Barchester Healthcare

I am looked after but there is no where like home. I don't get out of bed because I can't but I feel looked after and comfortable.

They have brought different animals in for me to meet, I liked the mini donkeys. The food has improved, I used to think it was a bit sparse.

I like most of the staff and most of the time it's the same ones, occasionally it's new ones and that is not so good. All in all I am happy and looked after but would just rather be at home.

My husband has been in here 3 years and I come to visit him every day. The staff are all so lovely and he is well looked after.

They are always cleaning and if you mention anything it is soon sorted. The food here is good and I can eat here with him as well.

I actually stayed here myself while I recovered after having an operation, which was the managers suggestion. This meant I could still see my husband every day and I got to meet all the night staff who were also really nice.

There is n ... o restriction on when I can visit. The only thing that can be concerning is when other residents come into his room.

I think it's the complete happiness of everybody, the staff give their best and it's very good. We have a residence meeting once a month and we go through everything.

We say what we want and what we don't want and there are lots of improvements around the food. It's good.

The entertainment here is excellent. I like being on my own for peace and quiet in my room sometimes.

I think for a nursing home it is excellent. I have been in others before.

It's a lovely place to be. I write poetry w ... hich I can do and enjoy.

I deliver the newspapers and speak to the other residents as I go round. I also enjoy sudoku and audio books.

We love to go on outings in the minibus and we also have a sports day which I enjoy. We did the egg and spoon race which was lots of fun.

We have cooking lessons sometimes which are very funny especially as some people can't see and others can't hear. When I first came here I had a trolley to help me walk and I kept falling so they found me a different one with a brake and now it works properly.

I think they are good at safety. I think I am lucky to be here and I'm happy.

I've been in three other homes in Sussex and this one is the best. The atmosphere here is so much better.

I've been here 2 years now. I nearly popped off once but they rescued me and it was the staff here who worked out that they had forgotten to put me back on one of my tablets.

I'm very happy.

I know we are old but I like to be positive, I hate negativity. It's a lovely place to live, it's very good.

I like to help the other residents with different things like making jewellery boxes. I think I am good at talking to people because I have always been good at communicating with different people.

I am one of the resident ambassadors and like to talk to people. Residents come and ask me things and I can then ask the staff or bring it up at the Resident meetings.

I think I am quite t ... olerant and can get on with most people. I love music and this home also offers lots of crafts, there are always crafts going on.

I came in with my husband when he became bed bound and when we arrived everyone so friendly. I was not one for hugging before but I am now.

There is just so much happiness and kindness. When I came here I suddenly had a circle of friends.

We love to go on outings in the minibus. We've just been to see Paddington at the cathedral.

There are lots of animals that visit us here, cavies, donkeys, owls, all sorts. Last year at Easter we hatched chicks, this year we have duck eggs.

We have a sports day with different races. We also go to the cathedral at Christmas and have a prayer service here once a month and the vicar is coming today.

A knitting group comes here too and we made all these beautiful poppies for the British Legion. So we try and help other people too.

The Pricilla Bacon Lodge is our charity and last year we raised lots of money for them. The staff all join in with things and we have a lovely comradery.

We each have a key worker and if we need to talk about anything or need something we can go to them. They always help us.

The staff are supportive and my room is very comfortable. We have a resident of the day and this is when we have things like our blood pressure checked and they deep clean our room.

They cleaned my windows and they were so thorough, they worked so hard. They also have employee of the month and we can vote.

Just a few of us have breakfast together and others eat in their rooms. At lunch more people eat in the dining room, but it's less than it used to be.

We also go to memory lane (Dementia side of the home) quite a lot, which I feel is quite good and important. When we have entertainers the staff make sure they sometimes go to memory lane and then we go over there to take part.

Also on outings staff make sure that the memory lane people have a chance to go out to. We are allowed drinks here, we have wine and cocktail trolleys.

We are often on Facebook with a glass in our hands! The manager says she is going to get her son to come and make us some different cocktails. The food is quite good, there are always choices.

I eat food I would not have eaten before. I mentioned that the toast was too floppy and Sarah made me some which was very good crisp toast.

She makes the best toast. Sometimes the staff are busy and can't always talk to you all the time.

I like to have conversations with gentlemen as well because their conversation is different. I enjoyed talking to the men who brought the vintage bikes into the home.

We have a good quiz team and I have also taken up sewing again.

All the staff are really friendly and the staff make it nice, they are all very good especially the activity people when they are here. It would be good if they were here more often.

Luckily the staff are all very nice people. Most of the time there are enough activities to do.

The quizzes are good. I like the colouring and they are very good at getting the equipment we need.

The food is okay but not great but that's mostly because the food is different to what I used to eat. I did suggest ... chilli and they have now added that which is good.

You can choose if you want to eat in the dining room with other residents and I usually do. I have been here about a year and a half and I suppose living here you loose your world outside.

I moved here as my sister lives just round the corner and this is better than the home I lived in before. My room is fine and I have a door to the garden, but it is locked so I have to ask them to unlock it when I want to go out.

I would rather be able to do it myself. The residents meeting once a month is good as you feel listened to and things do change.

Nearly every week we can go out in the minibus, somewhere like the garden centre or even shopping in town.

One thing I would like is a big white board to play hangman

It's good for lots of reasons, it's the best. We like all the carers and we have lots of laughs.

My brother likes to go for walks in the garden and I have brought in some food for the birdfeeders so he can watch the birds from his bedroom window. All the carers are very friendly and speak to us.

I like how my brother is treated. If something doesn't work they try something different, like changing the times of his one to one care.

I think the food is okay and I know he enjoys his full Engl ... ish breakfast. My brother's great love is classical music and if something could enhance the his experience it would be to have more music.

It would be nice if he had some music in his room. I tend to leave the TV on Radio 3 when I leave but it would be good if it was music we had chosen.

I know he likes chamber music, piano and opera. He enjoys listening to the music when the piano is played in here.

My brother also likes horse racing so last week I came in to put the TV on so he could watch the racing at Cheltenham. I think he also joins in with some of the activities that take place with the carers.

I like it here, I'm happy. I've just had a birthday and they made a terrific day for me.

They took me for cake at a garden centre and then at the home they made me a chocolate cake with candles and sang me happy birthday! I do go down for activities sometimes but I'm not very sociable. They do bring things to our rooms to try like when they did bread-tasting.

The carers are fantastic, I feel like I could speak to them. The food is nice enough, it's different to what I'd have at home but that ... 's probably good.

It's nicely cooked. We have open days and fetes, people can always come and look round and speak to us to see what it's like.

Relatives can visit and they allow families to bring their dogs in which is great for me as I'm a dog lover!

Mum's always been happy here, she's well looked after especially now she's bedridden. They see to her straight away for anything she needs.

They're always looking in on mum and all the residents at night to make sure they don't want anything. And they do a lot here too, I didn't realise how much they do! There's always something on - art, music, flower-arranging, quizzes.

I can come any time I like for as long as I like. The staff are very helpful and understanding with me.

Sue on receptio ... n is also good.

All the staff are!

All the staff are very helpful. I came for respite but I'm proposing to stay.

The people are very pleasant. I'm happy with my room.

I've done knitting and yoga, Caroline is very good at the entertainment part. It was fantastic when a band came, it brought everyone together.

It was the right era of music - from the 70s, 80s and 90s - and there was wine! They're very open and helpful if you wanted to do something in particular. There's always lots of things on offer if you want to do them, t ... here's a variety but I would like to see more of the band.

I am happy with the care, information gets passed from nurse to nurse. The food is mostly good and they're open to suggestions.

I find there is plenty and they tell you to ask for more, they really encourage that so you don't feel guilty if you do want more. They have listened to how and when I want my meals.

You can have visitors any time, it's very open, and they will give them lunch too.

It's better than it was in the past because the current manager is good, we're lucky. She really cares a lot about all aspects of the home, everybody feels they can go to her.

You've got a lot of staff who have been here a long time which is a definite bonus - the residents know them really well and form relationships. I know it's unrealistic but it could be better with more staff.

We're never understaffed but there's always more you could do with an extra pair of hands.