Minister for Care Gillian Keegan Visits Kew House Care Home to Celebrate Care Home Open Week
Kew House Care Home welcomed Minister for Care and Mental Health Gillian Keegan yesterday in celebration of Care Home Open Week. She joined residents’ families and members of the community in the care home for a Wimbledon-themed day, which included a piano performance, Pimms, strawberries and cream, and afternoon tea.
The minister was also joined by local MP Stephen Hammond MP and Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care.
Kew Housewas one of 1,500 care homes across the UK participating in Care Home Open Week from 27th June to 3rd July 2022 – aimed at encouraging communities to engage with care home residents and the exceptional professionals who care for them.
Minister Gillian Keegan said:
“It was lovely to share a cup of tea and have a chat with staff and residents at Kew House during Care Home Open Week to hear all about the great work they do.
“This is an important time for adult social care as we work to reform the sector backed by a huge investment of £5.4 billion through the Health and Care Levy which includes an additional £500million for staff training to boost career opportunities.
“Our vision for adult social care is one of support, recognition and opportunity and I very much enjoyed discussing the challenges and our ambitions with everyone at the home.”
Avnish Goyal CBE, Chair of Hallmark Care Homes, said:
“It was a real pleasure to meet Gillian Keegan at Kew House Care Home in Wimbledon today.
“Care Home Open Week is about connecting care homes with their local communities and reminding everyone that the unique individuals who live in care homes are supported by dedicated and professional caring teams.
“It’s really important that we continue to host events such as these, which shine a light on social care and showcase what we do so well.”
Ray Arnold, General Manager at Kew House Care Home, said:
“It was great to have Gillian Keegan come in and visit Kew House Care Home today and showcase our beautiful facilities during Care Home Open Week. We thoroughly enjoyed hosting her at the home for our Wimbledon inspired event and the residents enjoyed meeting and chatting with her.”
Led by Championing Social Care, a volunteer-led group of leaders from across the social care sector, this year’s event aimed to celebrate the value of social care, and drive recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic amid increasing reliance on the sector and widespread staff shortages.
This year’s event received record engagement from MPs, with one in six MPs attending a local care home during the week.
Rebecca Woolley, Championing Social Care Director said:
“We are incredibly proud of the community interest and MP engagement in this year’s Care Home Open Week, which seeks to shine a light on the incredible value of the social care sector to society. We know that intergenerational connections enrich the lives of both our residents and local communities, and it’s our hope that the relationships forged this week will last long beyond Care Home Open Week.”
“This year’s event wouldn’t have been possible without our two committed sponsors, CIVITAS Investment Management and Virgin Money, who provide vital support to the programme.”
