Newcross Care Home

Avery Healthcare has always made the health and safety of our residents and staff a priority, and the Covid-19 pandemic has required us to raise our exacting standards to even higher levels. That is why we are taking the innovative step to introduce a cleaning system into our care homes that is already proven to kill 99.9% of viruses, including MRSA, e-Coli, norovirus and the SARS virus (which is similar to Cov-2, which causes Covid-19).

Avery is now leading in the care sector with the testing of an established cleaning system that refreshes and sanitises a bedroom in less than an hour, with a larger capacity variant addressing communal areas. Keeping both areas clean in this way will be an effective method in how Avery care homes manage their environments, to keep them as virus and bacteria-free as possible.

All Avery homes are now equipped with Topaz Machines ready for when we can allow visiting into the homes. The system hosts two units, one larger which dispenses hand sanitiser to visitors upon arrival and exit; it also provides an important messaging display screen to advise visitors of the latest news, and the other, a smaller screen, which operates as a thermal checker so that we can support temperature checks of those entering the building. Yet another fantastic piece of technology that provides relatives with safer, more efficient visits with their loved ones.

As we’ve learned during this pandemic, we are all in this together. We want our residents, staff, and their respective families to know that when they are in an Avery care home, that it is one of the safest and cleanest places to be. We also want relatives to be confident that their loved ones are being cared for in the best possible way, and for anyone in the position of placing a loved one in to care, to have the peace of mind that an Avery home will be a clean and safe haven.

Infection control and the safety of both residents and staff often requires quarantine measures and the isolation of care home residents. To test, monitor and allow residents to communicate with relatives, the prevalence of room-level connectivity within the home is becoming increasingly relevant.

Wireless Internet access (WiFi)

The Care Organisation has not indicated availability

Mobile Phone Network Coverage (mobile “signal”)

The Care Organisation has not indicated availability

Telephone for external calling

The Care Organisation has not indicated availability

The focal point of the building is its rotunda, which has been decorated with art designed and made by local students working with the renowned sculptor Michael Scheuermann. Inside there are plenty of lounges for socialising or joining in with the lively activities schedule, or just sitting quietly if preferred.

Keeping in touch is very important, so we have free Wi-Fi access throughout the building, available to all visitors and residents at our retirement home. Our own dedicated Facebook keeps relatives in touch with activities and scheduled events at our care home, and we have been known to teach residents how to Skype when distance divides!

We like to promote resident involvement in steering home life and to develop a sense of shared ownership of our nursing home. Friends and families are encouraged to pay their part and are free to visit whenever they want. They are particularly welcome to involve themselves with residents who live with dementia and help the staff to create their life stories, as the more we learn, the more effective we can be.

All our bedrooms are spacious, come with walk-in, en-suite showers, have a DVD player and flat screen TV. Residents are free to personalise them as they wish and a housekeeper keeps everything spick and span. Many of the ground floor rooms have direct access to the patio area and there is also a balcony with seating leading off the upper floor.

At Newcross Care Home we understand that stimulating activity is a key facet of effective care. Many residents enjoy the simple pleasures of life, like taking a walk to the park or the shops for a newspaper. But with two dedicated Activity Coordinators (the Ladies in Pink) at our disposal running a seven day schedule of events, there are plenty of engaging activities to stimulate both mind and body. Here are a sample of our clubs:

• Knitting club
• Bowling club
• Music group
• Choir
• Gardening club –very active!
• Gentlemen’s club for ex-servicemen

We are also host to many visitors from the local community: a church group comes in once a week and children from local schools join us to chat and swop inter-generational gossip! PAT (Pets as Therapy) dogs come too, but they’re not so good at chatting! Wolverhampton Art Gallery is generous in lending us 1950s’ memorabilia from time to time – a really good talking point. The garden is very popular, especially in the warmer months, and the guinea pigs are often a point of conversation with residents as they chat over a pot of afternoon tea.

We get out and about too, often going to local cafés, pubs and garden centres across the West Midlands. If you look at our Facebook pages, you can see what we are up to.

Newcross Care Home Care Home - Care Quality Commission (cqc.org.uk)

Newcross Care Home Care Home - Care Quality Commission (cqc.org.uk)