Barchester Cherry Trees Care Home

My dad has been up on Memory Lane at Cherry Trees for just over a year, having been moved from a care home in Cornwall. Getting the council to agree that he should be near his family proved to be far more challenging than we ever imagined, but the manager was available to support us at the many multi-disciplinary meetings that it took to get this done. We were told that his behaviour was too challenging for Cherry Trees to cope with and that the journey alone, would shorten his life. I am pleased to say that not only he is still with us, but he is thriving, as much as he can with advanced dementia, under their exemplary care. There have been no issues with any challenging behaviour, and as a non-clinical end-of-life care trainer myself, I know what great care looks like. Cherry Trees is it. There are activities every day, and the team does their absolute best for the residents and their families. I am always made to feel like I am part of the Cherry Trees team every time I go.

Cherry Trees is an excellent care home, and the staff are always very caring. Everyone is always helpful and friendly, from the manager, carers, activities and housekeeping; they all do so much for the residents and go above and beyond.

My husband spent just two weeks respite at Cherry Trees and came home with serious pressure sores. He had no sign of pressure sores anywhere on his body as a body check was carried out at home prior to admission. A district nurse and his carers at home can testify to that. No one from the home contacted me during his stay to say that there was a problem at any time. Nearly three months later the heels are still being treated and have yet to heal. I have contacted the home and Barchester head office several times and have been fobbed off, I have never received an explanation let alone an apology.

We arranged an outside visit for three adults and one child, aware that this would mean the use of a 'pod' in the event of poor weather. On arrival (we were prompt), staff did not seem to be aware that a visit was booked (this has been a feature of most of our visits) and it was several minutes before the bell was answered. We were then advised that an external pod was now in use for such visits. On arrival at this pod, we found the power was not connected. It has no external windows so it was dark and cold, and no one knew how to connect the power. Your staff arrived with our relative about 15 minutes after our arrival and was inadequately protected in view of the poor weather. I had to return to reception three times to get someone to switch the power on, which eventually happened about 40 minutes after our arrival. With no staff immediately available, we brought our relative back to her room as she was shivering, and had to wait in the rain at the gate as we were given the wrong access code.

Amazing staff who always go the extra mile with empathy shown in everything they do. I cannot thank you enough for making life enjoyable again for my Nan. You’ve made your home into her home and in turn, into ours. Thank you.

Mum has been a resident for three years now, initially with my father up until his death. Mum is very settled and happy which is due to the excellent care she receives. All the staff are kind and caring and she has a good relationship with them all. Activities are available every day and mum joins in and enjoys them all. Since the new Manager and her team took over Cherry Trees has become a more vibrant happy place and nothing is too much trouble.

Now that my mother has settled into Cherry Trees and we as a family are adjusting to her being in residential care, I can not praise the Manager and her team enough. They have worked so hard to build a caring and supportive relationship with my mother who, in fairness due to her MND, has quite demanding and complex needs. Everyone within the Cherry Trees team has worked so hard to meet our expectations, provide support and reassurance and to facilitate all of the external health professional visits needed. The home itself is comfortable, welcoming and of a high standard. I feel confident that my mother is well cared for and feeling more at ease within her new surroundings. I would add that, as a frequent visitor, the team are always patient, helpful and welcoming to me personally as well which provides great reassurance.

Thank you

Following a terrible leg infection and a bad previous experience from another care home. All staff members have been without doubt to ensure that all possible care has been taken to make my mothers recovery as comfortable as possible. The quality of care is exceptional and everyone always finds the time to chat and nothing is too much trouble. A real home from home.

The care provided to my mother has been wonderful especially during Lockdown. My criticism would be the lack of communication. During lockdown, I could never find an appropriate time to call and ask after my mother. A quick 5-minute update call with details of any toiletry needs would have been welcome. The menus are increasingly unimaginative.

From the minute I stepped into Cherry Trees I was made to feel welcome and more importantly a part of their family. I was given time to talk, I was listened to, I was given options, support, guidance and I knew I had found a new home for my Dad for the next chapter of his life.

I have found the facilities and the staff to be excellent. My wife's room is very comfortable and nothing is too much trouble for the staff and they do their best to meet any requests.

First let me say, what a lovely home Cherry Tree is. Lovely, light rooms and pretty gardens. These past 15 months, as you know, we couldn't see our loved ones but when able Barchester made these pods for short visits and of course recently we are now able to have bedroom visits which is marvellous. My thanks go to all carers, who although in change of the virus, themselves still came to look after our loved ones, making sure they were safe and cared for, even though they had families of their own. Of course, the kitchen, facilities and admin also played their parts. As things get better, let's all remember what we owe the staff at Cherry Trees a big thank you, also to Barchester for their weekly visits.

This care home is now very well run with friendly and efficient staff. My brother is very settled and happy. He loves the food provided and gets on well with all the staff. I am very content that he is receiving the best possible care at Cherry Trees. Barchester as a whole and Cherry Trees have dealt with the pandemic very well and effectively.

This care home is now very well run. It has acted very responsibly during the coronavirus pandemic. There is a good and friendly atmosphere among the staff. My relative is very happy here and particularly enjoys his food. He has learnt to trust the staff and has learnt all their names.

The staff at Cherry Trees are well trained and kind and know how to deal with residents and keep them content. They have cared for my mother over all the COVID restrictions, (most of the time no visitors) but she has remained in good mental and physical health as she was before.

Cherry Trees have done their best to make visiting as relaxed as possible under the circumstances. The staff are welcoming and friendly. It is clear that they care for my mother and absolutely have her best interests at heart. A big thank you to all the staff and management at Cherry Trees.

Sadly my mother passed away recently however she spent her last ten months being cared for at Cherry Trees in Alcester. Despite the difficult times due to covid restrictions, the team worked tirelessly to ensure the residents were safe, happy and entertained. My mother always appeared well cared for and content and I will be forever grateful to all the staff for everything they did for her.

A big "thank you" to all the staff.

My personal view of the Cherry Trees Care Home is limited as I have not been able to visit my father inside his bedroom for the past eight months. However, in the previous years 2013-2019 when my mother was a resident also, I dealt with problems when they manifested. They were usually dealt with but not all the time. However, now the use of agency staff has stopped due to Covid, things have greatly improved. Residents need to know and trust their carers!