Welcome to
Cheriton Care Home
8-10 Weymouth Avenue, Dorchester DT1 2EN
New care enquiries: 01305 265 365
All other calls: 01305 265 365
Cheriton Care Home in Dorchester, Dorset
Cheriton, our care home in Dorchester, is a real home-from-home in the heart of Dorset’s county town. Comprising Badbury House and Maumbury House, we offer high-quality, affordable residential, respite, reablement and dementia care.
We respect all our residents – their dignity, their space, and their right to make personal choices in care. Each resident is different, and we offer a range of activities and menu options so every person feels happy, stimulated and cared-for.
As well as caring for our residents we care about their families too. Our door is always open for a chat, and our families’ forum gives relatives a way to support each other.
Friends and family members are welcome to visit at any time, and there’s always tea and coffee on hand.
About our home
Residents of our residential nursing care home have everything they need here. After a £½ million refurbishment programme, Cheriton is fully equipped to deal with a range of needs and requirements.
We want it to feel like home so we’ve taken care and time to furnish our communal rooms so they’re comfortable and welcoming. We have four lounges and two dining rooms. It means there’s plenty of space for group activities, or somewhere to find a quieter spot.
Residents and visitors are welcome to use the free Wi-Fi. And there’s an iPad for residents and visiting families to use. Skype calls work really well.
Visitors often bring in their own devices. They use our Wi-Fi to show loved ones videos and photos, and to play games. And our Wi-Fi has proved very popular with the children of visiting families!
Our bedrooms
We have 70 bedrooms, with a range of room sizes, including some able to accommodate couples.
We have ground floor rooms with direct access to the garden or our courtyard and first floor rooms that are fully accessible, by stairs or a lift.
Some of our rooms have en-suites and others have en-suite wet rooms, which make showering easier. The rooms without en-suites have accessible toilets, bathrooms or wet rooms within easy reach.
We encourage our residents to personalise their rooms with their own photos and furniture.
Personal possessions help residents feel at home, and provide extra stimulation and time for reminiscence. They also give our staff an important understanding of a resident’s history and what’s important to them.
Each bedroom’s front door is a different colour and style, which makes it more recognisable.
Our garden
We have a secure enclosed garden where residents can join in outdoor activities or simply enjoy being outside. The garden has level access, a lawn area and a patio. Each bedroom with direct garden access has a patio table, chairs and planters outside their door.
Members of our gardening club discuss and decide on new planting they’d like to see in the garden.
Our residents love watching the wildlife that comes into the garden. We have a communal bird table and feeders, which attracts robins, finches and blackbirds (and the occasional squirrel). Many residents have bird feeders outside their rooms, too.
But perhaps our most popular garden resident is Trott the tortoise. Trott belongs to a member of staff and comes to spend the summer at Cheriton. While Trott has the run of the garden, he loves to spend time with Pete the gardener.
We also have a courtyard where you can always find a sunny or shady spot to sit and listen to the fountain.
Staff training
All our staff go on an intensive three-day Agincare training course before starting at Cheriton.
We use an online care planning tool. It gives our staff immediate real-time access to residents’ likes, dislikes and care information on a handset. A care worker can easily keep track of a resident’s day, including medication, repositioning, hydration and how much they’ve eaten.
We really value the strong professional relationships we’ve developed. These span our local district nurses, GPs, dieticians, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physios and pharmacies.
Social activities
We’re lucky to have two activities co-ordinators – one, who works with people one-to-one, spending time with them in their own rooms, and another, who organises the group activities.
Being part of the local community is important to us, so the people we care for are connected, not isolated. Our local reverend comes into Cheriton on the first Monday of every month.
We also have links with a local Dorchester pre-school. Each Wednesday children visit us to play games, and sing songs and nursery rhymes.
Four-legged and feathered friends are always welcome, too. We love it when visitors bring their pets in. Barclay the golden retriever visits every Friday and can always be sure of plenty of cuddles and treats.
We also have regular ‘pet therapy’ sessions. We’ve welcomed kittens, owls, rabbits, even alpacas!
We welcome all sorts of musical entertainers, including singers, ukulele-players and interactive musicians getting our residents involved with percussion, and singalong leaders.
Other activities in a week could include:
- Exercise classes
- Arts and crafts
- Manicures and beauty treatments
- Hair-dressing
- Bingo
- Baking and then eating!
We also get out and about as much as we can in the minibus, visiting our beautiful county.
Food and nutrition
Good, wholesome home-cooked food is essential at a care home. Our two talented chefs cook with locally-sourced ingredients as much as possible.
We cater for all dietary needs, from Coeliac and gluten-free, to vegetarian and vegan. Often, our residents with dementia will have finger foods, as they find it easier to eat in this way.
Our chefs always ask for feedback from our residents, and are more than willing to adapt menus. Our kitchen staff have received a 5* ‘Very Good’ rating from the Food Standards Agency.
We serve three main meals a day and mealtimes are really important. We encourage our residents to eat together as there are so many social and nutritional benefits. However, people can choose to eat their meals in private too, if they prefer.
We have picture and written menus. However, we always re-offer before serving, to check our residents haven’t changed their minds about what they’d like to eat.
Read more about food and nutrition in our care homes.
Our Staff
I’m really proud of our staff and how warm, friendly and compassionate they are – whichever role they’re in. They all really enjoy hearing residents’ stories and getting to know each person as an individual. We have a strong team spirit and take great pride in our roles as health professionals.
No two days are the same here at Cheriton, and that’s what makes being here so interesting and fulfilling. Essentially our aim is for our residents to live as independently as possible, with someone on hand to help them.
Denise Chrippes
Tour our Dorchester care home
- 71 individually refurbished rooms
- Delicious home-cooked meals
- Close to town centre
- En-suite in many rooms
- Highly-trained care staff
- No set visiting times
- Rooms with patio doors to the garden
- 24-hour care and support
- Car parking and disabled access
Frequently asked questions
Where is the care home located in Dorchester?
We're located in the heart of Dorchester, close to Brewery Square and all the town's amenities. Our location in the centre of Dorset means Cheriton is really easy to get to. We’re within easy reach of the A35 and both train stations. And we’re right on the bus route to and from Weymouth.
What are the care home costs?
We offer quality care at a competitive price with fees starting from £810 per week. The exact cost will depend on your care needs and choice of room.
Complete our care home cost calculator to receive a more accurate guide to the weekly care costs for your three nearest homes.
Quoted costs include accommodation, personalised care, all meals, laundry and a range of activities. Funding may be available.
How are you keeping safe during Covid?
We are doing everything in our power to keep residents and staff safe during Covid.
The CQC assessed how Cheriton Care Home was managing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020 and produced a Summary Record report. Positive responses were recorded for each question.
Are you able to accept care home visits?
Yes, we are delighted to be able to welcome visitors back into our home. Our care home visiting policy is based on a strict protocol and risk assessment that takes into account the individual circumstances of each home.
Types of care we provide
