Our services

Residential care home

The main house is situated in a peaceful rural location just outside the village of Buckland Filleigh. The home is surrounded by large landscaped gardens and beautiful views of the surrounding countryside.

The grounds are gated, meaning that you can safely leave the home and walk within the grounds to your heart’s content. Here you’ll find our Pathways with Purpose which lead all around the home and to places of interest along the way: flower beds, benches, tables and chairs to use, a pretty pond filled with Koi Carp, even a bus stop and our very own single decker West Heanton bus!

Inside the home there are bedrooms on two floors. We have three staircases: one to access on foot, another with a seated stairlift and the third with a platform lift for wheelchairs, all providing easy access to the upper floor. We have several communal areas, accessible by everyone. You’ll always be able to find company and engaging activities at West Heanton and there’s plenty of space for quieter times and reflection when wanted. There is a communal dining room next to our busy kitchen at the heart of the home, providing freshly cooked meals daily. Where possible we buy all food from local suppliers and farms, keeping things as fresh as possible and our carbon footprint low.

Rooms

We have 28 bedrooms at West Heanton with 11 on the ground floor and 17 on the upper floor. All of our rooms meet the regulations under the Care Standards Act 2000 of a minimum of 10 square meters. The majority of rooms are ensuite and are provided with furniture however you’re welcome to bring your own furniture if preferred. We also have a tiled wet room and bath on the ground floor and two wheelchair accessible shower enclosures on the first floor.

Communal areas

We have several communal areas including a lounge, dining room, garden room and conservatory as well as our purpose built air conditioned Day Centre.

Admissions

You are very welcome to come and have a look around the home. Please call us beforehand to book in your visit. For anyone less able to visit a member of our team may be able to visit before you arrive to explain what we have available as well as to carry out a short assessment, ensuring we are able to meet your needs and enable us to prepare for your arrival.

We understand that moving is a big upheaval and commitment so you are welcome to move in on a trial basis, usually for one month, to see if West Heanton will suit your requirements and to ensure that we can meet your needs adequately. It is our aim to be as helpful and accommodating as possible.

Care

As a residential home we do not provide nursing care however, we have well trained care staff on duty 24 hours a day who can assist with personal care. We also have an excellent team of district nurses from Holsworthy who are available to attend to medical and nursing requirements.

Care plans

With your help we will create an individual plan of care for you. This will be regularly reviewed and updated as necessary. The care plan is an ongoing file, which is compiled with you and your family’s input plus district nurses, social services, and your GP.

Privacy and dignity

Our ethos is to treat everyone with respect and maintain dignity & privacy at all times. You’ll be able to lock your door if you wish, safe in the knowledge that in an emergency staff would be able to gain access as we have a master key to all areas for this reason. All rooms can also be provided with a lockable box for the storage of valuable items.

Meals

Our kitchen provides nutritious, locally sourced, home cooked meals. A typical day’s options are:

• Breakfast (full choice of cooked & continental options)
• Lunch 1–2pm (a 2 course cooked main meal)
• Dinner 5–6pm (a lighter evening meal)

You’re welcome to have your meals in your room or with others in the dining room. Our mealtimes are not set in stone and there are plenty of snacks, tea & coffee available throughout the day and night. All dietary wishes/needs can be catered for.

Fire systems

West Heanton has been built to the latest fire standards with smoke detectors and automatic door closers in all of the rooms and corridors. Staff also receive regular fire safety training.

Nurse call

The home has a Nurse Call system which can be used to summon help in an emergency but can be used day to day as an intercom. Each room is fitted with call buttons, pull cords in the bathrooms and infra-red neck pendants can also be used with the system.

Gardens

The home has large gardens that you’re welcome to make use of. Private areas can be set aside to use as personal outside spaces or for gardening too.

Costs

Our fees are based per room rather than on care needs. So if your care needs increase over time you won’t find the prices increasing alongside. We conduct an annual price review each year in April and raise prices in line with inflation and government regulations.

We usually charge in monthly instalments payable a month in advance, short stays are charged at a daily rate.

Social service funding

We are able to accommodate people funded by social services. Unfortunately sometimes this requires a monthly top up payment if the agreed rate from social services is below our fees. This can vary as Social Services calculate the funding on each person’s individual care needs. If funded by Social Services, the difference in fees would need to be made up by yourself or a third party. Please speak to a member of management for advice if you feel this may apply to you.

Please see our current price list for details on all fees.

Respite care

Post Operative Care, Respite Care & breaks are popular reasons why many people choose a short stay at our Residential Home. We offer convalescent care as a service specifically created to enable the best possible recuperation after periods of illness or an operation. A short stay at West Heanton is also an ideal solution for those who are well enough to leave hospital but not yet well enough to go home. West Heanton also offers vital short-term respite care, meaning you can benefit from a break.

Although respite stays are short term (normally not more than four weeks) they are a great opportunity to find out first hand what we have on offer at West Heanton and experience what living here is like, plus the chance to get to know our staff and for us to get to know you. This can be a great reassurance to anyone should a longer stay at the Care Home ever become necessary.

Our aim is to provide seamless continuity of care and our well-trained and qualified staff work hard to ensure that everyone's personal wishes, needs and preferences are respected. You are most welcome to visit us and experience our friendly hospitality for yourself. Upon admission or beforehand we can assess your individual needs and tailor a care plan to suit you.

For carers

If you care for another person, the value of quality respite care can never be underestimated. Carers should never feel guilty about taking a break. Not only will it help avoid stressful situations, it does wonders for your morale. The renewed levels of patience and energy a break gives you is essential to continuing in a caring role. At West Heanton we understand this more than most. Whilst our beautiful family run care home is a permanent home for many people, when we have rooms available we are usually able to accommodate people who need or want to give their usual carer a well earned break. They too can enjoy a change of environment and a chance to make new friends.

A respite stay at West Heanton will give the person you care for the very best of service. They will benefit from a “holiday” amongst friendly and welcoming staff and residents, a nice change of scene if they normally live alone.

All the services offered to residents of the care home are available to those staying on a respite basis.

Medication

We ask for you to bring your own medication in the original prescription box, which you can administer yourself or a member of our care staff can distribute when necessary.

Laundry

Please ensure your clothes are all labelled so that we know who it belongs to when it comes out of the laundry. If you are unable to do this yourself a member of staff can assist you on your arrival.

We can only offer respite care if a room is available — please speak to a member of the Management team as early as possible so that we can endeavour to meet your needs.

Supported living suites

The Supported Living Suites are self-contained apartments where you can live totally independently if you wish. Extra services, such as those offered in the care home, are available if required.

Each Suite has its own private entrance and living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.

Meals

A cooked main meal is available daily and you’re welcome to join people in the main house or you can have them delivered to your Suite. A light evening meal is also available. As the suites have their own kitchens you are welcome to self cater too.

Care

Unlike many other sheltered housing schemes our registration with the Care Quality Commission allows us the ability to provide personal care beyond the usual realm of a Warden. This registration enables us to provide trained staff to assist with personal care, which in many sheltered housing situations would require moving or sourcing care from a registered provider. As part of the monthly rent we provide 15 minutes of care morning and evening as well as any care needed to deal with an emergency. If regular care beyond the 15 minutes is required we can provide this at an extra cost.

Heating, lighting & services

The whole site is heated via a biomass boiler with oil fired boilers backup and thermostatically controlled radiators. The complex is powered by the National Grid but has its own 80 kilowatt Generator to maintain power in the event of a power cut. (Heating, lighting and sewerage are included in the rent).

Fixtures & fittings

The Suites can either be let furnished, part furnished or unfurnished. There is also a selection of aid equipment which can be made available. The kitchens are fitted with built in fridge and cookers.

Phone & internet

Telephone services are connected to provide private landlines as required (not included in the weekly fee). We also offer a Telephone Service via a dedicated line to the home for people to have an extension from our phone system. This enables people to call you directly without going via our switchboard. For anyone needing assistance with calls we can connect you via our switchboard. WiFi Internet is available across the site.

Nurse call

Each Suite is connected to the Nurse Call system used in the home which can be used to summon help in an emergency but can be used day to day as an intercom. Each Suite is fitted with call buttons, pull cords in the bathrooms and infra-red neck pendants can also be used with the system.

Council tax

The Suites are liable for Council Tax but this is included in the monthly rent to reduce the worry of extra paper work.

TVs and licences

The home and Suites are covered under a congressional TV licence which means it is free to anyone over 75 and costs £7.50 a year for people under 75. Every room is fitted with an aerial socket and is tuned towards Huntshaw Cross in Torrington. Private arrangements for streaming services can be arranged where installation is possible.

Shopping and provisions

Meals are provided by the home and daily provisions such as milk and bread are available as part of the service we provide. Other personal items that we do not regularly stock can be purchased from the home. We hold a small stock of toiletries on site but we have several suppliers and make regular shopping trips so we can always arrange for anything that is needed. We receive daily newspapers Monday to Saturday delivered by Crawford’s newsagents in Torrington.

There are several small shops located a short drive away at Shebbear, Highampton and Sheepwash with more varied shopping at Torrington, Holsworthy, Bideford and Barnstaple.

Out and about

We have ample parking at West Heanton and you are welcome to bring your own car. We can also provide transport with prior arrangement and will charge by the hour for a driver or carer to accompany you. We have a minibus and car both suitable for wheelchair transport.

Insurance

The Suites are covered by the insurance policy of the home and make provisions for a small amount of clients personal items up to £1000. We advise anybody with expensive items to take out additional insurance cover.

The cost

We differ from many sheltered housing establishments in that we work on a short term tenancy agreement and rent the apartments on a monthly basis, payable one month in advance. As detailed above we have included as many of the utility, council tax and other bills into the rent as possible so that you only have to make one payment to us and not have the worry of sorting out lots of different bills and agreements.

Domiciliary care in your own home

Within the local community we provide a Domiciliary Care service. This is where we visit you, in your own home to assist with personal care, medication, dementia care, light household chores and cooking & shopping.

Aims and objectives

It is the aim of West Heanton Domiciliary Care to deliver both personal care and domestic duties of the highest quality in your own home as set out below:

• To provide a quality service to all our clients
• To ensure the service is needs led and not service led
• To provide a service which is non-discriminatory and values people
• To support client’s in their own homes and to encourage independence
• To develop a trusting relationship ensuring privacy and dignity is maintained at all times
• To ensure the delivery of service meets the agreed contract of care
• All clients will have a plan of care
• To do a risk assessment of the clients home for hazards
• To ensure inclusion when planning care or assessing risks.
• To manage the service effectively and efficiently giving best value to the purchaser and client

Care services

West Heanton Domiciliary Service is able to provide the following care services:

• Assistance with washing, showering and bathing (including bed bathing)
• Toileting
• Assistance with dressing and undressing
• Helping individuals to get up and go to bed
• Assistance with medication
• Assistance with medical care where appropriate

Domestic help

Domestic Help Service include but are not limited to:

• Assistance with planning and shopping
• Food preparation and light cooking
• Light domestic duties
• Food preparation
• Laundry and ironing
• Dog walking and feeding pets

Sitting service

Under our Domiciliary Care Service we also offer a sitting service where our carers can come out to you and spend quality time with days out, enabling visits, shopping trips or simply good company.

Sometimes these can be overnight sits when circumstances require it, such as a personal carer or spouse being away and you needing someone to be on call throughout the night.

Day centre, activities & days out

Our purpose built Day Centre is open Mon – Fri each week from 9am – 5pm and is situated next door to the Care Home.

For those seeking companionship and stimulation a day at West Heanton could be just the tonic! A break from the daily routine or needing a change of scene, we are here to help.

Our Activities Team are dedicated to creating fun and engaging activities for everyone who attends, always with your interests and abilities in mind. We have daily sessions ranging from arts and crafts, cooking, topical discussions, sing-a-longs, book reading, poetry and gardening. We often have live music plus other entertainment such as visiting alpacas & dogs! Themed fun days, fund raisers, big breakfasts and coffee mornings are regular features. The Day Centre is used daily by people living at West Heanton and out in the community and we see many new friendships being built during the sessions.

Included in the day:

• All refreshments and lunch between 9:30am and 4:00pm
• Full use of the Day Centre and Gardens
• All activities and entertainment provided by West Heanton
• Bus trip outings
• Carer assisted personal care and a shower if required
• Personal services such as chiropody and hairdressing

Transport can be provided most days for those living in the local area and we have a mobility lift in our mini bus with wheelchair access.

The Day Centre is free of charge to access if you are living at West Heanton.

For those visiting for the day please see our current price list for the daily cost which includes entertainment, food, drinks, snacks & care. There will be extra charges for transport, showers, chiropody and hairdressing.

Please call us to book if you’d like to try the Day Centre.

Meals on wheels

We offer a Meals on Wheels service 365 days year to people living locally to West Heanton.

This consists of a nutritious, home cooked two course meal, delivered between 12.30pm – 1.30pm.

We can cater for all dietary needs and likes/dislikes, please contact us for prices and to try the service out.

More about us

Registration

West Heanton Ltd is registered with the Care Quality Commission in the category to provide personal care for 28 people over 65 years old. The Care Quality Commission is a government agency responsible for the regulation of the care industry including care homes, nursing homes, domiciliary care, hospitals, GP and dentist practices. The Care Quality Commission has a website at www.cqc.org.uk which contains a lot of useful information on finding the right care home as well as detailed assessments on all homes in England which they inspect. You are welcome to read our recent inspection report either by the hard copy kept at the Home or by accessing the CQC web-site.

Our team

At West Heanton we could not meet our goal of providing a safe and friendly place to call home and provide quality care to all clients without our dedicated team of over 120 staff. The majority of staff live in the surrounding local villages which adds to the friendly country atmosphere ensuring a well founded team who provide consistency and a familiar face whilst promoting clients well being.

Training

We hold annual training on Fire, Health & Safety, Moving & Handling as well as Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults. Apart from the Required First Aider with a First Aid at Work qualification all staff are encouraged to attend basic life support first aid. We provide an extensive program of courses / workshops to train our staff in everything from dementia care to diabetes.

Frequently asked questions