The Raphael Hospital - Tonbridge

J G

My relative has stayed at Raphael for several months and we have visited him numerous times. The setting is calm and peaceful, and the staff are friendly. Patients appear comfortable and I have observed staff providing good care. The grounds are beautiful and allow for home from home experiences where family members can be together and enjoy each other's company.

Donna Humphries

My nephew has been at Raphael for several months and we have seen the positive impact his dedicated team are making on his progress.
They are caring, encouraging, hardworking and genuinely committed to aiding his recovery.
As extended family we feel incredibly fortunate to have Raphael available to us and the benefits of the lovely setting are not to be underestimated.

Tula Fitzpatrick

Very happy with Raphael. The staff are dedicated and conscientious.Therapies are diverse and holistic, the therapists feed back and are constantly reviewing what works and how to enhance the programmes. The carers are very hard working, helpful and supportive. The medical team is approachable we have been kept fully informed of any potential changes, eg proposed reductions on medications etc. The whole staff seem invested in their patients and the Raphael MC. The entire place is immaculately clean and the grounds well kept and beautiful. The care and treatment that our son receives is outstandingly.

Gardenfitz

Our son was transferred from RHN Putney in January 2019 and couldn't be happier with the improvement in care/treatment.
We have found the staff, nurses, carers, therapists and Doctors to be helpful, attentive and invested in our son. We are consulted in respect of ideas for treatments and therapies and notified of any planned changes to them and to medication levels. We are treated like part of the team and feel that our opinions are welcome and valued. We have been notified of changes to the business structure and are confident that they will be positive, not negative. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend and suggest that if you are considering Raphael for a loved one, you visit and speak to patients, relatives and staff rather than rely on reviews, we did.

martyn gibson

A member of my family has been rehabilitating here since the beginning of the year, and along with the rest of my family, we have nothing but praise for Raphael and it's staff. They are genuinely caring and concerned for his welfare. The grounds are beautiful and well maintained and the facilities are clean.

Sally Jefferies

My son has been at Raphael for six years I'm very grateful that he is a patient there . The care is wonderful the carers are very attentive and kind my son has seizures which are dealt with efficiently and they always inform me if he has one when I'm not there. The place is very clean and the grounds are lovely. It's a very supportive place including the staff and other relatives.

Mark Shearman

My Mum came here for rehabilitation from Pembury Hospital after a serious stroke - but we moved her after 3 weeks because we were very disappointed with the Raphael.

The hospital is set in beautiful grounds, but is extremely tatty and run-down inside - in particular the bedrooms - which does not make for a positive environment.

There were a lack of therapists available so my mum did not get anything like adequate therapy provision. Furthermore, whilst most of the nursing staff seemed pleasant, they were almost exclusively eastern European, which in principle is not an issue - but given that one of my mother's main issues following her stroke was speech and language difficulties, this caused a major problem as she was unable to understand or speak properly to the nurses, harming her attempts to recover and making her feel vulnerable and very alone.

Furthermore, whilst the hospital offers rehabilitation, there are also sadly a large number of permanent/long-term residents. They all mix in together which sounds nice in principle, but sadly having had such a sudden and severe stroke, my mother needed a positive and uplifting environment around her with others in a similar boat, improving and rehabilitating. Mixing rehab patients in with other types of unfortunately significantly worse-off patients sadly created a depressing, downbeat and frightening environment for my Mum.

The Raphael may be an appropriate hospital for certain people, but it offered inadequate therapy for a stroke patient and did not provide a warm or positive environment conducive to rehabilitation for my mother. If you are looking for a hospital for this purpose, I would strongly recommend against the Raphael and would suggest Hothfield near Ashford, which provided a much better and more homely and caring environment, with wonderful comprehensive therapy. My mother moved there and instantly felt safer and more positive - she was treated like a normal, recovering human being by their wonderful staff and made good progress to facilitate her return home.

Angela Hutchings

Since a member of my family has been in Raphaels the progress made is amazing. The staff are friendly, helpful and respectful to both patients and families. There are numerous therapies provided for patients.
The surroundings are kept beautiful and the wonderful grounds provide a place for families and patients to socialise- but it's also easy to find a quiet peaceful spot if needed.
Such a shame there are,nt more centres like Raphaels!