Residential care
Help with washing, dressing, medicines and meals for people who can no longer manage at home but do not need a nurse day to day.
A home first, with nursing care whenever it is needed
Willowmere looks after 48 residents in residential, nursing and dementia care, with short respite stays when a family carer needs a break. Come and look round, meet the nurses and stay for lunch before deciding anything.
48 roomseach with a shower room
24 hoursregistered nurses on duty
Openvisiting every day
The care we give, explained plainly
A nurse manager assesses every new resident before a place is offered, so the level of care matches the person rather than whichever room happens to be empty.
Nursing care
Registered nurses on duty around the clock for people with ongoing health needs, such as wound care, diabetes or recovery after a hospital stay.
Living with dementia
The Orchard household, a smaller wing of twelve rooms with its own lounge, kitchen and enclosed garden, staffed by a team trained in dementia care.
Respite stays
Stays of one to six weeks so a family carer can rest, travel or recover, with the same care long term residents receive.
Care at the end of life
Residents can stay in their own room, with our nurses working alongside their doctor and local palliative teams, and family welcome at any hour.
Assessment before moving in
Our nurse manager meets the person at home or in hospital, talks with the family and says honestly whether Willowmere can meet their needs.
Willowmere does not provide hospital treatment or specialist mental health care. If someone's needs grow beyond what the home can offer, we tell the family and help them find the right place.
Rooms for a short stay or a long one
Every room has its own shower room, an adjustable bed, a call bell and space for a favourite chair and pictures from home. The nightly rates below are for respite stays; long term fees are weekly and sit in the next table.
Garden room
a night, from$245
Twelve rooms opening onto the terrace and the willow lawn.
- Shower room with a seat and grab rails
- Space for your own armchair
- Breakfast in the room or the dining room
- Personal care and medicines included
First floor room
a night, from$215
Quieter rooms above the lounge, a short lift ride from the dining room.
- Shower room with a seat and grab rails
- Window seat over the gardens
- All meals and snacks included
- Personal care and medicines included
Orchard household room
a night, from$260
In the twelve room dementia household, with a memory box beside each door.
- Familiar layout with clear signs and colours
- Own lounge and small kitchen
- Garden that residents can walk safely
- Team trained in dementia care
Respite stays run from one week. Long term residents keep their room for as long as it meets their needs, and any move is always talked through with the family first.
Weekly fees, and what they cover
Fees depend on the care assessment and the room. Public funding, insurance and local authority contributions work differently in every country, and the office explains what may apply to you during your visit.
| Care | Weekly fee from | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Residential care | $1,390 | Room, meals, laundry, personal care, medicines given by staff and the activities programme |
| Nursing care | $1,780 | Everything above, with registered nursing day and night |
| Dementia care, Orchard household | $1,690 | Residential care in the dementia household, with its own trained team |
| Extras | Charged as used | Hairdresser, chiropody, newspapers, a private phone line and outings with an entry fee |
Fees are reviewed once a year, with 28 days' written notice of any change. The contract sets out notice periods and what happens to fees during a hospital stay, and we go through it with you line by line.
A day at Willowmere
Residents get up when they choose, and breakfast is served until ten. Mornings bring a newspaper group, chair exercise or time in the garden, and afternoons are for music, visitors, a film or a nap, with nobody hurried along.
The kitchen cooks every meal on site, with two choices at lunch and supper and a menu shaped by the residents' meeting each month.
- Activities coordinator on weekdays and Saturday mornings
- Hairdresser every Thursday
- Visits from faith leaders of any tradition, on request
- Raised beds and a greenhouse for keen gardeners
Around the home
The rooms and spaces residents use every day, from the dining room to the willow lawn.
Visiting, without a timetable
Families are part of daily life here, never guests to be managed.
Open visiting
Come any time between 09:00 and 20:30 with no need to book. Outside those hours, call the nurse in charge and we arrange it.
Protected mealtimes
Lunch at 12:30 and supper at 17:30 are kept calm, though you are welcome to join a relative and help them eat.
Children and pets
Children are always welcome, and a calm dog on a lead can visit by arrangement with the office.
When someone is very unwell
Family can stay through the night, with a reclining chair, blankets and tea brought to the room.
Moving in, one step at a time
Visit and look round
See the rooms, meet staff and residents, and stay for a meal if you like, with no obligation.
The care assessment
Our nurse manager meets the person at home or in hospital and talks with the family about needs and wishes.
Contract and care plan
Fees, notice periods and what is included are set out in writing, with time to read it and ask questions.
Settling in
A named key worker helps through the first weeks, and the care plan is reviewed with the family after four weeks.
From families (example reviews)
Every family's experience is its own, and these are written as examples.
Staff learned within days that Dad takes his tea black and his paper at seven, and nobody has needed reminding since. Visiting feels like dropping in at home.
The fees were set out on one sheet at the first visit, extras included, and the contract matched it line for line. No surprises anywhere.
The Orchard team take their time with Mum, who finds mornings hard. They ring whenever something changes, and that matters more than anything.
Questions families ask us
How are care homes inspected?
In most countries care homes are registered with, and inspected by, a public body, but who does it and how reports are published differ from place to place. We share our latest inspection report at every visit and talk through what it says.
What happens if care needs change?
Each care plan is reviewed with the resident and family at least every three months. Someone who comes to need nursing care can usually move to a nursing room within the home, and if needs go beyond what we offer, we say so honestly and help find the right place.
Can a couple live here together?
Yes. Two connecting rooms on the ground floor suit couples, including couples whose care needs differ.
Can residents keep their own doctor?
Often, if that practice covers this area. Otherwise a local doctor visits every week and sees residents on request.
Can residents bring their own furniture?
Yes. A favourite chair, pictures, a small table and bedding from home all help a room feel familiar, and the maintenance team hangs the pictures.
How are fees paid?
Monthly in advance, directly to the home. Where public funding or insurance pays part of the fee, the office explains how the remainder is invoiced.
Arrange a visit or a stay
Say who the care is for and which step comes next for your family. Within one working day the office calls back to book a time to look round or to talk through a respite stay.
For a long term place, the start date depends on the care assessment and on a suitable room being open.
- Look round with no obligation
- Fees explained in writing before anything is agreed
- Out of hours, the nurse in charge answers the phone
Finding Willowmere
Visitor parking at the front, and a bus stop two minutes' walk from the door.
The office
A quiet street on the edge of town, ten minutes by car from the general hospital
Visiting and office hours
| Visiting | 09:00 to 20:30, every day |
| Office | Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00 |
| Nurse in charge | Day and night, by phone |
Getting here
A quiet street on the edge of town, ten minutes by car from the general hospital, with level paths from the car park to the front door.