Caring Homes Reviews 6

This company is extremely misleading and rude, I would not recommend doing any service with them ever.

Update from previous review March 2023 - April 2024 after almost 2 years of issues we finally had an opportunity to speak with a director online. This meeting was very welcomed if not very very over due.
Having the chance to explain our experiences with Caring Homes regarding Whittington House, Cheltenham was useful but unfortunately failed to completely reassure us that the issues we experienced would not happen again to another family. We understand the difficult position caring services are currently in but continue to be concerned around management oversight and maintaining standards.
Communication with the organisation to resolve complaints was very difficult and added to the overall negative experience we had as a family.
Unfortunately there is nothing anyone from Whittington House can do to take way the lasting image I have of my sister on the morning she passed and the following months of dismissal and defensiveness we faced from Caring Homes.

I would not recommend this company. Their structure and model of operation is not conducive to consistent and reliable care. I deeply regret having subjected my relative to one of their care homes.

My 93 year old mother entered Abbeycrest Care Home last year in February 2021.
In June 2021 she fell out of her bed, (no bed rails in place), she died 5 days later as a direct result of the terrible injuries she sustained when she fell. Since her death, we have found Caring Homes to be evasive, unhelpful and dismissive towards our family. They have shown no regret at the manner in which our mother died. Immediately following her death there was no contact nor support offered to us. We were contacted to pay the outstanding fees even before our mother's inquest was held!!!! At her inquest, the Coroner expressed concern and wrote to Abbeycrest. We have also had the trauma of a very expensive and precious ring disappearing from our mother's jewellery box in her room. The home was impressive at first but the manner in which we have been treated - a bereft family - has been truly shocking. I wish my mother had never gone to live at Abbeycrest Care Home because they did not care for her (nor us) at all when it mattered most.

We recently placed my Uncle in Guysfield from his own flat in Suffolk. For the first couple of weeks he seemed happy and we received regular pictures and updates from the Deputy Manager. The home’s website mentions that they deal with challenging behaviour and specialist dementia. Well this couldn’t be further from the truth. My Uncle is a frail 86 year-old man and prior to moving to Guysfield had never shown any signs of aggression or using foul language. The Social Worker had made Guysfield aware of my Uncle’s situation, who was later accused of hiding the reality of his illness.

There was an incident in the care home, where dementia residents were left unattended and totally unwitnessed. The police were called and said they could not press charges as all the people in the room were unreliable witnesses. From that point on, we received regular calls from the home quite often just before midnight – sometimes four times a day for trivial matters which should have been handled by a specialist dementia unit. We received a call from the Manager serving us four weeks’ notice which meant our dear Uncle had to be out by Christmas Eve. This was out consulting with the family or waiting for the Mental Health team’s assessment.

The solution seemed to be managing the situation with drugs. This isn’t what we wanted at all, so we set about finding a new home for him. It’s not easy moving someone both for the individual and the family. We were devastated and luckily found a wonderful care home where our Uncle is very happy and well-looked after. His drugs are being reassessed and already our Uncle is returning to his old self – happy, dancing and singing. We were very lucky that we found a home which had taken other people who had been served notice from Guysfield. We have also heard of other cases at Guysfield where families have been left with the devastating news that their loved ones are to be vacated. This is because the families have become too demanding. All we want is the best for our relatives.
This is a terrible problem in the UK, were Home Managers can make the decision without any consultation with the professionals or family. On the service Guysfield is a nice place but look under the surface and you will see people who are subdued and lacking in life. I would urge you to visit the home at different times – I wish I had. The Management team are rude, lacking in any compassion and a number of inconsistencies in process have been identified including the sharing of personal detail.

I hope this review will stop other people making the same terrible mistake we did. Made even worse by the fact that our Christmas has been ruined and we are devastated.