A culture of care and kindness
Our approach to quality care centres on creating an experience that enriches lives everyday.
We blend specialist clinical care and nursing with our mission to create welcoming, warm communities where people feel at home, happy, respected and empowered to live life on their terms.
We believe in creating a home where residents and their family and friends can enjoy a positive, enriching experience whilst ensuring their specific complex care needs are fully met. Our care approach adapts, in the same way that the needs of the people we are supporting can change over time. We are here for the journey.
Our locations
Explore our locations below.
South Africa Lodge
Kitnocks House
Marula Lodge
The Burren
Our Services
Our teams are highly skilled and have a perfect combination of compassion, care and understanding, alongside a wealth of clinical knowledge and specialist training. We support residents with the utmost dignity and respect, and we are committed to supporting people sensitively to maintain choice and independence.
Spacious garden and outdoor areas
Dining rooms and living rooms
Reflection and quiet spaces
Meaningful and enriching activity programmes
Our commitment to quality care
All of our staff go through an extensive skills and interview process and enhanced police checks (Disclosure Barring Service - DBS) before employment commences. They also receive initial induction training, ongoing refresher learning and supervision to ensure their skills are up to date and that high professional standards are maintained.
Cornerstone invest in in-house specialist trainers to ensure staff are always supported to care for residents in the least restrictive methods as possible.
"The staff kindly helped us to celebrate our wedding anniversary, thank you"
FAQs
Of course you’ll want to ask us a lot of questions before moving a loved one into a new home. This page aims to answer the more common queries about life at Cornerstone, but don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need further information or advice. We’re here to help.
How will I know if which home is right for my friend or relative?
Having a friend or relative move into a care home can be a difficult time and we recognise choosing the right setting is an important part of easing this pressure on families, loved ones and the resident themselves.
When working with local authority or NHS teams around identifying the care needs of the individual, it is important to share information around someone’s preferences and wishes to ensure these can also be supported alongside care and nursing needs.
If one of our Cornerstone homes are recommended to you, we would be very happy to show you around the home to give you a feel for how things work and discuss what to expect on admission and beyond. In addition, our Referrals Team are also on hand to support with any queries around the process and arrangements for admitting a new resident.
How do I arrange a visit to my friend or relative?
We have an open visitor’s policy but we ask that you are respectful of your relative/friend’s routine when choosing a time to visit. Feel free to discuss this with staff supporting the individual.
Our reception is manned Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 5.00pm. At the front door, there is a doorbell which connects with reception who will let you in to the building. If there is no one at the reception desk, or you are visiting outside of office hours, please use the bell and one of our team will come to the door as soon as they are able to do so.
When I am in the home, will I be able to let myself in and out of the home?
Our staff in the home and on reception will be happy to let you in and out of the building however our external doors and doors between units are kept locked for the safety of our residents.
Can I bring children to visit?
Children are very welcome however, we ask that you let us know in advance and we would be happy to arrange a visiting room for you. We also ask that all under eighteens are accompanied by an adult and are kept under the adult’s supervision during the visit.
Can I bring my dog with me when visiting my loved one?
Our staff and residents often love a visit from a friendly pet. We ask that you let us know in advance so we can make any necessary arrangements and please keep the dog on a lead throughout the visit.
Can we bring items from home to decorate the room?
The move into residential care can be a difficult transition and is a big change for residents. We would always encourage residents rooms to be personalised with photos and personal items. We recognise this can be an important part of settling a resident and allowing the space to feel like home.
If you would like to discuss the sorts of things that may help your loved one to feel more at home, feel free to discuss with our staff who are happy to advise on safety considerations or ideas for residents.
What will my friend or relative be doing during the day?
We have staff who specialise in developing and delivering a personalised and varied activities and wellbeing programme for our residents. Our staff receive training from Oomph Wellness that takes a physical, emotional and mental health approach to boosting happiness and quality of life for residents.
Should there be activities or hobbies that your relative or friend prefers, please let one of the members of staff know and this can be built into their activity care plan.
When are meal times?
Meal times are an important part of the day for our residents to ensure they are well nourished and have a positive experience. Whilst meals are served at typical times of the day, drinks and snacks are always available at any time for residents.
You are very welcome to join your loved one at mealtimes however we are unfortunately unable to provide meals for visitors to ensure we remain focused on providing the specific meals of our residents.
Should you wish to bring food with you, please speak to one of the nurses in your area to ensure any risks are discussed. We ask that you do not share any meals or snacks with other residents as some are at risk of choking and have certain dietary requirements to reduce risk, as well as special diets and food allergies which can result in serious complications.
Can my relative bring valuables?
We have a central safe in each home, where small valuable items can be stored. We ask that valuable items are not left with the residents and arrangements should be made for their appropriate storage. We cannot be responsible for the items of clothing or equipment that are added to the relative’s room without our knowledge, or valuables left in a resident’s possession.
Is it OK to take photos of my relative?
We understand the importance of taking photographs or videos of your loved one. We ask that any photographs or videos do not include other residents for confidentiality purposes.
Is smoking allowed?
Cornerstone Healthcare operates a no smoking policy. Smoking is only permitted in the garden where we have an allocated space.
How do I wash my relative’s clothes?
Our laundry department has responsibility for washing residents’ clothes. We ask that clothes brought in can sustain being washed on high temperatures for infection control purposes and are tumble drier friendly. We do not have dry cleaning facilities and ask that any items of clothing that require dry cleaning are kept to a minimum.
When bringing in items of clothing, please ensure they are handed to reception for logging and labelling so we can make sure each resident has the correct clothing.
I have some suggestions or a complaint, who should I talk to?
If you have any comments, suggestions or complaints on any subject relating to Cornerstone, please feel free to discuss with the General Manager of the home or one of our Clinical Managers or Senior Nurses who will be happy to help.
You can also email us on info@cornerstonehc.co.uk or write to the address of the home where your relative lives if you prefer. The complaints policy is also available on request and is displayed in the reception area of our homes.
Where can I find more information about legal and funding aspects of my loved ones care?
Read more about managing affairs for someone else including power of attorney, on the Citizens Advice website:
Paying for care:
Depending upon an individual circumstances our residents may be eligible for NHS Funded Nursing Care (FNC), NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) or Local Authority support. More information can be found:
Happy to help
Our team is here, to assist if you are interested in referring to our services or have any enquiries.