Choosing a care home in London, Essex or Surrey: an honest comparison of Abbey Total Care's eleven homes

Start with the need, not the postcode

The first question is not "which home is nearest" but "what level of care does this person need now, and in two years". A nursing assessment settles whether a residential home is enough or a nursing home is required; whether dementia care is needed; and whether the admission is permanent, for rehabilitation or for respite. All eleven Abbey Total Care homes provide nursing care, dementia care, respite and palliative care, so the comparison below is about setting, size and location rather than whether the care is available.

The eleven homes side by side

Large home or small home

There is no right answer, only a right fit. A large home such as Forest Place or Parkview has more rooms and more staff on site; it can also feel busy to someone who has lived alone for years. A small home such as Woodlands or Bhakti Shyama can have a household feel, at the cost of fewer rooms to choose from. Ask yourself whether the person likes company or privacy, and whether they need specific facilities such as hydrotherapy baths at Moreland House or the sensory room at Ashbrook.

Location for the visitors, not just the resident

A person who is visited often settles faster and is noticed sooner when something is wrong. Choose a home that the main visitors can reach several times a week without a day off work. For families spread across east London and Essex, Forest Place, Abbey Care Complex and Woodlands are all on or near the Central and Elizabeth lines; for south London and Surrey, Parkview, Uplands, Bridge House and Parkside are in the same broad area, so a family can compare them. The care home finder shows each home on a map with its transport links.

Culture, faith and food

These are not extras. Someone who has eaten vegetarian Gujarati food all their life may not thrive on a standard menu, and a person who has prayed every morning will miss it. Bhakti Shyama in Balham has a temple next door and a pure-vegetarian Gujarati kitchen; families from across London may consider it for that reason. Woodlands marks Diwali, Eid, Christmas and Holi, and respects cultural and dietary preferences. Ask any home you visit how it handles diet, prayer and festivals, and watch whether the answer is specific.

How to read a CQC report

Every home has a Care Quality Commission inspection report, published on the CQC website with a rating for each of five questions: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Read the most recent report in full rather than the headline rating, look at the date, and ask the manager what has changed since. A home that talks openly about its last inspection and what it did about it is usually a better bet than one that changes the subject.

Questions for the visit

• Who is the registered manager and how long have they been here?
• How many nurses and carers are on duty by night?
• Can I see the room that would be offered, and the garden?
• What is the weekly fee, what does it include, and how much notice is given of increases?
• How do you tell families about falls, infections and changes?
• Can my relative stay here to the end of life?
• Can we come back for a second, unannounced visit at a mealtime?

Then trust what you saw. Staff who greet residents by name, residents who are dressed and out of their rooms, food that smells like food and a manager who answers the hard questions directly are the signals that matter. To arrange visits at any of our homes, use the contact page or call 020 8505 2063.