Last Updated on April 27, 2016
Plans are coming together for Care Home Open Day 2016 with support from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and a Gardening Challenge. The CQC has announced that it is getting ready to join in with the enthusiasm and support for the annual Care Home Open Day event, taking place this year on Friday 17th June.
Over 150 CQC inspectors and other staff members visited participating locations on Care Home Open Day last year. CQC says that it is looking forward to doing it all over again in 2016 where the theme is ‘Celebration’.
CQC’s Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, Andrea Sutcliffe, said, ‘Along with many others, I really enjoyed visiting different care homes during Care Home Open Day last year. But the best care homes know that connecting with their local communities and enriching the lives of their residents it is not just a one day in the year effort – it is an everyday of the year commitment. That’s what we want for everyone living in care homes and already exists in the best services we see.’
Also part of this year’s Care Home Open Day is a Gardening Challenge competition run with Growing Support, an award-winning social enterprise tackling loneliness, social isolation and inactivity.
The Gardening Challenge competition aims to create lively hubs of community activity in thousands of care home gardens across the UK. Care home residents can scoop great prizes by getting their green fingers working. In line with the theme of ‘Celebration’, care homes will be able to enter the Gardening Challenge competition under one of four categories: ‘Celebrating Community’, ‘Celebrating Age’, ‘Celebrating Success’ and ‘Celebrating the Queen’s Birthday’.
Victoria Hill, Director of Growing Support, explained, ‘It is well known that spending time outdoors, being active and connecting with nature is good for us. Residents don’t need to be an expert or have a big garden to enjoy the benefits of gardening. Simple activities such as growing herbs on a sunny windowsill or sweet peas for the patio can help relieve stress and depression and develop a sense of achievement.
‘We hope that the Growing Support Gardening Challenge will encourage more care home residents than ever before to get out and get gardening and we are delighted to be linking up with care homes taking part in Care Home Open Day 2016.’
Prizes in the Gardening Challenge include plants, tools and services worth more than £100. Entrants are asked to submit a short description and photo of how residents have been active out in the garden by June 24th 2016.
For more information on Care Home Open Day, visit www.carehomeopenday.org.uk
For more information on the Gardening Challenge, visit www.growingsupport.co.uk
CQC has a regularly updated map at www.cqc.org.uk/care-home-open-day-2016 showing where CQC inspectors and staff will be visiting.
You can also tweet about Care Home Open Day using the hashtag #CHOD2016