Cheers from Falkirk care home residents as they receive great Care Inspectorate report

But, thanks to the efforts of staff, their tipple didn’t have to only be tea or coffee because Burnbrae home recently had a proper bar installed. Instead they were able to say “cheers” with a glass of shandy or sherry in hand.

They also enjoyed the company of Falkirk football club’s great ambassador Alex Totten, who came along to officially launch the new amenity and share some of his stories from his lengthy career both on the pitch and in management.

The club legend also donated a photograph of himself with Sir Alex Ferguson and brought along a leather football that he and some of the residents could remember playing with in years gone by.

Some of the home’s young friends from Wellside Kindergarten also came along during the afternoon as part of an ongoing integration project between the nursery and care home where children and residents enjoying interacting.

Burnbrae manager Samantha Sheldon-Brown explained that the bar initiative was at the request of residents and staff had worked hard to install it to make the care home as homely as possible for those in their care.

She said: “I’d also like to thank all the staff for their hard work and dedication. This is shown in the great Care Inspectorate we received with three very good and two good evaluations for all we do.”

Falkirk Council-run Burnbrae enjoys a lovely setting overlooking Dollar Park. It provides care and support for up to 28 older people.

Split into four individual units over two floors, each of which has a combined lounge and dining room.

Inspectors found that staff “treated people with compassion, dignity and respect”, while those living in the home and their families were very happy with one relative noting “"it feels like a house rather than a care home".

They also found that there was a variety of activities for people to take part in; people's health needs were escalated to other health professionals when needed; and staff were keen to work with the new manager who had recently taken over before unannounced inspectors’ visit in July.

Residents spoke of how much they enjoyed the activities put on for them, with one saying they loved the visits from the nursery children.

Overall the inspectors noted that the staff “created a warm and nurturing environment for people”.