FAQs

St Barnabas is a small home and offers 15 rooms for residential care, which are offered on a first come basis, when they become available due to departure of a previous resident. St Barnabas would be happy to keep your name on a list and alert you to a room becoming available. Please contact us via email at manager.stbarnabas@gmail.com or call the office.

We have 15 private bedrooms.

We currently do not take in day care residents. Should this change, we will make sure that this is made public, so do please always visit our website for updates.

Yes, we do.

We do not employ nurses, but have access to our local GP surgery for medical support and the community nurse team if required.

Residents are asked to bring their own walking equipment, which would generally be supplied by the NHS care teams. Please ask if this is something you need help with.

During the day, our carer to resident ratio approximates two carers for each resident, though this may increase to three carers if the individual care need is greater.

We do not provide wheelchairs due to health and safety requirements. Family members / friends may arrange their own either through the Sole Bay Health Centre (our local GP surgery) or via the equipment department of the NHS in this area. But please feel free to ask our manager for support.

Room rates vary at the Home and are priced fairly depending on size, outlook and facilities (e.g. en suite bathroom). Weekly rates may also vary depending on the care package required, e.g. temporary respite care; full-time residential care; etc. The average weekly room rate is between £900-£1,200/week. Please contact the Home manager via the St Barnabas website or email us at manager.stbarnabas@gmail.com to discuss this further.

Currently, the home is not set-up for people with dementia or Alzheimer’s, however, if our residents progress to milder forms of dementia during their stay at the Home, we will provide care until such a point that their care needs mean that they have to move to specialist care home.

St Barnabas is a not-for-profit organisation, and as such is able to price its services at the cost of running the home. St Barnabas prides itself in offering a higher-than-normal staff to resident ratio, to achieve a more interactive and less institutionalised atmosphere.

Like all charitable organisations, St Barnabas is dependent on legacies, and the Board of Trustees work tirelessly to raise and manage these funds. The funds are therefore somewhat limited and do not usually allow the Home to meet residents’ full fees, but instead allow us to invest in staff, equipment and other necessary expenditures to ensure residents receive the best in care.

The weekly care home fees include everything, including full time care, all meals, refreshments, laundry service, entertainments and other in-house services. Most external excursions will also be included, though on some occasions a small contribution may be sought.

We run a 12-hour shift, with a senior team leader on duty every day from 8am-8pm. At night we have a minimum of two carers on duty throughout, with three carers on duty until midnight, and the Manager on call at all times. We have clear processes in place for emergencies and other care needs, should they be required.

Our local health centre, the Sole Bay Health Centre, provides GP care.

Residents are free to do what they wish but are encouraged by staff to join in the social activities, such as communal meals and entertainment, if possible. This helps mental and physical stimulation. However, should a resident prefer to be on their own they are free to do so.

Yes. Family members are always informed.