Care Home Makes Dramatic Turnaround After Risk of Closure!
A care home that was in administration, rated “inadequate” and threatened with closure has made a remarkable turnaround during the pandemic. Now full, it recently won Care Employer of the Year Award in the Southwest at the Great British Care Awards and is seen as a model of best practice.
The White House in Teignmouth, which is a Dementia specialist care home, was rescued in 2018 by Centrum Care Homes which had been in administration. The care home was rated “inadequate” and since then, has made a remarkable turnaround being rated “Good” by CQC following their inspection in July 2021. The home’s fortunes have turned around and is now full with a waiting list of residents wishing to move into the home.
The CQC report quotes, “The provider and management team had worked to make significant improvements at the service. Feedback from a visiting professional stated, “I have seen significant improvements in the management, communication and professionalism over the last two years”.
The management and care team invested heavily in technology to solve the challenges the home had in managing its care and responsibilities. Over £50,000 has been
invested into electronic care plans, auditing system, state of the art telecoms system, and much more to ensure that the homes were fit for purpose both now and for the future.
The investment also extended to the employees, with new interactive online training, in-house training blended with external training to create a culture of care that allows the team to not only support residents, but also provide a meaningful life in their homes.
Demelza Lamport Coles, Registered Manager for the homes expressed that “the team have worked hard to turnaround the homes, the investment in the homes has paid dividends during the pandemic.”
Tracie Bowen, Manager for The White House expressed her delight in the transformation by stating “the staff have been incredible. They have embraced the challenges and worked hard as a team to save the care homes and residents by moving in with them during the pandemic”.
The future of the homes are now secure, with a further investment of £200,000 planned to refurbish the homes and expand its capacity. The efforts of the team have not gone unnoticed with the home winning Care Employer of the Year award for the Southwest at the Great British Care Awards recently.
Director, Tushar Shah quoted, “the team have worked really hard to transform the homes and help secure it’s future. Working in partnership with Devon County Council and the NHS, they have created a model of care which is much needed and it’s a credit to them that other homes in Devon are now looking at The White House for guidance.
