The Orchard Nursing Home

I feel that my mother is being well looked after. The management and staff are always polite and courteous and are well placed to provide the level of care appropriate to her needs. I realise that private health care can be quite expensive and getting the balance right is always a challenge.

My dad has only been at The Orchard Nursing home for a few months and suffers from Alzheimer’s. The home is very well run, from management, reception and nurses. The nurses are very helpful, supportive, and caring. I am very pleased that my dad is being nursed and cared for in The Orchard. On entering the home, everyone is very friendly and welcoming, the home is also very clean. The standard of both care and nursing is first class. Unfortunately, Dad has not been able to get involved in the activities, but there are always things going on run by the wellbeing team. I would highly recommend The Orchard.

I cannot praise all the staff enough for their excellent care of my mother. During this difficult year of Covid, they have done everything possible to keep communications ongoing and visits open whenever possible. It has been a very difficult time for all made easier in the knowledge that my mother is well cared for and the care home have kept me regularly updated with regards to my mother’s wellbeing. The staff are what make this care home a ‘home’, treating the residents with dignity and genuine care. I have no hesitation in recommending The Orchard.

As soon as I walked into The Orchard Nursing Home two years ago - I knew straight away it was the right place for my mother. My first impressions were how bright, cheerful and spacious it is. The rooms are very attractive and the beds comfortable and adapted for the elderly. All the staff are very professional and helpful and there is always a smile and laughter echoing down the corridors. It was such a relief to know mother was in such competent and caring hands. The residents are entertained every day with new and interesting activities. The quality of all the staff is excellent. I would definitely recommend The Orchard Nursing Home in Saint Albans to any new residents.

My mother was a resident at The Orchards for nearly two years. During her stay, she always had excellent care from the nurses and carers. We had her first Christmas with her in the home, and everything was done to make it a special day for us. We had a private room, the food was very good and the wine. The home is well run, the rooms reasonably spacious and it is surrounded by gardens. The activity staff are very involved in making sure there is always something to do for the residents, especially during these past months where the COVID has made their work even more difficult. I recommend this home without any hesitation and I'd like to thank the staff for all their help these past few difficult months.

The staff at The Orchard were always friendly and efficient. They took excellent care of my mother in her final months. Thank you.

Words do not seem to express the gratitude I have for all that the staff do for my Mother. Thank you.

My wife has suffered from Alzheimer's for approximately the last four years, exacerbated in 2018 by a fall requiring a general anaesthetic to rebuild her hip. Matters deteriorated thereafter and in April 2019 she entered another Hertfordshire home. Due to a poor entry assessment which underestimated the severity of dementia, the staff at the home could not cope and she was moved to The Orchard in September 2019.

Since then she has been well looked after - the staff are able to cope with her frustrations and have made these last seven months much more bearable for all concerned. Further, my family and I are welcomed and invited to join in activities. Regrettably, due to the pandemic, visiting has been suspended but the staff will bring her to her bedroom window once a week to wave to us in the car park below.

During the lockdown, all staff have gone ‘over and above’ to keep families in contact with their loved ones and to give comfort and support to all residents. Video calls have been particularly important at this time. The Well Being Team, in particular, has constantly thought up innovative ways to keep residents occupied and happy. I would have no hesitation in recommending The Orchard, to any family considering such a move.

When Coronavirus triggered changes to how people in the UK'S live, The Orchard was well organised restricting access immediately and enabling relatives to video call residents. Not what anyone wants, but necessary at this time.

The caring staff are the Homes best asset. We have been touched deeply by the care and kindness of all staff. My Mother has advanced dementia but on weekly video calls, she says how lovely it is there and that she is happy. I’m particularly impressed with how the home have managed Covid - The manager's background as a nurse has I’m sure been a key part of her leadership in this situation, providing clear protocols and guidance for all, it feels good and all under control. I’ve appreciated her compassionate and professional approach such as assessing Mum in hospital and our phone conversations. The lead nurse on Mums floor is delightful demonstrating compassion and understanding at all times, most memorably when we completed together the advanced care plan for Mum. I appreciate knowing she is well cared for and the staff are responsive to any concerns I may have.

Since her admittance to The Orchard in January 2019, Mum has received the very highest standard of care from the team. Mum has multiple issues with communication and thanks to the dedicated work and attention of the staff has been in a place where she is happy and relaxed. The attention to detail, not just within the current complex situation, but as a matter of good practice is exceptional. My sister and I are very happy and content in the knowledge that our Mum is in the best place and being cared for by carers of the very highest and best standard. Although we have not been able to visit, The Orchard have constantly kept us informed of their situation and how Mum is coping and have been wonderful in their communication to us, with empathy, understanding and concern for our well being as well. The Home Manager sets a very high standard and every member of her team seek to achieve that level with marvellous results.

I have always found the staff and management to be very caring and efficient. The well-being team have also been fantastic during this difficult time. They have made sure I have been able to see my wife twice a week via FaceTime, which is very reassuring. The standard of housekeeping at all times has also been very good (also catering and maintenance).

I am so pleased that Dad is at The Orchard where he looks happy and comfortable and I know he is safer here than (probably) anywhere else. Thank you, guys!

My husband was admitted to The Orchard having been in hospital after he had a fall and broke his hip. He was there for just two happy months, as he needed two people to assist him. I was able to go in each day to help with his lunch until lockdown. Sadly his Parkinsons restricted him badly but the nursing care was superb. I cannot thank them enough for all his care - next best thing to home.

He didn't understand why he was there, because of Alzheimer's, he didn't accept that he needed help I couldn't provide. The staff were very caring and patient with him. The staff are excellent, always friendly, and caring to patients and their families.

My mother has been welcomed into The Orchard, St Albans. The staff, including administration, have been extremely supportive in this difficult time. There is a good feel to the nursing home as soon as you walk in, and I am happy with the way my mother is being cared for. Some members of the care team have gone out of their way to make my mother feel welcome. There is a lot of kindness at The Orchard.

We used The Orchard as a respite stay following a hospital stay to enable Dad to regain some strength back. The staff all bent over backwards to make sure he was looked after very well and with dignity and care. His room was spacious with his own ensuite. The food was excellent and he particularly enjoyed the activities every day. We would have no hesitation in recommending.

The team here were absolutely fantastic looking after my mum the care that they gave was amazing right up until she passed away. If anybody needs to put their parents here then do it. It was amazing, so calming, so caring.

I would like to say my mother was treated with dignity and respect while staying with you and when she passed away.