Barchester plans 19 new care homes by the end of next year. Charlotte Goddard visited its latest addition Shawford Springs as it prepared to open its doors to residents.

There was a palpable sense of excitement about Shawford Springs Care Home, as the home got ready to welcome its first-ever residents. The newly recruited team, put together by general manager Julie House, was gathered in the second-floor dining room for life enrichment training when Caring Times paid a visit.

The intensive month-long training even included a scavenger hunt designed to help staff get to know every nook and cranny of the box-fresh building. Today, the team was learning how to use the home’s up-to-date technology for the benefit of the residents, from personalised musical playlists using iPads and Sonos speakers to interactive activities on the ‘magic table’.

It’s been two years since the ground was first broken on the plot of land that was to become Shawford Springs, although planning for Barchester’s newest home started some time before that. Located in a cluster of small villages some four miles out of the prosperous city of Winchester, the 64-bedroom care home is situated near an area of natural beauty.

In the build up to opening day Sonja Jueterbock, homes services advisor, spent time building links with locals, including visits to the nearby garden centre, doctor’s surgery and fire station. Leaving no stone unturned in her bid to position Shawford Springs in the heart of the community, she even took the opportunity to nip out and have a word with Caring Times’s taxi driver.

Acting as the hub of the home for residents, staff and visitors, an inviting café sits in the lobby. Emergency service workers are encouraged to drop by for free drinks and cake during their breaks and the door is always open to the wider community. House’s office is situated close to the home’s entrance, and friendliness and kindness are her key values, along with person-centred care. “When someone comes in, I think it is important they know I’ve got a daughter, they know I have got a dog,” she explained. “If you are friends with someone they know those kinds of things about you.”

As Shawford Springs fills up from the ground floor upwards, with plans to reach full occupancy by 2025, the second floor will remain empty for a while. Local groups, such as yoga classes, are invited to make use of the space – as long as residents are welcome to join in. Besides the café, the ground floor is home to a hair salon, a private dining room for celebrations, a lounge and a main dining room. A cinema includes footstools and blankets to snuggle under.

“We can show anything residents might want,” said House, who has been a care home manager for the past nine years.

Spa bathrooms use coloured underwater lights and music to create a sensory but accessible experience.

Holly Rance, Barchester’s head of interior design, has created a stylish and welcoming feel throughout, with beautiful and interesting objects to catch the eye at every turn. The communal lounge has pretty wing-backed chairs arranged in clusters.

“Gone are the days where care home lounges had a big circle of seats,” House pointed out.

Furnishings are attractive and functional, with elegant piping on armchairs making them easier to see for those with failing eyesight, for example. In the corridor hangs a planner showing the week’s activities, from arts and crafts, tailored to the interests of the residents.

“Our big selling point is that we are entirely focused on the resident,” said House, who hopes people will get involved with everything from the running of the home to creating their own clubs and societies.

Outside, a sensory garden will blossom with scented plants in the spring. Another area features raised beds and a potting shed, as well as a small bandstand.

“Our chef hopes residents might be interested in a gardening club so they will able to grow food from earth to plate,” commented House.

On the ground floor bedrooms look out onto the garden, with access dependent on a resident’s needs. Cupboards are bolted into the wall to keep them safe, and lockable storage areas with thermometers are specially designed to hold medication.

“Residents can keep that key and manage it themselves, or we can hold medication in our double locked office if they prefer,” explained House.

Weekly fees start at £1,450 depending on care needs and the type of room. Fees include day-to-day services such as 24-hour routine care, assistance with personal care, meals, snacks and drinks, activities, heating, housekeeping and laundry. Every room has an en suite bathroom with non-slip flooring, and premium rooms include a three-quarter size bed, a fridge and a coffee machine. One deluxe suite includes bedroom, bathroom and a lounge with a small kitchenette.

The second floor mirrors the ground floor with its own dining room and lounge, as well as a small chill-out room with books and safe candles. Meanwhile the first floor is home to Shawford Springs’ Memory Lane residence for people living with dementia, with different coloured corridors to aid navigation. The garden corridor has green walls and an earthy carpet, with pictures of flowers and greenhouses, while the blue seaside area sports seashells and beach huts. A travel- themed corridor has pictures of buses and bicycles.

A quiet lounge gives residents the opportunity to sit with their family or relax in a reclining chair and listen to calming music. Colours in the bright and airy dining room and lounges are more muted than on other floors, creating a sense of tranquillity. In the dining room, residents will be served their food on coloured plates.

“Those living with dementia don’t always recognise mashed potato on a white plate, for example,” said House. “On a yellow plate it might become more visible.”

A sensory room houses the magic table, where residents can virtually pile up autumn leaves or pop balloons with a satisfying sound. Rummage boxes, an interactive toy cat which reacts when petted, and other resources support those living with dementia.

“A rummage box contains things that someone might find interesting, which they can sort and fiddle with, and look at,” explained House.

Boxes will be themed around the interests of residents. “We will have weighted dolls as well – they are a real comfort to hold,” she says.

The top floor houses everything that keeps a care home running behind the scenes, including a state-of-the- art kitchen that resembles a spaceship control room, a massive laundry, a plant room and staff room with showers and lavatories.

Head chef Clifford McCrae is looking forward to preparing meals for residents in his new space. “Every single piece of kit that you could possibly have, I have got,” he says.

The team clearly had a genuine excitement about meeting the first residents and discovering their likes and dislikes, because until they arrive the home is in a state of potential. However well-equipped the building and well- trained the staff, Shawford Springs will only blossom into a home when the first residents move in and shape it to meet their own needs.