At Field House, we love to make sure that all of our service users not only feel supported and cared for but that they also feel special. Over the weekend, we held a pampering spa day to help our service users relax and unwind, even getting the staff involved in the fun! 

All of our staff and service users got changed into some comfy matching PJs, the perfect thing to pull us all together and remind us that we are all part of the one big Field House Family! The PJs and slippers made our service users feel comfortable, at ease and ready to relax as we started our spa treatments. 

The treatments included some sheet face masks that we placed over our faces to soothe and moisturise our skin. It’s lucky that we are close to Halloween, as these sheet masks made some of us look very scary! Next up, was our electronic foot spas where our service users could feel the warm water and bubbles underneath their feet for that extra bit of relaxation. To add to the pampering atmosphere, our spa goers were given a little glass of alcohol-free fizz while completing some more relaxing spa activities.

After we had relaxed and recuperated, we decided to have some fun and get our hands dirty with some Halloween pumpkin carving where we carved some scary monster faces on the side of our pumpkins while munching on some of our favourite snacks and enjoying each other company. To round off a totally fantastic day, we had a big hot party buffet packed with all of our service users’ favourite foods, this went down a treat. 

As you can see from some of our photos, our service users had a wonderful time on their spa day and carving their pumpkins. At Field House, we always like to come up with a variety of activities for our service users to enjoy, building their skills and showing them that we care. Our staff, as usual, went above and beyond to make our service user’s day special and we couldn’t be prouder of them. If you have any ideas for activities or days that we could plan with our service users, let us know, we love to hear your ideas. Field House is here to help our service users, but also to let them get the most out of life and that includes having fun with friends. We look forward to our next activity day!

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We love any reason to have a celebration at our homes and this year is no exception. Last month, we held an end of summer garden party with a fancy dress theme; after all, everyone loves to dress up! Our dedicated team of staff worked hard to put this together for our service users, ensuring that they enjoyed themselves while celebrating the end of the summer season. Our fantastic support worker Kirsty Owen worked hard to pull this all together, coming up with the idea, arranging the decorations and inviting service users from our other homes to Ashby House to come and join in with the fun.

We love to have opportunities for our service users to socialise, not only within their own homes but with our staff and service users from other homes in their area. After all, communication and connections lead to increased wellbeing for our service users. We also invited our service user’s friends and family to our special day to celebrate with us, allowing them to make precious memories with their loved ones.

As you can see from the photos, everyone had a wonderful time! Our team hired a huge colourful bouncy castle and inflatable slide for the garden which had party goers bouncing around for hours. All of our staff, service users and guests dressed up in different costumes and it was great to see what everyone was wearing; Kirsty and Natalia dressed up as local Greggs workers to help deliver some delicious sweet treats.

An amazing spread of food was put together with sandwiches, pastries and cakes for everyone to enjoy and music and laughter kept the party going all afternoon. Our service users had such a great time, and can’t stop talking about the fun they had. So much so, that we are already planning our next party!

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Leading by example is the standard that we all work towards and expect from our teams to do their very best for the residents in our care. Registered manager Sam MacMillan is proud of her staff that constantly strive to set this good example. Pictured below are some of our staff members who have recently been recognised for all their hard work and dedication to those in our care.

The first member of staff that we are proud of and recognised this month is Kerry Swift. Kerry has stepped in to the role of Deputy Manager and has shown commitment and initiative when taking on new responsibilities, setting an excellent example for others in our team. Next up in our trio of superstars is Natalia Bloor. Through her hard work and dedication, Natalia won a covid hero award for her work during the pandemic, which was a trying time for everyone in the care sector. Even after the worst of the pandemic is behind us, Natalia continues to inspire others, setting an example and giving our residents the best experience possible – meaning that she remains a hero in our eyes. Last but not least is Charlotte, who has recently been promoted to the role of deputising Team Leader, and she has taken on this responsibility in her stride – proving that she is an integral part of the top-quality Ashby House Team.

We believe that it is important to recognise all the amazing hard work our staff teams put in on a daily basis, and all that they do for our residents. We want to continue to recognise our staff in the future, so if anyone stands out to you and goes above and beyond for those we care for, let us know – we can’t wait to share your wonderful experiences with us all at Godfrey Barnes Care.

Earlier this month, we welcomed one of the local Learning Disabilities Nurse’s to Station House who came to visit and carry out a review for one of our residents. At Godfrey Care, we aim to not only meet expectations but exceed them, giving our residents the best levels of care and support. The Learning Disabilities Nurse carried out an inspection of the home, talking with team and finding out more about the work that we do at Station House. 

Through the feedback it was clear that the Learning Disability Nurse was impressed with their visit to our home, so much so that they highlighted the warm greeting they had received on arrival and our staff’s friendly manner; something that we pride ourselves on as a team. Additionally, we were complimented on the home, with the nurse stating that “the environment was clean, tidy, welcoming, and homely, it felt comfortable when I walked in”. 

Our staff take great pride in the work they do and the attention to detail that they deliver in all aspects of their roles, which include maintaining accurate documentation throughout the day. The feedback praised the team on the documentation and records that they maintain, with the Nurse saying “the documentation that you provided was completed to a very high standard, it was detailed, person-centred, concise, reviewed on a regular basis and updated accordingly”, highlighting the teams efforts and how they ensure that the residents are at the centre of every decision they make and are the focal point of the support and care they deliver. 

We are proud of all our staff, so it was really pleasing that the Nurse also recognised this and said that the team were “approachable, very open, and honest” and “trained appropriately and competent in managing needs”. 

What we are most proud of from the feedback, however, is that our high standard of care and support was highlighted and praised by the professional’s that understand our work and are there to assess the levels of care we are providing.

Here at Godfrey care, we aim to celebrate the successes of our staff members, particularly during what has been a difficult few years. We are proud to present our very own Natalia Bloor who recently won the Highly Commended Award at the Social Care Covid Hero Awards. 

We are so proud of Natalia, who was nominated by the team at Ashby House due to her commitment and dedication during the coronavirus pandemic. Before the pandemic, Natalia worked as a support worker at Ashby House. When the pandemic began, Natalia quickly experienced the real difficulties that we were facing, with many co-workers unwell with covid or unable to come towork due to isolation guidelines. Instead of letting this get her down, Natalia rose to the challenge, thinking on her feet and learning on the job in order to provide the best care for our residents. 

Natalia developed her skills and learned new responsibilities such as how to administer medication, provide insulin support and monitor glucose whilst ensuring the wellbeing of the service users who also were suffering from covid. On top of this, she helped organise the care home by looking after the rotas and managing staffing to prevent the pandemic from impacting the residents. She communicated effectively with staff and the directors to ensure the safe running of our services, something we are very proud of. 

Natalia’s talents particularly shone through when looking after residents with complex needs or learning disabilities who struggled with the changes that the pandemic brought. During this scary and stressful time, Natalia’s caring and compassionate approach helped residents feel safe and secure. 

At just 21 years of age, Natalia displayed experience, maturity and determination beyond her years and proved herself to be a true team player. She is an amazing team member who has since been promoted to the role of Team Leader since she stepped up to keep our services running during difficult covid months. 

One of the things that stands out the most about Natalia is that she truly cares for those in her care, and uses her voice to advocate for their wants and needs. This allows her to not only do her job brilliantly but ensures that our services are of the highest standards for all who live at Ashby House.

We couldn’t be prouder of Natalia and congratulate her on this well-deserved award which recognises her fantastic efforts.

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