Stephen Metcalfe MP joins ‘Celebrating Together’ event at Oaklands Care HomeOaklands Care Home, run by HC-One, located in Basildon, Essex, was visited on Friday 30th June by Stephen Metcalfe, MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, as the home welcomed visitors and guests from the local community to the home to participate in this year’s Care Home Open Week celebrations from 26th June to 2nd July 2023.

Care Home Open Week is a national event hosted by Championing Social Care, designed to connect care homes with their local communities. The week provided care homes with the opportunity to showcase what they have to offer, their fantastic facilities, activities, and services, and to remind their neighbours that they are there if they need support. 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.

Residents and Colleagues of the HC-One owned home enjoyed meeting Mr Metcalfe and chatting to him about what life is like at Oaklands Care Home – which is an integral part of the local Basildon community.
Oaklands Care Home’s chosen theme for this year’s Care Home Open Week was ‘Celebrating Together’. For their Open Day on Friday 30th June, they provided a range of entertaining activities including buffet lunch, live music entertainment, quiz and singing by children from nearby St. John’s pre-school.

Visitors also enjoyed learning from Colleagues in the home about what a rewarding career in care looks like and finding out about opportunities for community engagement and volunteering roles to support their local care community.

Agnes Tonk, Home Manager at Oaklands Care Home, said:
“We were delighted to welcome Stephen Metcalfe MP to our home and open the doors of Oaklands Care Home again to welcome in our local community and bring everyone together to celebrate Care Home Open Week 2023. Everyone had an amazing time.

“We are proud to support Basildon, and our Open Week celebrations provided a great opportunity to reconnect with our local community after the challenges of the pandemic, to support community engagement, and to remind our local community that our kind care teams are here if they ever need support for themselves or a loved one.”

Stephen Metcalfe, MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, said: 
“Many thanks to Oaklands Care Home for hosting me. Like in any care home, the stories and lives that you hear about are inspiring and motivating. Care Home Open Week is a very important initiative to connect the local community with local care homes and highlight the need for more carers in the sector. I am grateful to the staff for the care they provide and wish them well for the future.”