
I am so grateful for the care and dignity that was given to Mum right to the endMandy C(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

no criticism only praiseJayne S(Niece of Resident/Service User)

the care and support offered to my friend was outstanding.A H(Friend of Resident/Service User)

I am so grateful for the care and dignity that was given to Mum right to the endMandy C(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

no criticism only praiseJayne S(Niece of Resident/Service User)

the care and support offered to my friend was outstanding.A H(Friend of Resident/Service User)

At Heron Hill Care Home, the team take pride in a service that focuses on great care, all tailored to your loved one's needs.
The Care Home is conveniently located in Kendal, an historic town which stands at the entrance to the beautiful English Lake District that has excellent access to road, rail and bus links.
The 24/7 dedicated care team of experienced nurses, carers and support staff work to deliver...
Care Provided by Heron Hill Care 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
- Nursing Care
- Dementia Residential Care
- Dementia Nursing Care
- For a maximum of 86 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
Other Care Provided
- Parkinson's Disease
- Stroke
- Palliative / End of Life Care
- COPD/Pulmonary Disease
- Convalescent Care
- Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
Accreditations
- The National Dementia Care Accreditation Scheme (NaDCAS)
Facilities
- Own Furniture if required
- Pet Friendly (or by arrangement)
- Smoking not permitted
- Close to Local shops
- Near Public Transport
- Minibus or other transport
- Lift
- Stairlift
- Wheelchair Access
- Ground Floor Accommodation only
- Gardens
- Bar/Café
- Residents Kitchenette
- Phone Point in own room
- Television point in own room
- Residents Internet Access
Funding & Fees
Weekly Charges per Person
The price(s) shown are provided by the care home. Contact Heron Hill Care Home for full pricing details and T&Cs.
Contact Heron Hill Care 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
- Abbey Healthcare
- Private Owned
Person in charge
- Nicola Spedding(Manager)
Admission Information
- Mixed with male-only unit(s)
- Ages 50+
Care Home Design/Build
- Purpose Built: Yes
- Year Purpose Built: 2004
- Last Refurbishment: 2024
- Number of floors: 3
Room Information
- Single Rooms (86)
- Single Rooms with ensuite Wet Room (86)
Visiting
- Currently have no visiting restrictions, although please avoid meal times.
Parking
- On site parking
Heron Hill Care Home Reviews (86)
Heron Hill Care Home has a Review Score of 9.6 (9.649) out of 10, based on 21 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Heron Hill Care Home has 86 reviews.
All the staff on Wheawall are amazing. They do a great job. It's a weight off my shoulders knowing that my uncle is so well looked after. He always seems so happy and content when I visit. The staff are great at keeping me up to date on how he is doing as I live a long distance away and can't visit as often as I would like to.
Thanks for your kind comments. I will pass these on to the team.
My friend seems very happy with the care she is receiving and likes the carers very much. She is a touch wary of a few other residents but knows just to steer clear of them. She seems content with her room and conscious of her surroundings. The food is described as edible but surely this is a requirement of all meals.
Thanks for your comments, we will pass this on to the teams.
Both my grandparents are in Heron Hill Care Home and ever since they’ve been there they’ve been very happy and very well looked after by all the amazing staff.
Thank you for your review, I will share this with the teams. We love caring for your grandparents and look forward to all family visits.
Both parents are well cared for by all the staff at Heron Hill, and all the staff are very professional, caring and thoughtful to our parents. One comment we always hear from people visiting my parents is how clean it is (it does not smell like a care home), which is a compliment in itself.
We are all, as a family, happy that both parents are in a good place and are being well looked after in difficult times.
Thank you for your kind words. We love caring for your parents; they are such characters. We also look forward to your visit.
The care given by the hard-working team to Mum is carried out to the best of the team's ability sometimes when there are staffing issues the team always provide the care needed. The front-of-house reception does a brilliant job too as does the Management team. Well done everyone.
Thank you for your kind words, we love caring for mum. Here singing keeps us smiling.
Staff have been amazing over the last three years looking after my family member. They cared and I believed loved him as much as we did. They always treated him with dignity and respect but were always light-hearted. As a family, we could not have coped without their guidance, kind words and care. Thank you.
Thank you for your kind words, I have passed these on to the team. And you are right, we love your dad.
My observation is that the staff of Heron Hill Care Home in Kendal are exemplary. Staff are polite, kind and responsive. My dad is treated with such warmth, kindness, patient and respectful. Staff attend to his needs quickly, sensitively and positively. They show genuine interest in his well-being and happiness and are familiar with his likes and dislikes. He presents clean, tidy and neatly dressed. I also notice that the other residents are treated and present likewise when I visit. Staff are welcoming and supportive to my family when we visit in person or connect remotely. I feel reassured my dad is in a safe place and well looked after by excellent staff in a well-managed home. I feel very grateful for this.
Thank you very much indeed for taking the time to write such positive comments of your experiences within Heron Hill. The staff team are dedicated in all areas and strive to make a real difference for the individuals they support.
There are lots of activities going on, which I know she really appreciates.
Our only slight grumble is that the food isn't brilliant, but I guess that catering for a large number of residents is always going to be difficult.
Overall, I'd have no hesitation in recommending Herron Hill Care Home to anyone.
Thank you Mark for your review. We love caring for your mum, she is a real character! We are in the process of address the food with the catering team and hopefully you will see some changes in the future.
I have been visiting now for 15 months and find the staff very caring and helpful to both myself and the friend I visit. I particularly like that she was allowed to make her room as homely as possible with things that were especially dear to her and the staff take an interest in them with her.
Thank you Irene for your kind words, we love caring for your friend. I will share your comments with the team.
Mum has been at Heron Hill Care Home since Christmas last year. She is well looked after and cared for. She is happy there and we feel that her needs are being well met. The staff are kind and sympathetic to our mother's feelings and needs.
Thank you for your kind words. These will be shared with the team.
I always appreciate how caring the staff are to my mum and myself and my daughter. The care home looks after my mum amazingly well. They are so patient with her and I know she’s getting the right care for her needs. I have formed relationships with the staff too.
Good afternoon - such lovely comments for a wonderful team of people employed within Heron Hill.
I would particularly site the care you give in the resident's lounge where the careers sit in patient to attend to all requests. The stresses of past weeks have been taken off her and our family's shoulders. Brilliant job everyone.
Good afternoon - thank you very much indeed for taking the time to provide such positive comments of Heron Hill and the staff within it. I am sure the staff will find your kind words very comforting.
My dad has been so exceptionally well looked after for the past 9 weeks. He had spent 6 months in hospital and the care he received here brought back to us a Dad who wanted to do things, from being hospitalised to enjoying life again. Having scored 5 Goods in their recent CQC report was reflected in the care we found. The manager has made changes for the better. The staff are so knowledgeable and caring and that included with me too. The staff like what they are doing and can't do enough. Dad liked his room, he began to get around the Home, he got to meals and enjoyed the freshly, cooked meals. He saw the entertainments that were happening daily and the entertainments manager visited Dad when sometimes he couldn't join in. The local priest visited Dad in his room. The maintenance man was quick to get Dad a TV for his room and put things on the wall for him and talked to Dad every time he passed by. I cannot find any fault at all. Just a big thank you.
Thank you so much Susan for your kind words. It was a pleasure to care for Dad and we loved your visits.
Having visited several care homes to see relatives and friends, I can, in all honesty, place Heron Hill Care Home as the finest. In all the rating categories, it is my opinion that 'excellent' is the true assessment of all options.
Hi Elizabeth, thank you so much for your kind words. I will pass these on to the team and I am sure they will be equally as happy. It is lovely to get such feedback for all the hard work the team do in a job that they all love.
During my friend's final times, the care and support offered to my friend was outstanding. It made a very difficult time much easier.
I wouldn't hesitate for a second to recommend this care home to anyone who is looking for the very best care for their friend, relative or loved one.
Thank you very much indeed for your extremely kind words. Heron Hill could simply not be the home it is without the incredible team who work there. Please be assured your comments will be shared.
It has been a difficult time for the care home staff. A number of residents were ill with "flu" type symptoms. The staff battled through and continued to provide care on a personal level. My parents showed amazing strength to overcome illness. I am very positive about the staff efforts to maintain high standards at the care home.
Thank you for your feedback. It has been a tough time, but the team continue to stay positive and offer a great home for our residents. It is a pleasure looking after your parents and we also enjoy your visits.
No family wants to have to put a loved one into care but you have shown that there is an amazing standard of care, compassion, dignity and respect within the caring profession.
Dad was always clean, well dressed and comfortable every time I visited him, likewise, his room and bathroom was also clean and tidy. All the staff knew his name and engaged with him with friendliness. You kept the family informed of any issues which arose and visits from the GP or trips to the hospital that were required.
The staff I met were always friendly, helpful and polite and displayed an amazing level of care, understanding and respect.
You have made the last two years so much easier for our family knowing that dad was in such good hands.
Heartfelt thanks to you all, especially Nimmy and the Nightingale Unit Team x
Thank you for your kind words, I will pass these on to the team.
As a visitor I have always been greeted on entering even when the staff are obviously busy with their tasks - the atmosphere is always pleasant whatever time of day I've found bright, light and very fresh smells - my friend has suffered greatly with pain and can be difficult at times but even when staff don't know anyone in there they have treated him with kind words and respect - well done.
Thank you for your kind words, we will make sure that these are passed on to the team.
My mum spent four weeks at Heron Hill Care Home. The care and support she received was excellent. During the last 72 hours of mums life myself, my brother and sister stayed with Mum round the clock. The staff were wonderful to us and so caring. All the staff were respectful, considerate and discreet. Care for the resident and all the family was superb. They made a difficult time more bearable - thank you.
Thank you, Jane, so much for your kind words. I will make sure that the team on the unit see this message. The manager and her team do work really hard and we are so happy that you and your family found their support a help at a difficult time.
My dad has been in the Dementia unit for 18-months and in that time his condition has sadly progressed the way dementia does but I can see the rapport he has with the staff by the way he looks at them. It is so reassuring that in his final time of life that he will feel the comfort and compassion from them all. The staff have to deal with many situations but from what I have seen, they handle each problem on its own merit and that takes skill, often not recognised by the general public. I applaud each and every member of the team at Heron Hill Care Home and as said in another review, everyone seems to know the names of the residents. Keep up the good work and thank you for caring for our dad.
Hi Maureen, Thank you for your lovely review. Your dad is a real character and a pleasure for us to care for. I will pass your kind words onto the unit.
Regulatory Rating
Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating
Date: 24 June 2025Good
- CaringOutstanding
- EffectiveGood
- ResponsiveGood
- SafeGood
- Well-ledGood
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
2 Bed Vacancies
Posted: 28 July 2026Heron Hill currently has 2 bed vacancies and would be delighted to show you around our award winning home.
News (1) & Events (0)
- 28 Apr 2026
As we head into 2026, we are proud to recognise leaders who have made a meaningful impact through their NaDCAS journey. ?? This week, we are delighted to celebrate Nicola...
There are no upcoming events for Heron Hill Care Home.
Awards / Recognitions (18)
- 16 Jun 2025Recipient: Abbey Healthcare
- 06 Jun 2025Recipient: Abbey Healthcare
- 30 Nov 2022Recipient: Heron Hill Care Home
Meet the Team (1)

Nicola started her career in the care sector in 1992 as a carer in a nursing home. She worked her way up to her current position of Registered Home Manager. Along the way, Nicola has studied to gain the knowledge required to become a good home manager. She has her NVQ level 4 in Health and Social Care and Management, along with the Registered Managers level 4 award. Nicola has worked in both residential and nursing homes for the elderly.
Nicola is passionate about promoting a high quality of care for her residents, their families and her team. Nicola supports her team to achieve this through training, supervision and guidance. She also encourages open and honest discussions with her residents and their families to help her and her team perform the best they can.
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