Activities at Laurel Bank Care Home

Excitement is running high at the home where residents and staff have been cooking up a storm to enter parent company Barchester Healthcare’s Easter Cake competition.  Details of the competition were announced earlier this year and the home has been busy coming up with, what they hope, will be a winning design.

The competition is being run by Barchester Healthcare across its 250 care homes and private hospitals so the home has some stiff competition to beat. Pride is at stake as chefs and residents at each of the homes across the country battle it out.  Judging will take place just after Easter and the winning cakes for each of Barchester’s divisions will be announced at the end of April.

Our resident ambassador, activities coordinator and deputy manager went to St John's today to find out about the 50-50-500 challenge! That is 50 businesses, 50 days to raise 500 pound. We have now signed up the Laurel Bank team to the challenge and we cannot wait. Keep your eye out on how we are going to be raising money for St John's.

Laurel Bank care home, in Lancaster, celebrated the day of love by having a Valentine’s Day meal all prepared and cooked by Chef Melvin. We then went onto playing a game of Mr and Mrs but our own version, Happy Couples. Staff and residents teamed up with their paddle boards whilst Sally Fisher clinical lead hosted the event. A series of questions were asked to each couple and they all answered with their paddles. Lyndsay Scott manager and Kerry Ohara head of maintenance stole the show. They answered every question correctly and won first prize!

Karen and Lyndsay Scott manager at Laurel bank went for their nail appointment at Pony beauty nails in Lancaster. They both love a monthly trip to be pampered. It was Karen's turn to pick what style and she chose red for Valentine’s Day! Thank you to all your team at the nail salon you always do such a great job!

Laurel Bank celebrated the day of love by having a delicious Valentine’s Day meal of smoked salmon with crushed new potatoes and seasonal vegetables followed by homemade chocolate mousse prepared and cooked by Chef Melvin. Staff and residents then went on to play their own version of the hit TV game show Mr. and Mrs., which they dubbed Happy Couples.

Staff and residents teamed up with their paddle boards whilst Laurel Bank’s Clinical Lead, Sally Fisher, hosted the event. A series of questions were asked to each couple and they all answered with their paddles. General Manager, Lyndsay Scott, and Kerry O’Hara, Head of Maintenance, stole the show- they answered every question correctly and won first prize!

Laurel Bank on Westbourne Road in Lancaster passed a recent Care Quality Commission inspection with an overall “Good” rating after being praised for a responsive, safe, effective, caring and well-led service.  The CQC inspected the home on 20th December 2023 the report was released on 5th January 2024 and rated the home, run by Barchester Healthcare, as “Good” overall.

The report stated that there were, “Processes to check continuously by the registered manager to check and maintain people’s welfare.” The report went on to say “People told us that they felt safe living at Laurel Bank. One person said, “Some of the residents can be a bit unsteady but there is always staff in the dining room and lounges.”