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What is Care Home Open Week?
Every year thousands of care homes open their doors to their local community as part of Care Home Open Week. This enables them to show how care home residents live and the kind of activities they do every day.
A huge amount of people have never even stepped inside a care home. Yet suddenly when their family member falls ill, they are faced with the daunting prospect of helping them choose a care home.
Care Home Open Week 2025, which runs from 16-22 June, is a chance for people to see for themselves what a care home is really like.
See the facilities and kind of care on offer
The move to a care home often needs to be done extremely quickly. So getting a look inside how a care home works and how residents live can really help. This can mean people choosing the care home will know the right questions to ask and what things to look for when selecting a home.
This year will see care homes hosting a whole range of events. The theme for this year is ‘Power of Music’. One of the events that care homes can run is a Big Music Quiz. There are downloadable resources for this which include picture rounds, music clips and musical bingo.
Care minister backs Care Home Open Week
The Minister of State of Health for Health and Social Care, Stephen Kinnock, is backing the initiative. Mr Kinnock will join over 90 MPs in visiting their local care home during Care Home Open Week.
He said: “During this Care Home Open Week, I want to personally thank each and every one of you working in care homes across the country. Your dedication, compassion and warmth make a real difference to the lives of so many people.
“Every day you go above and beyond to provide not only essential support but kindness and dignity to those who rely on you. You create vibrant communities in your care homes, helping residents to thrive.
“I wish you well this Care Home Open Week as you open your doors and show people the fantastic services you have to offer.”
Great British Care Cycle Relay
Care Home Open Week will be supported again by Championing Social Care’s Great British Care Cycle Relay. The Relay will take place a week ahead of Care Home Open Week, during 12-16 June. The Relay will cover around 500km in total. It will encompass five individual day-long cycle relays around different regions in the UK – Edinburgh, Wales, York, East Midlands and London. Each day, cyclists taking part in the Relay will cover a distance of 100kms.
Celebration of care homes
Mitesh Dhanak, board member of Championing Social Care and chair of the Care Home Open Week committee said: “Care Home Open Week is a fantastic opportunity to reposition the care sector in the public’s mind. The negative news agenda contrasts with the fantastic work being delivered by the care sector on a daily basis.
“It is an opportunity to invite local communities in to experience what warm, friendly and inviting spaces care homes are, and see for themselves the high standard of care our inspiring workforce deliver.”
You can search to see what care homes are taking part in the initiative on Care Home Open Week map.
Last year around a third of care homes in the UK took part in Care Home Open Week.
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