Whitchurch care home celebrates completion of refurbishment project

Celebrations and afternoon tea were the order of the day when Elmhurst, a family owned and run nursing home based in Prees, near Whitchurch, celebrated the completion of a major refurbishment program and officially opened a newly extended suite.

His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire, Mrs Anna Turner, conducted the official opening and was joined by the Mayor of Whitchurch, Cllr Andy Hall, residents, their families, local clergy and staff. 

The Lord -Lieutenant was delighted to attend the opening of the Elizabeth Suite. Mrs Turner was pleased to acknowledge the enormous amount of time and energy that has been invested in making this such a lovely home, and commented:

"What a lovely afternoon it was meeting the residents with their families and the team at Elmhurst. There was such a warm atmosphere; the staff were so happy and the residents relaxed and content.”

Elmhurst was bought nearly seven years ago when it was on the brink of closure having been in administration for many months.  The owners knew it was going to be a challenge but in those very early days it quickly became apparent just what an undertaking they had given themselves. The building was in disrepair in places, the small staff team were heavily bolstered by agency staff and there was a clear lack of equipment and investment.

Owners Phillipa and Michael Turner and business partners Jenny Wynn OBE and Graham Wynn OBE have co-ordinated a three-phase refurbishment plan which included the total refurbishment of the home and the addition of 21 new bedrooms to the Elizabeth Suite.

They had a vison to create a beautiful nursing environment with a clear focus upon person centred care, delivery of high-quality care and to instil family values, not only to be run by their family but also to focus upon the care and support for the families of residents.

With a lot of determination and true sense of rolling up their sleeves, they slowly and gradually made small but very important improvements to the care of residents. They gave stability to the existing team and commenced recruitment of additional staff. The sense of pride and belonging within the team was touching.

Phillipa Turner said:

“We offer a through journey (including ad hoc respite care) meaning residents do not need to move to alternative settings as we can meet changing and increasing needs within the setting. We now employ 110 staff many of whom are local and commute from the nearby towns and villages

We are very proud of our excellent reputation and receive many compliments and reviews from residents, relatives and visitors who have benefited from our care and support.

We know that our high standards, the beautiful setting and environment as well as the welcoming atmosphere we have, makes a huge difference to those requiring care and we look forward to the next chapter in our journey.”

Paula Riley, Manager and Director, said:

“In addition to celebrating the completion of the refurbishment project, we are now also recruiting for more employees to join our team in house-keeping and also to grow our team of carers.

Another recent achievement lead by our clinical team, has been to become an accredited placement to facilitate student nurse placements. Working with local training hospitals, we can offer an excellent learning environment at all stages of training to student nurses.”

Plans for the future include looking to offer carer support group for current spouses and carers but also provide ongoing support for carers who may have lost loved ones and miss the routine of their visits socialising with others, as well as entertainment and dining at Elmhurst.