Barchester Healthcare is the UK’s 4th largest care home provider, servicing over 10,000 people in over 170 locations across the UK. It provides care and support to both young adults and the elderly. It was awarded the 2009 Best 20 Companies to work for by the Times newspaper. The 14,721-strong workforce at the company’s 170-plus homes feel they can make a valuable contribution to the success of the organization (73%, a top 10 score) and find chief executive Mike Parsons an inspiration (61%).
History:
Barchester Healthcare is the 4th largest nursing care provider in the UK and the premium operator in the sector. Founded by chief executive Mike Parsons in 1994, Barchester Health care was a merger of Eskgrove and the County Life Centres.
The creation of Barchester Healthcare steamed from a personal desire from Mike Parsons to find a good high quality care home for two of his elderly relatives. Moreton Hill care home, set in the idyllic surroundings in the Cotswolds was the first of Barchester’s care homes and was awarded the Care Home Design Award in 1994.
Operations:
Barchester Healthcare has its head office based in Chelsea south west London, where it conducts all of its operations including finance, design, planning and marketing.
Barchester also has a sister company which operates from and services those in the Republic of Ireland, with its Head Office based in Trim, County Meath.
In 2009 Barchester Healthcare acquired Autism North’s Swanton Care and Community, which is a national provider of support for young people with complex needs.
Care Homes:
Barchester Healthcare is a nationwide organisations which has care homes in over 170 different locations across the UK, including, England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, which services over 10,000 people.
As of April 2008 Barchester Healthcare has published their CSCI star rating as a simple way of explaining the quality of a care home, transparency is key for our sector.
Charitable Sponsorship/Grants:
The Barchester Healthcare Foundation is a registered charity which helps older people and other adults with a disability across England, Scotland and Wales. It aims to make difference by supporting practical solutions that lead to increased personal independence, self-sufficiency and dignity
In the past, if an individual was suffering from a chronic or painful health condition, then they were tended to and cared for by their family members. One’s spouse or their children were usually the people who were tasked with the care of the patient. However, today's busy culture makes things too prohibitive for individuals to responsibly care for their loved ones.
This is why an individual who is suffering too much to live on their own needs the services of a palliative care home. A palliative care home is very similar to what used be known as a nursing home. As a matter of fact, the mission of palliative care homes is to care for individuals who have chronic health conditions, or live with chronic pain and find that they are too ill to care for themselves.
Palliative care homes ensure that people aren't living in inhumane conditions. The patient will be cared for around the clock, according to their health care needs. They will be cared for with the goal of either transitioning them back to independent living, or transitioning them to a hospice care facility. When family members are selecting good palliative care homes for their loved one, there are aspects they need to keep in mind. First, the facility needs to feel like a warm and welcoming environment. It should not feel like a cold and sterile institution. The facility should be modern, bright and clean. It should be the type of place that would make a palliative care patient feel hopeful and cared for. A patient should not feel cast aside, or depressed as they are living in the home.
The other palliative care patients should look alive, and they shouldn’t be left in their beds alone for long periods of time. The patients shouldn’t be wandering around the halls alone, looking lost and afraid. The patients should feel as if they can speak freely about their experiences in the home. Also, the public areas should be clean and fresh. The furniture should look new, modern, and clean. In short, there should be no signs of abuse or neglect within the right palliative care home for one's loved one.
Palliative care homes are appropriate for patients of any age. While there are many institutions for the elderly, there are few homes for young adults, or even younger middle-aged adults. Again, this is a home for those who might be suffering too much to care for themselves in an independent living environment. Palliative care can be a wonderful and humane option for loved ones who need constant medical care in order to manage their chronic health conditions, and their pain.