When you have a vision and values that people truly connect with, they’re inspired to do great things
Colleagues across Care UK are inspired and guided by our core values of Caring, Passionate and Teamwork. They underpin everything we do.
In addition to these, each of our homes has come up with their own vision and values to capture the principles that are most meaningful to them.
In each home, colleagues, residents and relatives work together to create a vision, and below are just a few of the ways they promote their values across their homes.
- We care, we cherish, we comfort’ is the vision that unifies the team at Cedrus House in Stowmarket, Suffolk. Colleagues were empowered to vote on these values, and they now wear them on a lanyard to keep them close to their hearts.
- At Mills Meadow in Framlingham, Suffolk, the team produced an oil painting depicting life in the home and their vision: “Where old memories are shared, and new memories are made.”
- At Hollins Park in Macclesfield, the home came up with a vision that states: "Whether you’re a resident, relative or visitor, we believe you are part of our family. Our family is at the heart of everything we do."
- The vision of the team at Field Lodge in St Ives is: “To ensure that all residents have a voice and are listened to... and by involving them and their families, we can provide high quality care.”
- At Cathkin House in East Kilbride, colleagues, residents and relatives selected values starting with each of the letters from the home’s name: Community, Appreciation, Teamwork, Happiness, Kindness, Independence and Nurturing. It’s a great way to make them memorable.
- One of the values created by the team at Broadwater Lodge near Godalming demonstrates the many ‘hats’ that colleagues wear each day. It says: “We are actors, comedians, singers, dancers, friends, and a shoulder to cry on.”
In our colleagues’ words
Have you seen our Values film? We’ve travelled to Care UK homes across the country to discover what Caring, Passionate and Teamwork mean to our colleagues.
Our values in action
How are Care UK colleagues putting the values into practice every day?
Caring
Our Home Managers and management teams are passionate about delivering the very best, personalised care for residents, as well as supporting their relatives and our colleagues. Carpathia Grange created a new Namaste care hub in 2023 to provide specialist, personalised care for those living with dementia. “There is nothing like spending quality, dedicated, and uninterrupted time together and so having this space set aside for quiet one-to-one interaction is invaluable,” said Home Manager Pooja Dhoot.
Our teams are also passionate about caring for their fellow colleagues. At Perry Manor in Worcester, the team introduced Feel Good Friday, to encourage team bonding. The kitchen team also gets involved, making healthy feel-good treats like smoothies and even chocolate covered bananas. “I think it helped boost morale. I know we do a serious and important job, but we can’t take life too seriously. We have quite an inclusive team already, but this brought more colleagues together,” said Lifestyle Co-ordinator Becky, who helped start the initiative.
Passionate
Our people consistently go above and beyond to make each day wonderful for residents – often giving up their own time to do so. At Invicta Court [link] in Maidstone, Maintenance Manager Brian built a stunning recreation of the ship one resident sailed around the world on to marry her future husband. Over the course of several months, he studied the ship’s design and used recycled materials to create a realistic cabin to bring her memories to life.
In Halstead, Senior Customer Relations Manager Kim at Colne View has worked tirelessly alongside her day job to offer dementia initiatives that are engaging and accessible for everyone in the local area. Kim set up dementia-friendly cinema screenings at the nearby cinema, before also getting a dementia-friendly community choir up and running. Since they began in 2018, the cinema screenings have become a staple of the local community.
I wanted to find a new way to inspire reminiscence and instil a sense of joy and community.
Teamwork
Our homes have champions who undertake extra training in specific areas of care, such as dignity, nutrition and dementia. They then provide colleagues – and often relatives - with additional training in that topic along with day-to-day support and information. Our champions are helping to drive a step change in the quality of care we provide, as well as in awareness of care-related subjects in their communities.
Overwhelmingly positive feedback has poured in about the support initiatives offered at Halecroft Grange in Altrincham. One relative told the CQC the home “offers a wealth of opportunities for families to connect, socialise and support each other. From organised events like quiz nights…the home fosters an environment where families can meet, bond and share experiences.”
Down in Suffolk, meanwhile, teams and residents from 11 care homes regularly connect for a bit of lively competition at the annual ‘Suffolk Sports Day’. Residents at Mills Meadown, which hosted the event in 2023, played their part in the build-up to the big day by creating masks and decorating the garden. “That was a lovely day. The best part was me playing drums and seeing everyone having fun,” said Linda, who lives at Mills Meadow.
Tell us your experiences
