Blackbrook House

Gun Hill, Dedham, Colchester CO7 6HP
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9.6 75 Reviews
  • Blackbrook House, Colchester
Blackbrook House in Dedham is situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty on the Essex-Suffolk border. The home provides residential and dementia care for up to 55 residents in comfortable ensuite rooms and continues to welcome new residents.

As one of England's largest not-for-profit providers of housing and care for those over 55 years of age, Anchor continually reinvests the money it makes into its retirement properties and care homes, to continually raise standards to provide a high-quality service to surpass customer’s expectations

Anchor ensures each individual’s health and care needs are continually met by working closely with customers and their families.

They provide on-going dementia training for care staff which ensures their approach always reflects best practice. Anchor recognises that everyone is an individual and works hard to provide person-centred care.

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Care Provided by Blackbrook House

  • Primary Care Categories
  • Dementia
  • Older Person Care
  • Respite Care
  • Care Types Provided
  • Dementia Residential Care
  • Residential Care
  • For a maximum of 55 Service Users
  • Voluntary / Not for Profit Owned
  • Care Offered
  • Alzheimer's
  • Other Care Provided
  • Convalescent Care
  • Own GP if required

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Lucy Yarham (Manager)
  • Admission Criteria
    • Please contact Blackbrook House directly to discuss yours or your loved ones' care needs.
    • Ages 65+
  • Room Information
    • Single Rooms (55)
    • Single Rooms with ensuite Wet Room (55)
  • Care Home Design/Build
    • Purpose Built: Yes
    • Year Purpose Built: 2008
    • Number of floors: 2

Funding & Fees Guide for Blackbrook House

  • Funding Types Accepted
  • Self funding (Private)
  • Local Authority with Top-Up
  • Local Authority
  • NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) Funding
  • Weekly Charges per Person
    • Self-Funded Residential Care from £1,367
    • Self-Funded Residential Dementia Care from £1,367
    • RESPITE Self-Funded Residential Care from £1,367
    • RESPITE Self-Funded Residential Dementia Care from £1,367

  • Colleagues at Blackbrook House will be happy to discuss our weekly fees with you and what our fees include.
  • (these prices are only a guideline, please contact Blackbrook House to find out the exact price for your requirements)

Facilities

  • Lift
  • Television point in own room
  • Wheelchair Access
  • Visiting

  • The home welcome visitors as an integral part of day-to-day life.


  • Parking

  • There is onsite parking, including disabled spaces.


Blackbrook House Reviews (75)

Total of 75, showing 1-20
9.6

Blackbrook House has a Review Score of 9.6 (9.618) out of 10, based on 22 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Blackbrook House has 75 reviews.

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Review from Michael N (Son of Resident) published on 19 March 2025
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Mother spent the last three years of her life at Blackbrook House and knowing that she was safe and comfortable there was a huge weight off my mind. The staff were all very caring and treated Mum with respect.
The managers were always approachable and treated Mum as an individual not just as a client.
Her final passing was treated with compassion and dignity.

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Review from Jill B (Daughter of Resident) published on 22 January 2025
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I would strongly recommend the manager and her team.
They cared for my father in a caring and compassionate way.
They dealt with his needs in an amazingly professional way.
Sadly, we were unable to keep him there any longer due to social services.
The care home has a warm and friendly atmosphere,
it is a wonderful place.
Thank you for all your help and support for the family as well.

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Review from Phil H (Son of Resident) published on 21 January 2025
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

The care staff and management are excellent.
I feel that sometimes the level/quantity of carers could be improved, especially at weekends. I have found my father on a few occasions needing some assistance. It does always come on asking.
He has lost a number of clothing items and also a hearing aid
in excess of £1,000 to replace, so maybe this element could be looked at.
All this said, I am very happy with the care, the home, staff and management.
My father has always been a 'good' critic and does often complain to me about the food.

Reply from Lucy Yarham, Manager at Blackbrook House

Thank you for taking the time to review Blackbrook House. It's great to see you rate our staff and care/support as excellent as well as the facilities on offer here at Blackbrook House. Our priority is to always provide the best quality care in a place, where our residents and their families can call home, so we are really pleased your father has settled in so well with us here and that you have chosen to make his stay more permanent. Our weekly reviews are a great space for us to discuss any areas we can improve, so please don't hesitate to discuss any issues as they arise. We are pleased that we now have an improved laundry service whereby all residents have the button system for their clothing. We also try to accommodate all with our freshly, home-cooked meals however if there is something Dad would like in particular, please do let us know. Feedback is hugely important to us, so thank you again for taking the time to leave us a review and for all your support.


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Review from A J (Daughter of Resident) published on 15 January 2025
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

My sister and I visited our mum at Blackbrook House and had our lunch with her last week (12th December) and it was such a memorable and joyous visit. We were given a lovely table in the dining room in a little secluded area all decorated festively for Christmas. The staff were all amazing and made
us all feel very special taking pictures for us and the assistant manager went above and beyond to look after us, printing and laminating a lovely photograph of all three of us together. The food was delicious. Thank you Blackbrook House.

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Review from Christine H (Resident) published on 31 December 2024
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The staff are very helpful. Breakfast is brought up to my room. I watch TV while I'm having breakfast. There's a choice for lunch and dinner which is very nice. A lady who sits at my table is a vegetarian and she is catered for. My room and shower room are regularly cleaned and polished. I forgot to
say I have the same thing for breakfast every morning!

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Review from L M (Wife of Resident) published on 19 December 2024
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Blackbrook House is the best-kept care home that I have been in. My husband is a resident, he is very happy where he is. With dementia, it is very hard to assess his feelings. I only have one gripe and on several days over the last few weeks, when there are no senior staff on shift, things seem not
to run as smoothly. The inexperienced agency staff seem to not know what they are doing. It is a very hard job, I know, and it is easy for me to say but I do think there should be more experienced staff to guide them.

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Review from G H (Granddaughter of Resident) published on 19 December 2024
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Would appreciate, when the weather is appropriate, that the outdoor patio area could be cleaned, swept and pressure washed, and bird feeders cleaned with table and chairs as the area looks unloved and not useable.

Reply from Lucy Yarham, Home Manager at Blackbrook House

Thank you for taking the time to leave Blackbrook House a review. Our outside patio is due to be jet washed when the weather improves but recent storms have made this difficult. Please don't hesitate to contact me should you have any queries or concerns so we can discuss these and resolve where possible. Thank you again for your time.


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Review from C F (Nephew of Resident) published on 13 December 2024
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

My aunt moved into Blackbrook House in November, she has said how lovely the home is, so clean, friendly and beautifully decorated it is. The staff are all so welcoming and friendly and nothing seems too much trouble if you ask for anything. She loves her newly painted room and seems very settled. I
am very pleased with her settling in so quickly.

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Review from J H (Daughter-in-law of Resident) published on 4 December 2024
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Very welcoming, caring care home. Good staff ratio to residents. Good level of activities. One to one time spent with residents on a regular basis. Management and staff contact relatives should there be a problem, They do this in a timely manner. Communal area's are comfortable and clean. The individual
residents rooms do now require an up-lift as they are looking a little tired.

Reply from Lucy Yarham, Manager at Blackbrook House

Thank you for taking the time to review Blackbrook House and we are pleased you rate our food/drink as excellent. Thank you for your kind comments regarding our team, which I will pass on. We are currently working around the home to update our bedrooms as a priority. We welcome feedback to continuously improve care at Blackbrook House, so my door is always open to discuss any matters relating to our care.


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Review from Janis F (Daughter-in-law of Resident) published on 14 October 2024
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I cannot fault Blackbrook House Care Home. The building, facilities, accommodation are very efficient yet are very comfortable, bright, welcoming and extremely clean.
The staff and carers are truly lovely people. They are warm, friendly and really care about the residents and visitors as well.
I would
not hesitate to recommend this care home to people considering relocating loved ones. By far, the best we looked at and we looked at a lot of homes in the Colchester area.

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Review from David H (Son of Resident) published on 20 September 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My mother has been a resident for nearly three years. She arrived after living abroad for many years and she had just lost her husband and arrived at Blackbrook House in a very anxious and depressed state. The staff at Blackbrook House have nurtured and supported my mother since her arrival, enabling
her to, once again, enjoy her days in, what is now, her home.
The residents are positively encouraged to participate in the activities and their views are sought whenever a change to their home is envisaged, even down to helping choose the paint colour for the walls.
My mother is treated with respect and dignity and is encouraged to be independent which she enjoys.
My suggestions for improvement include improving the outside spaces and reintroducing the family meetings to update relatives on issues and initiatives etc.

Reply from Lucy Yarham, Home Manager at Blackbrook House

Thank you for taking the time to review Blackbrook House, we are pleased that you rate your overall experience of our home as excellent. Thank you for your kind comments regarding our team and how they supported your mum on her admission to Blackbrook House. I will ensure that this feedback is passed on. We welcome feedback for any improvements we can make to our home. We actively encourage our relatives to attend our family meetings through email invitation and on our notice boards, please do let me know if you require further information on forthcoming meetings. We are actively working on our outdoor spaces, some work has been completed this year, with more to come. We will, of course, be engaging with our residents and relatives on other areas of the home. Thanks again for taking the time to review Blackbrook House.


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Review from B K (Daughter of Resident) published on 10 September 2024
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We could not believe how amazing Blackbrook House has been. The welcome, induction to everything and the cleanliness of the room was superb.
Staff were friendly, caring and attentive.
Options of going down for food or sitting outside of Mum's room were given. They made me feel welcome when visiting
too.
Sadly, the food was not that good, but Mum was offered other options.

Reply from Lucy Yarham, Manager at Blackbrook House

Thank you for taking the time to review Blackbrook House and we are pleased that your rate our overall experience as excellent. Thank you for your kind comments regarding our home and team. We cater for each of our residents' nutritional needs and preferences, to ensure that these are appetising. In addition to the daily choices provided, we have an on-call menu, which is always available. I'm always happy to discuss any aspect of our care at a mutually convenient time.


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Review from John R (Resident) published on 2 July 2024
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I have been supported and treated very well. The staff are very good and helpful.

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Review from Keith C (Son of Resident) published on 17 June 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My father went into Blackbrook House for restpite whilst recovering from pneumonia. The standards are very high, the care staff are attentive and the rooms are of a good standard. Food is also excellent and served in your room if wanted.
All in all, it's a very nice place.

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Review from Michael H (Son of Resident) published on 5 June 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Mum went into Blackbrook House in February of 2024. She was welcomed in by the home manager and other members of the staff. During the early days she received the care and attention she needed in order to help her settle. After a very short time she was enjoying and joining in all the activities, of
which there are many, on a daily basis. She has formed good relationships with the staff and is very settled and happy.
All members of the team are kind and caring and Mum is receiving the level of care she requires at this time.
Blackbrook is a smaller home, therefore, presents as very homely and comfortable. The cleanliness levels are high. The resident chef provides good home-cooked food with varied menu choices each day. The gardens that surround the property are pleasant with comfortable seating areas and access is level.
I would have no hesitation in recommending Blackbrook to others.

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Review from Linda F (Daughter of Resident) published on 19 March 2024
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My mother moved into Blackbrook House five months ago. We were delighted to find this lovely care home in our village. From the first day, we were impressed by the friendliness of all the staff. The home is spotlessly clean with a homely feel to it. As visitors, our family are always made to feel welcome
with a friendly smile and chat. Our dog, who we take along with us, scores a hit with the other residents and staff alike!
The management are excellent as too are the team leaders and carers, cleaners, kitchen staff and all who work there. Always very approachable and do an excellent job of providing the best possible care for our loved ones.

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Review from Elaine C (Daughter of Resident) published on 13 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My mother moved into Blackbrook Care Home in January after losing her husband suddenly, he was her carer so she was not safe to remain at home alone.
It was a very difficult time for her and she was also very anxious about moving into a care home.
From the moment we arrived at the home, she was made
to feel welcome.
Each and everyone has something to offer, from carers, housekeepers, handyman and chefs up to management and admin team.
Everyone has been friendly and approachable.
The home is clean and homely and there are daily activities for residents if required.
There is a good choice of food and it always looks very appetising.
Above all, the staff are friendly and kind, so my mum who is a quiet and shy lady has settled in well and enjoys a little chat with the staff.
They took the time to get to know her little ways which was really important.
I cannot think of a better place for her to be cared for and I would highly recommend the home to others.

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Review from Judith F (Daughter of Resident) published on 16 October 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Mum initially went to Blackbrook House having spent a month in hospital. Our father is 94 years old and had been her main carer for the past couple of years.
All of our family have been really pleased with the level of care that she’s received, her clothes are always clean and appropriate for the
change in weather conditions. The staff always talk to her and smile, she really enjoys the meals and finishes everything that they give her.
Mum has been a high-risk faller for the last few years and all risks have been managed to ensure her safety which significantly reduced them.
As a family of her husband, daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren we can’t praise and thank the staff enough - thank you.

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Review from C B (Daughter of Resident) published on 13 October 2023
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Staff are all really good, some excellent, all really caring and never seem to be fazed by the resident's sometimes tricky demands. Response times to buzzers can be a little slow, but I appreciate they cannot be in two places at once, and some residents do call often. Residents are well-fed and cared
for. I am pleased to say both my parents are mostly happy with their home, despite wishing they had remained in their own home.

Reply from Lucy Yarham, Home Manager at Blackbrook House

Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review; your feedback is important to us. We are glad your overall experience was a positive one and that you are happy with the care your parents receive at Blackbrook House. In regards to response times, we have taken this feedback on board and have recently reviewed our staffing ratio to dependency. Please do let us know if you should have any further concerns, and we would be more than happy to chat at a mutually convenient time.


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Review from Maria L (Daughter of Resident) published on 8 August 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Making the decision to place my mum into the care of others was not an easy one to make. I knew I had to find exactly the right residential home to place my trust in. The minute my husband and I walked into Blackbrook House and were greeted by the manager, I knew my mum would have approved, and it would
be the right choice for her.
The facilities are well presented and clean, with a friendly and homely feel. The care Mum received was excellent, and her extensive needs were well catered for. I felt very welcomed into the home on any visit I made, and I could see she was settled and cared for. Despite Mum only living there for a short while, I felt that all the staff had taken the time to get to know her personally and took time out of their busy days to have a chat with her.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Blackbrook House to others.

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Current Review Score: 9.6 (9.618)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.6 (9.618) out of 10 for Blackbrook House is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  • a) The Average Rating is 4.6 out of 5 from 22 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 22 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Care Home is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  • a) 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months.

    The Average Rating of 4.618 for Blackbrook House is calculated as follows: ( (173 Excellents x 5) + (75 Goods x 4) + (9 Satisfactorys x 3) + (2 Poors x 2) ) ÷ 259 Ratings = 4.618

  • b) 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5').

    The 5 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Blackbrook House is based on 22 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    • i) 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4

    • ii) 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the registered maximum number of service users in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Care Home registered for a maximum of 50 service users has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 55 registered maximum number of service users is 11, which has been reached with 22 Positive reviews. Points = 1

  • When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.

  • If a Care Home does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Performance

Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating

Date: 18 Jan 2020

Overall
Good

  • Caring

    Good

  • Effective

    Good

  • Responsive

    Good

  • Safe

    Requires improvement

  • Well-led

    Good

Care Quality Commission is responsible for the registration and inspection of social care services in England.

View Latest Report

Bed Vacancies

2 Bed Vacancies

posted 02 Apr 2025

We currently have two vacancies for care. Please contact Blackbrook House directly for more details.


Awards / Recognitions (13)

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Frequently Asked Questions about Blackbrook House

What types of Care is Blackbrook House registered for?

Older Person Care, Dementia & Respite Care are the registered (by the Care Quality Commission) categories of Care.

What additional types of Care does Blackbrook House provide?

Convalescent Care & Own GP if required are other types of care provided.

How many Rooms does Blackbrook House have?

There are 55 Single Rooms.

What are the Facilities & Services at Blackbrook House?

Lift, Wheelchair Access & Television point in own room are some of the Facilities & Services.

How far is Blackbrook House to the centre of Colchester?

5.5 mile(s) as the crow flies, distance by road may be significantly further.