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- Watlington & District Residential and Nursing Home

It's like being part of a familyPamela B(Resident / Service User)

Excellent food with a good choice on the menuDiana B(Resident / Service User)


It's like being part of a familyPamela B(Resident / Service User)

Excellent food with a good choice on the menuDiana B(Resident / Service User)


Watlington is a stunning home in a rural village, with spectacular gardens overlooking the Chiltern Hills. But it’s the outstanding CQC rated team (April 2019) and the care they provide which makes it special.
So many of the team, who provide residential, dementia, nursing, palliative and pre-bookable respite care, have been at Watlington for over 10 years.
They are passionate about getting to know who their residents are as unique...
Care Provided by Watlington & District Residential and Nursing Home
Primary Care Categories
- Older Person Care
- Dementia
- Mental Health Condition
- Physical Disability
- Visual / Hearing Impairment
Length of Stay
- Permanent Care
- Respite Care
Care Types Provided
- Residential Care
- Nursing Care
- Dementia Residential Care
- Dementia Nursing Care
- For a maximum of 60 Service Users
Dementia Care TypesMild 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
- Advanced/Complex Dementia
Facilities
- Lift
- Phone Point in own room
- Television point in own room
Funding & Fees
Weekly Charges per Person
Our weekly fees are individual to each of our residents and are subject to a pre-admission assessment, which is required to understand the level of care and support needed. Our 2026 weekly care fees for residential care start from £1554 and for nursing care £2156, but may be in the region of 30% more*. This depends on your care needs and the type of bedroom that is right for you, from our standard rooms through to our premium bedroom options.
*If you require more specialist care such as 1-2-1 support, your weekly fee could be higher.
The price(s) shown are provided by the care home. Contact Watlington & District Residential and Nursing Home for full pricing details and T&Cs.
Contact Watlington & District Residential and Nursing Home 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)
Support you may be entitled to
- If you chose a care home based in England, you may be eligible for NHS Funded Nursing Care (FNC), which helps cover the cost of nursing. This is worth £267.68 per week and is usually paid directly to the care home.
Good to Know
Group / Owner
- Sanctuary Care Ltd
- Voluntary / Not for Profit Owned
Person in charge
- Julie Cooper(Manager)
Local Authority / Social Services
Admission Information
- Ages 65+
Care Home Design/Build
- Purpose Built: Yes
Room Information
- Single Rooms (60)
Watlington & District Residential and Nursing Home Reviews (159)
Watlington & District Residential and Nursing Home has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.925) out of 10, based on 47 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Watlington & District Residential and Nursing Home has 159 reviews.
The staff are always so welcoming and friendly when we come to visit and know my husband so well. We couldn't ask for him to be anywhere better.
All very good.
My husband has been a resident for the past eighteen months, it was very hard for me to let my husband be cared for at a nursing home, as I looked after him myself for five years before he was taken into care. I have been very happy with his care and have been informed of everything that has been done for him. My husband is always very happy when I come to see him and has very caring staff looking after him.
Mum is being very well looked after. The nurses and care staff are very attentive and have ensured that Mum's stay is as pleasant as it can be and have dealt with her advanced vascular dementia with care and compassion.
My mother has been a resident in Watlington for ten years. Throughout that time the love and care shown to her have been exceptional. Nothing is too much trouble, the staff are amazing. The manager always has time, with a kind word always ready! A great manager and team leader.
The care home is very easy to access with plenty of parking. Having the Covid test was easy and done well by the staff. All staff were polite and made mum feel at ease. The room was light and very clean, with a nice view of the garden. Overall, we are very happy with the care.
Thank you for your review - your kind words are so appreciated. We really are proud of the care we provide, and of course our beautiful gardens! Best wishes.
Our mum has received fantastic care at Watlington. The staff are very gentle and caring with her and we know that she is being properly looked after. She has a lovely room that she can call home and we are always welcomed when we come to visit.
Thank you so much for taking the time to review our home, and for your kind words. It's wonderful to hear how welcome you feel when you come to visit mum.
I completed this review with dad, who at times is pleased with his care, and feels that some of the care is good and not so good. As next of kin, to my father I find all the staff, both qualified and support staff to be very caring and treat dad with dignity, respect and compassion.
Thank you so much for taking the time to review our home. We really appreciate your and your father's feedback about our team and the care we provide.
The care home has improved my mother-in-law's condition. She is no longer in pain and seems to feel secure and at ease. After a trying year with Covid the staff helped us to have a home visit. Thank you
The team of nurses and carers look after my mother exceptionally well and show real kindness and respect. The home is well run and fully deserve the "outstanding" CQC rating. The home is purpose-built and well laid out. The gardens are inviting and carefully tended. I am very happy to recommend this home to others.
My husband has settled in well. The staff are very good even when he is being 'awkward'.
My mum seems very happy here. Although she can no longer communicate very well she always seems very settled and jolly and secure.
I cannot speak highly enough of the care and nursing that my mother is receiving. The staff are without exception compassionate, professional and kind. My mother is treated with great consideration, dignity, and gentle good humour. Absolutely outstanding!
The staff at Watlington & District Nursing Home have coped very well during the pandemic and despite various levels of lockdown, have managed to keep me in contact with my mother. They have kept me well informed regarding her health. I really only have praise for all of them and the hard work and dedication they have shown throughout the time she has lived at the home.
I am extremely happy with the care my father is receiving. I get regular updates from staff which leaves me reassured. I know he is safe and happy.
I would like to thank all the staff and management for making arrangements to celebrate my mother's 100th birthday Covid safely and delightfully! It was indeed a very special occasion in challenging circumstances, but the staff rose to the occasion and beyond in their preparations of a wonderfully decorated room, full of balloons, flowers, cake, not to mention a sash and tiara for my mother! A special accolade to three particular members of staff! Outstanding. Thank you.
My father was treated with the utmost respect and dignity and with great kindness whilst he was a resident at Sanctuary Care in Watlington. The staff, led by the manager, were phenomenal - professional, hardworking, kind and extremely loyal to their place of work. I cannot thank them enough for all their hard work, especially during this past, unbelievably challenging, year. They greeted us, like visiting family members, with such warmth and we always were made to feel so welcome. Thank you all.
Thank you for such kind words - they are so appreciated by our team. Best wishes, Fae.
I have been so impressed with the standard of care at the Watlington and District Care Home. The team are incredibly kind, generous and patient. The manager is an excellent leader who seems to have a fantastic balance of people management, effectiveness and compassion. They have navigated through an immensely difficult year during COVID, without losing the gentle spirit which makes such a difference to residents and indeed their families.
Thank you for such a wonderful review for our home - it is so appreciated by the team at Watlington. Best wishes.
We are very happy with the provision of care. The home has done everything in their power to cope with the COVID19 crisis and everybody seems to work very happily together.
Thank you for taking the time to review our home and for your kind words - the team will really appreciate it. Best wishes, Fae.
Watlington Sanctuary Care is a wonderful care home that we really feel like has now become our mother's home and the staff there have become like hew new family. The warmth of the staff was evident from the first day we visited and in the year our mother has been resident, we have felt relieved and reassured to have found a place that we know look after her needs so well. Thank you.
Thank you for such lovely feedback; it is much appreciated. Best wishes.
Regulatory Rating
Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating
Date: 19 April 2019Outstanding
- CaringGood
- EffectiveGood
- ResponsiveOutstanding
- SafeGood
- Well-ledOutstanding
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 (4) & Events (0)
- 27 Jul 2026
We're incredibly proud to share that we've been recognised in the Lottie Awards 2026, receiving not one but two outstanding accolades: Top 100 Care Home Top 10 for Outdoor Space...
- 21 Apr 2026
93-year-old resident at Sanctuary Care’s Watlington & District Residential and Nursing Home has joyfully celebrated a milestone in his faith, proving that you can achieve your dreams at any age....
- 03 Feb 2026
It was the red-carpet treatment for our team at Watlington in Oxfordshire, recently, when they scooped victory at the prestigious Caring UK Awards 2025. Watlington and District Residential and Nursing...
There are no upcoming events for Watlington & District Residential and Nursing Home.
Awards / Recognitions (9)
- 30 Jan 2026Recipient: Sanctuary Care Ltd
- 31 Jan 2025Recipient: Sanctuary Care Ltd
- 31 Jan 2024Recipient: Sanctuary Care Ltd
Meet the Team (7)

Julie has worked at Watlington and District Nursing Home for nearly two decades, proudly leading her devoted team to their CQC 'Outstanding' rating in 2019.
Julie has a very loyal and long-serving team, who are passionate about enriching the lives of their residents each and every day.

Samantha has been working as a care assistant since 2020 and loves making her residents smile.

After working with us at Watlington since 2022, it now feels like home for our registered nurse Quenie.

Leila loves helping people and has been our administrator for over a decade at Watlington.

Maggie has nearly worked at Watlington for an amazing 20 years and loves the family feel to the home.

Hassa has worked with us since 2022 and really enjoys caring for our residents. She says Watlington is a lovely home to work and live in.

Marion has also worked at Watlington for nearly two decades. She says Watlington is such a happy place to be, and her residents and fellow colleagues are just the best.
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