We had no hesitation in placing Dad in Hickathrift's capable handsAnthony M(Son of Resident/Service User)
I cannot speak too highly of all the members of staff at Hickathrift.Jane B(Respite Resident/Service User)
We had no hesitation in placing Dad in Hickathrift's capable handsAnthony M(Son of Resident/Service User)
I cannot speak too highly of all the members of staff at Hickathrift.Jane B(Respite Resident/Service User)
Hickathrift House is a purpose-built Care Home set in the village of Marshland St James - situated between Wisbech and Kings Lynn. It is approximately 30 minutes from Sandringham, 40 minutes from Hunstanton and the home specialises in providing Residential Care, Dementia Care and Pre-bookable respite stays for older individuals.
Communities at Hickathrift House are smaller with a family feel so residents' feel safe and comfortable. Care is focused on independence,...
Care Provided by Barchester Hickathrift House
Primary Care Categories
- Older Person Care
- Dementia
Length of Stay
- Permanent Care
- Respite Care
Care Types Provided
- Residential Care
- Dementia Residential Care
- For a maximum of 54 Service Users
Dementia Care Types Mild Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "mild dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Memory problems such as misplacing items and not be able to recall recent events (however, in some forms of dementia a person's memory may be unchanged)
- Difficulties thinking through problems and planning, making decisions
- Language and communication issues such as finding it difficult to recall the appropriate word in a conversation or following a conversation
- Poor orientation, getting lost in areas previously familiar to them
- Difficulty judging distances (more falls than usual)
- Changes in their normal mood including anxiety and depression
- In certain types of dementia, personality and behaviour changes may be present alongside or instead of issues with memory or concentration.
Moderate Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "moderate dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Worsened memory problems. Not always recognising own family members and friends. Repeating the same questions over and over again
- Worsened language and communication issues, forgetting what they are saying mid-sentence. Not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- More frequent confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Advanced Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "severe dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Severe memory problems. Not recognising family members and friends. Not being able to recall their own name
- Severe language and communication issues, not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- Severe confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Verbally or physically aggressive behaviour
If your loved one displays this type of behaviour you may need a care home that has specially trained staff. Verbal/physical aggression is often defined:
- Consistent shouting and screaming
- Verbal abuse
- Physical abuse
How we define Dementia Care Types
Mild Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "mild dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Memory problems such as misplacing items and not be able to recall recent events (however, in some forms of dementia a person's memory may be unchanged)
- Difficulties thinking through problems and planning, making decisions
- Language and communication issues such as finding it difficult to recall the appropriate word in a conversation or following a conversation
- Poor orientation, getting lost in areas previously familiar to them
- Difficulty judging distances (more falls than usual)
- Changes in their normal mood including anxiety and depression
- In certain types of dementia, personality and behaviour changes may be present alongside or instead of issues with memory or concentration.
Moderate Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "moderate dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Worsened memory problems. Not always recognising own family members and friends. Repeating the same questions over and over again
- Worsened language and communication issues, forgetting what they are saying mid-sentence. Not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- More frequent confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Advanced Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "severe dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Severe memory problems. Not recognising family members and friends. Not being able to recall their own name
- Severe language and communication issues, not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- Severe confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Verbally or physically aggressive behaviour
If your loved one displays this type of behaviour you may need a care home that has specially trained staff. Verbal/physical aggression is often defined:
- Consistent shouting and screaming
- Verbal abuse
- Physical abuse
How we define Dementia Care Types
- Mild Dementia
- Moderate Dementia
Other Care Provided
- Palliative / End of Life Care
- COPD/Pulmonary Disease
- Convalescent Care
Facilities
- Own Furniture if required
- Smoking not permitted
- Minibus or other transport
- Lift
- Wheelchair Access
- Gardens
- Bar/Café
- Residents Kitchenette
- Phone Point in own room
- Television point in own room
- Residents Internet Access
Funding & Fees
Weekly Charges per Person
Barchester Hickathrift House £1,350.00 This Weekly Fee rate is an indication only of a typical standard fee rate for a resident living in a standard, comfortable room. A final Weekly Fee rate will be confirmed once we have carried out a pre-admission needs assessment.
Contact Barchester Hickathrift House to confirm what's included and get a personalised quote:
Funding Types Accepted
- Self-Funding (Private)
- Local Authority with Top-up
- Local Authority
-
NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC)
Good to Know
Group / Owner
- Barchester Healthcare Ltd
- Private Owned
Person in charge
- Paula Melerski (General Manager)
Local Authority / Social Services
Admission Information
- Ages 50+
Care Home Design/Build
- Purpose Built: No
- Last Refurbishment: 2019
Room Information
- Single Rooms (54)
- Single Rooms with ensuite Wet Room (13)
Visiting
- Please feel free to visit Hickathrift House anytime - the door is always open! Visitors are more than welcome to come along to the life enrichment programme of activities and join their loved ones as they participate too! Please do talk to the Activities Coordinators if wishing to join in on excursions on the home's Mini Bus and they will be happy to discuss this further.
Parking
- When pulling into the home driveway - please follow the drive round to the right to find the standard parking spaces. Disabled parking is also available - please follow the drive round to the left into the Courtyard where visitors can park closer to the home entrance.
Barchester Hickathrift House Reviews (120)
Barchester Hickathrift House has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.889) out of 10, based on 20 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Barchester Hickathrift House has 120 reviews.
We all had a fun afternoon doing this activity and have a lovely keepsake of the handprints. A huge thank you to Hickathrift and all the staff for organising this for us, they made this very special.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us this review and your kind words which I will cascade to the whole team. I am so pleased you are happy with your keepsake.
A group of us called at Barchester Hickathrift House to visit a very dear friend who is now in your permanent care. We were treated like royalty with the most marvellous "afternoon tea" in the morning, which would have been a credit to any top London hotel! Your staff are absolutely wonderful, totally dedicated and caring. We were all extremely impressed and delighted that our friend is residing in such wonderful, loving and caring surroundings.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this review and for your kind words which I will cascade to the whole team. I am so pleased your visit to our home was a positive experience.
The home made us feel so welcome. They laid on tea, coffee, cakes and made up a table in a private area for us.
A lovely visit and the staff were excellent and went that extra mile to make it so special for us.
Thank you for your review. We value all feedback as this helps us to improve our service where required. Thank you also for your positive comments regarding our home and team who work hard to deliver high standards of quality care at all times. I will pass on your feedback to the team.
I'd like to thank you for organising my father's reward celebration for 55 years of service for an international service organization. My father really enjoyed the event as did his fellow Lions. Your compassion and the delicious cakes were very much appreciated. Thank you for the care you and the wonderful team at the care home provide for my father. Thank you from the family.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us this review and your kind words which I will cascade to the whole team. I am so pleased that you all enjoyed your father's celebration which we hosted at the home. It is a pleasure caring for your father at Hickathrift.
My dear neighbour was in this home for six weeks for restbite. I found the home very friendly nothing was too much bother for any staff any requests were dealt with quickly. My neighbour did so many activities.. bingo puzzles Scrabble drawing baking garden and many trips out to the pub, cinema and garden centre. Was amazing all the activities they did along with sing-alongs. Irish band. Music group day. The list goes on. He enjoyed his stay.
Thank you for your review. We value all feedback as this helps us to improve our service where required. Thank you also for your positive comments regarding our home and team, who work hard to deliver high standards of quality care at all times. I will pass on your feedback to the team.
Booked in my mother for 2 weeks respite care, since returning, she has been very positive about the experience. A highlight for her was the trip into a local town, and she was enthusiastic about the activities in general. She also had high praise for the staff and the cleanliness of the home, and she felt happy and secure in her room. I would have no hesitation in booking her for further respite care, and possibly in the longer term.
Thank you for your time in leaving us a review, I am so pleased your mother had a positive experience with us. Also thank you for your kind words which I will feedback to team Hickathrift. It was our pleasure caring for your mum during her stay and please don't hesitate to contact us if we can support in the future.
We recently visited for my mum's birthday. The home had decorated a room for us to all have lunch together, laid the table, put on music, and served us lunch. They couldn't have done more to make it special. We also brought in our dog to see her and stayed for the quiz to make a great afternoon.
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review and for your kind words, we are very proud of our life enrichment team and all the care staff who support us. I will cascade your positive feedback to the whole team. I am so pleased your day was so special. Thank you again
Everyone is included and encouraged to enjoy the entertainment provided.
The opportunity to have lunch with their loved ones on Christmas Day was, although I was not able to take part, a very thoughtful addition to the good time that residents had through the festive period.
Well done to all the staff who were there to make things run very smoothly.
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review and for your kind words, we are very proud of our life enrichment team and all the care staff who support us. I will cascade your positive feedback to the whole team. Thank you again.
Every member of staff truly cares about the well-being of their residents and families.
The home is always beautifully clean and bright and my father was bathed and dressed always with compassion and care. He hated to be unclean and that never happened. I cannot thank everyone enough.
It was our pleasure caring for your dad at Hickathrift House and he will be dearly missed.
100% professional care, 100% compassion to the residents.
A million thanks, bless you all.
Thinking of you all.
As usual I get a friendly welcome and an update on my aunt. Living some distance away it is not always easy to visit as regularly as I would like but I rest easy in knowing that my aunt is receiving the best care. She is not the easiest person to deal with but her carers are always upbeat and couldn't manage her care better. They try to include her in activities wherever possible. Everyone works hard to make her as comfortable as possible. Very many thanks to all.
Thank you for your review. We value all feedback as this helps us to improve our service where required. Thank you also for your positive comments regarding our home and team who work hard to deliver high standards of quality care at all times. I will pass on your feedback to the team.
My stay at Barchester Hickathrift House was very satisfactory. The staff was caring and nothing was too much trouble for them. Food was lovely and chef always offered an alternative. I particularly enjoyed the day out at the zoo.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review and your positive feedback which I will cascade to all the team. We hope to welcome you in the future for another respite stay at Hickathrift.
We applaud how hard you all work in all departments and behind the scenes that results in the team working closely together providing a five-star service, well done to you all.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review and your kind words which I will cascade to the whole team. I am so pleased your dad enjoyed his respite stay with us at Hickathrift and don't hesitate to contact us if we can support in the future.
Grandad seems happy and I am pleased to hear of all activities he has been included in, especially when he got to go back fishing and family events. All the staff are very friendly and the food looks very good. Only thing I would say is the room could do with an upgrade.
Thank you for your positive comments regarding our home and team, who work hard to deliver high standards of quality care at all times. I will pass on your feedback to the team.
Lovely welcome on arrival. The food for the BBQ was exceptional. Beautifully presented and tasted even better. The entertainment was so good. Great voices and interaction with the residents. Even the weather held out. Overall, it was a brilliant afternoon.
Thank you also for your positive comments regarding our home and team, who work hard to deliver high standards of quality care at all times. I will pass on your feedback to the team.
I have been coming most weekends to visit my grandad as he has recently come to Hickathrift. Very impressed at the amount of activities and support he receives every day. The food choices are always different and delicious, having been invited to a roast dinner in June. Every carer I have met has always been happy and chatty. It's nice to see a smile back on my grandad's face. Thanks to all the staff at Hickathrift - keep up the great work.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review. Feedback is always very much appreciated, and your kind words will cascade to the whole team. It is a pleasure to create these events for you and your grandad to enjoy together.
Had a lovely afternoon at the Hickathtift family and friends BBQ. The food was lovely, good choice, and the entertainment was good. Lovely to see the residents happy and joining in.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review. Feedback is always very much appreciated, and your kind words will cascade to the whole team. It is really a pleasure to create these events for the whole family to enjoy, and thank you for attending.
Dad always looks clean and tidy.
Dayroom is always clean and happy atmosphere.
On the whole a very good care home, and I am pleased Dad seems happy and content here.
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review and for your kind words. I will feed them back to the team. It is our pleasure caring for Dad here at Hickathrift.
Having been a resident now for 2 years and since the new year as the Resident Ambassador I have learnt a considerable amount about the way care homes are run. I feel that the home I am in is managed superbly and most of all the resident's needs are catered for. One example of this was on our Father's Day lunch when resident families were invited to lunch with their family residents. The activity team decorated the dining room and after a truly splendid meal organised the entertainment that followed guests were invited to stay and a wonderful time was had by all.
Thank you for your lovely review. We value all feedback as this helps us to improve our service where required. I will be sure to pass on your positive feedback to the team who go above and beyond to provide excellent care and support to our residents.
My mum and dad are both at Hickathrift House and I visited them for Father's Day. It was a lovely occasion as we sat in the restaurant area with them and after there was a duo playing music. It was so wonderful to see everyone singing along and dancing. This is the first time I had attended a function and it was extremely well organised. It was wonderful to spend quality time with my parents in lovely surroundings and see them so happy. Thank you.
Thank you for your review. We value all feedback as this helps us to improve our service where required. Thank you also for your positive comments regarding our home and team, who work hard to deliver high standards of quality care at all times. I will pass on your feedback to the team.
Regulatory Rating
Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating
Date: 21 May 2019Good
- Caring Good
- Effective Good
- Responsive Good
- Safe Good
- Well-led Good
Inspection ratings
We rate most services according to how safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led they are, using four levels:
- Outstanding - The service is performing exceptionally well.
- Good - The service is performing well and meeting our expectations.
- Requires Improvement - The service isn't performing as well as it should and we have told the service how it must improve.
- Inadequate - The service is performing badly and we've taken action against the person or organisation that runs it.
- Not rated - we have not yet rated this area of the service, this is normally because the assessments we have carried out have been focused on other key questions.
Bed Vacancies
Please contact us for latest vacancies.
News (63) & Events (3)
- 22 Jun 2026
Residents at Hickathrift House Care Home in Marshland St James, Wisbech enjoyed a spectacular party where the men were treated as Kings in celebration of Father’s Day on June 21st....
- 29 May 2026
Staff at Hickathrift House Care Home in Marshland St. James, Wisbech are being joined by PC Nigel – Fraud & Cyber Security Advisor on Wednesday 17th June at 10.30am. The...
- 15 May 2026
After a lifetime of working in care before finishing her career at Hickathrift House in Marshland St James, Wisbech, much-loved Senior Care Assistant, Marilyn Oliver has decided to retire. Staff...
- 29 Jul 2026Organiser: Barchester Hickathrift House
- 30 Jul 2026Organiser: Barchester Hickathrift House
- 21 Aug 2026Organiser: Barchester Hickathrift House
Awards / Recognitions (30)
- 09 Jun 2026Recipient: Barchester Healthcare Ltd
- 09 Jun 2026Recipient: Barchester Healthcare Ltd
- 15 Apr 2026Recipient: Barchester Healthcare Ltd
Meet the Team (13)
Hello, my name is Paula and I am proud to be General Manager at Hickathrift House. I joined Barchester in 2015 and my background is actually in Nursing.
As an experienced home manager, I fully understand how difficult the transition into new surroundings can be. My highly qualified team and I are committed to fully supporting you and your family throughout this journey and always.
I am passionate about our residents being safe, making them happy and enabling them to lead fully enriched lives whilst constantly receiving the highest quality of care.
One thing that I feel is really important is offering residents a lot of personal choices and as Hickathrift House is their home they have the right to choose what goes on here!
I am hands-on in my role, I like to spend as much time as possible with the people that we care for and I also really enjoy getting to know our residents' families and providing them with support when they need it.
Our team here at Hickathrift House are dedicated to guaranteeing that all of our residents are treated with dignity, respect and attention - thus in turn enabling them to celebrate life in their new Barchester home which I feel exceptionally privileged to be a part of.
I look forward to welcoming you to Hickathrift House very soon!
Hello, my name is Sarah, and I am Deputy Manager at Hickathrift House.
I started my role at Hickathrift as a night carer in 2011, and have worked my way up through the roles since this time, such as senior carer, Night Manager and now Deputy Manager at the end of November 2022.
I am very passionate about my job and love to know that every day I come into work, I try my best to positively impact the residents' well-being. Knowing that even the smallest of things, such as a quick hello or a smile, can improve their day greatly, as well as mine. I am enjoying getting to know the families and friends which working 11 years on nights you can miss.
I am extremely dedicated to ensuring the best for all of our residents in all aspects of their care, and with the excellent support from all of the staff here at Hickathrift, it doesn’t feel like a job at all.
Hello, my name is Tracey Hills and I have been part of the Administration team here at Hickathrift House for 12 years. I enjoy helping people and advising them where I can.
I have been part of the team at Hickathrift House for 26 years covering different job roles including Deputy Manager. I would like to think that I am a friendly and approachable person and look forward to meeting you when you visit our home very soon!
Hello, my name is Kanita Oakey-Kierman and I have been part of the Administration Team here at Hickathrift House for the past 12 years.
I have worked at Hickathrift for over 27 years. During this time, I have been a Care Assistant and Senior Care Assistant - once I had my children, I changed to the Administration role which I really do enjoy.
I am here to ensure that our residents and their families are fully supported and it is a real pleasure to meet and greet all of the visitors and guests to our lovely home.
Having been at Hickathrift House for such a long time, I feel very attached to it and all of the home's community friends that have been made over the years too!
Hello, my name is Kat and I am the Activities Lead at Hickathrift House.
Since 2017, I have been working in the field of well-being and I am passionate and enthusiastic about enriching all of our residents' quality of life.
As the Activities Lead at Hickathrift House, my focus is learning about each of our resident's likes and dislikes and supporting them to remain receptive and active in addition to supporting them to engage with our local community friends.
I organise activities to stimulate the mind, body and soul in an enjoyable, comfortable way. My aim is to diversify and increase activities ensuring that there is something for everyone - from Wine and Cheese events, excursions on our home Mini Bus as well as individual bespoke person-centred activities.
Charley has been a much-valued member of the Hickathrift family since joining the home in 2024.
She loves to make our residents smile and takes so much enjoyment in helping them to share and enjoy new experiences.
Away from home, Charley loves to spend time with her friends and family and play Sudoku.
Hello, my name is Gerry and I joined the team here at Hickathrift House in 2012.
I started as the Gardener and have always assisted with maintaining the home - becoming the Head of Maintenance here in 2022.
I am responsible for all aspects of our home maintenance and Health and Safety at Hickathrift House whilst ensuring our residents' home is just how they want them.
Kelly has been a part of the Hickathrift community since 2023 and is proud to be our homes' Head of Unit on Memory Lane.
She speaks warmly about how much she loves to make a difference to those living with dementia and their loved ones, how much she adores her role and how the home is like a family.
When Kelly is away from home, she loves to explore the great outdoors, going travelling, making precious memories with her family and watching horror films.
Hello, my name is Kerry Ann and I am I the Head of our Residential Community here at Hickathrift House.
I joined Hickathrift House in 2018 as a Senior Care Assistant and then became the Head of the community in 2020.
During my career, I have gained my NVQ 2 and 3 in Health and Social care for adults and firmly believe the care I give to our residents should be the same as if they were my own family.
I like to make myself approachable to all our staff, residents, and their families. There really is no place I would rather be and I love working alongside the team here at Hickathrift House.
Julie is a long-standing and much-valued member of the team, having been a part of the Hickathrift family since 2014.
She is incredibly passionate about making a positive difference in our residents' lives and often volunteers to join trips out.
Away from home, Julie loves to knit; this is a hobby and a passion she has transferred into the home, often joining in with the knitting activities taking place.
Lindsey joined the Hickathrift family in Spring 2026 as a Care Assistant. She considers it a privilege to work with seniors and believes that care is her true calling.
For Lindsey, making a difference means engaging in meaningful conversations and providing support to those who need it most. When she isn't at work, she cherishes spending precious time with her family.
Hello, my name is Barrie, I moved into Hickathrift House in 2021 and have a great relationship with the staff and residents here. I became the resident advocate for Hickathrift House in March 2022.
I like to help residents express their views and be a friendly ear when they need it. Should there be any areas of our life here that anyone would like to discuss or suggest, such as nutrition, activities or cleanliness, please contact me and I shall bring it to your attention at the next Residents' Meeting?
Hello, my name is Ann and I am the home Hairdresser here at Hickathrift House.
I am a fully qualified local hairdresser with years of experience in salon and mobile hairdressing.
I fully understand the varied needs of individual residents and know the importance of how the trip to the salon can make someone feel. Whether it is a Trim, Perm or Blow-Dry, I am in the home salon every Thursday and look very much forward to meeting you!
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