Locations > Lavender Lodge
Lavender Lodge
Residential Care
Support for
- Mild to moderate learning disabilities
- Autism
- Mental health conditions such as schizophrenia, OCD, bipolar, personality disorders, depression, anxiety
Typical stay
Mostly long-term due to the age of current residents.
Typical admission circumstances
Many of our admissions come from other residential homes or family homes where individuals can no longer be supported.
Exclusions
Individuals requiring hoisting, substance addiction.
Registered Manager: Natalie Galvani
Features
Property
- 2 storey house
Shared living spaces
- Lounge and dining area
- Kitchen and laundry
- Conservatory and garden
- Summer house
Bedrooms
- 2 on ground floor
- 7 on first floor
- Single occupancy
- 4 shared bathrooms/wet rooms
Lavender Lodge
390 Hatfield Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0DU
Located in the picturesque town of St Albans in Hertfordshire, Lavender Lodge is a comfortable and spacious residential home that offers first-rate 24-hour care for up to nine adults, male and female. The people in our care at Lavender Lodge have a learning disability, often with accompanying secondary mental health conditions; others solely have a mental health diagnosis.
PAMMS rating: Excellent
Our service
Our care is person-centred and tailored to motivate and encourage individuals to achieve their greatest potential and live happy and fulfilled lives.
We support our residents to develop their skills, gain confidence, and where appropriate, move towards a more independent setting.
Maintaining a safe and happy environment
While we can support individuals aged 18 plus, our current residents are between 40 and 65. We always consider the dynamic of the existing residents when considering a new admission, ensuring that there is a good fit and maintaining a balanced, happy environment.
Balancing independence with care
Our focus is on encouraging residents to develop skills to be as independent as possible in matters such as medication, nutrition, finances, social interaction, and self-care. However, our excellent team at Lavender Lodge is always on hand to support residents night and day.
Medication
The Lavender Lodge team can support with prescribed medication, and community nurses, GPs, and psychiatric teams are accessible should changes in physical or mental health needs arise.
Mobility
Most of our residents are relatively mobile, but help can be given with transferring. We can support residents with personal care.
Accessing the community
We provide the right level of support to enable residents to access the local community and its amenities while helping them develop their skills to integrate with the local community independently. Some of our residents have progressed to going into the town centre alone.
Reviews and progression
Regular reviews of care and support with the individual and their loved ones are a principal element of life at Lavender Lodge.
For those who achieve greater independence, there is the opportunity to progress to a supported living arrangement, such as that provided at Nouvita’s Windsor House.
Visiting
We actively encourage residents to have regular contact with their next of kin, friends, and relatives with an open-door policy and supported visits to family.
"Rachel is so lucky to have a staff team that really understands her and enables her to be as independent as possible. You are all an amazing team for always going the extra mile."
Activities programme
We are proud of our success in organising community trips and short breaks. We have had holidays to Norfolk, canal trips on a barge, and a meal and night away at an Abba tribute night! We also participate in Nouvita’s monthly fishing club.
Back at Lavender Lodge, we run a programme of activities, including arts and crafts, pamper sessions, pool, and cooking classes, designed to help residents to achieve independence, social interaction, healthy living, and self-care. We have a session with a personal trainer once a week to help keep us fit and healthy, and while the staff prepare delicious and nutritious meals, the residents are encouraged to help prepare breakfast and lunch.
Their voice, their choice
Residents are supported to have an active role in the home’s day-to-day running and have their say in how the services are delivered. This ranges from recruiting new staff and holding residents’ meetings to planning menus and the social calendar.
Facilities
Lavender Lodge is a large and welcoming home. We have two bedrooms on the ground floor and seven on the first floor, all single occupancy. We have four wet rooms/bathrooms throughout the house.
The homely environment offers a comfortable lounge, dining area, well-equipped kitchen, laundry room, conservatory, summer house, and a good-sized rear garden.
“Overall, the medication management is excellent at both care homes and I would like to congratulate the team on their hard work.”
St Albans
We are in St Albans, which has excellent transport links, giving us access to fantastic shopping, leisure facilities, restaurants, libraries, parks, and historic Roman sites.
Staff & Training
We are fortunate at Lavender Lodge to have experienced staff with specialist skills to support individuals with learning disabilities and mental health conditions.
All our staff receive regular supervision and training to ensure they provide the right level of care to every individual and are aligned with changing needs and current best practices.
Beyond the induction and foundation training, staff are provided advanced training to meet the specific needs of the residents they support. We also have champions in areas such as safeguarding and falls and frailty.
“Excellent detailed support plan in place, staff friendly, and went beyond to provide information that was requested. Person-centred support is provided to service users, especially accessing the community, planning trips and holidays.”