Care home courting Charedim

THE JEWISH care home in Newcastle, Philip Cussins House, is looking to attract residents from the Charedi population in Gateshead by appointing a shomer from the Gateshead Kashrut Authority.

A new inspection report from the Care Quality Commission maintains the home’s status as good overall and in all five inspection categories.

In light of the shrinking Newcastle community, the 21-capacity facility accepts non-Jews and they account for almost half the current occupancy of 17.

But local solicitor Martin Levinson, who chairs the Philip Cussins trustees, sees Gateshead as an untapped market, hence the recruitment of the shomer.

“We want to attract residents who in the past would not eat in the home [on kashrut grounds],” he said.

“Although Gateshead has a lot of its own infrastructure, there is not a home for the elderly.”

Philip Cussins House was opened in the late 1990s following the closure of the Joel Intract home in Sunderland because of dwindling demand.

Its residents are a mix of fee-paying and council funded and the home has retained its Jewish ethos.

Although it does not offer nursing care, “we try to keep people with us for as long as possible”, Mr Levinson stressed.

With diminishing funding for the local authority-supported residents, “the amount we have to subsidise has increased so we rely on the generosity of past and present community members.

“But the love for the home is imbued in the community and there are a large number of volunteers who come in on a regular basis. We are debt-free and have substantial reserves.”

He added that the latest positive CQC report reflected “the quality of our staff, whose support for the residents is second to none. Some have been with us for over 15 years. We have an impressive retention record.”

The trustees had also demonstrated a willingness to invest in ongoing refurbishment and improvements.