Activities at Melbourn Springs Care Home
Ensuring that our social events offer fun and adventure is a major focus of the ethos of our home; it’s important that those we support can enjoy an active and social lifestyle. Of course, there will always be those who prefer peace and quiet, and in these instances, a cup of tea and a chat will always be welcomed.
Denise Ashby
Hello, my name is Denise and I am the Activities Coordinator here at Melbourn Springs. I joined Barchester in 2022 and always strive to support and care for all of our residents in a way that best suits each individual.
Making sure that our residents have things to do that they really enjoy doing is something that I hold very close to my heart. It is so important to make sure that they are happy and enjoy all of the activities and events that we host for them.
A lot of our residents also enjoy our special trips out on our Mini Bus as we create new, special memories together at Melbourn Springs.
Read our brochure 'Life-enriching activities' for more information about life in our care homes.
Read our brochure
Activities and Events Partnerships
As part of our bespoke life-enrichment programmes, we host a number of live virtual events in the home on a regular basis through a number of partnerships with places of interest and world class performance companies
Life at Melbourn Springs Care Home
Liz Monroe Saxophonist Christmas Performance
Yesterday we had the pleasure of welcoming Liz Monroe - the exceptionally talented Saxophonist for a fantastic festive performance at Melbourn Springs. And last week we welcomed Sean Moyses - the Banjoman! He is definitely one of our residents most favourite musicians and his Christmas performance certainly didn’t disappoint!
Festive Treats for Age UK Royston
Our General Manager Maria and Deputy Manager Dan were thrilled to be able to go along and meet Katie Efford and members of the scheme at Age U.K. Royston’s Festive event.
*Restrictions meant that the group can currently only host a small number of people (all of which must be fully vaccinated and lateral flow tested before attending.)
Everyone was delighted to receive delicious handmade Sausage Rolls, Mince Pies and Shortbread prepared by Trevor - our home’s fantastic Head Chef. The rest of 20 goody bags were going to be kindly distributed to the rest of the Warden’s Scheme community.
Merry Christmas one and all from all of the team here at Melbourn Springs!
CQC celebrations after inspection and Good rating
Staff and Residents at Melbourn Springs are absolutely thrilled to have passed their very first unannounced Care Quality Commission inspection with an overall ‘Good’ rating across the board after being praised for operating a safe, caring, responsive, effective and well-led service.
The extensive report highlights that the home is promoting a positive culture where staff felt listened to, valued and supported by the management team. Inspectors also learned that staff actively enjoyed working at the home and were there because they wanted to be and because of the high standards and superb care that the company always strives to deliver to each and every resident every single day.
Inspectors also contacted relatives with one saying, “It’s like a 5 star Hotel! They (staff) look after my (relative) really well, no problems with her care.” And, “After our visit, one of the Senior Carers updated Mum’s paperwork with me and I was very impressed with how thorough and detailed her care plan is.” Whilst another relative goes on to add that, “Mum obviously has a good rapport with the carers, and I can see how well they are looking after her.”
Also documented in the report was that residents were happy living in the service, they felt safe and well looked after, and that the culture and atmosphere were very good. Healthcare professionals confirmed they were assured of the level of cleanliness and care at Melbourn Springs Care Home and had no concerns.
The report found that residents were treated with kindness, compassion, dignity and respect and were encouraged to make their own decisions about compassion, dignity, respect and were encouraged to make their own decisions about what activities to take part in and where to spend their time, keeping them as independent as possible. During the inspection it was noted that there were different activities taking place, one to one support with a staff member, outdoor activities and a quiz. We observed the quiz and it was notably a very enjoyable experience for those who chose to take part. The interaction between people and the staff member was extremely positive. At the end one person said to the member of staff. “Well we had a good laugh…And I think we should make up our own quiz for you next time!”
Maria Anghelide, General Manager at Melbourn Springs Care Home said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Melbourn Springs has achieved a ‘Good’ rating following the CQC’s most recent inspection. It is fantastic to have the hard work and dedication of everyone here recognised. We are so pleased to have achieved this together, remaining free of COVID and being the first home in the area to be fully 100% vaccinated too!” Dan Amis, Deputy Manager added, “What a journey we have had! Opening our beautiful home in the middle of a pandemic is something that none of us would have envisaged! It really has been overwhelming with all of the positive feedback and reviews we are receiving and this glowing report makes it all worthwhile. For a new home this is incredibly hard to achieve and we will not stop here - striving for an outstanding rating as we continue to welcome new residents to our home family permanently and for respite stays too.”
Scrabble Club
Our ‘Scrabblers’ showing the rest of us how it’s done!
As a teacher of Latin and Greek there is always something to learn from Barbara and as more residents are joining our Scrabble Club we will be running 2 simultaneous games very soon. Bring on the Scrabble tournament!
Purdy the PAT Dog visits
Who’s a good boy?!?
A very special moment for us all here at Melbourn Springs as we were finally able to welcome Purdy the PAT Dog!
Purdy has even won the prize of ‘Most Handsome’ in a Dog Show - although Doreen said, “All I know is he is keeping my feet warm laying on them!”
Fireworks Night
It was Fireworks Night and Trevor our Head Chef certainly did not disappoint with a delicious hot supper - including Jacket Potatoes Chilli and the Hot Dogs were in full flow too!
Afterwards our residents enjoyed our very own Firework display expertly executed by Rob our Head of Maintenance.
“It really was a great evening!” said Jeanette “And we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves”
