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Ashcroft Rest Home
Robert Mair spoke with Hyacinth Sandilands, manager of Ashcroft Rest Home in Leytonstone, east London.
In this article:
Location of Ashcroft Rest Home
CSCI report and cost
Manager’s view
Life in Ashcroft Rest Home
Location of Ashcroft Rest Home
Ashcroft Rest Home is located in the London suburb of Leytonstone, approximately 10 miles north-east of central London.
Situated in a large inter-war residential area the home is in keeping with its surroundings, and consists of 2 semi-detached family homes joined together. Large and recently refurbished, it’s an excellent conversion, and the perfect environment for elderly residential care.
Ashcroft Rest Home is within easy reach of Leytonstone town centre and a short walk from the local tube station.
CSCI report and cost
Ashcroft Rest Home received its last inspection on 1st November 2007. The home met the requisite standards in most areas of the inspection, and only received minor recommendations in others. It has not yet received its official CSCI star rating.
The home provides care for 15 residents in 13 bed rooms. The privacy and dignity of people in the 2 shared rooms is maintained by screens and partitions, and all of the bedrooms are of a good size.
Beds in Ashcroft Rest Home cost between £420 and £500 per week.
Manager’s view
Ashcroft Rest Home was opened 20 years ago by manager Hyacinth Sandilands. A trained nurse, midwife and health visitor, she has extensive experience and is committed to providing excellent care for her residents – although the job has changed notably since she started 2 decades ago. She says:
“Now we have far more record-keeping and form-filling, and that is what you are tested on. But we provide excellent care and the residents come first. We bring a personal touch to caring, and have never departed from this.”
As well as being a caring person inside the home, Hyacinth is also a pillar of the local community. A committed Christian and magistrate she has morals and values and is driven to put care before the profit margin.
Life in Ashcroft Rest Home
Ashcroft is a large, homely establishment which has recently undergone extensive refurbishment. It resembles a home in which many of the residents may have grown up in, and is both comfortable and inviting.
Numerous activities are offered to the residents. Old-fashioned tapes, records and CDs are played regularly, and the residents enjoy singing along to musicals.
The residents also make trips into Leytonstone, receive visits from London Mobility to help them exercise and take part in plenty of reminiscence.
Religious services take place in the home twice a month, and Hyacinth is now forging links with local primary schools, enabling schoolchildren to visit the residents on a regular basis.
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