Heathlands Residential Care Home in Pershore

As soon as you walk through the doors of Heathlands, it is easy to see why we’re so well known in Pershore for being a care home with a warm family feel. Some of the staff have been here since the home opened in 2003 and manager Netty has been at the helm for four years.

Our team always go that extra mile for their residents. A shining example is Val Murphy, who works as a care and assistant activities coordinator. Val was shortlisted in the national finals for the Great British Care Awards 2018 for the Care Home Worker Award. In her submission she was described as “exuding kindness and compassion” and someone who champions and enables her residents to be more independent, doing things which bring them joy.

Another testament to the dedicated nature of our caring staff is our recent ‘Good’ rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Activities are the heart of the home

One of the residents, Beryl, highlights the team’s passion to support them as individuals. Before moving into the Worcestershire care home, Beryl Richens, a former fitness instructor, gave up teaching her classes because of problems with her mobility. With our team’s support, Beryl now delivers weekly fitness classes to her fellow residents at Heathlands from the safety of her chair. These classes are inclusive for all residents, whether they are in residential care, live with dementia or are in wheelchairs. They are gentle and motivating and importantly empower Beryl to continue to do something she is so passionate about.

Several members of the team are currently doing diplomas, specialising in ways to make activities completely inclusive, which will be endorsed by Age UK once completed.

The whole team get behind the spirit of open-day events at Heathlands, which are well attended by people in the Pershore community. These have included a royal-themed event when the staff dressed in ball gowns and tiaras. One of the residents was even The Queen for the day, complete with an impressive crown! These events are held in the home’s large gardens, which include a summer house that is now being transformed into a vintage themed activity room.

The home recently held a safari-themed Care Home Open Day, where staff dressed as their favourite wild animals, with a live parrot! In keeping with the wild theme, residents are soon going on an adventure to see the real thing, with a trip to West Midland Safari and Leisure Park, near Kidderminster, planned.

Residents at Heathlands really enjoy the monthly cheese and wine evenings, where there are a variety of delicious options – from the slightly stinky to smoky to choose from.

The home also has regular visits from the residents’ favourite pets such as Therapy dog, Springer Spaniel ‘Link’, plus there are ‘Honey’ and ‘Lucy’, Heathlands’ cats. Manager Netty also brings in her Cocker Spaniel ‘Chewy’, whom the residents adore. Deputy manager Becky is often accompanied by her canine trio ‘Smudge’, ‘Bo’ and ‘Bob’. There are also regular visits from nursery children, who do everything from reading with the residents to taking part in music therapy. 

Heathlands is also part of the Worcestershire Integrated Care Partnership, which promotes best practice care homes and the wider community across the county.

Outside the home, some of the residents recently enjoyed a trip to Weston-super-Mare, where they spent the day on the beach and even visited fellow residents at Sanctuary Care’s Beach Lawns Residential and Nursing Home, which overlooks the sea.