FAQs

Some of our homes and housing schemes are only available to practising Christians who have a personal testimony consistent with our basis of faith, while others are open to people who are sympathetic to the Christian faith. You can find out more on the Care Homes and Housing Schemes pages.

Our housing schemes are all for those with a Christian faith. We are also supported by and have links to the local churches in each local area.

To live in a care home you need to be over the age of 65 and have had a care needs assessment. To live in one of our housing schemes, you need to be over the age of 60.

All our housing schemes and some of our care homes are just for those who have a Christian faith.

Yes – we welcome applications from married couples. Arrangements vary from home to home, and specific information is available from each home.

Our housing schemes all cater for couples, subject to availability.

The best way to arrange a visit is to get in touch with the home or housing scheme that you’re interested in directly. You can telephone the home or scheme and ask to speak to the Manager or you can email the home and someone will call you back at a time that is convenient to you.

Prior to admission, our residents receive a full and comprehensive care needs assessment. The aim of this assessment is to identify what the individual care needs are and ensure that we are able to meet these needs. There is also a trial period so you can decide if you wish to make this your permanent home and we can continue to develop your care plan.

The cost of your care will depend on the care home and the level of your care needs. When you make an enquiry about living with us the Home Manager will be able to advise you about approximate costs once your care needs have been assessed.

Yes. We are a family at Pilgrims’ Friend Society and as such we try to find out about all our residents so that we can celebrate special occasions with them, including birthdays, wedding anniversaries and other special occasions. We also celebrate religious festivals and other special dates in history etc.

Activities include anything from craft including card making, cooking and painting to recreations such as music and movement, musical expression and pampering. We encourage residents to stay active and can support with exercises to various levels including chair exercises. Our homes employ an Activities Co-ordinator or Activity Facilitator who oversee the social life at the home and welcome residents’ input into the social diary.

Yes, your personal items will be collected, laundered, and returned to you.

Although all rooms are fully furnished, we believe it is important that residents enjoy a feeling of homeliness, so you are encouraged to personalise your room with your own belongings. The Manager and Maintenance Officer will support you, to ensure the room is big enough for your belongings and it will be safe for you to move around.

Most of our homes have en-suite facilities, and you can find specific information from each home.

Yes, all those who live with us have their own bedroom. If requested, you may have a key for your door, and we supply lockable space in each room.

Most of our homes have facilities for visitors to stay overnight, there is a daily charge for this service, which your manager will duly advise.

Relatives and friends are very welcome to visit any time during the day and participate in events. There is also the option, by prior arrangement, to purchase a meal for your visitor if their visit is during a mealtime. We also allow evening visiting and overnight when residents are unwell and would value the support of a relative, particularly when a residents is at the end of their life. We provide communication with families that are unable to visit via Skype/video call telephone calls wherever possible.

All homes have a Catering Manager who develop the menus with consultation from the residents. The Catering team are on duty seven days a week and freshly prepare the meals daily. You may ask for a sample menu when you inquire about the home should you wish.

We are as much concerned about the spiritual welfare of our residents as their physical and emotional wellbeing. For many of those living with dementia in our homes their faith continues to be very important to them, so we make a special effort to ensure they receive the spiritual input they need, either through the services in our homes or on a one-to-one basis. We have developed resources for our Activity Facilitators to ensure that we develop church services for those residents living with dementia, ensuring we facilitate every individual’s wishes. You can read more about our approach to dementia care here.

Yes, we have a Pilgrims’ Friend Society Dementia Lead who oversees our training for all staff and she is available to support the homes with any advice or further training.

If you become ill in the home, a visit from your GP will be made and if you need to go to hospital, arrangements will be made subject to consultation with yourself or your Power of Attorney. In case of emergency, all our homes have a 24 hour emergency call-out service should you fall ill outside of office hours.

This would normally be done by yourself or your family but if asked then we have a list of local health professionals and will help you register with the relevant service as and when required. In cases where you are unable to travel, a home appointment may be possible.

Yes if the care home is in the GPs catchment area but arrangements for GPs and care homes differ around the country. You can find out more from the home.

Yes, each care plan covers everything relating to the individual's personal care, including their social interests, hobbies and spiritual and cultural needs. The plans are regularly reviewed by residents/their representatives and named senior staff, to monitor the need for changes and to ensure that your needs are being met.

If your care needs change over time, our care team will work with you and/or your representative(s) to adapt your care package, to ensure you receive the right level of care and continue to enjoy life to the full- this is reviewed every three months as part of your care plan. If your care goes beyond what we can safely deliver we will support you to move to a suitable home which can deliver the level of care you require ongoing, this will be done with the support of your Registered Care Manager.

To find out about opportunities to volunteer in your local care home, you will need to contact the home directly, who will be happy to talk you through the process of becoming a volunteer. The administrator or activity facilitator can then arrange to send a pack out or meet with you at the home to discuss further and look at your training needs etc.

You can read more about volunteering with us here.

No. There is a ‘genuine occupational requirement’ for senior staff to be Christians as our care homes are intrinsically Christian, providing Christian care. Care and other domestic staff are often Christians but there is no legal requirement for them to be Christians.

All senior staff, including the Registered Manager, must have a relevant qualification in either social care, nursing or housing. There are different categories of carers, some require a qualification in care and a minimum level of experience, whilst others coming in at the entry level do not require any qualification or experience as training is provided on the job. Non-qualified carers are always supervised whilst carrying out caring tasks and have to complete the Care Certificate within their induction period.