Whitby's Peregrine House celebrates 30 year milestone

Relatives and local friends joined in the party to mark thirty years of excellence in care at the home when owners Dr Kevin O’Sullivan and Theresa O’Sullivan were VIPs for the day, given the red carpet treatment by Registered Manager Joe Bowman and the staff of Peregrine House.

Joe explained “We wanted to give a huge thank you to Kevin and Theresa, whose dedication, love, and vision have shaped Peregrine into the warm, caring home it is today.

“For three decades, they’ve led with heart, compassion, and excellence — creating a true family for residents, staff, and everyone who walks through our doors.

“From our humble beginnings to the thriving home we are today, we couldn’t be prouder of how far we’ve come — and we’re just as excited for what’s ahead.”

Originally built in 1890 as a large Victorian private residence, Peregrine House has undergone significant development since the O’Sullivans first took on the building on Upgang Lane in Whitby, not far from West Cliff.

Significant refurbishment and extension work was undertaken and formally opened by the Marquis of Normanby in May 2011.

New resident bedrooms were built with state of the art en-suite facilities and existing bedrooms brought up to date.

Importantly for the care of dementia patients in particular, the new build created an internal secure courtyard and enclosed garden.

Its design also provided a new entrance and reception, staff/training room, a laundry, a large specially-equipped assisted bathroom and two dry storage rooms.

Since then a recent development project has provided further bedrooms, along with the provision of larger, enhanced lounge and dining room space on the ground floor

Alongside general residential care support, Peregrine House has become known for its specialist dementia care.

Under the rigorous stewardship of the O’Sullivans, the first 30 years of Peregrine House has achieved some significant accolades.

In 2012, former Resident Manager Alison Bedford was awarded Care Home Registered Manager of the year at Great British Care Awards.

The O’Sullivans themselves were finalists in the Great Yorkshire & Humberside Care Awards for Employer of the Year in 2014, and in 2016 Peregrine House became the first care home in the UK to be award Outstanding (5 stars) across all the rating categories following an unannounced inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The team has also achieved an Investors in People Gold Award.

Dr. Kevin O’Sullivan said “It’s been wonderful to celebrate three decades at Peregrine House with our staff, residents, family and friends today.

“Our mantra has always been that we want to treat people – both residents and staff - as we would wish to be treated ourselves and we’ve been truly blessed with an amazing team who are carrying that ethos forward.”