Care workers get into bed to 'live life' as a resident at outstanding care home

Care workers at an outstanding care home are left to lie in a care home bed alone, as part of their training, to think about what kind of care their residents really need.

Burcot Grange care home in Bromsgrove has been praised by Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors and rated outstanding for its innovative training methods which has seen staff upskilled and 12 of its care workers go on to become GPs and nurses.

Burcot Grange, a 40-bedded luxury care home run by Cinnamon Care Collection, is led by general manager Vicky Osborne who is clear that staff need to be left alone in a care home bed and must sit down for a meal like a resident, to rethink how residents want to be treated.

Vicky Osborne said “We ask a staff member to go in the bed and put the sides up and leave them there and then they may think ‘Did they leave me with a drink?'

“We put dirty glasses on staff to make them aware they should make sure residents’ glasses are clean before placing them on them.

“When they sit in the dining room and are enjoying a meal with people and their friends, they don’t want someone telling them they must take their medicine and be given drugs at the table or asked ‘How are your bowels?'

“Staff shouldn’t make residents feel like they are in a hospital.”

CQC inspectors praised Ms Osborne’s ability to upskill care workers with training on how to carry out basic observations such as urine analysis, blood pressure checks, pulse checks etc.

Her approach to upskilling staff has seen five of her staff train to become GPs and seven become nurses.

The dining area has a restaurant feel with linen tablecloths, linen napkins, menus and glassware laid out and a care inspector was impressed to see one curry-loving resident eating a vegetable curry that was not even on the menu because she had told the care home’s chef that she felt like a curry.

When a resident dies, the funeral day starts with the family arriving at the care home, staff stand outside the care home as a sign of respect when the hearse arrives.

When it leaves, the care home workers as well as family attend the funeral and after at the wake, family, friends and staff have food and drinks prepared by the chef. Ms Osborne, who has worked at the care home for 19 years, has a sister working as a carer, and first began working at Burcot Grange, when her grandfather was employed as a gardener at the home.

Her father recently retired as a gardener at the care home.

She said “I don’t feel like I’m coming to work. I feel like it’s my home.

“My heart is so much into it. I love seeing the residents and seeing them happy.”

Cinnamon Care Collection opens 12th care home

The Cinnamon Care Collection group recently opened Rivermede Court in Egham - its 12th care home offering residential, dementia and respite care.

Martin Green, chief executive of Care England joined general manager, Libby Barrett, to officially open the £8m care home.

General manager at Rivermede Court, Libby Barrett said: “We have had a great start to this new home, including 30 days training for all employees – which is phenomenal in this industry."

Professor Martin Green gave a speech at the event and said: “Cinnamon gives people a life, not a service, and that is central to Cinammon’s ethos.

"It is a privilege to see this fantastic facility and great to see that engagement with the local community has been so central from the outset.”

click here for more details or to contact Burcot Grange Care Home