HC-One care homes across the UK were delighted to open their doors to welcome their local communities to join them to celebrate Care Home Open Week 2024, which took place from 24th June to 30th June 2024.
Celebration parties took place across HC-One’s almost 300 care homes over the course of the week with residents, colleagues, relatives, the local community, commissioners, and MSP and MS visits plus a wide range of other local VIP guests joining in. HC-One’s main celebrations took place during Care Home Open Weekend (28th – 30th June).
Care Home Open Week is a national event hosted by Championing Social Care, designed to connect care homes with their local communities. Residents and colleagues in HC-One’s care homes enjoyed opening their doors again to celebrate the week together with friends, family and people from the local areas they serve.
The chosen theme for this year’s HC-One Care Home Open Week celebration was ‘dancing together through the decades’ where, throughout the week, a variety of fun-filled activities took place in homes ranging from dance off challenges, silent discos, kindness chain challenges, and arts and crafts sessions.
Homes also hosted competitions, money raising for local charities, music and entertainment, refreshments, and a variety of other activities, with residents taking a central role in the preparations and celebrations.
The week began with representatives from Championing Social Care taking part in a Great British Care Cycle Relay, setting off on Monday 24th June with HC-One’s Acorn Meadow Care Home in Northwich, Cheshire, being one of the first stops on the relay.
Participants cycled 300-miles and visiting care homes across the country – north to south – from 24th - 28th June. A travelling ‘baton’ passed between care homes throughout the week before it reached its final landmark destination in London on the 28th June.
In Wales, HC-One was pleased to welcome Mike Hedges, MS for Swansea East, to Peniel Green in Llansamlet, Swansea and St Martin’s Court in Morriston, Swansea. In Scotland, Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland visited Quayside in Yoker, Glasgow; Christina McKelvie, MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse visited Douglas View in Hamilton, Lanarkshire; David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy visited Chapel Level in Kirkcaldy, Fife; John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston visited Eastbank; Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West visited Kinnaird Manor in Falkirk, Stirlingshire; and Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde visited Merino Court in Greenock, Inverclyde.
The week provided care homes with the opportunity to show what life in their local care home community looks like, showcasing their range of services, provide tours of their facilities, and highlight the activities that are offered to residents. The event is also a reminder to the homes’ neighbours that they are there if they need support.
Visitors enjoyed learning from colleagues in the homes about what a rewarding career in care looks like. They also found out about opportunities for community engagement and about the volunteering roles on offer designed to support their local care community.
James Tugendhat, HC-One’s Chief Executive Officer, said:
“We were delighted to be able to bring everyone together to celebrate Care Home Open Week 2024 again this year. Care Home Open Week has provided a great opportunity to enhance the connection between our residents and homes with their local community.
“The celebrations encouraged greater community engagement for our homes to showcase their facilities, activities and services they have to offer as well as to help people to understand more about what a rewarding career in care looks like, which will help support our mission to be the first-choice care provider in each of the communities that we serve.”