When creating the ideal living environment for highly complex needs, it’s vital to get the foundations right.

It requires close collaboration at the outset, bringing together input from families, local authorities, care professionals and multidisciplinary teams to ensure that the space is tailored to meet each individual’s requirements.

That’s the approach which Godfrey Care apply to every service we develop, and the results are coming to fruition at our latest property, Waverley House in Alfreton, which is due to open later this summer. The design and construction of Waverley House was driven by co-production between Derbyshire County Council’s Integrated Care Board, families, social workers, case managers, current providers, our Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) team, Business Development team and directors. Realising the concept at Waverley House involved regular meetings at every stage, ensuring all voices were heard, all knowledge and ideas were shared, and each sphere of expertise was utilised. Every detail and every adaptation reflects that process.

Waverley House is around three months from completion as work continues to build a low-stimulus environment designed to meet each individual’s unique sensory needs and sensory regulation in wide, open spaces. Six self-contained individual living spaces include their own kitchen/kitchenette, living room, bedroom with full en-suite wet room, and private garden. Waverley House also features a communal kitchen, lounge areas and gardens facilitating social interaction and inclusion.

Godfrey Care Director, Andy Barnes, said:

“Co-production is fundamental to the successful delivery of care and support for complex needs. The built environment is a key part of the equation and we’re very excited about the results that co-production has achieved at Waverley House. We are looking forward to welcoming each individual into their new home here. As well as living space which is purpose-built for their needs, they will enjoy 24/7 support from our skilled service team and multidisciplinary teams trained in PBS, PERMA, and Active Support.”

This Easter, our wonderful services have been embracing the spirit of the season with a range of fun-filled activities! The people we support have been busy with creative arts and crafts sessions, making some beautiful festive decorations.

Parties were organised at Ash Tree House and Field House in Burton-on-Trent. At Ash Tree House, the people we support wore Easter-themed hats and were given their own basket of treats to celebrate the occasion. They also wrote Easter cards for loved ones.

Field House arranged an Easter egg hunt, hiding chocolates in hard-to-find places around the garden. The people we support proved to be very eagle-eyed, making sure every egg was accounted for! The day was capped with a visit from a special guest when the Easter bunny hopped over for chat!

The service teams have received Easter cards and eggs as a gesture of appreciation for their efforts. With so many treats consumed, it could be time for a chocolate detox!

A huge thank you to our dedicated service teams for making this Easter so special for everyone!

Godfrey Care’s Ash Tree House service in Burton-on-Trent is never shy of an opportunity to party. Their luck was in this week when the arrival of St. Patrick’s Day was greeted with customary enthusiasm!

The support team went all-out to organise a worthy celebration. The service was decorated with all the traditional trimmings, including lucky charms, banners, shamrocks and leprechaun accessories alongside bunting, balloons and ribbons in the green, orange and white of the Irish flag. A St. Patrick’s Day table cloth was laid out for a delicious buffet for everyone to enjoy with a stream of classic music from Irish artists cued up on the playlist.

Heather Wilkinson, Registered Manager at Ash Tree House, said:

“At Ash Tree House, we always see special dates in the calendar as a chance to organise social activities and events. Every year, St. Patrick’s Day is inked-in for a big party! Everyone really enjoyed it, and the spread went down a treat. We were still in St. Patrick’s Day mode days after the event! We’re now busy preparing for a big Easter celebration.”

Godfrey Care services across the midlands have been enjoying St. Patrick’s Day celebrations with similar gusto. We’re green with envy!

Love was in the air earlier this month at Godfrey Care’s Field House service in Burton-on-Trent, where a Valentine’s themed weekend was organised by the support team to show their affection.

The home became a love-filled wonderland, with red balloons and paper hearts dangling from ceilings, red roses perched on heart-patterned tablecloths and a special gallery celebrating the people we support, with portrait photographs in heart-shaped frames. Red roses were handed out to each of the people we support.

No celebration is complete without delicious treats! The support team prepared a hearty dinner and an array of Valentine’s goodies, from heart-shaped biscuits and marshmallows to Love Heart sweets and mouthwatering cakes. The people we support enjoyed popcorn and movies to cap an unforgettable occasion.

Jorge Finn, Field House Registered Manager, said:

“The party was a celebration of love, friendship, connection, kindness, and making each other feel valued.  Hats off to the Field House team, they really pulled out all the stops and organised a wonderful weekend. Their hard work reflects the love and care that defines Field House. A big part of the support we provide involves shared experiences and memories for everyone to enjoy. The people we support really embraced the occasion and I’m sure there will be plans for more themed parties in the near future!”

Godfrey Care were proud to commence the roll-out of our Oliver McGowan training programme.

The first of a series of sessions started with our Senior Leaders and Service Managers. It was an extremely productive and successful session, led by our Certified Oliver McGowan Trainer, Lucy, and our Experts by Experience, Edward and Andrew. All our service teams will now complete the same training led by our Specialist Support Team.

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is the government’s preferred and recommended training for health and social care staff. The training is named after Oliver McGowan, whose death shone a light on the need for health and social care staff to have better training.

Andy Fairman, PBS Clinical Lead at Godfrey Care, said:

“While this training is presently only mandatory in healthcare settings, Godfrey Care have embraced the Oliver McGowan framework for training as part of our commitment to best practice for our services. Whilst Godfrey Care already provide specialist Autism and Learning Disability training, our Leaders received training against the NHS England framework, in line with Tier 2 training of the Health and Care Act 2022.”

Tracy Johnson, Operations Director at Godfrey Care, said:

“We are fully committed to supporting the Oliver McGowan Training initiative which sets a valuable sector-wide standard. It is very closely aligned with the standards and principles of Godfrey Care’s existing training modules, equipping care providers with the skills and knowledge to provide safe, compassionate and informed care to autistic people and people with a learning disability. The participation of the senior leadership is a vital part of Godfrey Care’s new Oliver McGowan training programme – we believe that it’s important to embed this knowledge not only in our frontline teams but also across the rest of our organisation.”