Maidstone care home makes the finals in national awards

A care home in Maidstone is celebrating after being named as a finalist for a national care award.

Care UK’s Invicta Court, on Gidd’s Pond Way has made it to the final stage in the category for ‘Best for Architecture, Interior Design or Communal Spaces’ in the Care Home Awards. 

The Care Home Awards recognise and reward excellence and innovation in UK care home management, operation and delivery. The winners will be announced at the annual awards ceremony in June.

Invicta Court, which opened in 2020, was originally designed for a development company with a clinical use in mind. Midway through its development, Care UK purchased the building and reconfigured its design to benefit the needs of residents and team members. 

Judges noted how the home’s design benefits from increased natural light thanks to the building’s large windows. Residents can also enjoy sitting on the home’s glazed balconies which have been made double the height for added safety and overlook the home’s surrounding countryside. 

Inside, the home has been developed to connect residents to the history and heritage of the local community. For example, the home’s café in its reception area is named Cobtree Café, and decorated with zoo images and ornaments, after a local zoo which is known for its elephants. 

Every aspect of Invicta Court’s design, from the colour of the walls, to the carpets, furnishings and signage, incorporates touches that help older people and those living with dementia to feel at home and to find their way around independently. Each of the home’s five spacious lounges allows residents to move easily around, while the home’s handrails, which run throughout the home, are fitted with tactile ends for residents to easily identify where they are. 

Outside, the home features a beautiful, landscaped garden designed for residents who use wheelchairs or walking aids. The garden’s paths are wide, smooth and flat, and give residents the independence to enjoy the benefits of being outdoors. For green-fingered residents, the garden also features several large, raised beds to grow fruit, vegetables and flowers – often tended to by the  home’s popular gardening club.

Commenting on the home’s design, one resident added: “Since moving to Invicta Court, I have felt being blind has not affected my day-to-day life. The building has features that enable me to move around safely and confidently, which in turn has helped me gain my independence back.”

Sara Barbosa, Home Manager at Invicta Court, said: “We are thrilled to have been named as a finalist in the ‘Best for Architecture, Interior Design or Communal Spaces’ category at this year’s Care Home Awards.

“Here at Invicta Court, we are very proud of the wonderful home-from-home environment we have created since opening in 2020. The home’s interior design has been completed to the very highest standards, with premium quality furnishings, wallpapers and carpets. This has nevertheless been done without compromise to the dementia-friendly design.

“We’d like to wish good luck to everyone who has made the finals, we’re looking forward to the awards ceremony in June and have our fingers crossed!”

Invicta Court offers a full range of permanent residential care and short-term respite in luxurious surroundings, including a café, hair and beauty salon, bar and cinema. The highly trained, professional team also delivers specialist dementia care.

For more information on Invicta Court contact Customer Relations Manager, Jaime Jukes, on 01622 291749, email jaime.jukes@careuk.com or visit: careuk.com/invicta-court