Watford House

Knowing mum is so well looked after prior and during lockdown is a huge relief to me. I miss seeing her but know that the care given to her is first class. All the staff are caring and genuinely happy to be looking after these vulnerable people. The activities they do with the residents to keep them engaged are great, the memory board is such a great idea and helps them not to forget their families whilst they can't visit. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your care and keeping everyone safe.

This week is National Carers appreciation week and I would like to say a big Thank You to all the staff at Watford who have done an amazing job during this very difficult time due to Covid 19. Through their hard work and diligence, they have kept Watford covid free, they have done this on top of providing excellent care for the residents and have kept the families of residents informed all the time. Well done to everyone you should all be very proud of yourselves.

The team have taken good care of my mum since she became a resident here three years ago but their dedication, commitment and hard work since the Covid-19 pandemic began has been humbling and my family could not be more grateful for everything they are doing to keep our loved ones safe.

My mum has been a resident here for four years, firstly with my dad in a double room. My dad passed away about a year after they moved in. The staff have all been excellent, they have cared for her and reassured her during difficult, upsetting times for her on her own. The staff are truly caring, we visit every week and witness how kind all residents (and their families) are treated. The food is lovely, all cooked from scratch. We certainly feel my mum is in a safe environment. Thank you, everyone.

My father, who has Alzheimer's and is confined to a wheelchair, has been at Watford House for the last 14 months and is very well cared for by the staff there who do an amazing job (it really does take a special type of person to do this work). I do think, however, they've been understaffed at times but I believe this issue is being addressed. Watford House is well managed, by the manageress who is friendly, approachable and knowledgeable and will always take time to speak to us if we have any questions. If we have any requests or concerns, she will do her uppermost to deal with these without delay and/or liaise with the appropriate health care professionals on our behalf. A number of cosmetic improvements recently made to the communal areas has given the place a much fresher, brighter feel. The food at Watford House is very good.

I had to remove my parent from this care home due to a number of negative experiences and far too many issues. While some aspects of the home were good (i.e. the food is of good quality and a few carers are actually caring), overall the service is not as good as the specialist nature being advertised, in my opinion. For anyone considering a placement here I absolutely advise you to do plenty of research. Things are not always as they seem and you must trust the findings of the latest CQC report and ensure you do multiple inspections. Talk to the residents and their families, wander around the home and get a sense of the place. Ask for their complaints statistics, not just for the past month but for the past year or more. If you do decide to place a relative here, please be vigilant and monitor your relatives at all times. Keep your eyes and ears open - don't assume anything. I am now so grateful to have found a wonderful and truly dementia specialist care home for my parent.

My Auntie has spent just short of a year in this care home. The best thing we did for her was to move her to a different care home. The things we have seen and had to go through was awful. I would not recommend that anyone puts their loved ones in here.