Handley House Care Home Welcomes Minister of State for Care
LNT Group Chairman Lawrence Tomlinson.
Staff and residents at Ideal Carehome’s Handley House in York welcomed Minister of State for Care, Caroline Dinenage MP, as she visited the new £10m care home as part of her National Care Home Open Day tour and her continuing research into industry best practice and person-centered care.
Mrs Dinenage, who was accompanied by Richard Webb, Director of Adult Social Services for North Yorkshire and Pippa Corner the Assistant Director, Joint Commissioning, City of York/NHS Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group, was greeted by LNT Group Chairman, Lawrence Tomlinson and given a tour of the home by registered manager Rachel McNally.
The party was interested to learn more about Ideal Carehomes #thisisme project which supports Ideal’s ethos to have team members engage and connect with residents, matching them into a ‘buddy’ system based on similar interests and preferences.
Handley House, which is part of the Ideal Carehomes family, is named after the Handley Page RAF Repair Station on which it sits and provides 24-hour residential and dementia care for 66 residents. Having launched in May, it will employ a team of 60 highly-skilled staff at full capacity.
Minister of State for Care, Caroline Dinenage, who recently launched ‘Let’s Talk Loneliness’ – a campaign to combat loneliness amongst older people – said: “I was delighted to visit Handley House and see first-hand the wonderful work they are doing, particularly how they are using technology to ensure their residents receive the best person-centred care and the training they provide to staff to ensure they are well supported to provide excellent care.”
Lawrence Tomlinson, chairman of the LNT Group which through its subsidiary LNT Construction built Handley House and is the largest developer of care homes in the country, commented: “We are honoured to welcome the Minister of State for Care to Handley House and appreciate the opportunity to showcase this brand new home to those responsible for shaping the UK’s social care infrastructure.”
Rachel McNally, added: “We are extremely proud, not only of the luxurious surroundings in which our residents live, but also of the exceptional level of person-centered care that is afforded here – something that sits right at the heart of the Ideal Carehomes ethos.”
“The UK has an ageing population and with almost 12 million people aged over 65 we as a nation have to work harder than ever to develop a genuine blue print for elderly care that addresses issues of empowerment, fulfilment, and personalisation. We hope that Caroline has seen first-hand some powerful examples of best practice which will provide her with some genuine food for thought.”
