Guest reviews

5 star - no doubt. They sorted everything. I didn’t have to do a thing. All the staff were so nice I couldn’t believe it.

The best thing about RCH is the staff because the second you arrive there’s somebody there; they’re going to look after you, nothing’s going to happen to you.

I have seen with my own eyes people arriving in quite a poor state but within a few days they are quickly back on their feet, perked up and rebuilding their confidence. This is all due to the RCH team effort and the very special blend of magic that they deliver. You leave the RCH feeling re-energised, confidence restored and having made new friends.

Everybody was so dedicated there - the Sisters, the staff, the physios, the administrative staff - they all gave more than they needed to.

I had a thoracotomy. It was very clear that the NHS wouldn’t be able to do very much post-op for me. In theory I could have managed but you can’t lift anything. I would have had to try and arrange visits with the district nurse every day - that would have been very difficult.

I think convalescent homes - this very old Victorian idea - is actually really good for the way we live our lives now. We need lots more convalescent homes. Everyone is talking about people having to be kept in hospital because they can’t go home – because they don’t have grab rail or a ramp. This is like a stepping stone to get you home from hospital where you feel safe and can build up your confidence.

Lovely those two weeks were, marvellous. I can’t speak highly enough of the place. The staff there were absolutely marvellous – it’s so damn nice.

If RCH weren’t around I’m not sure what I’d do. If I wanted a break, I’d have to go into a care home which would be much more expensive and with a lot less individual attention.

I love the combination of looking, seeing and smelling the sea. I’ve been at RCH on winter mornings and the storms are raging and being able to see the anger in the sea is fascinating. Plus I like to sit out on the patio in the summer with a gin and tonic and see the sea.

Sunday mornings you get a glass of sherry and they do a quiz. It was a general knowledge quiz run by two carers. They were experts. It was enormous fun, we’d all laugh. It was like a typical pub quiz but just enormous fun.

I was quite happy pottering. There was lots to do but I felt like sitting quietly on my own doing my own thing. They don’t make you do anything it is all up to how you feel.

The staff are so damn good, they really look after you and they’re so pleasant. The first two or three days they kept coming up asking me if I was ok, is there anything I can do to help you because I was in a bit of a state for a while.

I like the reassurance factor with the nurses available 24/7. I’ve had to pull the emergency cord in the night before and they’re there straight away for you.

It’s lovely and quiet area to sit on the seafront and let one’s thoughts go quiet. It’s great because it’s all on the level and there are plenty of places to sit down. If you walk far enough you get to Littlehampton where there are some sea front cafes. But I like it best in the sea front shelters - the quietness, the sound of the sea, the lovely fresh air, it’s very pleasurable.

Because it was so good, it was worth every penny. They did the work that my GP surgery would have done - took out stitches, did blood tests. So, instead of me coming home and getting a taxi and struggling up to the doctors’ surgery and waiting weeks for an appointment, it was all done at RCH - no travelling, no taxi expenses.

All of the staff are so kind and engaging with you. The important thing is, it’s all the staff - the domestic and cleaning staff, the maintenance man, the gardener. They all chat to you and that makes a big difference. I ought to single out the domestic staff because they keep the place spotlessly clean. It doesn’t smell like a convalescent home, it’s more like a hotel.

I really like the building. They’ve managed to keep the character but still have accessible bathrooms and en-suites and all the mod cons. If you don’t want to leave the building for some reason, it is big enough to walk around. You see people walking a bit, then sit down and chat to someone then get up and walk again.

My sister had an operation on her wrist and she went to RCH. A guest said to her `Oh it’s lovely here at Christmas why don’t you come?’ And she persuaded me to go too. I stayed after I broke my arm then after that we went for another Christmas just because we enjoyed it so much.

When you’re living on your own you can’t change dressings or make special meals. I have visited RCH a few times. I like a good bit of friendly banter and chat as well because that’s important for the mental side of it.

Here they offer a nice intermediate stage - getting something between being hospitalised and being at home. I think is very important - we ought to have more of that sort of organisation.

It was like being at a really nice hotel with lovely food. You could ask for a small portion which was good when you’re not feeling 100%. And it was fresh. There was fresh food everywhere. You could go and get fresh fruit in the sitting rooms, the dining room, everywhere. I felt the whole place really wanted their clients to feel better quickly.

I’ve been probably 15 times. I wouldn’t be talking to you now if it wasn’t for RCH if I’m honest. The doctor said why don’t you go back for a respite even though you haven’t just had surgery. It’s nice to have someone checking over you medically, all your meals are done for you. It takes the pressure off you. I feel refreshed.

I was looking for somewhere to go for a respite break because I look after my wife who has Parkinsons and dementia. I just got away from everything and RCH did everything for me. I charged my batteries up and then carried on with my life at home. I met some lovely people too. I would like to go again.

I chose RCH because I was looking for a convalescent home only. When I looked online lots of care homes came up but all of them to my mind were aged care homes that said they would do convalescent if they had space. That’s not my idea of a convalescent home so I chose a real one – I chose RCH instead.

I couldn’t really fault them. The staff were always there if you needed them, always very friendly. The atmosphere at Christmas is lovely – you get what I call a proper family Christmas. You get Christmas trees, decorations, carol singing, everything that goes with Christmas. Lovely.

I really think the NHS should do convalescent homes again. It gives you such a kick start if you’ve been unwell or if things haven’t gone as they should do after an operation. You need somebody behind you doing the motherly thing. Everybody was so lovely at RCH. We just bolstered each other up. There was lots of camaraderie.

When I typed in convalescent home most seemed to charge £2,000 a week which I couldn’t have afforded. RCH is very reasonably priced because the cost is subsidised by the charity.

I got used to getting around because after you’ve had a hip done everything takes so long. It takes so long to get dressed, to eat, to get from a to b. I wanted to explore because RCH has got about five lounges for different things – for television, for games, for visitors, the conservatory – you could go to anything. It was lovely.

I am looking after my wife with dementia. It’s 7 days a week so to have a complete break from that and not have to go shopping or book carers or hospital visits, well, you just come out feeling relaxed and more physically able.

Whatever you get up to in there, it’s not going to be problem, someone there is just going to sort it for you. The first time I was there, I was still in the police and I wanted to keep on doing office work so my brother brought in a laptop and we set up a dongle thing for me and I just carried on working.

I walked to the sea front and back again. I went up and down the stairs which was very exciting – and I rested every afternoon because they said I should bed rest in the afternoons. I read my post. I did a little painting because I’m a painter and I read a lot and chatted to everybody.

Once you’ve had surgery, your confidence takes one hell of a battering, mentally you’re a bit twisted up. RCH is very good at encouraging you to get back into the swing of things even if it is just about sitting down and having a conversation with you in the lounge.

I found those daily checks with the nurse useful. They made me feel everything was being looked after. It would have been a nightmare having to manage on my own at home with no nursing help.

After I arrived, I was taken into the dining room for tea and that was just so welcoming. I asked if I could have Earl Grey tea and they said of course! There were home-made biscuits and cake. If you‘re at home on your own you wouldn’t necessarily eat very well because you wouldn’t have the energy to do it.

I love the building especially the fact that it’s an old building from outside but nicely modernised inside. Every time I’ve been there there’s been an improvement like a new carpet or they’ve painted. They’re always spending money to keep up to date.

My goodness they had a hairdresser. The worst thing for me about being in hospital was that they won’t wash your hair. The NHS don’t realise how washing your hair makes you feel human.

We used all the rooms depending on how active or inactive we wanted to be. There were never people crowding out any one lounge unless there’s a special activity on. It means you’ve got three different lots of TV. If people want to watch something and I don’t then I can go elsewhere or do something separate. Such a lot of variety on offer for a relatively small number of people.

The medical care was wonderful. I am one of those ghastly patients who has got a phobia of having stitches and clips out. Sister, bless her, took them out and gave me time to take deep breaths and that could be a ghastly time - but not at RCH.

Ideal place to have a convalescent home. There’s no industry near so there’s nothing to disrupt the calm. And it’s not a purpose-built modern facility – that would be soulless and characterless. This has so much soul and character.

Here they offer a nice intermediate stage - getting something between being hospitalised and being at home. I think is very important - we ought to have more of that sort of organisation.

The people in the Carpenters’ Company are prepared to spend their time and energy making sure RCH is run properly. It’s 21st century standard. This model of a convalescent home really could be an answer to some of today’s problems that the NHS has. RCH has been kept alive and the Carpenter’s Company demonstrate that it can work.

The staff were brilliant not only the nursing care, the carers too. You are not just left alone in your room - they are always coming to involve you and chat to you and cheer you up if you need cheering up. They don’t just leave people they encourage them and that makes guests feel better about themselves.

I had physio every day at RCH and they were so encouraging. I used to be a dancer so I know how the body is supposed to work but I had a hip operation and my blood pressure was down so I couldn’t have physiotherapy in hospital. I found the physio incredibly helpful.

The sea at Rustington is fantastic, there’s always something to look at. In autumn, the sunsets are spectacular - you get murmurations of starlings and they go all over the sea. On bonfire night you see all the fireworks. In winter, the wild weather out to sea is lovely. In summer, the kite surfers go and do their acrobatics. It’s just beautiful.

It was a lovely rest for a reasonable price. I didn’t have to do anything and it saved my family from worrying about me and my sister because we both live on our own.

The medical staff have always been very good and helpful and attentive. My hip operation was the worst one because I really was quite immobile and had a huge gash down the side of my leg. Changing my dressings was all looked after by the nursing sister. All very good.

The sea air makes you breathe more deeply, it does. And just seeing that vast expanse makes you feel much calmer, it is just wonderful.

They said,`cor blimey Dad, you enjoy this. It looks lovely - very peaceful and quiet!’ The chef made a really nice homemade tea and everyone made my visitors very welcome.

They think of everything. If you sit out on the patio in the summer, they come out with a sunhat and suntan lotion and they make sure you’ve got a drink so you don’t get dehydrated.

I’m more relaxed and stronger in that I’ve been able to take exercise and activities to the level I think is appropriate. When I left RCH, I felt stronger, brighter and more relaxed.

I’m on what’s called a soft moist diet. There are lots of things I can’t eat. They said no problem, we can do it. Even with things like apple pie. I said I can’t eat that and they said they’ll liquidise it with ice cream. It came out great – so much so that others on the table wanted it too!

The nursing and ancillary staff were so friendly and warm. The kitchen staff were fantastic. The domestic staff were extremely friendly and would go out of the way to help you. It’s a safe place and everyone’s so nice to you. At the beginning I couldn’t lift anything and I couldn’t open the windows but they would volunteer to help.

It’s a lovely historical building. If you can’t go out there’s plenty of room for you to walk about inside and be active because there’s plenty of space.

They plan the dining room. Firstly, for access, so people aren’t struggling with and walking frames and secondly to get people talking and mixing. It’s quite clever the way they do it. Some people say `I don’t want to sit there` so they juggle the tables around for you. Even for people who aren’t confident it’s manageable and they will get you sitting with the same 2-3 people until you feel more confident.

I could be on my own whenever I wanted even though I did a lot of socialising with the other guests too – it’s very good.

We telephoned loads of nursing homes but I was only 52 at the time so the nursing homes and rest homes told me I was too young. It’s crazy. Don’t get me wrong I didn’t particularly want to be going to a nursing home but they can’t take you if you’re younger than their registered age. Thank goodness RCH doesn’t discriminate.

I’m delighted that the Worshipful Company of Carpenters support RCH so well. I’ve enjoyed meeting one or two of the fellows from the WCC. They come and stay occasionally and talk to the guests. Just a gentle conversation. They want to know if the guests are well satisfied with their treatment. I’ve always been pleased to tell them how happy I am to be here.

The food has always been jolly good to brilliant. It’s always very good quality, varied and plenty of it – I have to make sure I don't over-indulge! It’s served by lovely staff as well.

The nurses were fantastic. They were knowledgeable, they were reassuring, they were willing to make statements about how I was progressing – more than most nurses because most nurses in hospitals are intimidated by doctors.

In the hospital I just felt awful. If you only have a tiny bowl to wash in that says an awful lot – you like to be clean. The very first night the Sister was so matter of a fact and got me through this panic thing and help me wash and put on clean nightclothes. I just felt like a human being again.

They thought it was fantastic. The people from Worthing came to see me and had the expectation it was going to be like a hospital smelling of Dettol, But they said it’s like a hotel - it smells like and looks like a hotel.

Very considerate attentive staff. It’s been the same staff all the time so when I go back there, they know me and I know them. I like that.

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