
Everyone is so warm and welcoming, and everyone who visits is really impressedJem D(Husband of Resident/Service User)

The way in which he was admitted, cared for and encouraged has been fantastic.Mark P(Son of Resident/Service User)

A clean, modern, friendly environment with pleasant, capable staff and positive atmosphereNatasha B(Granddaughter of Resident/Service User)

Everyone is so warm and welcoming, and everyone who visits is really impressedJem D(Husband of Resident/Service User)

The way in which he was admitted, cared for and encouraged has been fantastic.Mark P(Son of Resident/Service User)

A clean, modern, friendly environment with pleasant, capable staff and positive atmosphereNatasha B(Granddaughter of Resident/Service User)

The Orchard Nursing Home is located in a quiet residential area of St Albans, a calm and welcoming setting for residents. This purpose-built care home features bright and modern interiors, beautifully landscaped gardens and a range of thoughtfully designed spaces for comfort and relaxation.
Highly trained staff are available to get to know residents individually, offering the highest standards of residential, nursing and dementia care on a permanent and short stay...
Care Provided by The Orchard Nursing Home
Primary Care Categories
- Older Person Care
- Dementia
- Physical Disability
- Visual / Hearing Impairment
- Younger Adults
Length of Stay
- Permanent Care
- Respite Care
Care Types Provided
- Residential Care
- Nursing Care
- Dementia Residential Care
- Dementia Nursing Care
- For a maximum of 63 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)
Facilities
- Own Furniture if required
- Pet Friendly (or by arrangement)
- Close to Local shops
- Near Public Transport
- Lift
- Wheelchair Access
- Gardens
- Bar/Café
- 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 The Orchard Nursing Home for full pricing details and T&Cs.
Contact The Orchard 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
- Caring Homes Group
- Private Owned
Person in charge
- Dumitru Varzaru(Home Manager)
Local Authority / Social Services
Admission Information
- Ages 40+
Care Home Design/Build
- Purpose Built: Yes
- Last Refurbishment: 2013
- Number of floors: 3
Room Information
- Single Rooms (63)
- Single Rooms with ensuite Wet Room (63)
Visiting
- Visitors welcome at any time, but The Orchard Nursing Home would encourage visitors to call in advance to ensure that any specific arrangements can be met.
Parking
- The home has its own car park for visitors.
The Orchard Nursing Home Reviews (114)
The Orchard Nursing Home has a Review Score of 9.7 (9.689) out of 10, based on 24 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time The Orchard Nursing Home has 114 reviews.
My sister needed nursing care because her terminal cancer meant she could no longer love with me as her needs increased. We predicted her to be there for several months, but she deteriorated very quickly. The care she received in this short time was exemplary.
The staff were caring, friendly and very kind to my mother and visiting family members.
Mum stayed for two weeks after a hip replacement. It was just what was needed. The staff were really friendly, attentive and adjusted what they did to suit mums needs. Thank you.
I cannot put into words the gratitude we feel towards all the lovely members of staff who cared for my mother. Their dedication, care and sensitivity allowed my mother to see out her final days with dignity and surrounded by lots of love. This wonderful nursing home also cared for us, the family, with endless cups of tea and support which was invaluable. We have never known such loving, caring people as The Orchard staff and we will be forever thankful for that. What a blessing for us all when we chose them.
A good care home with a high ratio of staff to residents ensuring a safe, caring and nurturing environment even when dementia has made life difficult. Great rooms with good facilities. The activity schedule has also been improving recently so the residents are offered good in-home activities and lovely trips out.
Overall my experience of living at the Orchard Nursing Home has been a good and pleasant one. Of course, not all people are at their best all the time. The day staff are excellent and I admire their kindness towards those unable to talk or express what they need.
Thank you to all the staff at The Orchard.
The Orchard delivers good support for my mother who is not the easiest or most straight forward of residents! Their activities programme is truly first class and very well received. Food choice and quality has definitely improved of late. Staff very friendly.
Very attentive and caring home. Plenty of activities for the residents and excellent level of clinical care.
This care home carried a justified high-performance rating. Friendliness of staff is abundant and they carry forward the care expected for their vulnerable clientele. Only minor observation is that the response times of the lifts is poor.
Have found all the staff very helpful and friendly and nothing was too much trouble. My mother was very settled here. We moved her to another Caring Homes home much nearer to where we live. To get to Orchard House was a 2.5 hour journey.
Everyone is so warm and welcoming, and everyone who visits is really impressed with the friendliness, cleanliness and comfort of the nursing home.
The home is bright and comfortable with friendly and compassionate staff. I feel confident my Mum is receiving the best care available and considering her complex needs.
Made great use of the coffee bar with my nan who is in The Orchard, it was a great place to introduce her to her 4-day old great-grandson.
The staff always take extra special care of my grandpa.
They make sure he is happy and go out of their way to find things he likes to do and eat. He enjoys their company.
Their social media page keeps the whole family updated on fun things he gets to take part in.
I'm very glad he is here.
My introduction to The Orchard Nursing Home was a pleasant one. They have a dedicated member of staff to give you a guided tour of the home. He was most helpful and addressed any concerns I had about my mother's move to The Orchard. My mother has settled in well thanks to the friendly and efficient staff.
I have been welcomed and greeted civilly at all times and I appreciate that I can see my wife at any time if I so wish. Staff are friendly and familiar and I have no reason to believe they are hiding anything from me.
My husband was well looked after. I had every confidence that he would in a safe and caring environment. The staff were very helpful. The food was tasty.
Mum has been a resident at The Orchard for two months. The positive change in her general wellbeing has been phenomenal despite her complex health needs. Mum is happier than I’ve seen her in a long time. She is cared for not only with dignity and respect but love and laughter too. This is extended to our family as well.
The Orchard has high standards for all aspects of their provision and these are maintained by the whole of the staff team. If there is a problem I know they will contact me. Likewise, if I have a concern there is always someone to talk to and resolution is speedy.
A huge thank you to the management and their whole staff team for making what has been a traumatic year much more peaceful.
Since my father-in-law came to The Orchard Nursing Home roughly 3-4 months ago I must confess I have never seen more hard working people and the kindness shown to their relatives it is by far the best nursing home I have seen and I have seen quite a few. My father-in-law says the staff show him kindness and are very helpful.
Regulatory Rating
Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating
Date: 01 August 2019Good
- CaringGood
- 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
Please contact us for latest vacancies.
News (2) & Events (0)
- 17 Sep 2025
We are proud to be in partnership with Therapy on Thames whose expert physiotherapists use our onsite specialist physiotherapy room and equipment to support residents needing physio after a fall...
- 22 May 2025
Dementia is an umbrella term for a range of progressive neurological conditions that affect memory, thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday tasks. It is most associated with Alzheimer’s...
There are no upcoming events for The Orchard Nursing Home.
Awards / Recognitions (13)
- 30 Jan 2026Recipient: Caring Homes Group
- 31 Jan 2025Recipient: Caring Homes Group
- 31 Jan 2024Recipient: Caring Homes Group
Meet the Team (3)

As the Home Manager, I believe that our residents should be treated with the highest quality of care possible and I have the responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of our residents. I lead by example and involve myself in the day-to-day life of the home as well as making The Orchard a happy and enjoyable place in which to live and work.

Our carers and nurses are highly skilled, with qualifications to manage all types of care, including residential, nursing and dementia. Within each team, we’re able to offer specialist care for complex conditions.
I bring a wealth of clinical expertise and compassionate leadership, supporting high-quality care and ensuring residents at The Orchard feel safe, respected and well looked after every day.

I support families from the first enquiry, offering guidance, reassurance and a warm welcome to help make choosing care at The Orchard feel easier and informed.
Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of carehome.co.uk. Please contact The Orchard Nursing Home to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. The Orchard Nursing Home has an Enhanced Service -more info.