This care home stood head and shoulders above all the others we visited, we made the right choice.Rhoda J(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

she has made new friends and enjoys all the activities but still gets the 24-hour care she needs.J M(Daughter-in-law of Resident/Service User)

we knew that she would receive the comfort that we as a family were unable to giveAnn S(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

This care home stood head and shoulders above all the others we visited, we made the right choice.Rhoda J(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

she has made new friends and enjoys all the activities but still gets the 24-hour care she needs.J M(Daughter-in-law of Resident/Service User)

we knew that she would receive the comfort that we as a family were unable to giveAnn S(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

Water Mill House Care Home provides expert care to adults (18+) with a range of support needs, including rehab following a stroke or amputation, paralysis, Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s. The dedicated team also delivers residential, nursing and dementia care with love and kindness, holding Platinum Accreditation under the Gold Standards Framework for compassionate end-of-life care.
In 2026, Water Mill House won the Palliative Nursing Home Provider Award at the...
Care Provided by Water Mill House Care Home
Primary Care Categories
- Older Person Care
- Dementia
- Learning Disability / Autism
- 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 70 Service Users
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
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
- Bariatric Care/Obesity
- Convalescent Care
- Day Care
Facilities
- Own Furniture if required
- Pet Friendly (or by arrangement)
- Close to Local shops
- Near Public Transport
- Minibus or other transport
- Lift
- Wheelchair Access
- 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 Water Mill House Care Home for full pricing details and T&Cs.Contact Water Mill House 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)
Good to Know
Group / Owner
- Carebase
- Private Owned
Person in charge
- Victoria Forsythe (Manager)
Local Authority / Social Services
Admission Information
- Mixed (no single-gender units)
- Ages 18+
Care Home Design/Build
- Purpose Built: Yes
- Last Refurbishment: 2025
- Number of floors: 3
Room Information
- Single Rooms (70)
- Single Rooms with ensuite Wet Room (70)
Water Mill House Care Home Reviews (120)
Water Mill House Care Home has a Review Score of 9.7 (9.747) out of 10, based on 42 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Water Mill House Care Home has 120 reviews.
Home is well presented and welcoming but at weekends looks deserted in reception. Care is good/excellent - depending on staff. In the dementia unit need to keep staff who know the residents - not agency and more at all times sometimes the more able receiving less attention as needs of more dependant have to temporary.Staff are very caring - need more to stimulate residents. If it is a dementia unit - more needs to be available for these residents.
Nice friendly staff, always keep you informed. The food is always nice and it's a good temperature. GP calls every week on the nursing level which is great.
I am generally pleased with the standard of care provided by carers (ordinary level) but disappointed that management do not want to get involved when major issues are raised. The manager is always very elusive and does not respond when contacted. For a modern care home such as this and the high care costs involved, I am not impressed by the quality of meals provided they are not very appealing and I would certainly not wish to eat them myself. Often cold and certainly not nutritious.
Thank you for your feedback. We value all feedback at Water Mill House and welcome the opportunity to discuss any concerns you may have with us. I understand that you have already spoken to Noelia at the home and have agreed a new approach that meets your needs. However, please feel free to...
When I have had a query or complaint/concern, I am always listened to and given assurances. I find the staff very friendly and appreciate the kindness shown to my husband by them, particularly as he finds it difficult to communicate.
Overall the Water Mill provides a good standard of care but not an outstanding, despite the excellence of the buildings and design. Staff are helpful and friendly but do need good permanent management which should cover seven days a week. Catering should be improved to enhance the overall quality and choice. Wifi should be provided as a matter of course in all residents rooms.
Was concerned about staff changes especially management but am delighted at the level of care, information and warmth on dementia level.
It is clean in the rooms, very clean.
The food is excellent, couldn't find better.
I like being with people so the Bistro is very good.
Very nice bright, clean surroundings. Kind and helpful staff. Good on activities. Expensive.
Amazing staff who understand the residents' needs.
Lots of organised activities.
Peace of mind my mother is being well looked after.
Nothing in the care home is too much trouble - they help in any way they can and even consider the visitors' feelings and emotions.
A welcoming place to spend in respite care after major surgery. Every day was a pleasure - every level of staff showed constant care and kindness morning, noon and night.
I thank them all.
Great service - helpful staff. Great tea.
Since I've been going to see my friend at Water Mill House everything has been excellent. The staff are amazing, they are so caring - whenever my friend needs anything, they are there. The food and the bistro are lovely. I would recommend the home to anyone I know who is looking for a care home.
This so important aspect came from the top management with everyone feeling they were part of a well run team with members happy to support each other in the care of residents.
Sometimes work entailed long hours but I still received understanding care usually accompanied by a smile.
The facilities were very good, with the Bistro a great asset. The food too was good and attractively served.
The management and staff should be very proud of the excellent care and atmosphere they provide.
A very pleasant room, good food, people to talk to and some activities with my hair shampooed gave me a very nice peaceful week.
The residents are always clean and tidily dressed and looking well cared for. The home has a pleasant and welcoming atmosphere with fresh flowers, and looking well maintained. Staff are friendly, caring and always treat residents with kindness and respect. The meals are excellent, well presented and variable, and the dining rooms are well laid out and inviting. I feel it would be difficult to find a better care home.
Overall good however the food does not provide a balanced diet and does not take account of seasonal products.
Our mother went to Watermill Care late in December 2015 neat to the end of her life just for TLC she rallied and has had 5 months of superb care by everyone at the care home. We feel so lucky she spent the last months of her life in such a exceptional care home. Every time we visited we were welcomed and given refreshments as we travelled 2 hours to get there. All the staff were great.
My mother came for a month respite and then later decided to return permanently. We have been very impressed with every aspect of her care and she has settled well and nothing is too much trouble. The staff are very attentive and allow the residents to make choices about when they get up and when they go to bed, whether they prefer to eat in their room and what they want to eat. We made a good decision in choosing Water Mill House.
I wanted to write this review on Water Mill House even though my mum has only been residing there for just over 3 months, the change in her from the previous home is absolutely unbelievably amazing. The care, dedication and more importantly staff, listen!! Water Mill House have excellent facilities with a warm, friendly relaxing atmosphere with smiles on everyone's faces. Nothing is too much trouble.
Regulatory Rating
Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating
Date: 20 September 2023Requires improvement
- Caring Good
- Effective Good
- Responsive Good
- Safe Requires improvement
- Well-led Requires improvement
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 (9) & Events (0)
- 19 Jun 2026
Two residents from a care home in Hemel Hempstead enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime experience when they came face-to-face with elephants during a special VIP visit to Whipsnade Zoo. The lifestyle team...
- 19 Mar 2026
Passionate skier Craig Coverman thought he would never ski again after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 12 years ago. Thanks to his care home, Craig hit the slopes with some...
- 05 Feb 2026
A care home in Hemel Hempstead is looking for new recruits for its free weekly exercise class aimed at those aged 50 and older. Social Steadies takes place at Water...
There are no upcoming events for Water Mill House Care Home.
Awards / Recognitions (20)
- 02 Jul 2026Recipient: Water Mill House Care Home
- 09 Mar 2026Recipient: Water Mill House Care Home
- 30 Jan 2026Recipient: Carebase
Meet the Team (1)
Victoria qualified as a registered nurse in 1993 and has worked in social care for 30 years, always driven by a passion for making a difference in people's lives.
Her journey began with the NHS in Lancashire, where she quickly advanced to Ward Manager. Seeking new challenges, Victoria moved south to embrace her first role as Deputy Manager in the care home sector and found her true calling.
With extensive experience in managing and commissioning care services, Victoria has successfully led both large, privately-run care homes and smaller, family-owned homes.
Drawn to Water Mill House for its warm, family atmosphere and commitment to making every day joyful and meaningful, Victoria has built strong, caring relationships with our residents and team.
When she’s not at work, Victoria cherishes family time with her husband Richard, son Harry, and Bichon Friese, Lily. She also loves to bake!
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