Moorlands Residential Care Home is a home in the area of Darlington, which can accommodate 19 residents - it has a 'Good' rating from the CQC. Care can be provided for those with dementia and mental health needs. Moorlands Residential Care Home also offers the following short stay services; respite care, intermediate care and reablement support.
Moorlands Care Home is a residential home for older people, of both sexes, offering all aspects of personal and social care. We do not provide nursing care as such, but use community nurses for any nursing needs our residents may have. Although we do not provide nursing care, we do accommodate residents who have a variety of conditions including, but not limited to:- diabetes, Parkinson’s, and different types of dementia and also those with mild learning difficulties and mental health problems. Suitability for admission is always based on the need of the potential resident, and whether those needs can be met by Moorlands, as laid down in our policy, “Assessing the Needs of a Potential Resident”. The criteria will include discussion with potential residents care managers, if they have one, and their representatives such as family members.
The home is owned and run (with a lot of help from our staff), by David and Michelle Smith the registered providers, their youngest son Greg and his wife Natalie are starting to take the reins. Michelle has devoted her career to caring for older people since leaving school and has amassed over 45 years of experience in a variety of care homes in both the public and private sector, but always in and around Darlington. Michelle is the registered manager of Moorlands, having been the registered manager for over 35 years and also the owner of Moorlands along with her husband David. Having achieved her Registered Managers Award, Michelle continues to attend many training courses, seminars etc.
David worked for over 27 years at Darlington Memorial Hospital as a Biomedical Scientist but has always had a keen interest in caring for older people, mainly through Michelle’s career during more than 40 years of marriage. Having been a partner in Moorlands with Michelle for over 25 years now, David now works full time at Moorlands helping with all aspects of running the home, and he too regularly undertakes training in different aspects of care.
Youngest son Greg has worked at Moorlands for the past 16 years and is general manager, and also looks after the resident’s social and entertainment needs and requirements. Greg has achieved his NAPA level 2 and his level 5 managers’ award. Natalie is currently working towards her level 5 and has excellent skills and knowledge in the field of health & social care.
The assistant managers at Moorlands, who have many years of varied experience between them, all have NVQ in care at level 3 or 5 and are all continuing their education in health and social care. Our care assistants are all chosen for their caring and thoughtful nature and are all required to achieve qualifications in care at level 2 or higher. They all have to complete a comprehensive training programme and obtain and regularly update certain mandatory certificates but can then choose whether to progress further.
Our catering staff come from varied backgrounds and are led by the head chef, who has lots of experience in all aspects of food provision. They are all trained in Focus on Undernutrition, the local protocol developed and managed by the Nutrition and Dietetic Service and are all sympathetic to the dietary needs of older people, both in general and special diets. Menus are set by the head chef who discusses their content with the residents making sure the food is not only balanced and healthy but also what the residents actually want.
All our staff are chosen for their commitment and dedication to caring for older people and undergo continuous training both in house and through external training and education.
Because we place the emphasis well and truly on the amount of love, care and attention that our residents get, rather than a high level of fixtures and furnishings, we recognise that staff are the single most important aspect of Moorlands.
Moorlands was established in Moorlands Road (hence the name) in Cockerton in 1989, moving to Stanhope Road in 2000 as we expanded and upgraded. Our current home is a Victorian terraced
property having previously been three large houses, providing a home with a considerable character and a warm homely feel.
Although retaining a lot of the original character, Moorlands also complies with current regulations, including full fire detection and warning system with detectors in all rooms as well as break glass points. The whole system is regularly serviced and checked.