An ongoing commitment to investment and refurbishment at Seckford Care

Seckford Care has a long history, dating as far back as the 1500s, when Thomas Seckford developed the first almshouses on the site. Today, Seckford Care comprises a Listed building, built in the 19th Century, with additional elevations added in the 1970s and early 2000s.

Over the past 12 months, Seckford Care has focussed on investment and refurbishment, ensuring that it continues to provide a homely, comfortable environment, which meets the needs of residents.

The communal areas have undergone extensive refurbishment, including new parquet-style flooring and carpeting, as well as redecoration, furniture and soft furnishings.

Seckford Care has created ‘communities’ in Jubilee House residential home – Willow, Meadow and Ocean. Each community has a specific colour scheme to help orientate residents. The scheme has been complemented by dementia-friendly signage, which has been carefully balanced to support independence, as well as being homely.

Colour schemes have been chosen to create different environments: the green lounge is an area to relax; the dining room has a mix of reds to create vibrancy and encourage stimulation, enhanced with blue tablecloths and place settings to support dementia orientation.

Extra Care has the new Seckford Arms, a bespoke Victorian-style mahogany bar, where residents can take part in quiz evenings, watch sport or partake in traditional bar games.

Seckford Care has recently upgraded all of its on-site Wi-Fi and networking. The intention is to provide Wi-Fi to all residents in both Jubilee House and Extra Care, as part of its service provision.

In addition, its aspiration is to upgrade its warden call – pendants, pullcords and telephones –to maximise its service offer to residents, which will enable enhanced bolt-on technology to support person-centred care.

The environment and cost-of-living impacts are priorities for Seckford Care. Its longer-term aim is to develop an environmental strategy, part of which is commencing this year, to include changing all of the lighting across Seckford Care to LED, replacing over 1,000 fittings, which will generate a significant reduction in energy costs.

While maintaining and investing in a Listed building is a priority, investment in the team is just as crucial. Seckford Care is refurbishing The Lodge (originally the Matron’s accommodation), which will be a multi-functional space, accommodating the in-house maintenance team, and will provide a training space to deliver a variety of in-house
courses.

Seckford Care is currently working through the accreditation process, so that it can offer a range of courses to external care providers in the future, including First Aid Mental Health and End-of-life Care, amongst others.

The development of the team is a key strategic objective; while Seckford Care values staff through enhanced rates of pay and benefits, it also has a Wellbeing Action Plan. It is continually investing in Mental Health First Aiders and its ‘Menopause Champion’. It has developed pathways to become ‘Champions’, for example in oral health, diet and nutrition, and falls prevention, along with providing access to a number of professional qualifications.

To find out more about Seckford Care, please visit the website at www.seckfordcare.org.uk
or call 01394 386520.

Seckford Almshouses, Seckford Street, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 4NB.
A part of the Seckford Foundation Registered Charity No. 1110964.