentle with Dad, giving him choices and suggestions to fill his time.
I am very grateful.
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Review from Sharron O (Daughter of Resident) published on 25 January 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
Very impressed with the care home. Staff give the residents dignity and respect. Food fab, never a problem to have lunch or dinner with relatives. Rooms clean and tidy, activities good and tries to engage members. Staff pleasant and facilities good.
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Review from Arthur H (Respite Resident) assisted by family/friend published on 21 September 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
If I had to go into care I would go there again to The Old Downs.
The food was good.
The staff were very, very pleasant.
I have no complaints.
The room with a view was absolutely perfect.
It was all better than expected.
Next time I'd like brown bread, please.
Reply from Caroline Cheeseman, Home Manager at The Old Downs Residential Care Centre

It is a joy to look after respite residents and we always look forward to them coming back again. Brown bread it is!

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Review from E T (Granddaughter of Resident) published on 14 August 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
As soon as we looked around this care home we knew it was the one for our granny. The love that the staff give to the residents is clear, nothing is too much trouble and they are always happy to be there. Our granny is so happy and contented in her new surroundings which is extremely important to us.
We would recommend this home to anyone who is struggling with putting their loved one in a home - you won't regret it.
Reply from Caroline Cheeseman, Home Manager at The Old Downs Residential Care Centre

This is a lovely testament to the way the staff care for all of our residents. Thank you.

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Review from Susan M (Daughter of Resident) published on 13 July 2017 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
All the staff could not be more hardworking, caring and supportive. I spend a fair amount of time away from home and in the past, I have felt anxious when leaving my father. I no longer worry about that, knowing Dad is being well cared for and I was extremely grateful to them recently when they e-mailed
me photos of dad enjoying an afternoon tea party for his birthday. When visiting, I am often shown photos of Dad participating in activities etc, which is lovely to see, knowing he is enjoying himself and is happy and content.
Reply from Caroline Cheeseman, Home Manager at The Old Downs Residential Care Centre

A lovely comment. Our staff all work really hard to ensure that residents are supported when family members are away. We encourage families to keep in touch if they want to. Our new phone system makes this a little easier now too.

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Review from Diane D (Daughter of Resident) published on 11 July 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
I would say that one of the most important things about a home of any sort is "the staff". The staff at The Old Downs are hard working, patient, caring and kind. The team in the kitchen are also hard working and create lovely nourishing meals, cakes and snacks. Management and entertainment team do their
best to create stimulating activities for all.
Reply from Caroline Cheeseman, Home Manager at The Old Downs Residential Care Centre

Thank you for the comment recognising the hard work and dedication of the staff here at The Old Downs. We are always looking for new ideas for activities.

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Review from Tricia G (Daughter of Resident) published on 28 June 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
I am in the most vulnerable situation imaginable living on the other side of the world. However, I feel blessed to know that my mum is being loved and cared for every day. I am always made to feel very welcome when I visit my mum in her home surrounded by professional carers and countless cups of tea!
Reply from Caroline Cheeseman, Home Manager at The Old Downs Residential Care Centre

At The Old Downs we understand how difficult it is living far away and we encourage continued communication to our residents via email and Skype/face time where possible and our kettle is never cold!

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Review from Eleanor G (Granddaughter of Resident) published on 21 June 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
I think the quality and variety of food that is prepared for the resident is outstanding (the taste is also good since I have sampled many just to be helpful). I think the activities have greatly improved in the past two years and the staff never fail to be supportive, friendly and caring.
Reply from Caroline Cheeseman, Home Manager at The Old Downs Residential Care Centre

What a lovely review, we are improving our service all the time with feedback from our residents and relatives.

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Review from R B (Son of Resident) published on 21 June 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
It's great to see the changes being made to the home, it looks so much brighter and more welcoming since the refurbishment started and it is really nice that the gardens are being smartened up too.
The staff in the home are fantastic, we can see how much they genuinely care for mum and just how hard
they work. It would be good if there was the facility to take on more staff so that they are not so overstretched with their workloads.
One thing we would like to see more of if at all possible, would be to have more frequent outings for the residents.
Overall, we are very pleased with the level of care.
Reply from Caroline Cheeseman, Home Manager at The Old Downs Residential Care Centre

It is lovely to hear that the improvements made recently are noticeable, we are arranging more outings to local places of interest. We also acknowledge how hard our dedicated staff work.

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Review from T B (Son of Resident) published on 19 June 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
My mother has been a resident for 17 months and has had excellent care from her first day. Her care has continually been of a very high standard and I have great confidence in all staff at all levels. I am regularly updated if there are any concerns as well as if my mother's health changes. The care
home has a very friendly atmosphere at all times with cheery faces. Residents are kept as active as allows, staff work hard to make sure all the resident's needs are met at all times. There are meetings for relatives/relations periodically. All in all, a good care home, and I am pleased to have been able to get my mother a place.
Reply from Caroline Cheeseman, Home Manager at The Old Downs Residential Care Centre

Thank you for your comment. I agree, we have a friendly home, our cheery faces are caused by our residents/relatives/visitors.

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Review from Eric P (Husband of Resident) published on 9 June 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
One would have to go a long way to find a home to come anywhere near the excellence of Old Downs.
Reply from Caroline Cheeseman, Home Manager at The Old Downs Residential Care Centre

Thank you for this lovely comment which mirrors the way that the team at The Old Downs feels about working here.

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Review from Clive R (Son of Resident) published on 30 March 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My mother lived at the Old Downs Residential Care Centre from January 2015 until her death in March 2017. We got a good impression of the home straight away and mum settled in immediately. It provided a warm caring, friendly atmosphere and we cannot speak too highly of the staff. They were warm, friendly
and caring and did everything they could to look after mum. They were magnificent in the final period when mum was on end of life care. A great big thank you to you all.
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Review from Nigel R (Son of Resident) published on 18 January 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I cannot fault the care and attention given to my mother over the time she spent at The Old Downs. The staff were at all times attentive treating their charges with care and dignity and the facilities excellent.


I would not hesitate to recommend this home for anyone in need of residential dementia

care.
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Current Review Score: 9.8 (9.786)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.8 (9.786) out of 10 for The Old Downs Residential Care Centre is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 4.8 out of 5 from 16 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 16 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Care Home is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 4.786 for The Old Downs Residential Care Centre is calculated as follows: ( (152 Excellents x 5) + (30 Goods x 4) + (5 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 187 Ratings = 4.786
  2. 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5'). The 5 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for The Old Downs Residential Care Centre is based on 16 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4
    2. 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the registered maximum number of service users in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Care Home registered for a maximum of 50 service users has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 41 registered maximum number of service users is 8.2, which has been reached with 16 Positive reviews. Points = 1
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Care Home does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Regulatory Rating

Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating

Date: 29 Jul 2024

Overall Good

  • Caring Good
  • Effective Good
  • Responsive Good
  • Safe Good
  • Well-led Good
Care Quality Commission is responsible for the registration and inspection of social care services in England. View Latest Report

Bed Vacancies

Please contact us for latest vacancies.

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Awards / Recognitions (5)

Meet the Team (1)

Nicoleta

Nicoleta Cristescu

Job Title: Joined: 2025

I am delighted to embrace my role as Home Manager at The Old Downs Residential Care Home. When I began my journey as a Nurse in 2014, I never could have imagined the incredible path it would take me on. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working in the Adult Social Care sector, with the past six years spent as Deputy Manager at one of Nellsar’s Nursing Homes –  Meyer House – in Erith.
 
I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, including completing my Level 5 in Management in Adult and Social Care and being honoured with the Queen's Nurse award in 2023. These milestones reflect my deep commitment to delivering high-quality care and continually striving to improve the experiences of our residents.
 
But even with the recognition, I have always believed that the true heart of care lies in the relationships we build with those we serve, and the team members who make that care possible.
 
This belief has guided me to an exciting new chapter at The Old Downs, a stunning, character-filled period building from 1887. From the moment I stepped into the Home, I felt its warmth and charm, and it immediately captured my heart. I experienced a sense of belonging not just in the building, but in the welcoming, family-like atmosphere fostered by our team members. It was this spirit that inspired me to take on this new challenge in a Residential Care setting.
 
While I’m no stranger to Nursing Homes, transitioning to The Old Downs feels like a fresh and exciting opportunity to build upon my experience. My goal is clear – to make The Old Downs the community's finest care provider, delivering exceptional living experiences for our residents while providing their loved ones with full peace of mind.
 
Our team at The Old Downs is truly something special. Every team member is dedicated to making a difference to the lives of our residents, and part of my role is to help keep that passion and commitment alive. Together, we can continue to improve our practices, adapt to new needs, and create a truly unique, nurturing environment for everyone here.
 
Ultimately, I want our residents to feel like part of a family and for their loved ones to know that their care is in the best hands possible. This is the heart of our mission – delivering care that goes above and beyond while focusing on each person’s individuality while upholding the values we hold dear.

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