Activities at Herne Place Care Home

Staff and residents were treated to a photographic tour and talk about the creation of V&A Dundee by Peter Nurick, the Museum’s Communities Producer. The talk forms part of a series of six talks and virtual tours that V&A Dundee is hosting for Barchester Healthcare’s care homes and private hospitals across the UK.

V&A Dundee is Scotland’s design museum, it showcases Scotland’s outstanding design achievements and features world-class exhibitions alongside the permanent Scottish Design Galleries, and a changing programme of commissions, events and activities.  

Peter’s talk and photographic tour of V&A Dundee described how the history of the city and site inspired the architect to draw from a range of unusual sources to create a thoroughly modern museum that is as intriguing as it is complex. Residents discovered the building’s secrets and followed the entire design and construction process – from initial concept to opening celebration – with incredible images that show the challenges involved as well as the ingenious solutions that the designers and construction teams required to bring V&A Dundee to life.

The story behind how V&A Dundee was created is absolutely fascinating, right from the initial concept through to completion. Everyone involved in the project, and all of us who work at V&A Dundee feel incredibly lucky to be part of the latest iconic addition to the country’s list of instantly recognisable buildings.

We have been using technology to keep our residents and patients connected with their loved ones as well as offer virtual events, entertainment and activities throughout the pandemic. We are excited to work with our wonderful partners like V&A Dundee to bring a wide range of fantastic experiences into our homes for all to enjoy.

Staff and residents paid their respects to the Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh on the day of his funeral, 17th April 2021.

The whole home came together to honour Prince Philip’s long and extraordinary life of service to the Queen, the British people and the Commonwealth over his 73 year marriage to the Queen, making him the longest-serving Consort to any British monarch.

Residents and staff watched the televised service that took place at St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle and observed the minute’s silence in memory of the Duke. After the ceremony, staff and residents discussed their memories of Prince Philip and the Queen and what the royal family has meant to them over the years. They reminisced about royal tours and the Duke’s contribution to many different aspects of British life.

We all felt it was really important to mark this occasion.  Prince Philip achieved so much over his 99 years. We wanted to come together and give thanks for his life and to celebrate his many achievements.

The long awaited reunion with one family member has become a reality, as one single named visitor is now allowed to visit each resident in their bedroom.

There has been much anticipation of this moment by families and residents alike. Guidance was issued by the government on 9th March, and Barchester is proceeding with a safe and cautious approach to visiting. Strict protocols are in place, with all visitors required to have a negative Lateral Flow Device test result before being allowed into the home, and infection control measures and social distancing are in place for every visit, with hand holding allowed but not recommended.

Despite the need for testing and social distancing, it was still welcome news for so many residents and their family members to be able to meet in the comfort of their bedroom. Residents and their relatives enjoyed getting together and catching up face to face. 

This is the first cautious step towards having a buzz of visitors in the home again. It was wonderful to see how happy it made the residents and their relatives. We have a great booking system in place to ensure the visits are well organised, and visitors are doing a great job of following the safety measures to keep everyone as safe as possible.  For those that are not able to come inside the home we are pleased to be able to continue to offer visits in our visiting suites or outdoors when the weather allows.

Residents and staff celebrated all things Irish for St Patrick’s Day recently. The home was decorated with shamrocks and everyone got dressed up in green to mark the day.

Held on March 17th, Saint Patrick's Day actually observes the death of St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, but the day has come to be a huge celebration of Irish heritage and culture.

Staff and residents at the home marked the day by making shamrock decorations, learning some Irish words and phrases, and listening to Irish music. Head Chef, Roger, prepared a fantastic Irish spread with traditional Irish Pork Coddle and soda bread, all washed down with Guinness.

Nikki, from Age UK Herne Bay & Whitstable, collected 75 cheese & biscuit goody boxes this week, put together by Herne Place's amazing Head Chef, Dave, for their members in the community.

It was a privilege to be able to do this for the members of Age UK and we hope they all thoroughly enjoy them.

Herne Place was filled with flowers, cards and sweets in celebration of St Valentine’s Day.  

Staff and residents celebrated the day of love by creating heart-shaped cards and decorations to decorate the home and gifting each other home-made sweets, cakes and treats.  

It’s been a very different Valentine’s Day, but we’ve all had a lovely day nonetheless. Lots of our residents were able to see their loved ones, either using our visiting suite or on a video call. We’ve had a whole range of treats and Valentine’s-themed fun and we have enjoyed every moment of it!