Darwin Court Care Home - Avery Healthcare

Hopefully, the new management will be stronger, robust and more intrusive into staff performance standards than previous management; that was weak and rarely seen.

Warm welcome on arriving at Darwin Court. The rooms are very homely decorated. The staff are very friendly and soon get to know who you are visiting and get to know the residents. Very caring approach shown. Lovely lounge to sit in whilst visiting could just do with a few more activities

The kitchen isn't kept very tidy and we are not offered a drink, although we are allowed to make a drink for my sister.

It is such a relief and a pleasure to see how settled mum is in Darwin Court. She often remarks how comfortable it is and how kind and caring all the staff are. In fact, she says that she can't find fault with anything or anyone. The staff are also very caring towards the relatives of the residents, helping them to deal with emotional situations. I am so relieved that mum is being looked after so well and is also happy to be there. It has definitely taken away a lot of our anxiety about her as she is getting older and frailer.

Every time we come Darwin Court is always nice and clean and tidy. Staff go out of their way to help residents and visitors.

I have visited a lot of care homes and have to this say this is a fine example of all that glitters is not Gold. My friend was admitted to the dementia unit and received a very poor level of care. The staff levels are very low and are mainly made up of very young inexperienced carers. The residents on dementia unit do not get the much-advertised activities and the care is not proactive but reactive. Handovers are not completed so staff are often unable to answer simple questions from incidents or requests from previous shifts. Small details which mean a lot to individual residents are not spotted. Despite having a lovely roof garden not much is made of it especially for dementia patients in the winter months. Often residents are left sleeping in the day room and not enough attempts are made to help and assist residents into bed. Don't let the fancy furniture and freshly painted walls in reception think twice before putting your loved one here.

Darwin Court has been exceptional in providing a secure haven where our parents' needs have been met.

We had the unusual circumstance of both parents as residents and this enabled Mum to be with Dad for his last days. They are very good at keeping relatives informed of the slightest development. They very kindly let me stay in a room equal to any hotel for Dad's last eight days, also looking after my needs and running upstairs to get me when Dads condition was deteriorating even further at his end of life, not forgetting my Mum's needs who was with me at this critical time. While staying at the home it was obvious the staff have a very good therapeutic relationship with the residents and do go the extra mile in their care and support. The home works very closely with the relatives in providing care for the residents, and my sisters and I where asked to provide input into the care plans, and very much appreciated the staff's advice and support for Dad's end of life care.

Nice looking home with good facilities but even with these advantages, the home is unable to provide high levels of care due to poor staffing levels. Roof garden, much advertised, is rarely used by anyone other than residents, nowhere for more severe elderly residents to exercise.

Dad has the opportunity and freedom of using all the facilities within the home, not just those on the unit where he lives.

He sadly passed away but it was a great comfort to us and him that in those last days he received the best care in wonderful surroundings with his family around him. The staff at Darwin Court are a real credit to the home.

My grandad looked the most comfortable he had looked in a long time after being in and out of hospital. They catered to all his needs promptly and listened to his wishes without question (my grandad was partially blind and therefore needed tablets put on a coloured plate and water in a coloured cup). They encouraged him to attend events at the home when he was well enough too and sat and had a chat with him when he couldn’t sleep late at night/early morning.

Special mention should be made of the staff who cared for mum in such a loving way. She came to regard them as family. Mum was very well cared for, had lots of company and was loved by all. We shall miss our almost daily visits to Darwin Court. Many, many thanks.

The staff at Darwin Court in Lichfield are exceptional. My mum was a resident for about 20 months until her death in January. The care offered to mum was responsive and compassionate. The reception staff and activities staff were also exemplary. I cannot recommend this service highly enough.

My mother has had 2 separate stays - one for a one week period and she is now a full-time resident. Every aspect of the facility/staff is excellent. Mum is really happy and feels totally safe and well looked after.

The staff are kind and as considerate as you could wish for - nothing is too much trouble; the rooms are warm and clean and the food ample and good.

I would like to thank the nurses, carers and management on the care they provided to my Father in the last two weeks of his life. Such a professional team. Keep up the good work.

My mum has been in Darwin for a number of years now. Overall the communication has been good but particularly recently as her mental health has been deteriorating. As with all homes, not all is perfect but any issues we have raised have been dealt with efficiently and respectfully. We are as confident as we can be that our mum is being cared for.

Well run, lovely staff. I would recommend Darwin Court.

It makes you feel at ease to go home knowing he is being well looked after.

The home is always clean and visitors are always made welcome. My wife is now settling in and she is slowing down gradually.