● Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab joined residents and the local community in Walton-on-Thames as part of a week-long event to celebrate the value of social care
● Adelaide House was one of more than 1,500 care homes to participate in Care Home Open Week, which aims to drive recovery from the pandemic and encourage people into the sector
● Record MP engagement this year – with one in six MPs across the country visiting their local care home
Walton-on-Thames, 1st July: Adelaide House Care Home welcomed the Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and Deputy Prime Minister today, in celebration of Care Home Open Week.
Joining residents’ families and members of the local community in Walton-on-Thames for an afternoon tea party, Dominic Raab MP was accompanied by Jonathan Freeman MBE, CEO of CareTech Foundation and Vice-Chair of Championing Social Care, and James Tugendhat, Chief Executive Officer of HC-One.
Adelaide House was one of 1,500 care homes across the UK participating in Care Home Open Week from 27th June to 3rd July 2022 – aimed at encouraging communities to engage with care home residents and the exceptional professionals who care for them.
The Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Deputy Prime Minister and MP for Esher and Walton said: “It was a pleasure to visit Adelaide House Care Home in Walton-on-Thames to join residents, families, and staff for their ‘Summer Celebration’ for Care Home Open Week.
“Adelaide Care Home offers fantastic facilities, activities, and services to its residents. The team here work closely with the local community and promote local opportunities for jobs and volunteering in care.
“Thank you to Katarzyna Corcoran, Jonathan Freeman MBE, James Tugendhat and all the team at Adelaide House for welcoming me.”
Kathryn Sygrove, Area Director at HC-One said: “We were delighted to welcome Dominic Raab MP to our home and open the doors of Adelaide House to welcome in our local community and bring everyone together to celebrate Care Home Open Week 2022. Everyone had an amazing time.
“We are proud to support Walton-on-Thames, and our Open Week celebrations provided a great opportunity to reconnect with our local community after the challenges of the pandemic, to support community engagement, and to remind our local community that our kind care teams are here if they ever need support for themselves or a loved one.”
Led by Championing Social Care, a volunteer-led group of leaders from across the social care sector, this year’s event aimed to celebrate the value of social care, and drive recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic amid increasing reliance on the sector and widespread staff shortages.
This year’s event received record engagement from MPs, with one in six MPs attending a local care home during the week.
Jonathan Freeman MBE, CEO of the CareTech Foundation and Vice-Chair of Championing Social Care, who joined Dominic Raab MP on the visit said: “We are incredibly proud of the community interest and MP engagement in this year’s Care Home Open Week, which seeks to shine a light on the incredible value of the social care sector to society. We know that intergenerational connections enrich the lives of both our residents and local communities, and it’s our hope that the relationships forged this week will last long beyond Care Home Open Week.”
“This year’s event wouldn’t have been possible without our two committed sponsors, CIVITAS Investment Management and Virgin Money, who provide vital support to the programme.”