Bupa Letcombe Regis

My wife has lived in the "Maple" dementia ward since February 2015. The care home is in a low population density area which makes recruitment of suitable care assistants difficult. The problem is clearly exacerbated by financial constraints and the mental condition of the residents. Supervision is variable in quality. The overall experience is barely satisfactory.

A delightful welcome awaits you and continues during your stay.

The design of the village is superb, gardens are immaculate. Heaven on earth.

When we visited my mother during July, there was a very bright and optimistic feel about the facility. When we relocate my mother following her recovery, it will be to move her closer to the family.

We needed to move our friend (for whom I have Power of Attorney) into a care facility very quickly. Thankfully there was a room available at Richmond Letcombe Regis. From the start, the attention to detail and the dedicated manner in which our friend was treated was so very reassuring. The culture shock of being taken away from home made the transition very difficult and our friend took out her frustration on the staff. Never did I hear or see any adverse reaction from the staff who have worked tirelessly to help her settle. She has been at Richmond Letcombe Regis getting on for 6 months and I would like to publicly thank all the staff on Sycamore for their unstinting and conscientious work.

They have some outstanding nurses and carers. They can not be on duty all the time and standards slip when too few are on duty and reliance has to be placed on agency staff. This is a difficult job for top management in a service industry where staff turnover is high. Overall they do a good job.

We found both staff and facilities excellent and enjoyed ourselves very much.

My wife has been a resident at this care home since December 2011 following two consecutive strokes. Despite being immobile and unable to speak, she is fully aware of her situation and has to rely on waves with her left arm to alert care home staff of her needs. Their response is excellent. I visit every day to spend time with her. Thank heaven for the television which we watch together. This is a very spacious home, built to great standards.

I cannot speak highly enough regarding this home i.e. from the support, kindness and patience from all staff who either look after or are part of the team that look after my husband. They work as a team and have done their utmost to help my husband settle in, the four months he has been a resident. His room, all the general daily rooms, the food and the presentation of it, the time taken to get his drugs balanced, the timing of drugs etc. All this, plus the support and personal care that everyone, from the senior nurse to the lovely team that bring in a lovely cup of tea to me, shows the conscientiousness of all staff, is of the highest standard.

I do feel that with regard to Sycamore, as excellent as the staff are, they are often operating with fewer people than needed, which at times puts them and the patients at a disadvantage and at risk. I do think that it would be helpful to Sycamore visitors, and to staff, to have an information sheet setting forth procedures such as who to contact (email/ telephone) if necessary, arranging for hospital appointments, use of wheelchairs, hours of the separate dining room, laundry (days for pickup/return, bag to use), newspaper delivery, etc.

3. A recent power cut highlighted the lack of a generator.

My mother received superb care in the care home at Richmond. All the staff were very attentive and ensured that my mother was always at the centre of their decisions.

My mother was in the care home for about a year. The carers are wonderful, they truly care. They show compassion, interest and professionalism. They engage with the residents and help them feel safe and thought about. A sense of calmness and efficiency balance each other and help with the contentment levels of the residents. End-of-life care was so professional and considerate for my mother and for myself. The care team, from management through to all staff were so supportive. Cannot fault them.

Since the advent of the new manager the performance of the home has improved; she realises that it is important to recruit permanent staff that can build relationships with the residents but resources do need to be directed to this end. There still needs to be greater individual communication: 'the resident needs toothpaste', 'the resident needs more underwear', so a direct email between assigned carer and nominated family member needs to be organised. This is an expensive home and whilst no doubt better than most, could still improve, and there seems a genuine willingness to listen and help.

All of my family are very thankful that she is in good hands and in the best place possible for both of us.

From the time my mum entered the Maple Dementia unit until the day she passed away a short time ago she was very happy. The level of care and kindness mum received from all of the staff was really good. She enjoyed joining in with the activities that are provided, even when at her lowest and found it very rewarding. I cannot thank all of those concerned with her stay enough. I would highly recommend Maple Unit at Richmond Village, Letcombe Regis to anybody looking for a specialist Dementia home, where a loved one is looked after with care and dignity. Thank you.

My mother and father moved into the Sycamore unit at Letcombe in Nov 2014 and have received very good care there since. My father(92) died there recently but received excellent care in the end stages of his life and much compassion and care have been shown to my mother since.

Suffering from vascular dementia, my mother became a resident at Richmond Letcombe Regis in 2011. We chose Richmond because of it high standards and these were maintained throughout her four and a half year stay there. Staff were always kind and friendly and were most attentive to my mother's needs at all times. I would readily recommend Richmond to anyone considering residential care for a relative.