Health and safety first

We continue to prioritise the welfare and safety of our residents, staff, and community at Birchwood House. We monitor public health carefully on an ongoing basis and consult with healthcare professionals, our staff, and our residents’ families before changing our policy. It isn’t a decision we take lightly, and all decisions follow a full risk assessment.

Welcoming new residents

We’re welcoming new residents into our home and will follow our health and safety Covid-19 onboarding guidelines for all new residents. Health and safety at Birchwood House include a range of one-off and ongoing measures and initiatives.

Vaccinations completed for staff and residents

Staff and residents at Birchwood House are fully vaccinated. Whilst this is an important health and safety factor, we continue to adhere to strict infection control procedures for the safety of everyone.

We’re fortunate to have regular visits from local GP’s, usually every Monday and Friday to check upon residents and support anyone who may need it.

Ensuring a healthy stock of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

PPE is part of our everyday life. We continue to ensure we have a large reliable supply and were lucky to have close supplier relationships with some of the best suppliers in the country.

Family visits indoors and outdoors

We know how important it is for our residents to maintain close contact and connection with their families. Indoor visits are allowed in care homes allowing unlimited relatives or friends to enter the home for a visit in our communal lounge, or for a stroll in our nine-acre landscaped gardens. Well-behaved dogs are also welcome, and we have a special area to accomodate them in our conservatory.

Pulling the stops out with Birchwood events

Ensuring everyone enjoys their time in the home is something we work hard to achieve. Whilst our usual calendar of events and activities was initially on hold for a short period, we’ve successfully managed to hold regular in-house activities and seasonal events with the guidance provided and are proud of the events we’ve been able to run. We go to great lengths to plan and run our events ensuring everyone takes part and has fun and even have a dedicated team member. 

Over the last few years months, we’ve run events ranging from a harvest hoedown and BBQ, a winter wonderland, complete with a snow machine and an Alice In Wonderland afternoon tea as featured in The Kent & Sussex Courier. We even ran a medieval event where our residents got to meet Daisy the Horse.

Our events provide much-needed escapism for everyone and break up the day-to-day routines bringing everyone together. We try to run as many of our events outdoors in our beautiful gardens, which provide the perfect backdrop and are safer for everyone. Find out more about our events.

Birchwood Smiles

At Birchwood, we’re determined to do everything we can to give our residents a personalised approach where we put loving care at the heart of everything we do. Our Birchwood Promise acts as a constant reminder of what caring at Birchwood means.

In 2021, we launched Birchwood Smiles as featured in Care Industry News, a simple and effective initiative that our staff take part in across the care home and our home care business. When our team wear PPE, they are able to show the smiling faces behind their masks. Aptly named Birchwood Smiles, team members wear a lanyard around their neck, with a large picture of their smiling face on it. This helps them engage with residents and clients, even if wearing PPE.

So much of caring is about making a human connection and we want to remind our residents that there’s always a smiling face not far away.

Staying connected

Birchwood House has a supply of tablets for residents to use at any time. We actively encourage residents to stay in touch and video call their families and are always happy to set this up. 

We also have a monthly e-newsletter as we understand how important it is for loved ones to feel more in touch with the home. Plus you can always see what we’ve been up to on social media too.

Exercise and wellbeing

We understand the importance of exercise and wellbeing at Birchwood. Whilst some of our usual activities were reduced at the start of the pandemic, we’ve been fortunate to keep residents mobile both indoors and outdoors.

We have beautiful grounds at Birchwood, set in nine acres of the countryside so residents are always able to go for a walk and feel they are escaping the home. Popular walks include a gentle stroll observing all the wildlife and flowers. Our residents love to see all the nature we have the privilege of sharing our home with including deer and rabbits.

Our activities lead Lizzie also organise a wonderful variety of enriching activities to keep residents engaged. Find out more here, or on our blog.