Regis Sandgate - Musgrave

Stephen Henderson

My dear friend is there and she's not very happy. She even refuses to eat the food. There's quite a few residents that buy ready made foods from the Cafe there or the supermarket. It seems to have a cold atmosphere and somehow seems lonely, but then it's such an old building. I hope it gets scrapped and renewed! At least she's happy that some of the staff are nice.

G T

Very poor care. Has deteriorated since Regis took over from Masonic Care. Even the serviettes have been cut down in size and the choices for lunch have been reduced. The food is poor quality. The number of staff are absolutely minimal and totally insufficient for good care. My dear friend, who is 95 years old and as sharp as a tack (but visually impaired) has been in there for a couple of years and is very unhappy with the care. A doctor came to see her late one night, didn't introduce himself, didn't check her name, listened to her chest and disappeared. The next day she was given an antibiotic. When she asked why, she was told it was for her "chest infection". When she said that she didn't have a chest infection, the very good Nepalese male nurse who knew my friend well, checked this out. It transpired that the medication (and doctor's visit) was meant for the patient next door!! As an RN myself I was appalled. Also, I've had to stop a "carer/nurse" (who would know?) giving my friend a medication that he put in water, intending for it to dissolve. When I looked at it, I realised that the medication was one for reflux that doesn't dissolve. The young man just looked at me in a confused manner when I took the medication back to him and explained this. He re-issued the same medication to be taken properly after this but didn't seem to understand what he'd done incorrectly. Medication needs to be administered by staff WHO UNDERSTAND what the medication is. This would not be tolerated in a hospital. There are many multicultural staff. No problems with that, except some have limited English and therefore limited communication skills. I consider this a negative, when dealing with aged persons - many of whom have hearing loss and a large number with confusion or dementia. Easy and fluid communication with patients is essential. I phoned once and spoke to an RN to express my concern about a matter. When I mentioned that my friend was quite capable of making her own decisions about issues and needed to be listened to, the reply was "Well why is she in here then?" A totally unprofessional response and one that showed that she didn't even know her patients and their medical conditions. This is extremely disturbing as care must be individualised according to the patient's needs. Finally - why can anyone just walk into this building - go up the lift and straight into a patient's room WITHOUT ANYONE knowing that they are there? There is no reception, no-one to say "hello - who are you visiting" etc. This situation is a recipe for robbery/attack. Having a "sign-in" book means nothing as one can walk straight past it. One is safer in their own home than here. My friend has many stories about Regis - Musgrave building, and they aren't pretty. Go somewhere else.

Kerry Swalwell

Great nurses and staff, they know their jobs well.

Carlton Isaaks

My mum is a resident there and very well looked after.

Kay Spence

Great when it was Masonic Care but not so good after Regis took over the place.