Laurel Bank Spring Newsletter

Inside this issue

Upcoming events and activities

CQC

Overview

February’s Resident’s Meeting

Day Trips

Volunteers

Recent

activities, including new clubs

A few words

from Barchester

Spring Greetings

Everybody! Spring is finally here! The daffodils are in full bloom, the trees are budding, the birds are singing and even the squirrels have come out from their winter hidey-holes here at Laurel Bank. Change is also afoot inside the home and I would like to welcome all the new members of our team who have joined us in the past few weeks, with a special mention to our returning Head of Care Wayne, who has done an excellent in the past and has come back to continue where he left off. We also have a new gardener who will be livening up our beautiful gardens over the coming weeks, the minibus is up and running ready for day trips out to enjoy the sunshine, and we have a brand new Activities Room that is ideal for small groups and clubs to get together and play games, make music or just have a chat about what’s going on in the world over a cup of coffee or a shandy! We also had a positive visit from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) last month, with the home improving in the majority of the categories that they monitor, so in more ways than one the sun is shining on us here at Laurel Bank!

Laurel Bank Care Home

Westbourne Road, Lancaster

Tel: 01952 701 891 •

www.barchester.com

General Manager

Lyndsay Scott

News in and around Laurel Bank

New Activities Room Opens! We’d like to give a big thanks to our Activities Coordinators Jamie and Chris for developing our new music-themed activities room. Situated on Willow floor, the room is still available for private dining and quiet contemplation, but is now also equipped to host a range of new clubs at the home, such as Dominoes Club, Puzzle Club and Gentlemen’s Club. If there are any clubs that you or your loved one would like us to organise, please let us know!

Top Rating on carehome.co.uk

Carehome.co.uk is one of the most popular and highly regarded review websites for residential and nursing, and thanks to reviews left by our residents and their families, we are very proud to have achieved a rating of 9.5/10. Thank you to everybody who has reviewed us, and please remember that if you have any problems please mention it to a senior member of staff, as we are dedicated to providing an outstanding service and will always be happy to help find solutions.

New CQC Report

The Care Quality Commission visited Laurel Bank on the 4th , 5th and 6th of February and concluded that the home is good in 3 key areas- ‘Is the service effective?’, ‘Is the service caring?’ and ‘Is the service responsive?’. Our goal is to gain an ‘Outstanding’ rating and be regarded as one of the best care homes in the country so there is plenty of work to be done, but given that the recent improvements have occurred in such a short space of time then we are confident that we will get there! If anybody would like a copy of the full CQC report, please ask at reception. We have also made a large print copy of the report available for your convenience.

News in and around Laurel Bank

Un-named Clothing

Laurel Bank Birthdays!

We’d like to acknowledge the following resident’s and staff in the home who have Spring birthdays. All of our resident’s receive a card and a birthday cake on their special day- please ask if you have any specific requests! Residents Staff

Margaret Jaimy Lee Sharon Joyce Marjorie Rosie Lyndsay Chelsea Patricia Chris Lee Jane Pauline Georgia Virginia Shay Joshny Yasmin

New Clubs proving a big hit! A host of new clubs have been organized in the home recently and are proving a big hit- they include Bingo Club, Quiz Club, Cinema Club, Gardening Club, Exercise Club, Gentleman’s Club, and my personal favorite, Baking Club! Please talk to a member of staff if there is an activity you have in mind, and we will do our best to find similar minded residents and get them together!

Please write names in new clothes, or ask a member of our team to help. Any un-named clothes will be placed on a rail at reception over the weekend- please remember to ask a team member to add a name before returning the item. Thank you!

Residents enjoying Baking Club

Exotic tea tasting for Nutrition Week

Whats going on…

Residents Meeting A Success

17 residents attended February’s meeting, along with 4 Heads of Department and the General Manager. Concerns were raised about missing items of clothing, which can be found on a rail at reception at weekends. Our residents also came up for ideas for the new menu, which will be released shortly, and new activities. In response, ‘Little Beasties’ mobile zoo will be visiting us on April 17th with some cute and not-so-cute critters, and a theatre company will be performing ‘Cinderella’ on 26th April. Upcoming activities notices are available to view at reception, on the notice boards on both floors, and in the activity room on Willow. The next residents meeting will be held on Thursday 25th April at 2pm.

Laurel Bank Staff Fundraising The charity bug has hit Laurel Bank in a big way, with several members of the housekeeping, kitchen, caring and management team taking part in the local Moonlight Walk pyjama party in June for St. John’s Hospice, while the Activities Coordinators Jamie and Chris are taking on Ben Nevis at Midnight and the Penrith 13 mile trek in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society- if you would like more information, or to donate, please speak to a member of the team.

Laurel Bank on Tour!

With the days getting longer, warmer and sunnier, the Laurel Bank minibus is up and running again, ready to take our residents out on day trips around the local area. After liaisons with the local Fairfield Community Association, we have permission to take residents to the Fairfield Community Orchard and Nature Reserve, which is just around the corner. If you have any suggestions for day trips, please speak of a member of our team.

Thank you, Volunteers!

After a note in our previous newsletter, we are pleased to announce that we now have two volunteers who are committed to visiting our residents every week, offering a befriending service. Volunteering is extremely rewarding not just for the volunteers but for our residents too, as it gives them the opportunity to make new friends. If you know of anybody that may be interested, please ask them to get in touch- volunteering is an excellent way to boost a CV ahead of university applications or job hunting.

Residents and Staff prepare don their cowboy hats in preparation for our

Country & Western themed Open Day

A few words from Barchester…

Follow us on social media!

Keep up-to-date with the latest news and stories from us and see pictures of life at Barchester homes by following us on Twitter and Facebook:

@Barchester_Care

/BarchesterHealthcare

Barchester’s 2 Newest Care Homes Break

Ground Barchester recently marked the beginning of construction for our 2 newest care homes, which are be being built by McGoff Construction Ltd. Our 60-bed care home in Denmead (opening January 2020) and 66-bed care home in Herne Bay (opening July 2020) will both offer high quality, personalized residential care services, in addition to dedicated dementia support in their unique Memory Lane communities.

Barchester Care Awards

Nominations will soon be open for the Barchester Care Awards – our annual celebration of the special people working and volunteering in our homes and hospitals.

There will be a range of categories, so if you know a Barchester staff member who does an outstanding job and goes above and beyond their normal day-to-day duties to help residents, patients and their loved ones, please do let us know!

To nominate a member of staff, please complete the form on our website or pick up a paper form from any Barchester care home once nominations open.

Carehome.co.uk is the UK’s leading care home website. It’s the care industry’s equivalent of Trip Advisor. If you are pleased with the care you or a loved one are receiving at a Barchester home, please consider sharing your experience with others who are looking for good quality care by submitting a review. You can pick up a review card to fill in at any Barchester care home or you can go to www.carehome.co.uk to submit a review online.

Carehome.co.uk

Summer Respite Care

Are you going on holiday? Do you need to find care for yourself or a loved one over the summer months? Contact your nearest Barchester care home to find out about available respite beds!