St Margarets

A real home has as much personality as the people that fill it. That’s why we’ve made St Margaret’s a place you’d be proud and happy to live in – just as you would your own home.

Close to a number of parks and golf courses, and with great access to local amenities, St Margaret’s is a warm and inviting residence in Newington, close to all that Edinburgh has to offer. With 60 bedrooms divided between our nursing and dementia care units, we think carefully about the type of room each resident needs.

Our bedrooms are set across three floors, and each floor has its own living and dining rooms, meaning peace and quiet is never far away. All furnishings and decor throughout the home are of an exceptionally high standard. We also have a large main garden with raised flower beds accessed from the ground, and two patio gardens used by residents on the first and second floors with fantastic views of Arthur Seat and Salisbury Crags.

We understand that moving into St Margaret’s will be a considerable transition, but one we try to make feel as easy as possible. By helping you arrange your room just the way you like, or bringing you your daily newspaper, we’ll do the little things that make the biggest difference.

OUR FACILITIES

• All en-suite rooms with

• walk-in showers

• All single rooms

• Flat-screen TVs

• Quiet lounges and dining rooms

• Assisted bathrooms

• Hairdressing salon

• Nurse call points in all rooms

• Computer facilities

• Wi-Fi internet

• Lifts

• Large garden

• Two patio gardens

• Minibus

We have 60 light and airy bedrooms set across three floors. The rooms are a variety of sizes and some have their own private balconies or patio doors onto the garden. All the rooms are ensuite with a fully equipped wet room, but for residents who find bathing difficult, or prefer a bath, there are three bathrooms within the home where full assistance can be provided. 

All our rooms are furnished to the highest specifications with your comfort in mind, and each room has an individual décor. Your bedroom furniture consists of: an appropriate bed suitable to your needs, wardrobe, three drawer chest, bedside table with lockable drawer, over-bed table, armchair and other furniture suitable to the size of the room.

All of our bedrooms have Wi-Fi access, nurse call points and the option to have a private phone line installed. 

We understand that moving into St Margaret's will be a considerable transition, but one we try to make feel as easy as possible. Your room is your own personal space, which is why we encourage you to personalise it if you like, by hanging your favourite pictures or bringing small pieces of furniture.

We’re a diverse group, from different backgrounds and with different roles, but we all have something fundamental in common – every single one of us is passionate about care.

From our Home Manager, Carol Jones, and the care team to our chefs and receptionists, we are always on hand to help, but with enough empathy to know when to leave you be. We're people who don’t have favourites, and who are always busy creating the little moments of kindness that make a real difference to life here.

As well as our in-house team of carers and nurses, GPs and other care and support professionals are on call to provide services, should they be needed at any time.

Care Homes no longer work on 'staff ratios'. brighterkind homes take pride in providing a higher level of personalised care for all our residents and have in place a suitably qualified, competent and skilled team to meet people’s care and treatment needs. Your Home Manager will discuss the level of care you require before you move in.

When you arrive at St Margaret's, we will work with you to develop a personalised care plan that will include everything from your hobbies, exercise, and dietary preferences, to any health issues you might have. It will determine the level and type of care you receive. This can vary from minimal residential care to full nursing support.

Our nurses are all very experienced and highly qualified. They come from a range of backgrounds, including one who worked as a nurse in A&E. This means that they can provide a very supportive structure for the team. Our Deputy is a registered nurse and provides Clinical Governance for the home.

Don’t worry, if your needs or preferences change, we’ll change your care plan too.

At St Margaret’s, we love our food. We firmly believe that when you eat well, you live well too. This is a core part of our brighterkind philosophy of care, centring on good nutrition and the importance of mealtimes as a social occasion.

Each day our chef prepares restaurant-style meals combining variety with a balanced diet and an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients. And we can cater to any dietary or health requirements, however complex.

There is a dining room on each floor – spaces that always become a hub of conversation and laughter, and which give even our more frail residents a chance to come together and socialise. Whether it’s tea and cakes in the garden or a roast each Sunday, we encourage our residents to make the most of living in a friendly environment. There will be plenty of people to meet, and a lot of stories to share.

Of course, when, where and who you eat with is entirely up to you. Friends and family can join you as often as you’d like (at a small charge). There are snack boxes available 24 hours a day and our extras menu gives you the option to order what you want at any time.

A willingness to get involved and try new things is something we see time and again, once people are given the opportunity. We have a specific recreation and activities coordinator who oversees everything, but all our staff regularly brainstorm new ideas, too. And our residents vote on their suggestions at our monthly activity meetings, so we can be sure everyone’s looking forward to something, every day.

Activities vary each week: from our many music and dance related activites to bowling, shopping and trips into the city. And everything’s flexible. If it’s sunny we try and get outside, so everyone can appreciate the best of the day.

We also have lots of one-to-one activity sessions, especially for residents with dementia, engaging them with life story books and memory boxes as well as pastimes, music and films which they remember as a link to their past.

We’ve built excellent links to the community, and receive regular visits from local church groups, animal handlers, and musicians, as well as taking residents out on our minibus to various activities and events.

Every brighterkind home now has a Magic Moments Club which provides a vast range of activities and fun things to do that are open to all of our residents:

Will I be able to bring my pet?

This completely depends on the type of animal. We may be able to accommodate smaller animals, so will have a chat with you about it first to see if it’s possible. Visitors are welcome to bring pets into the home.