The Croft Becomes a Real Living Wage Employer

Real Living Wage

We are very pleased to announce that, starting in August, The Croft will be a Real Living Wage employer for every role in our staff team. Since taking over in October 2018, Simon and David have been systematically moving pay rates at The Croft towards this milestone, in an effort to do their part to…

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Is it safe for my loved one to come to your care home?

Care homes in the UK have been at the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Some estimates suggest up to 40% of homes have experienced an outbreak.  Now, in many parts of the UK, care homes are struggling to fill their vacant beds and occupancy rates are tumbling (The Guardian, 26th May 2020).  It is not surprising that families are…

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The Croft Owner’s Tribute to Feature on BBC Desert Island Discs

Simon Spiller, co-owner of The Croft Residential Home in Newton Abbot Devon, was one of a handful of people, selected from thousands, to participate in a special edition of the long running BBC Radio 4 programme, Desert Island Discs. The team at Radio 4 recently issued an invitation for members of the public to tell…

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COVID-19 Care Home Crisis, a Provider’s Perspective

Already in a state of vulnerability, care homes have been hit hard by COVID-19 in the UK.  Their story needs to be told before it’s too late. Unconstrained by non-disclosure agreements, and unlike NHS staff, Social Care Providers are free to be blunt about their perspectives on why care home residents appear to have succumbed…

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New Perspectives on Residents with Dementia from Filming with BBC Spotlight

Over a period of three weeks, and in part during a confirmed COVID-19 Outbreak at The Croft Residential Home in Newton Abbot, the BBC South West Regional News programme, Spotlight, filmed a feature giving viewers an insight into life for dementia sufferers during a coronavirus-enforced lockdown.  “What we learned about our residents through that process was surprising and…

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Currently COVID-FREE

It is with mixed feelings that we announce The Croft is now officially “COVID-19 Free” after three weeks of outstanding effort and dedicated care by our team to contain the virus and limit its impact.    This morning we received test results for the two residents who had tested positive for COVID-19 14 days ago.  Today they were confirmed…

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COVID-19 Status Update

The Croft is currently in the third week of a Confirmed Outbreak of COVID-19. Our status, as of 6th May, is that we have two residents living on site who tested positive for COVID-19 one week ago. One further resident, who had tested positive two weeks ago, was retested last week and is now negative…

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COVID-19: Confirmed Outbreak and Resident Death

It is with huge sadness that we announce the passing of one of our beloved residents, who was confirmed as positive for COVID-19 on admission to hospital last weekend.  This person passed away peacefully last night in Torbay hospital. Our thoughts are very much with their family and friends.   This news was on the back of receiving confirmation…

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Our First Confirmed COVID-19 Case

On the afternoon of Monday 20th April, we received word from Torbay Hospital that one of our residents was confirmed as positive for COVID-19, having been tested on admission to hospital the day before.  As a result, we are operating on the assumption the virus has been in our home, although at this time no…

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Virtual Technology Enabling Care In A Crisis

My business partner and co-Provider, David, and I acquired our first residential care home 18 months ago.  The Croft is a residential home for 22 elderly people, specialising in Dementia Care, and based in Devon.  Since the start, we’ve been on a roller coaster ride of learning, while also running our other businesses.  The pinnacle of learning so…

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