Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I know I will be well looked after?

  We are classed as being in the elite 'BAND 1' by both Lancashire County Council and Blackpool Borough Council. This means that our care teams are amongst the best trained in Lancashire. With the Council's target being that 50% of your care team hold an NVQ Level 2 or higher in care, all of our homes easily exceed this target. We regularly have over 90% of our care team in possession of NVQ Level 2 or higher.

   

  In addition to NVQ's, there are mandatory training elements that must be renewed at regular intervals. You can be certain that all members of our care teams are qualified in moving and handling, basic first aid (with a qualified first aider on each shift), food hygiene, health & safety, fire training, common induction standards, infection control, emergency procedures and abuse.

   

  We also encourage our teams to undertake training that whilst not mandatory, is beneficial in caring for people. We strictly monitor this area to ensure that all of our staff exceed the minimum requirements. Examples are: risk assessment, COSHH, dealing with challenging behaviour, customer relations, falls prevention, foot care, alzheimer's and dementia, diabetes and medication receipt, storage and administration.

   

  Also, all of our homes are rated highly by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), so you can be certain of the high quality care we are able to offer.

• Will there be enough people on duty to care for me?

  The Department of Health provide guidelines on staffing levels and the number of care hours a home of a certain size will require. We ensure that we always exceed this guideline. This means that you will benefit from a more personal service where you are valued as an individual, able to enjoy your life how you choose (with our support), and form better relationships rather than be institutionalised for the benefit of a routine.

• Who makes sure you keep high standards?

  Primarily, we are inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and they inspect all care homes in the UK. They ensure that we maintain (and exceed) the Care Standards Act 2000. We enjoy a close, productive relationship with CQC ensuring our residents the opportunity to achieve the best possible outcomes whilst in our care.

   

  We are also inspected by Lancashire Fire Brigade to ensure that our homes are safe and remain so in the future.

   

  We also receive regular visits from the Health & Safety Inspector, Health & Hygiene Inspector, Environmental Health and Continence Service.

   

  In addition to this we carry out an internal inspection of each home every month. This is exceptionally thorough and might include things such as inspecting medication administration and storage, care plan updates, talking to our residents to gauge their comments, food (menus and quality), laundry service etc. We take this obligation very seriously in order to ensure that our homes are of the finest quality.

• You appear to be a big company surely you will not be able to offer me a personal service?

  We are a family owned and operated company with a 'hands-on' approach and that will always remain the case. Whilst we have been successful in what we do (offering top quality care at fairer prices than our competitors) to such an extent that we have expanded the company whilst others have had to make cutbacks, our homes are situated in close proximity to each other in Lytham St. Annes. This means that we are never more than 5 minutes away from any of our homes and are able to enjoy close involvement.

   

  Our own philosophy of care is that we would aim to care for people to a standard that would expect our own parents to be cared for. We employ people who share our philosophy on care and are very careful in our selection processes.

   

  We hope to create an informal atmosphere where our residents feel valued, cared for, appreciated and able to form lasting bonds.

• If my health deteriorates whilst in your care, what will happen to me?

  We genuinely care for the residents we look after and hope to make lasting bonds with each person. An important factor when caring someone is to build a trusting relationship. When a person comes to our homes to receive care, we aim to care for them as long as possible, as long as it remains safe to do so and as long as this is the correct care setting for them.

   

  We understand that a person moving into a care home may have sacrificed their own home to do so and that they now view one of our care homes as their own home - we do not take this lightly. If someone needs to leave one of our homes, it is only because all other options have been exhausted and the move would ultimately be of benefit to the resident.

   

  If a residents health deteriorates whilst in our care, we will liaise with that resident's GP, any nurses that may be involved and other healthcare/social care professionals whom might be involved. We will all have the shared goal of working towards achieving the best possible outcomes for the resident in our care. We will always take the position that whilst it is safe to do so (and will not cause the resident any detriment) we will work hard and do our very best to provide genuine care in a difficult time. We will not desert our responsibilities.

   

  Only if all of the involved healthcare professionals tell us that it is not in the best interests of the resident for them to remain in our care and that they require a more specialised care setting, will we consider the possibility that a resident may have to leave our homes.

  If this situation occurs, you will be kept informed at every opportunity and you will be involved in all decisions that need to be made.

• If I move into a home would I have to leave my personal possessions behind?

  No. Indeed whilst we have already furnished all of our bedrooms to a high standard, we would encourage you to bring what you need in order to help you settle. The Care Standards Act 2000 stipulates that bedrooms must be a minimum of 12m² - excluding en-suite facilities. Our bedrooms all exceed this amount, so there is the opportunity to bring cherished items from home.

• I know I want to live in The St. Annes area, but I'm just not sure where, any ideas?

  We are lucky enough to have all of our homes in the St. Annes area, whilst each has its own unique environment. For those who love the sea breeze we have The Moorings, which overlooks the Irish Sea, for those who like Fairhaven and the facilities at Fairhaven Lake, we have Lakeview, for those who like the sea but maybe not the breeze, we have Rosewood Lodge (which overlooks the sandunes), and for those who like the hustle and bustle of a town centre setting, we have Newfield Lodge, which is situated in St. Annes town centre.

• It seems like such a big step and I'm not sure whether I want to make such a big decision straight away. Do you allow people to come for short stays to see if they like it?

  Yes. We are happy to take residents on a trial basis or for a short holiday (known as respite) to see if residential care or indeed our homes are for them. Respite stays can usually be funded by Lancashire County Council (via what are known as "respite vouchers") or Blackpool Borough Council (providing you fall under their jurisdiction). For information on this, please contact us.

• I like to go out, will I get the opportunity?

  We have our own minibus, which is modern and up to modern safety requirements. Our residents enjoy trips to The Trafford Centre, Wrea Green, Fleetwood Boating Lake, The Odeon Cinema, Owd Nell's, the Horse Sanctuary, Southport Flower Show, Blackpool Illuminations, The Grand Theatre, shopping and various local public houses. At The Moorings, there is a private car to take residents on outings or to appointments.

   

  For those who prefer to stay a bit closer to home, we are happy to take our residents out for walks or wheelchair rides. Some of our residents require help to maintain their independence and so we facilitate that, for example, taking our residents our shopping or to the post office etc.

   

  At some of our homes, we are lucky enough to have the facilities to store personal motor scooters to assist our residents in maintaining their independence. These facilities are secure and have the necessary equipment for charging motorised scooters.

• I've heard that care homes are dull institutionalised places, with lounges crammed full of high back chairs, how are you different?

  We believe that a care home should be just like a real home, with intimate areas, tasteful decoration and comfortable seating. We constantly re-invest in our homes to ensure they are comfortable, furnished to a high standard and well maintained. We hope that our residents come to call our homes "their home", and as such we work hard to achieve a more homely environment and atmosphere.

• I'm funded by my local Authority and worried that the Council will not pay the required fees. A 3^rd party top-up is not something we can afford, can I still come to you?

  We have taken the decision to make Rosewood Lodge a home that can accept funded residents without a top-up. This is solely because whilst Rosewood Lodge exceeds the minimum room sizes required by CQC in conjunction with the Care Standards Act 2000, and all of the bedrooms are fully en-suite, some are smaller than at our other homes. We also appreciate that in an emergency situation when time is critical, residents, their families and indeed social workers do not need the hassle of negotiating a top-up. To make things easier for you (and us), we took this decision.

   

  Rosewood Lodge still offers the same great, quality service as our other homes, is maintained to a high standard, offers a setting few are able to match and as our first home is still very close to our hearts.

• I have a very good appetite, is the food varied, wholesome and nutritious?

  Oh yes! Breakfast is anything goes. Whether that be a full-English breakfast, cereal, porridge, prunes, grapefruit, toast, tea, coffee (and) or orange - the choice is yours.

   

  Lunchtime is 3 courses, the first of which being soup with the main course being a roast dinner 6 days a week (each Friday is fish, chips n' peas) and a tasty pudding to satisfy a sweet tooth.

   

  The evening meal is a choice of at least 4 different options (for example scrambled egg and waffles, sausage n' mash etc), with another dessert to follow.

   

  Finally, we finish the day off with supper which could be hot horlicks and cake or a sandwich for example.

   

  If you have any special dietary requirements, please feel free to ask us about them. Our trained chefs are happy to cater for any special needs.

• Do you accept both privately funded and Authority funded residents?

  Yes, we accept both. If you require any assistance with regard to funding, please do not hesitate to contact us for further information. We are happy to help.

• Care homes have been in the news a lot recently and it has generally not been good press. Are you any different?

  We treat our residents as family members, and enjoy a relationship with each one, where we are known by first names. We care about the people we care for and employ people who share our beliefs and views on care. We encourage our staff to try to resolve challenges, to try to say yes to any requests; to make it happen. We work very hard to ensure that only people who are decent get an opportunity to work with our residents. Our staff turnover is very low with many of our employees having worked for us for over 10 years, meaning that we know the people who act on our behalf.

   

  In addition, there is always a trusted Senior member of staff on duty, someone who has worked their way up through our company, rather than someone we don't know, from outside the company (we promote Senior members of staff from within).

   

  We ensure all of our staff exceed the minimum amount of training required so that they are knowledgeable and able to competently deal with any situations which might arise.

   

  As we are not Drs and therefore not allowed to prescribe medication, we are not in a position to decree what medication a person must take. We are - like in any regular situation - directed by a GP. However, we do not allow our residents to be over medicated. If we feel that a medication does not agree with a resident or is having an adverse effect on them, we would contact the GP again and inform them of the problem. We do not accept the use of medication by GP's to control or subdue residents. Unfortunately, if a resident has deteriorated to such an extent then we would have to reassess them and would in all likelihood come to the conclusion that we were no longer able to offer them the true care they require.

   

  With regard to the administration of medicines, we can assure you that only persons competently trained will prepare and administer medications. We take this area very seriously and do not take risks with our residents' health.

   

  Furthermore, for your peace of mind, we are closely inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and they ensure we maintain good standards within the Care Standards Act 2000.

• So the homes look beautiful, the care seems to be of the highest order and the fees aren't as high as others, what's the catch?

   

  There is no catch whatsoever. Quite simply, we're not greedy and believe that the best way to operate successfully is to re-invest in the homes whenever it's required - whether that be maintaining the homes, keeping the décor immaculate, attracting the best carers or providing training for the care teams. Put another way, many homes have a policy of just taking money out of the business to keep their profit margins as high as possible, whereas we think the best strategy is a long-term one of re-investment in order to offer the best facilities and care.

   

  We also firmly believe that privately funded residents should not be taken advantage of and made to pay higher fees in order to make up the deficit created by Authority funded residents taken on at a lower fee. Why should privately funded residents be taken advantage of simply because they have money? Of course this poses the question: how do we ensure Authority funded residents are not priced out of being able to afford the best care? The answer is the fairest possible: we keep the same fees for everybody at the most reasonable rates we can. This way everybody wins.

Finally, I would add that we are not here to dictate to you how to live you life. We are here to support you in making your own decisions and to help you achieve the best possible outcomes. We understand that you are individuals with far more life experience than us. We hope to work with you to provide the best possible care in settings that offer the best quality on the FYLDE Coast.