New opening


happy to see that it had been developed into something productive for the community.” The reaction of the local community has indeed been extremely important to Macc Care – as Soni confirms when she outlines the breadth and value of what Wyrley Rose has to offer: “We’ve had a lot of positive feedback. You’ve got the independent living [of Wyrley Court], and you’ve got a community bistro – the Haven Café – which is open to members of the public, so anyone can come along to that.”


When it comes to the potential catchment area for residents, Soni tells me that a great deal of interest has come from the people of Great Wyrley itself. “The feedback we’ve been getting is that when people come to visit, they don’t feel like we’re a care home – they feel like we’re a hotel … They feel that we stand out compared to the other homes in the area,” she says. “If you’re 60 and over,” she continues,


“wanting company and wanting to live independently, residents have got everything here on their doorstep. So we’ve had a lot of positive feedback around that as well.” Adds Amanda: “A lot of people who move to Great Wyrley don’t tend to move out of Great Wyrley. When you move in, you fall in love with the place. When we show people around, they tell us: ‘we live local and we want to stay local’.”


“When I’m out in the community here, it


feels different,” Soni confirms. “People are interested – they want to get to know you and they want to support you. When we had the open day, we had around 200 people come. You can really feel that community support.”


Taking time to get it right With fees starting at £1,450 per week, and despite strong interest and demand, the team at Wyrley Rose are keen to take their time welcoming new residents and building


The team are keen to take their time


building a community a meaningful community. “We’re taking our time with our residents that move in,” Soni says. “We want to get to know each of our residents really well, and we want to spend that quality time so that we can make sure we get their care right as well.” “It’s about doing things effectively, efficiently, and safely,” adds Charlotte. “It wouldn’t benefit any of the staff or the home to bring people in too quickly.” Instead, the intention is to create an organic community over time, making sure that residents settle in properly and get to know each other. Amanda outlines what residents


can expect during their time at Wyrley Rose: “We have an all-inclusive offer,” she explains. “Fees include 24-hour care, housekeeping, laundry. They also include a monthly hairdressing appointment – we’ve got our own hair salon – and a six-weekly chiropody appointment. Activities as well. Pretty much everything!” As well as the extensive in-house


facilities, Wyrley Rose’s convenient location means that, for those so inclined and able, a comprehensive range of local shops and services – everything from nail bars and hairdressers to Indian and pizza restaurants, two GP surgeries, and a dentist – can be found nearby. And of course, with Britain’s ‘second city’ – Birmingham – only a few miles away, there is plenty of scope for trips further afield in due course, should the residents wish. “As we’re growing, we’ll host resident


meetings and we’ll get feedback as to what they’ve liked, what they want to be doing. It’s resident led,” Soni tells me. “We have a lot of community events as


well,” says Amanda, “which we invite the public to. So today, we’ve just finished our first ‘Come Dine With Me’ lunch – that’s open to anyone that’s 60 and over. It was absolutely amazing and we’re fully booked now for next month. We’ve got dog shows, coffee mornings; we’ve got a Blue Light breakfast event every Friday. There’s also a summer fête. There’s always something going on here.”


The team tell me that staff recruitment


has not been a problem: “We’ve had a lot of interest,” Soni says, “even before – when people found out that a care home was going to be built. Even now, people are still asking to apply. It’s not been an issue for us at all.”


Coffee and cakes Prior to my tour of Wyrley Rose, I enjoy a few minutes to myself in the well-appointed (and – to my relief on such a warm day – crisply air-conditioned) Haven Café, where I am treated to a much-needed (after my four-hour drive up from the south coast) reinvigorating black coffee and a selection of cakes. While eating all four was sadly beyond me, I can report that the cakes at the


September 2025 www.thecarehomeenvironment.com 21


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