CT ON THE ROAD

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Caring Times on the road

This month, Caring Times features editor Charlotte Goddard visited Signature’s Hendon Hall, and learned how its award-winning design combines period features with the latest innovations.

Eighteenth century Grade II listed Hendon Manor, which hosted the England football team before its 1966 World Cup victory, opened in January this year as Signature Senior Lifestyle’s latest luxury care home. A dramatic columned portico leads to a space resembling a high-end hotel, with stylish communal spaces including a café complete with baby grand piano, a finedining restaurant, World Cup-themed Bar 66, stately private dining space and 1930s-style cinema which doubles as a multi-faith room.

“There’s a fine balance to be struck between making you feel it is glamorous enough that you are not downgrading your lifestyle, but welcoming and homely enough to feel it is a long-term stay,” said Anna Ramsden, head of design at Signature Senior Lifestyle. “We want people to feel like they are having the time of their life in their latter years, rather than how people picture it when they go into a care home.”

Signature at Hendon Hall also features an emporium with hair salon, nail bar and treatment rooms and a ‘potting shed’, lined with trugs and twine, where residents can get their hands dirty in the garden. Furniture and furnishings must be both beautiful and functional. “We want hotel-style glamour but the fabrics we use have antimicrobial benefits, are cleanable and can cope with various uses,” said Ramsden.

Design and build

Signature is keen to build homes that allow its well-heeled clientele to remain within their existing neighbourhoods, but it can be tricky to find suitable sites. When North London-based Hendon Hall became available it was the perfect location, but there were challenges involved around introducing modern systems such as ventilation and air conditioning. Listed buildings can offer unwelcome surprises – builders uncovered damage from a 1920s fire for example – but also beautiful design features. Quirky areas have taken advantage of historical elements such as stained glass windows rescued from the hotel’s lavatories and wrought iron gates set into the brickwork.

Kicking-off in September 2019, much of the build took place during the pandemic, so took slightly longer than planned due to supply delays and labour shortages. Signature is owned by Canadian care home provider Revera, and the multimillion-pound build was funded by private equity. The team worked with architectural firm PRP, building company Farrans Construction and interior design consultancy Leisure Concepts.

The layout of the home

The older part of the home houses the communal spaces, as well as an impressive bay-fronted staffroom. Most bedrooms are in the modern wings to provide lift access, wetrooms, and other essential care elements. Services including laundry facilities and a large plant room are housed in the former underground car park, while the provisions staff need to support residents have been located throughout the home.

“We ensure staff never have too far to go for facilities such as sluice rooms and hoist stores so the homes can run efficiently,” said Ramsden, whose sister is a care worker. “If the staff have to walk three floors to find the nearest sluice room it makes their job harder.”

The old coaching arch has been incorporated into the design with large arched windows on two levels, giving passers-by the same view of the grand portico as they had before. On the first floor a library is one of many areas inspired by the home’s history. Aeroplanes etched onto the window and a desk in the shape of a plane wing refer to Hendon’s RAF connections.

Feedback from local consultations resulted in the inclusion of a ‘village hall’, which has separate access and can be closed off from the home, or used for residents’ activities. “We wanted to be able to bring neighbours into our community should the times allow that,”

said Ramsden. The home has provided employment for the local community, through an agreement with the local authority to offer a large number of apprenticeships.

Sustainability and technology

With an eye on climate change, all bedrooms have comfort cooling, and the home features thermal insulation, energy-efficient lighting, and occupancy light sensors. The building has around 100 solar panels on its roof, while electric car charging stations aim to support greener travel.

A hospitality TV system allows residents to chat to family members, contact housekeeping and bring up information about daily activities from their bedrooms. Staff use handheld devices to manage residents’ care plans, and family members can use a personalised gateway to check in on their loved one’s daily life.

Accommodation

The home’s 102 apartments each have their own front door, with varying designs, and are located on a named ‘road’ with its own colour and theme. Open-plan studio apartments, each with its own lavatory, shower and kitchenette, offer around 25 square metres of space while one-bedroom apartments can be up to 40 square metres. Fees start at £1,595 a week for a studio apartment and rise to £2,100 for a one-bed deluxe apartment, with prices including meals, non-alcoholic drinks and snacks, optional activities, housekeeping and laundry, Wi-Fi, and one hour of care or half an hour of nursing care a day. Additional care packages are available.

Signature has a two-year plan for occupancy, with a target of 50% in the first year and up to 93% at the end of the second year. Signature Senior Lifestyle’s sales and brand director Simon Dickinson said the home is on track to achieve this.

Dementia provision

Two separate dedicated dementia households are located in a new wing, one on the ground floor and one on the first floor. Each household comprises 12 apartments, six on one side of a communal area and kitchen and six on the other. Blues, greens and greys form a soothing palette, and large prints and patterns are avoided. Simple black and white signs direct residents to facilities, and each apartment door has its own wooden ‘memory box’ with a slide-out transparent front. Small shelves inside can hold items that might help residents connect with their own history such a tool they used in their work life or an item from a sport they enjoyed – perhaps a tennis ball. The first floor has an outside terraced area, and the ground floor household has access to a garden overlooking the portico, protected by a perforated metal screen which allows residents to feel part of the comings and goings of the courtyard without being able to wander away.

The design of the home aims to give residents independence and dignity, with support needs built into everyday fixtures and fittings as much as possible, until residents’ needs change. “It is sometimes said you shouldn’t have mirrors for people with dementia, for example, but we do fit mirrors in the bathrooms,” said Ramsden. “If we find a patient struggles, we will put a film on it, but to date we’ve not had to do that.”

Signature at Hendon Hall was recently recognised at the Knight Frank Care Home Awards, picking up the 2023 Renovation Award, but the team isn’t resting on its laurels. “We can take those lessons learned into the next design,” said Ramsden. “We are always evolving based on developments in technology, energy or changes in care needs. We are always looking for the next thing we can do with our homes.”