Forest Dene Residential Care Home - Sanctuary Care

Forest Dene is a fantastic care home with friendly caring staff. My wife has been a resident there for more than two years and I have always felt confident that she would receive the best attention and care possible. Many of the carers have been there at least since I’ve known the place with staff turnover seeming to be low. The rooms are spacious and comfortable and the gardens pleasant. I highly recommend Forest Dene as a home for your loved ones.

My mum Louisa has now sadly passed away, but for the last 8 years resided at Forest Dene.When she became ill she spent 6 months in the Woodbury Unit at Whipps Cross where we were told that when she was discharged we had no choice as her condition meant she would have to go into residential care. This was hard for us but we feel blessed that she was found a place at Forest Dene where the care over the last 8 years has been excellent.As her illness progressed her personality changed and at times she could be very difficult but the carers at Forest Dene just took it in their stride and were always very caring and professional.She still had a very sharp wit and sense of humour and everyone, not only the carers, but all the staff including the cleaners, Chef, Kevin in maintenance and especially Trevor always took time out of their busy days to stop and have a chat and some banter with her which she really enjoyed. So even though we did have some difficult times over the years we also had a lot of laughter along the way and that made such a difference.We will always be grateful to everyone at Forest Dene for the care, support and love they showed not only to my mum, but to all our family.Lyn Maskell

My mum, who is 96, has been in Forest Dene for just over 7 years with Dementia & has always been treated very well. Her dementia is now very advanced & the care staff are still doing everything they can to keep mum comfortable & look after her with compassion. Everyone who works at Forest Dene is friendly, my experience is that the residents are treated with courtesy & respect. Any medical problems that may arise are very quickly dealt with, for example a few years ago mum was taken ill very suddenly & if the care staff had not acted as quickly as they did mum would probably not have survived. Some of the care staff have been at the home for many years, therefore know the residents & their families very well. Yes the building is old but over the last few years a lot of work has been carried out there, including updating all the bathrooms & I believe that this is ongoing. I have not personally witnessed any neglect issues at the home either with mum or any other residents.

My mum has been in this home for 6years always found the staff very helpful it is always kept nice and clean my mum as dementia so she not easy but care is she get is first class Mrs Sheila Beackon family

My Nan was a resident at Forest Dene for a good few years and the care that she received over those years was second to none. It really made a difference knowing that the staff were all so kind and caring and gave my Nan the best possible care whilst she lived there.Thank you to all the staff at Forest Dene you all work tirelessly to make the residents as comfortable as you can.Keep doing what you all do as you’re amazing!Jennifer

My mate lives in there nice tidy room he's happy in there nice friendly staff

My lovely Mum has been a resident at Forest Dene for just over two years. The home has wonderful, caring staff. They always have time for a chat whenever I visit and tell me how my Mum is doing. My Mum is always well cared for and looked after. Her room is spacious and she has a safe and secure garden to go to if she wants to. The home is very clean. This is one of the best care homes I have seen. I have visited many homes across London during my time working for the ambulance service so I have seen a plethora of examples. Forest Dene stands out as one of the best. I highly recommend this home.

Went to visit my loved uncle today at Forest Dene, what a heartbreaking visit. Devastated by the lack of care or shall I say no care. On the way back from the garden one of the residents lay across the floor whilst the carer played on her phone. Its not until we ASKED HER to help him of the floor that she came over and ASKED HIM to move, she made NO EFFORT to move the helpless man of the floor.The house itself is horrendously old and feels cold, no sense of love or safety. The whole place was horrible. The residents looked so awfully sad and unhappy. There was not a member of staff in sight. Considering the residents were sitting around the communal areas.I cant believe this establishment is actually up and running. I would never leave my loved one there. Think twice before you consider Forest Dene. I'm only giving it 1 star as I couldn't write this review without rating it. But it is a 0.

The carer staff are committed and nice, but the food is pretty terrible during weekdays. There’s a severe lack of fresh fruit available, despite multiple requests over weeks/months. Pretty much everything seems to be made from packets/tins, with cost being the biggest factor rather than nutrition unfortunately.

My mother has been a resident at Forest Dean for just under 2 years, we have always found the staff very professional and care given isexcellent.The staff are very supportive not only to the residents, but also their families. Forest Dean is a credit to care system