Testimonials
I would like to congratulate Paula Howlett and all the team at Heron House, Taunton, for what they have achieved during the Covid Pandemic. I firmly believe their Standard Operating Procedure should be rolled out as an example for other care homes.
All the staff and residents have been tested and they are ALL negative, this in itself, given the age and individual needs of the residents, is a remarkable achievement. The staff have worked so hard, made sacrifices, gone above and beyond, and have done it with such dignity, grace and care.
I think of Heron House as a big family and am so grateful my Mum is cared for and loved by them. It has been a trying time for us all, but I am so very reassured that she is in the very best of hands. They have met the challenges and are still working tirelessly to adapt to the measures required to ensure the wellbeing of all the residents.
Innovative ideas put into practice, regular updates, constantly being proactive are but a few of the outstanding qualities to be found. All of this is done with a smile on their face. I personally can’t thank them enough and would appreciate it if they were given some recognition for the outstanding work they have done. They really are an amazing team.
Once again, my grateful thanks to you and your team for all the hard work you are doing. Plus, you are improving facilitates all the time, to enhance the residents experience and facilities.
First of all, a big thank you to everyone for the outstanding care you are giving to Mum. She is always lovely and clean, fresh and comfortable. The kindness and dignity shown to her is very much appreciated.
Thank you, each and every one of you, for looking after me too, you’ve all made me so welcome. The cups of tea, the heads popping round the door checking on me, kind words and sharing jokes all help make a tough time easier. Not being able to have other family members around at this time makes your support even more valuable, and for that I am truly grateful.
As you all know Mum doesn’t like her door closed, so when I am sitting with her I hear the hum of everyday Heron House life in the background. This is not at all intrusive but comforting and reassuring. I hear laughter, banter and jokes. I hear constant support encouragement and celebration of any achievements however small a resident makes. I hear tenderness, care and consideration. All of this is obviously done with love and affection and each resident is treated with respect and as an individual.
Well, what a year this has been, none of us could have ever imagined what obstacles would have to be overcome. As ever I want to say thank you for all that you do. The atmosphere on Christmas Day was one of real joy and happiness, everyone had clearly gone to a lot of effort.
Last year I was nursing Mum in hospital and having said goodbye to her only a few weeks ago I certainly didn’t expect to come in and see her sitting out all dressed up looking lovely, smiling and surrounded by gifts. I know that Mum has a will of iron but the rest of it is down to all of you and the wonderful endless care and attention she receives. So, for me it made a very special memory and certainly not one I was expecting.
Thank you, you really are the best. I just wish others could see and appreciate what I do, you are a fantastic team that all pull together.
We would like you to know what an amazing job you are doing and you continue to do. Your care plans were very thorough and you could really learn your individuals well just by reading them, it allowed us to be able to get a picture of the individuals before we met them. Heron House itself, well what can we say, you must be so proud of the home, it is beautiful, we were left speechless on what to say about your home, we always like to offer positive feedback as well as constructive feedback, but we have struggled throughout our visit to find anything that we could be constructive about, the home is beautifully decorated, well managed, well structured, everyone and everything has its place but it is so homely and the residents all seem happy and content, as do the staff. What you have done to the Quantock Unit, in decorating it and making it have a beautiful feeling to it, is amazing. The apartments, well myself and Nikki are booking in! They are so lovely and self-contained.
I would just like to share with you how fantastic Emily has been. She has been amazing, and I have been so impressed by how she has supported Dad as well as me over the past few weeks.
Emily is always willing to listen and has kept me up to date on how dad is getting on which has been especially helpful over the last few weeks when he has been so depressed and unwell. Her concern for Dad led to her contacting the hospital for me and getting Dad’s next appointment moved so he can be assessed earlier. Something I appreciate a lot.
I have also observed that all you staff do a wonderful job and each time I visit I am made to feel welcome and the care and attention they show Mum and Dad is brilliant. However sometimes it is too easy to take for granted this high level of care and I just wanted you to know everything that is done for both mum and dad does not go unnoticed and is certainly appreciated.
We would like to thank you all for your support and kindness shown to us during this time in finding the right home for Mum and for her to continue living a fulfilled life. We are so impressed with your effective communication and professionalism. We already feel really assured that mum will have the best care. Many thanks.
The home is lovely, warm and so clean. The staff are beautiful with the residents, and you can see how much they care. This clearly isn’t just a job. I’ve visited other homes, but here is exceptional, you can feel the happiness here when you come in. This home sets the bar, others could learn so much from you.
Mum and I in particular and other family members are very happy with the care and support Mum receives. We feel lucky that you have very high calibre staff who clearly both enjoy their role and undertake it with professionalism, humour and empathy. I firmly believe that this culture stems from management so you and your management team should also take credit for the outcomes experienced by residents and family members and for being able to retain good staff. We have experience of other care home providers and none are close to the service and environment at Heron House. Regarding Covid, clearly the approach you have taken has ensured an exceptional level of care and protection for residents which we are all grateful for.
Although this is a very sad time for me and my family, I will always be grateful for the happy memories of my Mum spending her last months at Heron House. As you were aware, it was a difficult decision for me to place Mum in a Care Home, but I know it was the right one. Not only was Mum cared for and thoroughly spoilt by all the Heron House staff, but it enabled me to resume my role as a daughter rather than continuing as my Mum’s carer.
I especially wanted to thank all the Staff for making Mum and Dad’s 64th Wedding Anniversary so special. They couldn’t have had a better celebration. With the Queen’s funeral, it must have been an extremely moving and emotional day. The family, including Mum and Dad, loved the ‘love bus’ and the beautifully decorated table for their special meal. Thank you all for being so kind and caring.
Before she came to Heron House, she was aware that she couldn’t cope & was losing her faculties. She became extremely anxious & so worried about her future. After a couple of months getting used to her new home she settled amazingly well, far better than we could have hoped. She thought Heron House was her new house of which she was extremely proud & took pleasure showing me around. She lived as long as she did because you & all the staff cared for her so well. So, a very big thank you to you all.
We just wanted to pass on our thanks to you and all the staff who supported mum yesterday, showing and giving her so much care, compassion and reassurance. I also wanted to pass on the praise received from the medical staff at the local hospital for your detailed care planning given in aiding mum. Thanks again for all you do for mum.
I was visiting Mrs. A today and she had forgotten that you had your Christmas party at that same time. I was most cordially invited to sit with Mrs A and enjoy the party and the music, and I just want to thank you and all your wonderful helpers for how welcome they made me feel (in spite of being a gate crasher!) Best wishes for a happy time over Christmas, and a good new year.
This is a quick note to say thank you so much for looking after them so well. Step-Mum, in particular has been able to relax safe in the knowledge that Dad was being well cared for. We will be singing your praises to anyone that cares to listen! I’m sure that we will be future customers. Once Dad and Step-Mum are settled back home we will be suggesting booking in another stay in a few months’ time
We just wanted to say a huge thank you to you and your amazing staff team for such a great night . It was so wonderful to have ‘our mum’ back with us for the night. It was like old times, with so much laughter and love shared. We’ve made more treasured memories. Thank you all again,
What an amazing evening it was. We all had a lovely time and was so much more than we expected: fun games, brain challenges, yummy snacks /cakes, dancing, fabulous drinks, and great company…… was such a treat to see Mum and Dad really enjoying themselves …... along with their great grandchildren.
Thank you to all (please share) who helped make Helen’s visit to mum so enjoyable! Mum and Helen had a great time!
