November update from The Priory
November update from The Priory
What a wet end to October and an equally watery start to November! However, the weather was kind to us on Friday when we welcomed a large crowd of residents, families and staff to The Priory for our Fireworks Party.
The house was still wonderfully decorated from Halloween so it gave the evening even more atmosphere. Many thanks to Rachael for the decorations and for organising the party – everyone loved it. And the Guy was even bigger than last year!
Our next outing is to Whitehall Garden Centre on Tuesday 5th December to see the Christmas Decorations. We will leave The Priory at 10:30 so should be in the café for 11:00. If families would like to meet us there, please let Lynne know so that we can book tables (if we can). We will leave Whitehall at about 12:15 for lunch back at The Priory. This will be a lovely start to the festive season.
During December, the decorations will start to go up. We will decorate the residents’ rooms as well, but if families would like to come in and add their personal touches, we would love to see you. The Priory is made for Christmas!
Our Christmas Carol Party will be on Friday 15th December and we are now able to invite back St Paul’s Church. Simon, our vicar, will lead the carol service, ably supported by members of his choir – plus of course, the combined voices of The Priory. This has always been a very special evening followed by a buffet and drinks – this will be the first we have been able to hold for 4 years! Could families please let us know if you will be able to join in? It would be lovely if every resident could have a family member or friend come along. As always, please let us know in advance.
Coming back to Halloween, Rachael’s decorations got everyone in the mood, so much so, we seemed to attract a number of witches and ghouls. Some of them do look vaguely familiar…..
Of course, this could have been a reaction to the Covid & flu vaccinations – who knows?
Other than ghouls, ghosts and making & stuffing the guy, October has been a busy month. In addition to the usual entertainment and activities, we ran a pretty in pink Breast Cancer Day and raised over £100. The Residents’ Meeting was postponed as it was so close to the vaccinations and a few were feeling a bit under the weather, so our next meeting will be on Friday 10th November at 11:15 am. As always, minutes will be shared with everyone. Please do come along and join in the conversation.
We have also welcomed two wonderful new residents – Doreen Lewis and Malcolm Hedges. Malcolm spent some time with us earlier in the year on respite and has decided to stay with us, while Doreen joined us a couple of weeks ago and too, has decided to stay with us. We look forward to getting to know you both over the coming weeks and hope you enjoy your time with us, especially in the run-up to Christmas.
On the staffing side, we are also delighted to announce that Paula has accepted a promotion to become our Deputy Manager. Paula has been with us almost 10 years and last year she accepted responsibility for creating, managing and maintaining our care plans. She has done a wonderful job with those and with the increasing administrative workload, we need additional hands to the pump to support Lynne and myself. Paula will still be working as a senior carer, but over time she will be taking on a wider role. Paula will also be working towards her Level 5 award in Leadership & Management for Adult Care. Thank you and congratulations.
Finally, a thank you to our residents, families, staff and professionals for completing the Quality Survey over the last few months. We have reviewed all your returns and your comments and produced a summary report which is attached. Copies are also available around the home. It is a great review of The Priory, but also focusses us on some areas to concentrate upon over the coming months.
That’s it – have a wonderful November and we will write to you again in December. Hopefully we will see many of you over the coming weeks and perhaps also on the trip to Whitehall in early December.