Guest stories
In our guests' own words.
Recoveries worth remembering — and clear answers to the questions families and referring professionals most often ask before a stay at Pembroke.
A warm sheltered environment staffed by dedicated carers, available 24 hours, was very reassuring and helped my recovery… The staff were very attentive to my needs and were professional and genuinely caring.
This was my dad’s first experience of care, on coming out of hospital… The staff were kind and helped him adapt… He left after two weeks much fitter, stronger, more mobile and more positive than when he arrived.
Mum was cared for very well. All the staff made her feel welcome and comfortable. Her food was lovely and she enjoyed the daily routine.
I was looked after very well with proficient independence, my own self-contained flat and all the help and services I required; and importantly a feeling of security with help always at hand.
Short stay for respite care after fracture and dislocation of the left shoulder. Excellent care.
All the staff we met at Pembroke Care were friendly, caring and professional. My dad was well cared for and happy during his time there.
My 91-year-old mother wanted a short stay to help her recovery from an injury and Pembroke Care was recommended by a friend… She frequently said how kind the staff were. She enjoyed the garden.
I decided to come to Pembroke Care due to the kind and caring atmosphere. I have not regretted my decision since… If you require personal assistance, at the same time as independence, then this is an excellent establishment.
Our Mum received a lovely welcome from all the staff when she went for a short stay for respite care after leaving hospital. Her room was very warm and homely with an ensuite which catered for all her needs.
Questions
Everything you may wish to know
If your question is not here, call us — a senior member of the care team answers, never a queue.
Yes. We take referrals from hospital discharge and transfer-of-care teams, social workers, brokerage, GPs, case managers and families alike. Call or email us and we will discuss the individual case the same day — informally, before any formal referral, if that is easier.
Typically within 24 hours of referral — and we tell you candidly if we cannot. A senior member of the care team assesses in hospital or at home, and both planned and short-notice placements are considered.
Most Hospital to Home recovery stays run between two and six weeks. Transitional living and respite stays are arranged entirely around the individual — from a single week to a few months whilst home adaptations are completed.
Independent accommodation, with regulated care arranged around you. Guests live in spacious, self-contained apartments — their own front door and living space — while Pembroke Care (Reading) Domiciliary Services, registered with the Care Quality Commission for personal care, provides an assessed level of support. Guests on any stay other than transitional or domiciliary care may equally bring their own care provider, or stay without care and simply live independently. Pembroke Lodge additionally offers residential and respite care. Our latest inspection report is on cqc.org.uk.
Scale and attention, not luxury for its own sake. Pembroke is deliberately small — a team who know every guest and every family by name, calm surroundings, and support that responds in moments. That is the whole idea: the personal feel of a small residence, with the practical support of a dedicated care team around it.
Depending on assessed need: personal care, medication support, mobility assistance, help with the activities of daily living, and structured recovery goals that work alongside discharge, occupational therapy and statutory reablement plans. Pembroke does not provide registered nursing or acute clinical care on site — where assessment shows that level of need, we say so candidly and help you find the right setting.
Only for transitional care, or when personal care is arranged through Pembroke: that care is always delivered by our CQC-registered service. For every other stay the choice is entirely yours. Keep a care provider you already know, use our registered team, or stay without care at all, and we will help you weigh the options at assessment.
Yes. Families and self-funding guests can arrange a stay directly — call us or use the contact form, and we will assess at home or in hospital in exactly the same way. No professional referral is needed.
Please do. Families and prospective guests are warmly welcome to visit and see an apartment before deciding anything — choose “Arrange a visit” on the contact page, or simply call. Discharge, therapy, social work and commissioning teams are equally welcome to arrange a professional visit.
You receive one inclusive weekly rate, agreed in writing before you arrive — covering your apartment, the assessed level of care and support, and chef-prepared dining. Anything outside it is discussed and agreed with you in writing before it is provided, and indicative weekly rates are shared openly on request, before any commitment.
Yes. We help with local authority funding applications and NHS Continuing Healthcare assessments — though eligibility decisions always rest with the assessing authority — and we work regularly with private medical insurers on post-operative packages. Indicative weekly rates are shared openly on request, before any commitment.
Visiting is entirely open, and family are warmly welcome at meals and to join in recovery goals. Recovery proceeds best when those closest to you understand the plan. If a partner would like to stay with you, raise it at assessment — the apartments are self-contained, and we will always consider it.
Comfortable clothes you can move in, well-fitting shoes, your medication list, and whatever makes an apartment feel like yours — photographs, a favourite throw, a good book. Everything else is provided.
Ready to take the next step?
Come and see an apartment for yourself, or talk a placement through with our care team — planned and short-notice referrals are both considered, seven days a week.