Table of Content
EAC Advice is a free, specialist and independent telephone advice service provide by the charity Elderly Accommodation Counsel . We frame our offer around ‘home’ because we understand its importance for everyone. But also because planning ahead may be needed to ensure that where you live now is ‘age proofed’, and that if you wish to consider moving, you have good information and advice to help you understand all your options. Buying a ‘home for life plan’, or ‘lifetime lease’, gives you the right to live in a property until you die or move to a care home. This might enable you to live somewhere you couldn’t otherwise afford. Choice Dining is a food-focused accreditation designed to give care-seekers like yourself the ability to consider and compare the dining experience within different care settings.

Additional facilities are also common – for example hairdressing salons, hobby rooms and gyms. Organised activities will focus on helping residents maintain their health and wellbeing. Autumna has invited care providers to evidence the infection control measures they are carrying out, above and beyond those laid out by the government, in order to keep residents, staff and visitors safe. Birkin Lodge is located in Hawkenbury near Tunbridge Wells and is near to shops, amenities and public transport. This large detached care home provides accommodation in single occupancy rooms many of which... We have a strong tradition of recruiting the very best staff to deliver our care services.
Why do we have a profile score?
There is easy access to public transport including a main line station. The home can be easily reached by car, and there is sufficient parking for staff and visitors at the front of the house. The home is currently in the process of going through an extensive building and refurbishment programme.

This post fired her passion for providing high standards of elderly care but always delivered with kindness and compassion. Eileen left the NHS in 2015 to take over as the Clinical Care Manager at Halliwell. Although only in post as the General Manager since July 2019 Eileen has created a strong team ethic with the CQC rating the Home as “Good” overall and “Outstanding” for being Responsive. The Home has a warm, welcoming atmosphere and feedback from Residents and Relatives is excellent. See CQC's page explaining ratings for more details about ratings and inspection practices of care homes in England. Halliwell Care Home, in Tunbridge Wells, is from the portfolio of Elizabeth Finn, respected by the care sector for the high standards of nursing and personal care it achieves within homely living environments.
short stay care
But there are many other organisations providing valuable services, both locally and nationally. Just be aware that we do not provide housing or care services ourselves, so we cannot accept applications for housing and do not have any control over the services listed on our site. Care homes are regulated by independent Inspectorates in each country of the UK, subject to periodic inspections and awarded quality grades. Inspectorate reports and grades are accessible from the care home pages on this website. To be awarded the Choice Dining badge, a care home will have committed to delivering exceptional dining experiences with a strong focus on preference, individuality, hygiene and the environment. You can explore the specifics of all participating homes in the tab below to learn more about the food on offer, how it is served and presented and what they’re doing to cater for your personal taste.
We are proud to receive testimonials from residents and their families that demonstrate the high levels of care, service and quality of life we deliver in our Homes. There is a continuous programme of events, including a gentle fitness exercise programme and our social calendar is focused on encouraging mental alertness, self-esteem and social interaction. That’s why Care Concierge’s care experts will act as your personal care consultants.
Care
Relatives and visitors we spoke with commented “I am very impressed at how bright the home is and how cheerful people are. There is always lots of laughter in the dining room, people are having fun” and “Staff are very cheerful and helpful”. People and relatives were asked for their views about the service and felt it was well run. People said “this home is run very well” and “I think they work quite hard to get it right”. Risk assessments were in place to help ensure people were kept safe. People’s medicines were managed and administered safely and as prescribed.

Our HousingCare PLUS and PREMIUM subscription services offer additional branding, links to your own site, ‘vacancy / availability ads’ and much more. Our site offers information and guidance that we hope will be of help to you. Most retirement developments offer either properties for sale or for rent, but newer ones may offer both tenure options, and possibly shared ownership too. If you simply want to move to a more suitable non-retirement home, and need help or advice with this, our EAC Advice service is here to help you. A move may provide a whole new lease of life, but a wrong choice can be difficult to undo. Our site provides information about every retirement scheme, development or village in the UK, to help you make the right choice.
Comments we received included “My wife was in here over six years ago and now I am here. All the staff are personal friends, I am very happy here and very well looked after” and “I like the staff, they are very nice”. Overall people said the meals were good and the quality had improved. They said “food has improved; it is nicely presented on the plate” and “there is enough choice”. The premises were comfortable and designed with the needs of people using them in mind.
They are provided by many local Age UKs as well as other organisations. Our homes provide all of the equipment and facilities that one would expect from a modern day care facility, and more. Our capital investment programme, coupled with industry-leading staffing levels, provide a level of service and quality that is truly exceptional.
Each of our Homes is situated in pleasant surroundings, equipped and furnished to the highest of standards and provide a high quality dining experience. Including what different types of care homes offer and why you might want to choose a home care service or look for support in your community. Daily help, including personal care, is available on site and one or more meals are available daily in a dining room or restaurant.

Ratings are provided by Care Quality Commission and reflects the most recent report for this care home, which was published on 30 December 2016. People told us that the level of cleanliness was very good and that the home was cleaned on a regular basis. Comments received were “They clean my room every day” and “The home is very clean”.
At other times we offer an answer phone service so please leave a message and we'll call you back. Social media provides an up to date window on the activities within a provider's setting. We have therefore encouraged every provider to open their ‘online windows and doors’ to help you make an informed choice. The profile score is a measure of how much information has been provided.
There were 53 people using the service at the time of our inspection. People told us they were happy with the service they were receiving and that the care provided was meeting their needs. People had been involved in planning their care and their views and preferences were respected by staff. Care staff provided people’s care with compassion and consideration of each person that was cared for. People, and their relatives or representatives, were involved in reviewing people’s care needs and the plans on how this was provided.
Care Quality Commission inspection rating
The home was purpose-built in attractive surroundings, offers lift access to all floors and includes a call system that allows residents to reach skilled carers from anywhere in the grounds. Some people were not able to talk to us directly about their experiences due to their complex needs, so we used a number of different methods to help us understand their experiences. For example observations, reading records and speaking with relatives. A range of options were in place to support people with their independence and to help reduce their risk of social isolation. People’s hobbies and interests were encouraged by staff who wanted to make a difference to people’s individual lives. Staff understood what keeping people safe meant and they were knowledgeable about the appropriate reporting procedures.