Dementia care in Romford: how Ashbrook Nursing Home supports people with dementia in Collier Row and across Havering

Dementia care at Ashbrook, briefly

Ashbrook is a purpose-built nursing home in Collier Row with 70 single en-suite rooms, registered nurses on duty around the clock and a dementia-trained team. Someone can live here with early or advanced dementia, including when it comes with other conditions, subject to assessment.

What kind of dementia care does your relative need

Two words matter when you compare homes. Residential means care staff on site and community nurses who visit. Nursing means a registered nurse on duty at all times, which matters when dementia sits alongside diabetes, swallowing problems or a recent stroke. Ask Queen's Hospital or your Havering social worker which they recommend and why.

How a day is built

Ashbrook's day is built around the person, as far as possible: calm routines, family phone calls, favourite television and something to do in the morning. The team gives support with communication, nutrition, mobility and personal care, and adjusts it as abilities change.

Personal history, gathered on admission with family help, gives carers the starting point. It informs reminiscence, quizzes and group discussion, and can explain why someone becomes anxious at a certain hour of the day.

When dementia advances

When dementia advances, help with swallowing, repositioning and comfort becomes central, and the team has to read distress from expression rather than words. Ashbrook's advanced dementia care gives added support as needs change, with links to the local hospice and NHS palliative teams at the end of life. If assessed as needed, one-to-one care can add dedicated staff for agreed hours.

Families and visiting

Relatives help shape the care plan and take part in reviews. Tell us what you notice, and ask how you will hear about falls, infections or changes in health. Ask about visiting times too. A short, regular visit, perhaps with a drink from the bistro, can suit some people better than a long afternoon.

Questions to ask any dementia home in Havering

• Does a registered nurse stay on duty through every night?
• What would need to change before my relative had to move out?
• How does the team record and share the person's history?
• How do staff respond to agitation before considering medication?
• Who checks whether sedatives or antipsychotics are still needed?
• Where can a resident walk safely when it is wet?
• What did the most recent CQC report say, and what has changed since?

Paying for dementia care in Havering

A dementia diagnosis does not bring NHS funding by itself. NHS-funded nursing care is £267.68 a week in 2026/27 for anyone assessed as needing a registered nurse, paid to the home. NHS Continuing Healthcare, which meets the full fee, depends on a primary health need. The London Borough of Havering means-tests the remaining cost against capital limits of £23,250 and £14,250, and a twelve-week property disregard or a deferred payment may apply. Our group funding guide has more.

The indoor garden room and the sensory room

Two parts of the building can help. The indoor garden room gives residents daylight, plants and somewhere to sit when the weather keeps them in. The sensory room uses light, sound and touch to calm or engage someone when words no longer help.

Visiting Ashbrook

Ashbrook is at 217 to 219 Chase Cross Road, Collier Row, Romford RM5 3XS. Book through the tour form or call 01708 736588. Bring the person if you can, and see how they respond.