A Deeside care home has been voted one of the best in Wales after receiving glowing reviews on a prestigious national website. 
Family owned Hollybank Residential Care Home is one of only three facilities in North Wales to secure a place in the Top 20 Recommended Care Homes Wales 2014 official listings.
Owners Jacqui Jones, Brian Jones and their HR manager daughter, Natalie Marshall, are thrilled with the accolade which they say is testimony to the years of hard work they have put in establishing a first class level of care, coupled with a real family atmosphere at Hollybank.
The annual listings are published by the website www.carehome.co.uk and placings reflect the recommendations of more than 20,000 reviews by care home users and their families across the UK.
Jacqui is delighted they were rated 11th most recommended home in all of Wales. It’s a significant achievement considering the 24-bedroom Hollybank is ranked alongside a number of large scale big brand operations.
Jacqui said: “I think it’s our family ethos that has helped us score so highly. Residents and their relatives have given us such positive feedback and we’re very grateful to them. This is a fantastic endorsement of the high standards of care we offer.”
Hollybank is a long-standing member of Care Forum Wales group which provides support resources, information and advice on best practices within the care sector.
Mario Kreft MBE, the Chair of Care Forum Wales, was delighted to hear that Hollybank had earned such rave reviews. Mr Kreft said: “I would like to congratulate the whole team at Hollybank for deservedly receiving such glowing praise.
“Their excellent reputation is the result of years of hard work, skill and dedication and I salute them.”
Jacqui said: “People are entering care homes later in life these days, often with complex care needs and residential care has to be responsive to this.
“Care homes are often seen by the media and others as a negative option for older people but the majority of care homes offer excellent care and practice. Our staff are motivated and inspired by very good training and leadership.
“We try as hard as possible to ensure Hollybank is a home from home, and to ensure all our residents have as much independence, freedom and privacy as we can do within the care environment.”
A number of the current residents were already familiar with Hollybank before they settled in, as the site in Shotton Lane, Higher Shotton, was once a working farm.
“Some of our residents have told us how they used to come scrumping for apples on the land here, so they have a real affection for Hollybank now. Even I can remember the farm from my childhood days living in Shotton and I used to visit it with my friends,” said Jacqui.
Her father bought the farm after taking redundancy from Shotton steelworks. In the 1980s he converted the then derelict farm buildings partly into a private house for his family and partly into the care home.
He ran it until 1996 when Jacqui and Brian bought the business from her father and continued to develop Hollybank into the success-story it is today.
Hollybank resident Peter Rowlands, 80, formerly of Connah’s Quay, is a retired consultant industrial chemist, who travelled all over the world during his career.
The father to four grown up children has now lived at Hollybank for four years.
He said: “I genuinely enjoy the life here. I can’t fault the staff or the premises and we get a fair amount of freedom to come and go as we please. I even get to visit the local pub now and again!”
Fellow residents Nellie Cooper, 94, of Shotton, and Dilys Killen, 89, of Prestatyn, also praised the family atmosphere.
Nellie, who worked at Conlons opticians, Shotton, until retirement, said: “We get to join in so many activities and the staff always have time for a good chat, plus we enjoy a good day out or two.”
Friend Dilys, a retired tax accountant, helped organise one of those days out when Hollybank residents went on a canal boat trip with a picnic lunch.
Dilys said: “I enjoy being part of the little community we have here at Hollybank, and it is such a tranquil, secluded location.”
In recognition of its top 20 listing Hollybank Residential Care Home receives a framed commemorative certificate plus the right to include the www.carehome.co.uk recommended stamp on its website.
As well as the residential care home, Hollybank also offers a home care service, which Natalie heads up, providing at-home care services for people in the local community. It recently received an excellent rating from the care and social services inspectorate.
