Westdale Care Home

As a not for profit care home based on quaker values, it is a true gem in Notts. It's their 60th Birthday in March - here's to another 60years!

Mum called in distress on a January Monday and asked what a care home could offer her. We researched homes and shortlisted two very different options. I told Mum and she chose Westdale, it sounded like her own home, comfortable, home cooked food, lovely garden and places to sit in the sun. She moved in on the Friday for respite until she decided further. The home proved everything she expected, wanted and so much more. The rooms always comfortable and very clean, the food not too fancy, varied and freshly prepared, the garden and community rooms perfect and the daily activities have something for everyone. The staff are all brilliant, patient, friendly, encouraging, challenging to the right degree and, so, so caring, not just for Mum but for us as well. Mum's distress quickly evaporated, Westdale helped her to make huge progress physically and mentally to the point where she felt capable of returning home, but with the sure knowledge that Westdale is a safe and comfortable safety net.

Very caring, lovely environment. Good value for money. Run on Quaker principles. Stable staff team. A small enterprise so feels people-friendly. The manager is approachable and responsive. Very happy with the level of service provided. I always recommend it to friends. My friend has lived here for three years. LGBTQ+ friendly.

My mother has been at Westdale for just over a year. Our visit to her today reminded me - of what I've come to take for granted - that Westdale is quite an extraordinary place. For a start, it simply doesn't feel like a 'care home'. With only 16 residents in a big spacious old house, it feels more like a 'real home' than any care home I've ever encountered - everyone treated as total individuals, everyone able to have as much independence as they're up for, and such a good vibe, a real community among the residents. Just today my husband and I have sat in the conservatory drinking tea with my mum and 8 or 9 other residents, all sitting round together. So many characters there! We listened, and we laughed and heard people's stories. Quieter folk like my mum get drawn in simply by being there.

I've wondered what the secret is! I think it's the staff. They show such kindness, sensitivity and good humour. Many have been there for decades. I feel extremely grateful to them.

The charges are very reasonable. Thank you to all at Westdale.

I also help with the running of the regular tuck shop at Westdale, which has become a legend in itself - and another valuable interaction for the residents.

Westdale owns and manages the retirement flats adjacent, one of which my mother lives in. The care home manager has helped my mum out on many previous occasions that have been appreciated by my wider family. One notable and prominent occasion was during May 2022 when the kitchen and bathroom of my mother's flat was fully renovated. He ensured that Westdale provided a warm, clean bedroom for almost two weeks during the periods when her flat could not be habitable including providing her with meals and a safe environment for her to stay in. I know for sure all the Westdale staff went to great lengths to make my mother incredibly welcome and looked after for that duration, and for that, myself and my family were eternally grateful. From the evidence I have witnessed myself, Westdale provides a first-class environment for its elderly residents, and my hope is that given my mother is now 92, she may have the opportunity to herself move in as a resident in the near future.

When she first came to Westdale more than a year ago, my godmother felt she had joined one big happy family and she still feels this way. Nothing is too much trouble for the amazing and immensely caring staff and volunteers. There are activities on offer each day and trips out in the local area in the minibus. This is a truly caring home in a beautiful old but adapted building with a gorgeous well looked after garden. Westdale offers exceptional care for a very reasonable cost. My godmother feels very lucky to live here.

It offers tremendous consistency of care with remarkably long-serving, patient staff who are dedicated to providing residents with all aspects of their care needs. Staff show courtesy, kindness and good humour in the varied situations they encounter. They deliver effective, professional care, also ensuring the atmosphere remains homely, built on good and lasting relationships and avoids feeling like an institution. It combines sufficient opportunities to socialise with respect for personal privacy. It provides good, comforting and not unnecessarily sophisticated food. Its residents enjoy an atmosphere as close to life in a private setting as possible, whilst providing the care and support they need. The home's open-door policy allows maximum visiting opportunities for family and friends and also provides residents with a variety of opportunities to continue to engage with the wider world.

In my view, the home represents outstanding value for money.

In all honesty... it is the best home we've seen/been to... in its cleanliness, quality of care and attention, and general running of the home are impeccable. I cannot fault it. Big thank you for all of the above; it gives us 'younger folk' hope for the future.

We were lucky enough to have our mother in Westdale during the first lockdown. Westdale certainly is a unique home offering residents independence and respect whilst providing the care the user requests and where applicable needs. As a family we cannot thank the kind, caring, vivacious staff at Westdale for the kindness and tenderness shown to our mother as her health deteriorated.