At our care homes, we understand that choosing the right care home is an important decision. Our FAQ section provides clear answers to common questions about our services, facilities, and daily life at the home.
At our Durham Nursing Homes, staff prepare meals with care and creativity to offer a varied and engaging dining experience. We provide alternative choices at mealtimes to match individual preferences. The daily routine begins with early morning tea or coffee, followed by a Continental breakfast.
Residents also enjoy mid-morning tea or coffee with biscuits, a two-course lunch, mid-afternoon refreshments with cakes, and a two-course evening meal. For added comfort, we also offer nighttime drinks.
All meals, snacks, supplements, and beverages are included in the standard service fees. We cater for special dietary requirements and consult with dietitians when necessary. On special occasions, residents may enjoy a small amount of alcohol to celebrate in style.
While we respect individual preferences, the Home does not operate an à la carte menu. However, we gather regular feedback during Service Users’ meetings and adjust menus to reflect their input.
Qualified care and nursing staff remain available at all times to plan, supervise, and deliver the highest standard of care. Residents may keep their own doctor if this is practical. Additionally, our staff arrange and attend doctor visits when needed. If next of kin are unavailable, a team member accompanies the resident.
Community nurses and members of the primary care team also visit residents when requested by their doctor.
Residents may also speak with their doctor privately at any time.
Our staff organise annual eye and dental check-ups and accompany residents as needed. We also arrange any follow-up appointments to ensure ongoing care.
We coordinate physiotherapy services when the doctor recommends them. These sessions support mobility, comfort, and general wellbeing.
A private chiropodist visits Stockton Lodge monthly to provide foot care. Residents or family members cover the cost of this service directly.
A hairdresser visits the Home on a regular basis to provide grooming services in a familiar setting. This service is paid for by the resident or a family member.
Staff are available to help residents with tasks like typing letters or other correspondence. This support helps Service Users stay connected and organised.
We ask that families provide pocket money for their loved one, this is due to some small cost that can occur such as –
We have a weekly visiting hairdresser.
A monthly private chiropodist
A tuck shop with snack and drinks such as chocolate bars which are sold at a lower price.
Raffles and tombola’s
Toiletries
Pocket money is kept with the manager in a safe and is audited monthly, if monies are running low management may at times, call families to let them know. We do ask that money is kept in the safe rather than in residents’ rooms due to the nature of the residents we care for.
We encourage Service Users to shop independently, with family, or with staff support where possible. For residents who can’t go shopping themselves, staff assist in making purchases. All transactions follow our Personal Finance Policy and Procedure.
Durham Nursing Home provides standard laundry services as part of the service fee. Dry cleaning is not included and would need to be arranged separately.
We allow visitors into the home 24/7 however we advise that we have protected mealtimes to allow residents to have their nutritional needs met. All visitors MUST sign in and out.
We promote residents and family members to treat the service like home, we suggest that families bring in furniture and other homely goods in so that we can make the rooms more personal. However, if the resident is on a challenging behaviour unit, there is no glass (photograph frames) or goods that can be used as a weapon allowed on the unit. Families should be aware of this when bringing in home goods and gifts.
We have a dedicated activities co-ordinator who works Monday to Friday, 8-4. During these times they invite residents to attend group activity sessions such as baking, dominoes, and word games. She also spends time on a 1:1 basis with the residents meeting their person-centred activity needs, this may be aiding them with reading, chatting about memories, beauty treatments or quizzes.
Night care staff and weekend care staff will arrange activities, with guidance from the co-ordinator for when the co-ordinator is not in the building. We also offer a RITA electronic dementia system, which is a digital reminiscence therapy tool, which allows the residents to use apps, games and other leisure systems on a digital platform. At Stockton Lodge, we have a reading nook, a large lounge with a television, an electronic AI budgie which interacts with the residents and aids in calming stress, as well as electronic cats and dogs which help with dementia care. Monthly, we invite the local church choir into the home to sing, which the residents engage well with. We also invite the local religious groups and churches into the home to meet the spiritual needs of the residents.
Tea, coffee, and other hot drinks are available 24/7 throughout the day and night alongside nutritional snacks and healthy options such as diabetic biscuits and treats. We also (on top of these) have a tuck shop where sweets and chocolate can be bought at a subsidised cost, however, we do offer snacks without a cost. Residents are well hydrated with hot drinks and a water filter machine alongside fresh juices in the fridges.
Our Homes in County Durham offer trusted nursing, dementia, challenging behaviour and residential care in two warm, welcoming locations.
