West Heanton Care Home: A Lockabox Case Study

About West Heanton Resedential & Domiciliary Care

The Lockabox team visited West Heanton Residential Care Home to see how the team uses Lockabox day to day. We wanted to understand their routines, the challenges they face, and how we could improve our products to better support care homes like theirs.

West Heanton is a small, family-run care home set in the countryside near Buckland Filleigh, Devon. It offers 28 residential rooms and 6 supported living suites. Its team of 120 staff also runs a domiciliary care fleet, delivering care across Torrington, Holsworthy, Hatherleigh and the surrounding villages. Surrounded by stunning rural views, the home combines traditional

Meeting Thomas Bond: 21 Years at the Helm

Thomas Bond warmly welcomed us. He's managed West Heanton for 21 years of the home's 31-year history, and his enthusiasm for the home and its residents was clear from the moment we arrived.

Harrison (Brand Marketing Specialist) and Peter (CEO) spent the afternoon with Tom, who gave us a tour of the home's facilities. When Peter asked what he was most proud of, Tom said:

"When you look around, you want to create a nice place for people. If I were older and sat here, this is how I'd want it."

Understanding Their Pain Points

Tom told us he'd struggled to find bathroom furniture and storage durable enough to last. Most bathroom storage is wooden and decays with exposure to damp. Even metal options corrode and rust over time. On top of that, he'd never been happy with the size of standard bathroom cabinets. They simply aren't built to withstand the daily wear and tear of a busy care home.

He explained why this mattered: "The bathroom market always seems to be very generic, cheap rubbish. They don't do commercial."

We also discussed the wider challenges a rural care home faces. West Heanton sits miles from the nearest shops, with no public transport and nothing within walking distance. When something breaks or runs out, there's no popping out to replace it. Whatever's installed needs to work, and keep working, without constant intervention. That's why West Heanton

Seeing Lockabox in Action

During our visit, we watched the onsite groundsman install Lockabox One units live, fitting them to the underside of shelves. It gave us a firsthand look at how quickly and cleanly Lockabox fits into an existing space.

It was an innovative install, and it's given us scope to improve our products going forward. It also shows just how versatile our products can be.

The install also confirmed something important: Lockabox One can be worked into daily routines without disruption. For a team of 120 staff, spread across the home and the wider domiciliary care fleet, that ease of use matters just as much as durability.

Why It Matters

For care homes like West Heanton, durability and reliability aren't just conveniences; they're necessities. Being remote means there's no quick fix when things go wrong. And a large team, caring for residents across both the home and the wider community, needs storage that simply holds up.

Tom's frustration with the bathroom furniture market struck a chord. It's a gap we don't think has been properly solved yet, and it's exactly the kind of challenge we want to work on directly with the care homes facing it. That's why we're continuing to work with West Heanton, drawing on what they've taught us to shape how we support care homes going forward.

Partner With Lockabox

Stories like Tom's are exactly why we do this. Maybe you want to equip your home with Lockaboxes today. Or maybe you're facing the same battle with bathroom furniture and want a seat at the table as we develop something better. Either way, we're keen to hear from care homes on the front line.

Get in touch with the Lockabox team today to start the conversation.