Review from K S (Son of Resident) published on 8 March 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience

We were overwhelmed by the standard offered to Dad when he went into the home. Lots of support for both us and Dad. He’s never seemed happier and we love to see the regular videos on Facebook. Dad’s gained his appetite back and we’re very happy that he’s settled and he clearly loves the staff there,

as he calls them his new family.
Great job by the staff - thank you.

Reply from Honor Keatley, Managing Director at Woodlands Care Home

Thank you so much for submitting your review. It's great to read how well your dad is doing and very special to read that he considers he has a new family. What a compliment to the team.

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Review from Chris S (Son of Resident) published on 26 October 2017
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience

We feel our relative is well looked after as far as health and well being are concerned. We also have the opinion that Mum is always clean and tidy and appears to be offered a healthy and nutritious diet.
Our major concern with the home is the lack of activities and outings. Dementia patients need

stimulation of the mind but on almost all of our visits, we never see Mum being engaged in mental activities such as books, board games or even conversation. We feel this lack of activity exacerbates dementia.

Reply from Tracy Freeman, Director at Woodlands Care Home

Many thanks for sharing your concerns and please accept our apologies for any shortfalls in the service we are providing. We do invest a lot of time trying to understand individuals, their personalities, likes and dislikes. For some ‘activities’ are not easily tolerated and whilst we can and do encourage participation sometimes people don’t have patience to sit or chat with others. Where appropriate we use everyday tasks to offer meaningful occupation. This can include washing up, bed making, setting tables, dusting and tidying as they are easily remembered, helping someone feel useful and at home. We do hold care plan review meetings, usually 1 – 6 monthly dependent on need. This is an opportunity to meet families and share knowledge of their loved ones. Please feel free to contact any member of our team should you wish to discuss further.

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Review from Brian G (Son of Resident) published on 25 October 2017
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience

Woodlands Westhoughton care home has always cared for my Mum's needs. The staff always appear to be well informed and extremely professional and find time to discuss any needs for Mum or assistance we may need. I would recommend Woodlands Westhoughton to nay family and friends.

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Review from Rona W (Friend of Resident) published on 10 October 2017
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience

It is distressing to see my loved one with dementia. I take great comfort though from knowing she is being cared for by the staff at Woodlands Westhoughton. The love and devotion that they give is exemplary. The management team are always on hand to support and advise me. I am a regular visitor at different

times during the week and the care given is consistently excellent.

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Review from Gabby (Daughter of Resident) published on 30 September 2017
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience

Staff are always helpful and cheerful at every level. The home is very comfortable and colourful. As a family we have had experience of a care home that was barely either, so we are very pleased and appreciative of Woodlands and the care our Father receives. My only concern is with the staffing ratio

in each unit as residents decline, and whether staff numbers will be increased, as it as a dementia unit and residents inevitably are increasingly demanding.

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Review from Dorothy Y (Wife of Resident) published on 27 September 2017
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience

My husband was in dementia care for 18 months here before he passed away on 12th of this month. It is a modern, bright and cheerful place and the staff are so presentable and friendly towards residents and their families. It is clean, warm and the food is good.

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Review from Gail S (Daughter of Resident) published on 27 September 2017
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience

My father has always been very well cared for. The food provided is excellent, his room is beautiful and clean with his own TV and wet room ensuite. His clothes are always clean and he never looks untidy.
All the staff from the manager to the cleaners are immensely friendly and caring. My dad is very

happy in this home, every part of it is beautifully decorated with lots of private and bright sitting areas.
The gardens are well maintained and offer families little areas to sit privately. Staff always ensure he takes his medication and monitor his food intake - always enthusiastically.

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Review from Michael S (Son of Resident) published on 22 September 2017
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience

The staff are universally kind and create a homely environment. They are very conscious of and knowledgeable about their residents.
I am confident my mum is receiving the best possible care. The fact that the facility is owned and managed by the same people, I think contributes greatly to the quality

of care, love and professionalism offered.

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Review from Christine M (Daughter of Resident) published on 18 September 2017
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience

My mother has been in the care home for just a few months, having been moved from a very nice care home in Bolton because of dementia. The difference in just a few months has been wonderful. She is now settled and happy and responding to us, the family, again.

This is entirely due to the care and

attention of Woodlands staff. They are so attentive and caring. We particularly like the way the carers treat the residents as a family, making the atmosphere of the home such a happy place.

Our whole family has been given peace of mind and we are so happy to see mum brought back to herself with dignity and patience and finding some happiness at last.

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Review from Buffy (Niece of Resident) published on 8 September 2017
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience

My relative has fallen several times and broken bones when falling whilst in this care home for past 14 months. Not enough staff to deal with this and she has now been served notice to leave which is a big shock to us we have been instructed to find somewhere else for her which is impossible there

are no places suitable. We have been told she needs 24 hour one to one care. Such a thing does not exist. We thought she was in the right place as Woodlands is advertised as a specialist dementia care home dealing with dementia and mental health. They cannot deal with someone falling and apparently are unable to stop her falling. They say she needs EMI nursing. I visited a home that does EMI nursing, they only have the same number of staff as Woodlands but they have a nurse there 24 hours a day (one nurse ). That nurse would not be able to sit with my relative 24 hours a day and not care for anyone else. Who would believe an 82-year-old with dementia could be evicted from a care home.

Reply from Tracy Freeman, Director at Woodlands Care Home

I would first like to apologise for the distress and continued problems you are facing on this very difficult journey. We know that choosing a home is stressful and along with the worry of settling a loved one into a new environment it can become a nightmare that no one wants to face but knowing there isn’t often a choice. With this in mind, we continually look for new ways to guide and support families to manage the transition as smoothly as possible.

At Woodlands we try very hard, and it is a CQC regulation, to work transparently and honestly with families and their loved ones. We don’t work in isolation and are part of a larger team who assist with decision making, contributing to care planning and delivery, these include Safeguarding team, GP, Falls team, Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist and Mental Health services. In this instance, and because of the complexity of needs all those people have been involved over the past 18 months, shared their expert advice and guidance, which we have followed, amending care plans, purchasing different equipment, and constantly reviewing what is available. Families are invited to be involved at all levels, contributing their vital understanding of their loved ones to get the best outcome.

We do care for many people with complex needs including falls and most of our residents do not move from our home, they remain with us moving eventually into end of life care. There are times when a level of need increases to such an extent that all options available to our team have been exhausted and we are expected by our regulators and Safeguarding to request further assessment by the GP initially and consequently a nursing assessment. Once an assessment has taken place a multidisciplinary meeting makes the decision in the best interest of the person.

When a decision is made that the level of need is such that a nursing placement is required they can no longer remain in a residential care home setting. We completely understand that it is difficult to find an appropriate nursing placement due to poor availability but it is only in these environments registered for nursing that other forms of treatment and care can be used and a nurse needs to be available to monitor the effects 24/7.

Our staffing levels are good, we are, as you mentioned comparative with nursing levels, with four living areas of 12 – 15 residents, each one has 3 team members, including a floor manager, a staff ratio of 1 – 3/5 residents. In addition, we have 2 Deputy managers, domestic team member, laundry team member and cook. Keeping someone completely safe who is consistently falling or has other complex behaviour requires 1 – 1 care and whilst we do provide this during a transitional period it is not something we can maintain for any length of time from a cost point of view and it depletes the team available to meet the needs of our other residents.

Once again please accept our sincere apologies that we have been unable to meet your expectations and we really hope you find the right care home to meet your family’s needs.

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Review from Marie M (Daughter of Resident) published on 6 February 2017
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience

As a family, we really struggled to find a home that we thought was acceptable for my Mother-in-law and we looked around lots. The Woodlands stood out for the quality and thoughtfulness of the surroundings. Staff numbers and quality of care was exemplary. Each person was an individual and there really

was a homely feel. My Mother-in-law was terminally ill in addition to dementia and ultimately died in the home. The care and support at that time was faultless.

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Review from Graham C (Son of Resident) published on 12 August 2016
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience

This is the second care home and is much better than the first. Both are extremely new buildings but Woodlands have much more staff. The management at Woodlands is much more approachable...we can discuss medical issues easily. They provide extra equipment when needed. If all care homes were like Woodlands

there would be a lot more happy people.

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Review from Judith H (Daughter of Resident) published on 11 August 2016
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience

My mum has been at Woodlands for 3 months and I am so pleased with the whole aspect of care at Woodlands.
My mum could not be better looked after. The care she receives is second to none. The staff are lovely, they treat my mum with great respect and nothing is ever too much trouble.

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Woodlands Care Home

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Funding & Fees Guide for Woodlands Care Home

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