Extension and refurbishment
develop this site a bit more,” says Shaleeza. “We worked with our architects to create a sympathetic addition to the natural landscape, because we’re in an area of outstanding natural beauty.” The result was Brownscombe Lodge – at that time CHD’s fourth new build – that took 18 months to build, and which comprised an additional 26 bedrooms along with a number of new communal areas. Work then commenced in 2022 to refurbish Brownscombe House itself, widening corridors, installing wet rooms, and refreshing communal spaces. The result – some £4m later – is a comfortable and modern care home that nonetheless retains the period charm and character of the original building. CHD Living’s growing portfolio now boasts a mix of new build care homes and refurbished older buildings, in addition to a number of complementary care services.
“We like to describe what we do as a family as really supporting you through your care journey,” Shaleeza explains. “We also operate a large domiciliary care business, we do specialist complex care, and we’ve started doing a lot of post- operative care. We have people who will come here after either a routine operation or a trauma or a fall or a stroke – they’ll come for reablement and we’ll support them with our own multi-disciplinary team of physiotherapists and occupational therapists.
“We’re a third-generation family business,” she continues. “We’re committed to the sector and what we do. There’s now my brother [head of accounts Shaheed Hasham] and myself. We visit all of our homes regularly – families, residents, and staff know us. There’s no job too big
or too small – I’ll sit and answer phones at reception if the receptionist is off. My mum [CHD partner Nazira Hasham, who managed the service in its early days and was recently named CHD Living’s ‘director of happiness’] does the same. And because we’re still family owned and operated; we can make decisions quickly. We grow at our own pace – the growth [of CHD Living] has been organic.”
This organic approach has allowed CHD to approach each of its homes – whether they be new build or existing buildings – on an individual basis. The aim has been to create spaces that feel like homes rather than hotels, eschewing generic design in favour of a more sympathetic, bespoke approach. As Shaleeza puts it: “They look different, they feel different. They’re decorated differently. We try to build what suits the vernacular of the local area rather than what we think a care home should look like.”
Culture and values
What comes through loud and clear when speaking to Shaleeza and Liakat is the pride and satisfaction the family takes in running such a well-respected and successful care business.
“It has been quite a lot of fun, actually building a [care] group up,” Liakat tells me. “We work very closely with our local authority health stakeholders. Reputation is important. Otherwise, it’s really difficult to sell these kinds of services.” For Liakat and his family, the provision of high quality care has always been key to maintaining CHD’s reputation – and therefore its continued success. “Our homes are popular and running well,” he says. “I think that’s more down
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www.thecarehomeenvironment.com October 2024
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