Welcome to Corton House, a 42 bed residential care home with a mission to provide excellent loving care and support for older people.
Our kind, highly skilled staff are trained to provide professional care and in their gentle and supportive way help residents to be as independent as possible.
These pages will give you a feel for what we have to offer, although the key ingredient when thinking about the right care home for your needs is fit: does it feel right to you?
We believe the best way to get a flavour of the warm, homely atmosphere in Corton House is by paying us a visit.
Simply give us a call or email us to book your tour. We look forward to meeting you!
Jason Parker, Registered Manager
Corton House is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Providing care for over 70 years has taught us that moving into a care home shouldn't mean giving up the things that make you who you are.
Each resident is an individual with a whole lifetime of experiences and preferences - and from the word go you will have the opportunity to shape the care you receive and make sure it is tailored to you.
All our residents are allocated a key worker; a carer who gets to know you best - your life story, needs, likes and dislikes and any ideas you have about your care. This helps us get things 'just right' - from how to make your perfect cup of tea or coffee, to supporting you to continue with a lifelong hobby.
All of this information helps us ensure that our home feels like your home, and forms the basis of an individual care plan* for each resident.
INVOLVING YOUR NEXT OF KIN
If you wish, a family member or friend can be involved in the care planning process. Residents can also give their consent for next of kin to view regular updates on our Relatives Gateway.
Visitors are always welcome and visits do not have to be pre-booked, although we prefer to know in advance so we can ensure residents are not busy or that private space is available if required.
Visitors from further afield requiring an overnight stay can, subject to availability and a fee, book the guest room at our neighbouring independent living scheme Brakendon Close, a 2-minute walk through the gardens from Corton House.
If you would like to have lunch or share a special occasion with your loved one, this can be arranged. Family and friends are also frequently invited to join us for events such as garden parties, our Summer Fete etc.
Care
*WHAT IS A CARE PLAN?
A care plan is a personal document recording medical and care needs and outlining what type of support you should get and how it will be given.
In addition to focusing on your longer term needs, it will contain daily records. These are really important in helping our staff to hand over between shifts, keep information up to date, and tailor their approach to you as an individual.
Facilities
Our residents' bedrooms are their own private place, and we encourage residents to bring in pictures and their own furniture to make their room truly homely.*
All rooms are equipped with emergency call bells, television and telephone points.
All rooms are easily accessible with wheelchair access throughout the building and two lifts for those on the first floor.
* Items must have a fire label, and all electricals must be tested (our maintenance team can help with this if needed).
A multipurpose space for all our residents to enjoy art, crafts and games led by our Activities Team.
When it is not the focus of activities, it is occasionally used for our worship services.
Our chiropodist visits fortnightly, and we have visiting dentists and opticians. Additional services can be arranged.
Our largest communal lounge, The Myers Lounge, is the heart of the home with a television, comfy chairs, lovely views of the garden and quieter areas for reading and puzzles.
Our open plan reception area has plenty of comfy seating for watching the world go by.
The Garden Room is perfect for sitting and enjoying the garden all year round. An ideal spot for completing puzzles with our specially-angled puzzle table.
Our beautiful walled garden is secure and safe and many residents are actively involved in its cultivation. It has an accessible pathway and benches for taking a rest in the sunshine. There are a variety of sensory plants, a summer house, and a patio area with tables, seating and retractable sun shades.
Most rooms have en suite facilities, some with walk in showers. For those who enjoy a bath, specialist accessible baths are also available.
Our salon is located on the first floor and the hairdresser visits every Tuesday morning. A price list is displayed in the salon.
Twice a month we run a shop trolley for small items like sweets, stamps, toiletries etc. Specific purchases can be made at any time in between by request. Newspapers and magazines can be ordered for delivery to the home.
The small things count - wearing your own, clean clothes is an important part of feeling dignified and maintaining your identity.
Our staff are careful to ensure that clothing is cared for throughout the laundry process. Labelling items helps us ensure they do not get lost.
We can provide bed linen although residents are also able to bring in their own.
Activities
Here at Corton House our dedicated Activities Coordinators offer a good mix of activities and entertainment – something for everyone to enjoy.
Residents are welcome to join in with as much or as little as they'd like, and we will always respect the need for down time and privacy.
If a resident is unable to leave their room or bed they will not be left out – whether it’s simply ensuring they are tuned into a favourite radio station, adapting an arts and crafts activity to be done in their room, or giving a relaxing hand massage: residents' wellbeing is our priority.
Our Activities Representatives are a group of residents who meet regularly to ensure the activities at Corton House reflect residents' interests. Reps are included in the decisionmaking process when booking entertainment and reviewing the entertainers that come in.
We are always happy for residents to share any of their interesting hobbies or skills with others, and we welcome the involvement of friends and family as volunteers.
We are firm believers that you are never too old to try something new! If a resident would like to learn something or try their hand at a new skill, we will always do our best to facilitate this.
Staff sometimes bring in their pets so that residents can spend time with them, and the Activities Team organise occasional animal visitors - previously we have enjoyed the company of llamas, donkeys, rabbits, dogs and even raised our own ducklings!
We also like to collaborate with groups, schools and charities to bring residents something different. Previous and current partners include:
Friend In Deed
Intergenerational activities, events and Little Visitors parent and baby group.
Curious Directive
Fermenting and natural ink workshops.
Eyebrow Arts
Poetry, clay sculpting, performance art.
u3a Norwich
Free membership for all Corton House residents to attend monthly talks and interest groups.
Norfolk Adult Learning
Baking course.
NCFC Under 23's Football reminiscence session.
The Wallace Collection
Digital art lectures.
Dining
An important part of providing good care includes varied and nutritionally balanced food. All our meals are prepared and cooked in our kitchen using fresh produce, from our local reputable suppliers.
Our kitchen team has continually been awarded a Local Authority 5 star hygiene rating for over 5 years.
The kitchen and care teams work together very closely to ensure we can accommodate any dietary requirement and food is prepared to suit the changing needs of our residents. A vegetarian option is always available.
Lunch is usually a hot meal with dessert course and there is a lighter option or sandwiches at teatime.
We offer a cooked breakfast once a week and residents can request a light cooked breakfast - e.g. poached egg on toastdaily.
We offer a variety of drinks throughout the day, and residents can help themselves to snacks in the dining room.
Our kitchen staff are always happy to discuss meal ideas or alternatives with residents.
Our kitchen team create special themed menus for occasions and holidays, such as Chinese New Year or Burns Night, as well as food of the world tasting sessions.
Birthdays and achievements are always celebrated with a cake or an alternative if desired.
Fees
Seeking care can be a daunting and emotional process.
Finance is a particularly complex area - we recommend searching the internet for the Other Sources of Information (listed opposite) for a more detailed explanation.
You can also speak to our Accounts Team if you have a question relating to your specific application with us.
Our Care Management Team will also be happy to answer any questions you may have during your tour of Corton House.
Some residents will be able to pay entirely for their own care; this is known as 'selffunding'. If you will not be able to meet any or all of your care costs, you will need obtain help from the Local Authority.
The Council will carry out a Care Needs Assessment and if this establishes that you require care, you will then need a Financial Assessment to check your eligibility for funding support. This is a means test that will take into account any income and capital you have.
As a not-for-profit organisation, we undertake regular 'benchmarking' to compare our own fees with those of other providers in the local area. This helps us to find the crucial balance between offering fair, extremely competitive rates; investing in our service; and ensuring above-average pay for our staff.
Our fees include all care, meals, laundry, activities and entertainment. An additional charge is made for hairdressing, chiropody, dentists, opticians, magazines and newspapers, and items from our shop trolley.
All payments are taken from residents' accounts with us, so there is no need for residents to carry cash if they prefer.
We recognise that residents' care needs and financial circumstances are not fixed.
Our care staff have regular, in-depth dementia and end of life training, enabling them to continue to support residents throughout their time with us.
While we review our fees annually, they are not based on your care needs, so the amount you pay will not change if the level of care you require increases.
If your financial status moves from selffunding to meeting Local Authority thresholds for assistance with fees, our team can support you through this transition.
Age UK's "How to Get Care & Support" Fact Sheet
Norfolk County Council's How Adult Social Care Works
NHS Social Care & Support Guide
Our Values
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