We need transformational change to touch many more veterans’ lives: Andy Cole
A third Home
Our new Home in High Wycombe is progressing well, with the building due to be completed by the end of the year. The Home will provide nursing and therapeutic care for 74 residents – including specialist dementia care for 30 residents.
I still recall my very first days in post walking across an empty field with Mike Barter, my predecessor. Fast forward two and a half years, and we have an impressive building that is starting to feel like a home. It took perseverance to get to this point, but I am really proud of what we have all achieved.
Within six months, we will have residents in the Home who will be receiving our pioneering person-centred care. There is still a lot to do over the next few months, but the Home’s spirit is already starting to shine through. The activity rooms and physio rooms are much larger than we have had before and will transform the way we work.
New Services
Another great example of our commitment to innovation is our new day care service, the Star & Garter Club, in our Solihull Home. Already proving to be highly successful, the service is offered five days a week, which includes guests living with dementia for two of those days.
We know that many people prefer to stay living in their own homes rather than move to a residential home. So next year we will further expand our services by providing high-quality home care support in the local area around our Surbiton Home. I will be thrilled when this is running, as I hope it will allow us, in time, to develop similar services around the country.
We also want to increase our care for younger veterans, another one of our key strategic objectives.
It’s a very exciting time for the Charity.
Our strategy is all about developing new services for the tens of thousands of veterans who need care. We constantly ask ourselves how we can reach as many veterans as possible. With more rooms and different services, this is exactly what we will do.