Oxford House Nursing Home in Slough prides itself on a homely atmosphere where each resident and family member feels supported and valued. Residents enjoy a variety of enriching experiences, enhanced by the arrival of Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales, who chose to visit Oxford House to learn about the lives of those living in a nursing home.
Registered Manager Amanda McMahon and Deputy Manager Charmaine Saunders share what makes the home such a special place, and the impact The Princess of Wales’s visit has had on the residents and families alike.
‘Oxford House is a residential and nursing care home, but we also admit residents for palliative care and have a platinum award for end-of-life care,’ explains Amanda. ‘There’s around 50 of us working here, and we’re registered to house up to 34 residents, including couples in our larger rooms.’
‘There’s an open-door policy for residents and their families – they know we’re always here for them.’
Residents’ time at Oxford House begins from the moment they meet Amanda. ‘I go and see them before they move in to complete their care assessment, which crucially involves finding out about them as a person, including their likes and dislikes,’ she says. ‘That person-centred care continues throughout their time with us. We love to spend time with our residents socially, walking around the home, playing cards, joining in with social activities, and using our new, interactive technologies, like our virtual steam train, alongside them. Most of all, it’s about making it clear we’re always here to support every single person at Oxford House.’
‘Our office is in the centre of the home, so everyone knows where to find us,’ Charmaine adds. ‘Residents and their families pop by every day to chat to us, which we love. It’s all part of the family atmosphere our staff create from the moment of arrival. In fact, we’re often told that’s why our residents’ families choose Oxford House.’
‘It was a real honour that The Princess of Wales chose Oxford House as the nursing home to visit.’
The visit from The Princess of Wales took the staff and residents by – pleasant! – surprise. ‘I took a phone call from the Household of The Prince and Princess of Wales, asking if we’d be interested in The Princess of Wales visiting our home in just over a week’s time,’ says Charmaine. ‘They admitted it was short notice, but asked if we’d be able to allow her to come and meet our residents. Naturally, I needed to run this by Amanda and Tony, but I was certain they’d agree with me that we’d welcome The Princess of Wales with open arms.’
‘We’re a small, independent home, quite unlike a lot of care home chains in the Slough area – and we believe that’s why The Princess of Wales chose to visit us,’ Amanda adds. ‘Our Edwardian building has so much history and we know our family-run care offers something different in the local area. It was lovely to be able to share that with Her Royal Highness.’
‘The Princess of Wales’s caring nature really complemented the supportive environment of our home.’
Amanda describes the day of The Princess of Wales’s visit as fitting to the atmosphere of the home: calm and enjoyable. ‘Our Managing Partner, Tony Johnston, met The Princess of Wales and her team outside and introduced her to us and the rest of the staff, before she went indoors to meet our residents,’ explains Amanda. ‘She was so comfortable chatting to them and completely at ease engaging with them about their lives within the home. Of course, we were on hand to guide her, but everything went so smoothly thanks to her relaxed nature.’
‘All the residents loved The Princess of Wales’s visit,’ Charmaine continues. ‘Margaret was especially delighted. She’s a true royalist and has really demonstrated that over her years! She’s designed hats for the Royal Family for Royal Ascot and been in HELLO! magazine herself. Meeting Her Royal Highness is a moment she’ll never forget.’
‘Our residents felt a strong connection with The Princess of Wales that has truly stayed with them.’
Photos were taken on the day of The Princess of Wales’s visit, which Oxford House staff have framed and used to create collages to share with the residents. ‘To see our residents’ faces light up when we speak about the visit and share the photos with them proves what a strong connection The Princess of Wales made,’ says Charmaine. ‘After all, it’s not every day a member of the Royal Family comes into the nursing home!’
‘We’ve also had more enquires from families since The Princess of Wales visited us, which is wonderful,’ adds Amanda. ‘But what matters even more to us is the great feedback we’ve had from our residents, their families and our staff. We received a lovely letter from the Household of The Prince and Princess of Wales, which we’ve been able to share with our residents and families. It’s safe to say The Princess of Wales’s visit certainly has put us all on a high, though we’re always pretty upbeat anyway!’
‘We want to bring as much joy to our residents’ lives as possible.’
The Oxford House team are keen to continue with the royal spirit and are making plans for celebrating King Charles III’s coronation. ‘It felt important to continue the celebratory spirit created by The Princess of Wales’s visit,’ explains Amanda. ‘But here at Oxford House, we celebrate everything. It’s so important to us that we create as many joyful moments as we can for our residents, and we always encourage families to join us.’
‘We’re a real family ourselves here,’ Amanda concludes. ‘Charmaine and I have both worked here for around 15 years and we have great staff retention, with some of our team working at Oxford House for nearly 28 years. The support that starts right at the top from our owners filters down through everyone in the Oxford House family who makes our home the kind, caring environment that makes us so proud every day.’
To find out more about welcoming your loved one into the Oxford House family, visit https://oxfordhousecare.com/nursing-home/ or email info@oxfordhousecare.com
To talk to us about working in a home where care and kindness always come first, or as part of our care-at-home service across Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, visit https://oxfordhousecare.com or email info@oxfordhousecare.com