Enter and view: The Orchards Care Home

Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough carried out an announced Enter and View visit to The Orchards Care Home in Ely on 14 April 2026 to gather feedback from residents, relatives and staff, and to observe the quality of care and environment provided. 

The Orchards is a purpose-built, not-for-profit care home operated by Greensleeves Care. The home opened in 2019 and provides 66 en-suite bedrooms across three floors. At the time of the visit, 54 residents lived at the home, including 35 people living with dementia. 

Healthwatch found the home to be warm, welcoming, clean and well maintained. Residents were treated with dignity, respect and kindness, and staff were observed to be caring, enthusiastic and knowledgeable about residents’ needs. Residents and relatives spoke positively about the quality of care, particularly end-of-life care, and several residents had lived at the home for four to five years. 

The building provides a range of facilities that contribute to a homely atmosphere, including lounges, quiet rooms, a hair and beauty salon, cinema room, library, activity room, bar area and accessible gardens with raised flower beds. Residents’ rooms were personalised with coloured doors, name signs and memory boxes to support recognition and independence. 

The report praised the wide variety of activities available to residents. Four Activity Coordinators provide activities throughout the week, including community events, religious services, therapy animal visits, crafts, quizzes and outings. Residents reported enjoying these activities, and links with the local primary school helped maintain community engagement. 

Staffing levels were generally considered appropriate, and staff received regular training in areas such as safeguarding and dementia awareness. However, Healthwatch noted a shortage of permanent night care staff and observed that additional staff support may be required during mealtimes, particularly on the dementia floor where all residents required assistance with eating. 

The dining experience was generally positive, with attractive meals, support for specialist diets and flexibility to meet residents’ preferences. However, visitors commented that food could be served hotter, some meals were beginning to cool before being eaten, and handwritten chalkboard menus were difficult to read. Healthwatch recommended introducing printed menus with pictures to improve accessibility.

Although the home contained several dementia-friendly features, Healthwatch identified areas where the environment could be improved for people living with dementia and visual impairments. These included improving colour contrast on bathroom fittings and handrails, installing larger and clearer clocks, providing calendars showing the day, date and season, and ensuring signage throughout the home is more consistent and dementia friendly. 

The report also highlighted concerns about large shopfront murals on the dementia floor. While intended to provide interest and support orientation, Healthwatch felt they could potentially confuse or disorientate some residents with dementia and reduce the visibility of handrails.

Additional recommendations included improving external wayfinding signage to the home, using dementia-friendly crockery with greater colour contrast, and reducing visitors’ exposure to staff smoking near the entrance. 

Overall, Healthwatch concluded that The Orchards Care Home provides a positive and caring environment with strong staff-resident relationships, a broad programme of activities and a clear commitment to residents’ wellbeing. While the report identified several practical improvements, particularly relating to dementia-friendly design, accessibility and mealtime support, it found many strengths and considered the home a welcoming place for residents.