Horsell Lodge Celebrates ‘Clean And Safe’ Christmas Decorations Award
The mince pies have long since been eaten and the trees folded neatly away, but Christmas at Horsell Lodge was back in the news this month when the care home received a very special award.
The team at Horsell Lodge Care Home in Woking works closely with CHS (Community Health Services) Surrey and the North West Surrey Integrated Infection Prevention and Control Team, so when they announced that they would be running a Christmas decorations competition, it was an opportunity not to be missed!
Christmas Decoration Challenge Accepted
The competition challenged care homes to display decorations that met certain criteria – the purpose being to allow residents and staff to enjoy the festive atmosphere without adding an extra element of risk at a time of year when there is often an increase in infections. The ability to clean around decorations was key, as was their safe display in areas where they were less likely to be touched, and single use decorations were also recommended.
The Wellbeing team and residents at Horsell Lodge immediately set to work to pool their ideas and get creative whilst keeping the guidelines in mind. Many hanging decorations are traditionally made of foil which attracts dust, so they selected baubles suspended in clear hanging boxes that could be easily wiped clean. Baubles that could be wiped clean were also chosen instead of ribbons for the Christmas trees and festive window stickers and Nutcracker decorations won votes for the same reasons.
Whole Home Approach to a Very Special Award Win
It was a fantastic team effort which drew praise from the judges who, after a visit, declared Horsell Lodge the competition winners and officially, “The Care Home with the Safest and Most Cleanable Infection Control-Friendly Christmas Decorations, 2024”.
The team was presented with a certificate and prizes to share, and were proud to hear feedback from Tracy Masson, Community IPC Assistant Practitioner and one of the judges who remarked that a high standard had been set for the following year and declared, “From an infection control aspect, all your decorations were displayed safely and able to be easily cleaned if required. Many, I understand, were made by your team and residents which makes them even more special”.
Home Manager, Julie Bignall, was delighted to win the award and added, “What make this award very special is that it recognises the thought that went into the decorations. Virtually every decoration had some form of resident input, so this award is very much about us bringing a whole home approach to Christmas at Horsell Lodge”.
Horsell Lodge Care Home in Surrey
Horsell Lodge Care Home, a modern and comfortable care home based in Woking is beautifully furnished and offers residential, nursing and dementia care. Our location makes us convenient for family and friends who are visiting the home, and we’re perfectly placed for a host of different outings across Surrey.
For more information about The Orchard Nursing Home, please visit our dedicated page for more information. You can also find information on our other care homes by exploring our site. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch to find out more.
