West Heanton Ltd

Date: 19/3/2024

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Devon Care Home

West Heanton Main House

The idea behind the Residential Home

West Heanton Care home has 21 bedrooms with ensuite apart from one, We have rooms on two floors

West Heanton Residential Home was opened in April 1991 by Sid and Phyllis Martin. From the outset, Sid and Phyllis determined to build a home for the elderly with the main aim of ensuring that people feel they are well cared for in a pleasant, friendly and family run environment where they can really feel at home. West Heanton has now grown to provide rooms for 22 people within the main residential home, and three units of sheltered housing have been provided in the well kept grounds of the former farm.


Sid and Phyllis ran West Heanton very successfully, allowing the home to provide excellent care for the residents and to grow and expand it until their retirement in 2001, when their granddaughter Emma Bond bought the business. Geoff and Julie Bond took over the running of the business for their daughter Emma, who is disabled, until their son Tom Bond was able to join the family team after he had completed his university degree. Tom joined the team as Trainee Manager as he worked towards gaining the relevant qualifications to become the manager. Tom has an NVQ 3 in care and is studying at North Devon College towards completing his NVQ 4 in Care and Registered Managers Award.


Tom is well experienced in caring for people as he has grown up helping to look after his sister, giving him the unique perspective of a person being cared for as well as someone providing the care. As well as caring for his sister, Tom spent a lot of his childhood time with his grand parents when they ran the home, spending many an afternoon helping the residents. Since graduating from the University of Reading, Tom has taken over the running of the home with support from his parents Geoff and Julie, and from Sid and Phyllis, who all still take a keen interest in the business, making West Heanton a well established, friendly, and truly family run residential home.

The Staff


For West Heanton to meet its aims of providing a safe, friendly place to call home would not be possible without the dedicated team of about 30 staff who work there. The majority of staff all live in the surrounding villages, which adds to the friendly country atmosphere within the home, and ensuring a well founded team who provide consistency and a familiar face while promoting the well being of residents.


All of the care staff have a number of years experience of working in the care sector and have attended many courses to improve their knowledge and skills. Many of the staff have gained NVQ 2 in care, with some going on to gain an NVQ 3. West Heanton promotes its staff to take every opportunity to continue to improve their qualifications so that we can provide the best and highest standard of care possible. West Heanton provides ongoing staff training both in house and through local organizations like North Devon College.


Furthermore, Sid and Phylllis Martin, Geoff and Julie Bond, as well as Tom Bond all play a regular and active part in the operation of the home; the warm and friendly atmosphere in the home is due in no small measure to the strong influence of this closely knit family.

Care

West Heanton is registered with The Commission for Social Care Inspectorate in the category (Care home only (PC)) and a Service User category (Old Age only (OP)) to provide residential care for 22 people from retirement age of 60 years (female) or 65 years (male) onwards.


We do not provide Nursing care, but we have care staff on duty 24 hours a day. We have access to two local G.P. practices and have a very good team of District Nurses who are available to residents as needed.


Each resident has an individual plan of care, which is reviewed regularly and updated as necessary. The care plan is an ongoing file, which is compiled with the input of the Care Staff, District Nurses, Social Services, GP and, most importantly, the residents themselves.


We aim to treat all of our residents with respect and maintain their dignity and privacy at all times. West Heanton has keys to all the bedrooms to allow residents to lock their doors to maintain their privacy if they wish, while knowing that in an emergency, staff would still be able to get in with the use of a master key. All rooms can be provided with a lockable box for the storage of valuable items.


Social and Religious interests


We aim to provide and support any interests or hobbies residents have. We have many activities organized by staff from group singsongs to individual activities such as crosswords or painting. We also provide for outside entertainers to visit on special occasions as well as providing outings to local events.


We have strong ties with the local Church of England and Methodist Chapel, and are also visited by the local Roman Catholic Priest. On Sundays we also provide transport to the local church.


The Accommodation


The main house now has two additional wings; one was built in ??? and the other in 2007. It looks due south over well kept grounds across a valley, the opposite side of which is wooded on the west side with green fields looking southeast. It is a beautiful view, especially when the sun shines! The house is partially protected on the north side by large barns, which are now used for storage.


There are 21 bright airy rooms at West Heanton with 9 on the ground floor and 12 on the upper floor. All rooms, except one, have en-suite facilities and all rooms meet the new regulations under the Care Standards Act 2000 of a minimum of 10 square metres. Residents are encouraged to bring their own furniture should they so desire. There are several common rooms including two sun rooms for the use of residents and their families with the addition of a new lounge on the upper floor. There are two staircases, each with stair lift, to provide access to the upper floor.


West Heanton has been built to the latest Fire Standards with smoke detectors and automatic door closers in all rooms and corridors. Staff also receive regular fire safety training. We have an up-to-date Nurse Call system, which is fitted in all of the rooms so that residents can summon help if needed. A generator is installed to provide power should there be a break in the mains supply.


The kitchen produces excellent home cooked food; many of the vegetables are home grown. As well as breakfast, a two course lunch is provided and a light evening meal. Special dietary needs are catered for.


The hairdresser visits each week, and the chiropodist from time to time.


Visitors


All residents are encouraged to invite family and friends to visit them at West Heanton at any time without appointment. Phone calls to residents are also possible if it is convenient to get them to the phone. Residents are also able to have their own phones fitted in their rooms if they wish.


Admissions


We encourage prospective clients to come to West Heanton on a trial basis, usually for one month, to see if West Heanton will suit their requirements and to ensure that we can meet their needs adequately.


Our aim is to be as helpful and accommodating as possible. We can take emergency admissions as long as we have a room available and will treat every case individually.