Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff17th October 2023
My time at Benjamin Court was very special. It was simply wonderful there. I went after a knee operation and was there for two weeks and it was the most amazing experience - everything you could imagine needing. The staff were there all the time. The food was lovely. The staff would come in with the menu and the choice was superb. It was the most special place. I had never been in hospital before when I had an operation at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and I didn't know where I was going. I was collected from the hospital and taken through a very nice reception area to a room and I couldn't believe I had my own room with a window onto a quiet garden. It was perfect. I don't know where I would have gone if not here. The staff were very very special. I had a buzzer if I needed anything, it was like a little holiday - a lovely place.
Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk Staff16th October 2023
My partner had palliative care at Benjamin Court. It was superb. I can't speak highly enough of the place. The people of north Norfolk are only getting older and older and which make places like Benjamin Court a necessity.
Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff16th October 2023
My husband was in Benjamin Court and the care was second to none. He had an individual room and the care was there as and when he needed it. It was spotlessly clean. There were physios and equipment there. Nothing was too much trouble for me or him. He was in the NNUH and realised he could go home but he couldn't until the physio and care package was in place, so they offered Benjamin Court and we grabbed at the opportunity as was so close to home. The staff were trained nurses and HCAs and physios as well as Occupational Therapists. Nothing could be improved on. It is quite a big facility. There were 18 beds on the side he was on. There was a restaurant where I could eat if I chose to. There was a sitting room overlooking a garden and his room did too - there were squirrels there!
This will be the first winter without Benjamin Court and the staff are now having to do home visits. What about when the snow and ice comes? Staff are wasting their time going between houses. Staff are better placed in the Benjamin Court hospital and the patients are too. It was full when he was there and we had to wait for the bed. And they did palliative care if we needed it - we didn't - but had we, we would have used it.
Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff16th October 2023
My husband was cared for here. I would say over 100%, I would say 1000% for the treatment he got, it was very very good - excellent. They were all angels. He went in on a Monday and passed away on the Friday. I went in morning, afternoon and evening - I could have stayed over but I only lived up the road so made sense to go home. He was always clean, his bed was always made. He was so well looked after. He was happy with it. When he passed away there were flowers left on his bed. They were all just so good. The nursing staff for my husband were all angels. He was in a room on his own. It was lovely and quiet, it was so peaceful. It is what he wanted. It is such a waste for it to close and it takes relief from the big hospitals.
Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk Staff16th October 2023
I think it is shabby to close Benjamin Court without consultation. In the age of 'bed blocking' we shouldn't be closing places like Benjamin Court. It's shocking that a community facility that could help with the issue is being shut down on the qt. My father had a stroke and was discharged to rehab at Benjamin Court. He was there for two weeks and received absolutely exemplary care. It was just the right sort of care - better than being stuck on the neurology ward. A hospital ward wasn't the right sort of care that he needed. My father liked it at Benjamin Court and was cared for by a wonderful care assistant. We live locally so friends and family could easily visit. Also, as he got better we were able to take him home for short visits before he was fully discharged. This was helpful so staff could see if he could manage being at home and friends could visit him in his own home. My family and I were able to get to know the staff as we were there a lot. They gave us lots of advice on rehab. Even after my father was discharged we were still told that we could call anytime for advice. This enabled us to be the best carers that we could be. Local people volunteered at Benjamin Court. They gave their time to play games which is great for rehab.
Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk Staff16th October 2023
My husband was seriously ill in Norfolk & Norwich Hospital last year with chest sepsis. After several weeks in hospital he had recovered sufficiently to be recommended for a rehabilitation bed (he was not strong enough to be looked after at home). He was told that he would have to wait several weeks or months because no rehab beds were available. We were told that he was 27th on the waiting list. Also that he would be allocated a bed anywhere in the country. Meanwhile he became a 'bed blocker' in the hospital and said he wanted to die. His physical and mental state declined rapidly in an overcrowded dirty dismal ward...with overworked and demoralised nurses. One day the wonderful news came that a bed was available at Benjamin Court. His experience there was excellent and after a couple of weeks he was able to return home. We live in Cromer. Benjamin Court filled the gap between hospital and home. I dread to think what will now happen to other people in a similar situation to my husband. I am aware that frail and sick people are now being sent home to receive minimal homecare. The result is that some of them are returning to hospital within a week or two. This would not happen if a rehabilitation bed was available. We need more rehabilitation units like Benjamin Court, not less.
Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk Staff16th October 2023
I've had a couple of experiences with Benjamin Court. I broke a leg and was able to be at home but I couldn't bathe myself, so I would go over to Benjamin Court to have a bath. That was a very useful service. I later broke the other leg and needed convalescence. I spent two weeks at Benjamin Court. They helped to get me moving again. The consultant was fantastic and they were very good to me. I healed there and was then able to return to my own home. It seems like there's a lack of service now. We need convalescence beds here in Cromer, people need looking after. I have a very high opinion of Benjamin Court and am thankful for the care they gave me.
Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk Staff16th October 2023
My close friend stayed in Benjamin Court multiple times after hospital stays. He stayed there for two to three weeks at a time. It had a very homely feel. The staff were always good and enthusiastic. It seemed like that way of working came from the top down. It was a marvelous resource for the community and I have very good memories of it because it was so small. People are being sent home from the hospital but they aren't really well enough to go home so they quickly end up back in hospital again. Places like Benjamin Court stop that from happening. It's a jolly useful place and a huge resource for the NHS.
Submitted by Collected by a Healthwatch Norfolk member of staff13th October 2023
It was great due to the understand, comfort and patience of the staff.
They knew what I needed when I didn't. They were firm with me but I needed that and it got results. I didn't want to go in there after being discharged from the N&N, but the only option would of been to go home on my own as I live on my own and I would not of been able to cope. They made me face up to my needs and it turned me around. They helped me recover emotionally as well as physically. The food was amazing. I had my own room which was en suite with my own shower. The soundings and staff helped me feel more relaxed which speeded up my recovery. They made sure I took my medication even when I didn't want to. I would like to thank them, they were absolutely marvellous.
They looked after my dad who went in there for palliative care for the last three weeks of his life. The staff looked after him brilliantly and nothing was too much trouble. They cared for us too and told us everything that was happening, and reassured me that Dad would stay there close to home to be cared for. We were allowed to stay with Dad anytime, and during the night too. It was a quiet and peaceful calm environment. I don't believe there is any other facility in Cromer for palliative care which is so important for end-of-life patients.