Residents at West Vale care home delighted to welcome unscreened guests again

Angelcare Residential Living is a private care home situated on a historic Georgian property in West Vale

The family run business opened Calderdale’s only fully private care home in August 2020 following a £500,000 refurb of the premises, previously used as the Ingwood Restaurant in in the 1970s and 80s.

The home delayed opening to the public so that it could be used by the council at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, offering a space for those suffering from the virus.

Despite welcoming guests towards the end of the year, new residents have had to isolate for 14 days upon arrival and have been unable to see non-screened visitors.

Since March 8, each resident has been allowed a single guest who can visit regularly, provided that they take a rapid flow test and wear PPE.

Staff and owners have expressed their delight at residents being able to see family members.

Thomas Enefer, manager of Angelcare Residential Living, said: “Being able to allow our guests to see families is hugely important for us, as it shows a tentative first step towards getting back to normal. For anyone in a care home, being able to see loved ones is one of the highlights of their day.

“Like every home up and down the country, we hope this is the start of restrictions easing further. At present new guests must isolate for 14 days and we hope to see this end soon, as it’s having a significant impact on the mental wellbeing of new residents.”

Since the beginning of the year, Angelcare have invested over £10,000 in procedures to protect staff, visitors, and guests from COVID-19, including the use of an ozone disinfection machine to sanitise communal spaces.

“Our home opened during the pandemic, and a lot of what we do has been shaped by it up to this point,” Thomas added.

“We’re looking forward to the end of all of this, knowing that we have such rigorous systems in place for the wellbeing of our guests.”