First residents welcomed at new £8m care home

Company news

Apr 14, 2014

Winchcombe Place – a new state-of-the-art care home in Berkshire – is today welcoming its excited first residents. Care UK has also announced the appointment of Michelle Sides as manager at the £8 million home, which is on track to create up to 100 new jobs.

The purpose-built care home from Care UK and investor MedicX will provide a range of care services for older people, including residential and nursing care, specialist dementia care, short term respite care, and sensitive end of life care.

Home manager Michelle has more than 20 years’ experience in the health and social care sector. She is a qualified mental health nurse with a career spanning care homes, acute wards, specialist units, community and GP practices.

Speaking about her new position, Michelle said: “I am delighted to have been appointed as manager of Winchcombe Place. I strongly believe our residents should be the focus of the home and at the centre of everything we do. I will be ensuring our residents lead fulfilling lives, with activity based care, and getting to know them and their families. At the same time, I am focused on putting Winchcombe Place on the map as a home that delivers the highest quality care and is a valued part of the community here in Newbury.”

Richard Scarth, regional director at Care UK, added: “Winchcombe Place represents a major investment for Care UK. We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Michelle as we continue to generate employment opportunities in and around Newbury.

“Recruited on the basis of her professionalism, experience, skills and track record, Michelle is a hands-on manager, who is clearly looking forward to being involved in all aspects of daily life within the home and is a great advocate of person-centred care. She has an evident enthusiasm for leading the team at Winchcombe Place and I am sure her calm, measured and compassionate approach will be an inspiration to those working alongside her at the new care home.”

Winchcombe Place has been sensitively-designed to feel like a home from home. Residents and their visitors can enjoy access to the home’s very own cinema, hairdressing salon and coffee shop.  Each individual bedroom benefits from an en-suite wet room, flat-screen television, adjustable profile bed and 24-hour nurse call system. 

The layout of the home has been designed to support the formation of close-knit communities – a factor which has proven particularly helpful for residents living with dementia – who benefit from calm, familiar surroundings. There are also plenty of safe spaces for relaxing outdoors, with landscaped gardens, attractive patio areas and a courtyard.