The Close Care Home continues to gain recognition amongst industry peers,
recently presented with the ‘Outstanding Independent Care Provider’ award 2023 at The Care Home Awards.
The Care Home Awards are an annual benchmark of excellence and innovation for care home management, care operations and delivery of care within the ever-changing commercial care sector. Industry experts are dedicated to identifying and celebrating the success of well-deserved examples, honouring winners with highly-respected industry wide accolades.
Being honoured as the winner of the ‘Outstanding Independent Care Provider’ is the latest in a run of successful industry recognised achievements. Following the recent award wins of ‘Dignity and Respect Care Home of The Year’ and Winner of the ‘Leadership in Care’ at the National Care Awards.
At the Close, independent signifies a long-standing family run business. It was Sanjay’s father who asked him to step into the role to improve the standard and level of care at The Close, which at the time was unfortunately rated inadequate at the time. Just five years later in 2020 brought milestone achievements for The Close, with The Care Quality Commission recognising the industry-leading culture and innovation in personal and nursing care as ‘Outstanding’. Echoed by the notable achievement of being awarded ‘Care Home of The Year 2020’ by the National Care Awards.
What lies at the foundation is diversity, inclusivity, kindness and compassion; which is present in every aspect of care at The Close. The Close remains a true advocate of person-first approach, recognising the significance of residents as centric to the care provided and the ultimate inspiration for how The Close has improved dramatically.
Partnerships are encouraged that ensure residents are listened to with integrity and recognised as the individual they are. Residents are empowered to live life to their best ability – to live a life free from restrictions, full of equality, involvement, choice, and independence within a homely, enabling environment. Achieved through kind, compassionate and supportive interventions that residents are actively involved in designing.
This formula for success, enhanced by The Close’s vision and aspiration to continuously break down paradigms and cliches, and to explore innovation is what inspires a dynamic and open-minded team to adopt new methods and drive change forward to create the best lives for their residents – The Close Way!
Differences are welcomed, celebrated and applauded, and the home is specifically curated to ensure needs of both residents and the team are met, with care and utmost respect and dignity.
As an independent care home, the team are in the elite position to have this solid focus on achieving independence and best care of life. To deliver deeply person centred and personalised moments that ensure residents and the team know they feel valued and respected.
One simple but major innovation The Close implemented is its voting tubes. Residents are consulted for opinion on a weekly basis on EVERYTHING from paint colours, washing powder scents, furniture and movie options. The dedicated team from housekeeping to senior carers are as involved as the residents as they are equally responsible for ensuring best quality of life.
Staying true to the Close Way by ensuring the small things are considered as much as the big decisions! Everyone has a voice on weekly basis, feel valued and a say in making their own decisions. This measuring tool has proven to be so effective it has now been adopted by homes up and down the country.
The Close is particularly famed for its inclusivity and dignity at meal times. Residents are provided with custom-made clothing protectors that are made of real clothes, not expected to wear the traditional boiled flannel bibs, resulting in residents being their best selves at meal times.
The Close’s industry-leading specialist and creative catering team are highly experienced in serving every meal – like-for-like – in full range of texture modifications, including IDDSI level 4 and 5. Seasonally and regionally inspired dining menus are curated by fully qualified chefs, who specialise in adapting locally sourced ingredients to meet specific needs and dietary requirements of some residents. The team are equally as talented in adapting these ingredients to recreate an equally appetising like-for-like presentation.
The Close has also introduced ‘microwave’ meals for Dementia residents to ensure they have control over their choice of eating when it suits them personally, whatever time of day or night.
In further consideration of the residents that live with Dementia, the home has undergone refurbishment and design subtly reminiscent of 1950s-60s to create a retro inspired home environment. Further demonstration of The Close’s dedication to going over and above; taking the time to understand the demographic of the residents, the research from the Walled Garden Study and how it identifies the ideal reminisce ages of 18-40 Years old. This meant when it came time to redesign the service, we wanted to get away from the popular hotel style and create a retro home space, full of custom made and designed furnishings and a specialist colour palette that took you subtly to the 1960s.
Sanjay Dhrona, MD, comments: “The Close way means to not to limit but to support, to live with dignity and respect by living a life free from restrictions, full of equality, involvement, choice, and independence. It means Living a life where experiences from your own history and heritage before living in care, are with you daily in all the best ways. Past experiences are celebrated and remembered, new experiences and memories are created, intertwined with your story to ensure that our residents’ life is just as fulfilling!”
“At The Close we are known for out inclusive and diverse approach, differences are welcomed, celebrated and applauded. The Close applies this across the board from our residents, staff team, stakeholders and suppliers. People are facilitated in living free from constraints and cliches like “ you cant do that at a care home”, and our residents enjoy all the lifestyle opportunities they used to in their normal daily lives… moving to The Close, means their normal lives continue, just in a new home! Being able to choose ones washing powder scent doesn’t sound important, but its something we are all able to do outside of a care home so why not in it!
These deeply person centred and personalised moments may not be ground-breaking innovations daily, but they ensure residents know they feel valued and respected. We do not mollify or placate our residents, we inspire and challenge them to do the things they used to or have always wanted to.”
“People are treated with the respect they should and coproduce their lives with our team. The home is specifically curated to ensure we are able to meet the needs of our people, we are able to do this as we care and we know our people. That is the sign of the great respect and dignity. Things are done properly, no half measures here!”
