Friends Place

The Chase, Calcot, Reading RG31 7DW
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9.0 6 Reviews
  • Friends Place, Reading
Friends Place is part of Friends of the Elderly, a charity that has been making life better for older people since 1905.

Friends Place is a brand-new purpose-built care home. Every room is light, airy and spacious and offers ensuite bathrooms.

Facilities include:
• Cinema - Enjoy movie nights in a private theatre.
• Salon - Relax with professional pampering.
• Bar - Socialise and unwind in a lively hub.

Set in a peaceful residential area, Friends Place is a warm, modern care home designed for comfort, dignity and independence, providing residential care, specialist dementia support, respite care and a day care service.

The team specialise in residential and specialist dementia care. Some have been with Friends of the Elderly for many years and have earned long service awards, including the General Manager. Relaxed visiting hours mean that you can enjoy the company of family and friends whenever you like.

Friends Place also offers respite care and a day care service. The home has high standards of cleanliness and always looks its very best.

A wide, varied and inclusive activities programme is available to enjoy. These include film nights, arts & crafts, entertainment and exercise groups. You can expect regular visits from a variety of guests, including pet therapy teams and professional manicurists. With full Wi-Fi access throughout the home, residents can also stay connected with loved ones online.
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Care Provided by Friends Place

Primary Care Categories

  • Older Person Care
  • Dementia
  • Learning Disability / Autism
  • Mental Health Condition
  • Physical Disability
  • Visual / Hearing Impairment
  • Eating Disorders
  • Alcohol / Drug Misuse

Length of Stay

  • Permanent Care
  • Respite Care

Care Types Provided

  • Residential Care
  • Dementia Residential Care
  • For a maximum of 66 Service Users

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)
  • Day Care

Facilities

  • Own Furniture if required
  • Pet Friendly (or by arrangement)
  • Close to Local shops
  • Near Public Transport
  • Lift
  • Wheelchair Access
  • Gardens
  • Bar/Café
  • Residents Kitchenette
  • Phone Point in own room
  • Television point in own room
  • Residents Internet Access

Funding & Fees What's included?

Weekly Charges per Person

  • Self-Funded Residential Care: £1600 – £1800
  • RESPITE Self-Funded Residential Care: £1760 – £1980

These prices are only a guideline, please contact Friends Place to find out the exact price for your requirements.

Contact Friends Place 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)

Contact Friends Place to confirm what's included and get a personalised quote:

Good to Know

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Alina Gutu (Manager)

Local Authority / Social Services

Admission Information

  • Ages 65+

Care Home Design/Build

  • Purpose Built: Yes
  • Year Purpose Built: 2025
  • Last Refurbishment: 2025
  • Number of floors: 3

Room Information

  • Single Rooms (66)
  • Couples/Companion Rooms (0)
  • Single Rooms with Ensuite Wet Room (66)

Visiting

  • No visiting restrictions – you’re welcome at any time.

Parking

  • Parking on-site.

Friends Place Reviews (6)

9.0

Friends Place has a Review Score of 9.0 (9.041) out of 10, based on 6 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Friends Place has 6 reviews.

Overall Experience
  • 6
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Date Published
  • 6
  • 6
  • 6
  • 6
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Reviewer Connection to Friends Place
  • 3
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Total of 6, showing 1-6
Review from Ian E (Son of Resident) published on 21 November 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Since my Mum first visited Friends Place for day care visits, the management & staff have been absolutely wonderful! They are empathetic, professional, knowledgeable, accommodating & friendly, truly exceptional! The care home is of the highest standard from décor to the layout and overall construction
of the building. The Friends Place "Team" are so welcoming and have already become an integral part of the local community and in such a short time which is testament to their dedication to ensure that residents & service users benefit and enjoy the support and services available. Special mention for Roz & Alina for being so attentive & caring at all times. My Mum enjoys her day care visits immensely and they have provided both me & my wife with much needed "break time" to recharge during her visits. Many thanks to all the Team for your support help & assistance, it's greatly appreciated. Highly recommended!!
Reply from Alina Gutu, Care Home Manager at Friends Place
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review. We're delighted to hear how much your mum enjoys her day care visits, and we're glad they give you and your wife some well-deserved time to recharge.…read more
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Review from Richard L (Son of Resident) published on 14 November 2025 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Professional staff treated my mum (and I) exceptionally well. All help was provided with the admission and settling in process. Many thanks.
Reply from Alina Gutu, Care Home Manager at Friends Place
Thank you so much for your kind words. We're delighted to hear that our team was able to make the admission and settling-in process smooth for you and your mum. Providing exceptional care and support…read more
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Review from Phillip M (Son of Resident) published on 21 October 2025 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My initial impression was that it felt like a 5 star hotel with exceptional staff. My father has been a different person since his day visits, so much so that he has decided to move there permanently. As a family, we feel so lucky to have this care home nearby.
Reply from Alina Gutu, Care Home Manager at Friends Place
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback. We're truly delighted to hear that your father has settled in so well and that our team has made such a positive difference for him. It means a great…read more
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Review from Rachel D (Daughter of Resident) published on 1 October 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Wow where do I begin !! Honestly we cannot fault this beautiful care home. It's like a 5 star hotel, but more importantly the staff are just incredible! My mum and dad went in on respite two weeks ago with the intention of my dad staying permanently, although we'd all decided in the family that it was
never going to work due to the severity of his late stage Alzheimer's. How wrong we were !! We have tirelessly tried to get him to eat but to no avail, we struggled to get him to engage or interact with anything, but literally within days they had him doing both! They are simply brilliant at knowing just how to handle him. It is such a relief for us all that he is now in a secure, safe and beautiful environment surrounded by people that genuinely care. My dad deserves the best and that's exactly what he has at Friends Place. Roz and Alina you have been amazing from the word 'go'! A huge thanks to each and every one of you for taking care of him and making us all feel so welcome. X
Reply from Alina Gutu, Care Home Manager at Friends Place
Thank you so much for your wonderful words. We are truly delighted to hear how well your dad has settled in and that you can already see such positive changes. It means the world to us to know that…read more
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Review from Helen L (Daughter-in-law of Resident) published on 29 September 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Wow ! After visiting many care homes, this one stood out the most, from the moment we walked through the doors to be shown around I knew it was the one, with a homely feel, amazing staff and management that go above and beyond, the beautiful setting and tasteful design, it even has a cinema room and
bar, my in-laws deserve the best and would not want them anywhere else, would highly recommend without any hesitation , my father in-law has settled instantly which is beyond what we could of ever imagined and my mother in-law has said that she can not find a fault anywhere, this has been one of the hardest decisions we have had to make and Friends Place has made it so easy for us.
Reply from Alina Gutu, Care Home Manager at Friends Place
Thank you so much for sharing such a heartfelt review! We know how big a decision this can be, and it means the world to us that you felt at home from the moment you walked through our doors. We're…read more
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Review from A S (Wife of Resident) published on 26 September 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I was so excited after a visit to Friends Place that I decided to book a two-day stay for respite for myself and my husband in the hope that he would like it too and be willing to go alone for day care and respite care, having seen how wonderful it is. Our experience there was beyond my already high
expectations in every respect.
The building is extremely tastefully decorated and furnished and very comfortable. We were made very welcome on arrival and throughout our stay. The staff, without exception, were friendly and caring and really wanted to look after us and make us feel at home. There were lots of personal touches too. Nothing was too much trouble. The food was excellent and the staff were keen to know our personal tastes. My husband also loved it even more than I anticipated, and thanked me for finding it. He is looking forward to going for the day next week. I shall shortly be booking regular respite stays for him so that I can have breaks. Life-enhancing for us both!
Reply from Alina Gutu, Care Home Manager at Friends Place
Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful review of your experience at Friends Place. We are absolutely delighted to hear that your stay exceeded your expectations and that both you and your…read more
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Current Review Score: 9.0 (9.041)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.0 (9.041) out of 10 for Friends Place is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 5.0 out of 5 from 6 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 4.1 out of 5 from 6 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Care Home is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 4.986 for Friends Place is calculated as follows: ( (71 Excellents x 5) + (1 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 72 Ratings = 4.986
  2. 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5'). The 4.055 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Friends Place is based on 6 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 = 3.6
    2. 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the registered maximum number of service users in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Care Home registered for a maximum of 50 service users has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 66 registered maximum number of service users is 13.2. 6 Positive Reviews ÷ 13.2 = 0.455
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Care Home does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Regulatory Rating

Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating

Care Quality Commission is responsible for the registration and inspection of social care services in England. View Latest Report

Bed Vacancies

Please contact us for latest vacancies.

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Awards / Recognitions (2)

Meet the Team (1)

Alina

Alina Gutu

Job Title: General Manager Joined: 2025

Hello, I’m the General Manager at Friends Place, charity Friends of the Elderly’s new care home in Reading, Berkshire.


I have worked in the Care Sector for 12 years, eight of those as the Registered Manager at Friends of the Elderly’s Alton-based care home, The Lawn.


Caring for others runs in my family. My Mum is a Nurse and my Dad is a Paramedic, so I was very fortunate to grow up in a very kind, thoughtful and caring environment. I used to love going to work with my Mum and vividly remember feeling so proud and inspired by the difference she was making to other people; it really spurred me on to follow a career in caring.


At Friends Place, we have a very compassionate, caring and supportive culture with a happy and loving atmosphere. Friends Place is more than a care home, it is a home the residents call ‘their home’ and, together, we are all one big happy family


The Care Team and I support and work with the residents to be engaged and inspired in many ways. It could be by taking part in our daily wide and varied meaningful activities, having a chat and reminiscing over a cup of tea, taking a stroll around our landscaped gardens and peaceful patios or enjoying a movie night in our Cinema, reading a book and relaxing in the Library, enjoying a pamper session or even a glass of wine in the Bar.


Each member of Friends Place’s Care Team is devoted to supporting the residents’ independence and keeping them safe, happy, inspired and motivated, ensuring each resident is comfortable, happy and treated with dignity – every day.

Frequently Asked Questions about Friends Place

What types of Care is Friends Place registered for?

Older Person Care, Dementia, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health Condition, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Eating Disorders & Alcohol / Drug Misuse are the registered (by the Care Quality Commission) categories of Care.

How many Rooms does Friends Place have?

There are 66 Single Rooms.

What are the Facilities & Services at Friends Place?

Own Furniture if required, Pet Friendly (or by arrangement), Close to Local shops, Near Public Transport, Lift, Wheelchair Access, Gardens, Bar/Café, Residents Kitchenette, Phone Point in own room, Television point in own room & Residents Internet Access are some of the Facilities & Services.

How far is Friends Place to the centre of Reading?

3.1 mile(s) as the crow flies, distance by road may be significantly further.

Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of carehome.co.uk. Please contact Friends Place to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Friends Place has an Enhanced Service - more info.