January 2016 Issue 15
Preparing for the New Year Bridge Haven Care Home Refurbishment
Farewell to a Friend and Colleague Christmas Celebrations 20 Years Dedicated Service Stepahead Support Family Mediation
Preparing For The New Year Wishing all our staff, Service Users, Families and Stakeholders a Happy New Year for 2016. Avante Care & Support is preparing for the New Year in a number of ways to ensure we remain a strong player in the social care market. Firstly, we continue prioritising the importance of achieving good outcomes with CQC grading’s on inspection. We have now had the majority of our services inspected in 2015, with ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’ gradings achieved in more than half of these inspections. In 2016 we are looking for our remaining services to achieve this benchmark to reflect service excellence.
During the early part of 2016 a new Care Plan will be piloted within both our registered care and home care services, reflecting on the learning gained in 2015 from inspections and identify good practice. This will be underpinned by new and simplified policies such as supervision practice, to ensure our continued model of delivery remains strong with well supported staff teams. From April, new pay arrangements will come into force, with all employees paid to meet (and where possible) exceed the Government new National Living Wage requirements. Finalised pay rates for 2016/17 we hope to confirm in March following our Board approval, but Avante fully recognise the need for pay levels to be as competitive as possible
to encourage the positive contributions of our workforce. At the same time I am pleased to see the progress made at our larger homes to adapt and change shift patterns. This is benefiting the delivery of service as well as giving greater flexibility to the working patterns of our workforce. During January and as part of the restructuring of the business we said goodbye to Hevercourt and Barton Court, with both homes purchased by a family run business. Whilst we are sad to see these homes leave our portfolio, the monies received will be used for investment in some of our other homes. With Bridge Haven building works now complete, works have commenced at Parkview to make improvements, with further plans in 2016/17 for investment at Pilgrims View, Weybourne and Court Regis. The completion of improvements at Bridge Haven
are great to see with an excellent environment now created. All must go to the work of Home Manager Ian Chandler and his team for moving the home forward in the past few weeks. During January, Sarah Geoghegan has been appointed as the new Home Manager for Parkview. Sarah brings a wealth of operational and regulatory experience and I am sure you will all make her feel most welcome as part of the team. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible as I visit services in the coming weeks.
Mark LLoyd Managing Director
A great start to the New Year Conyngham Lane, Bridge, Canterbury CT4 5JX Bridge Haven care home in Bridge near Canterbury, has recently undertaken the final stage of its refurbishment programme. The central core area has been refurbished and is now complete together with the redecoration of corridors, new bedroom front doors, electronic access door control system and a new nurse-call system. The whole home has been greatly refreshed and has a high class feel across all areas. Previously the home had been refurbished in areas to include a new suite of bedrooms with en-suite facilities and the garden landscaped to include a tea cabin called ‘Gregory’s Tea Room’ (In memory of late resident Mr. Gregory). The home has now completed its final stage of refurbishment, completely transforming many areas of the home to a state of the art facility.
The work not only refreshes the core areas of Bridge Haven, but also incorporates a high tech cinema room, for residents to sit back and watch their favourite films with friends and family. The reception area at the front of the home, a nice quiet area where families often sit with loved ones when visiting, has also been revamped for visitors and residents to enjoy refreshments and snacks from the coffee lounge area. The final phase of the refurbishment programme started in July 2015 which also saw Ian Chandler the newly appointed Home Manager join Bridge Haven. Ian is a resourceful manager with over 31 years’ experience within residential care settings. Ian has been employed by a variety of private and independent providers including Priory Healthcare, Southern Cross Healthcare and Friends Therapeutic Community Trust. Ian’s qualifications include: Certificate in Group Analysis, Working Psycho-dynamically in
residential settings, RMA, NVQ Management and Leadership, Health and Safety Level 3 CIEH, Challenging Behaviour / ADHD / ASD / Mental Health and Train the Trainer in both Dementia Care and Safe Guarding. Ian has a proven ability to lead and build a highly motivated staff team, balanced with an ability to support, enthuse and motivate residents to reach their full potential. Bridge Haven is a 53 bedded home that provides residential care, day care and short term respite care for those living with dementia. The home is situated in the picturesque village of Bridge surrounded by rolling countryside, yet only a few miles away from the Cathedral City of Canterbury. Family members are very much involved at the home which Bridge Haven welcomes and invites families to feedback their comments and views.
“All the staff are very caring at Bridge Haven. I visit on a regular basis and at different times throughout the week, yet I am always greeted with the same high level of service and kindness which reassures me that my husband is being well looked after.” Bridge Haven has been developed to a high standard ensuring living with dementia doesn’t get in the way of an active life. If you are looking for care and support for a friend or loved one living with dementia, either short term respite care or residential care, Bridge Haven can help. But don’t just take our word for it, for more information on Bridge Haven or to arrange a viewing please call Home Manager Ian Chandler on 01227 831607 or visit our website www.avantecare.org.uk
Green Fingers at Amherst Court Rene Hunn enjoyed some time gardening along with Steve (Maintenance Technician), weeding the raised flower beds and preparing the soil for replanting. Rene loves her time in the garden saying “It’s good to get on, even in the cold”. Rene even has her very own gardening coat, provided by Steve.
Sarah Geoghegan joins Parkview care home as the new Home Manager. Sarah joined Parkview at the beginning of January and brings with her a wealth of experience in the social care sector. Upon joining Parkview Sarah said; “I've worked in the health and social care sector for over 12 years. I also bring with me a wealth of regulatory experience from other settings. I believe the ingredients for a good care home are kind and attentive staff, a warm and friendly environment where residents are at the heart of the care provided”. Welcome to the team Sarah.
Amherst Court Christmas Celebrations Over Christmas Annie Love performed at Amherst Court’s Christmas Party, which was held in the dining areas of the suites. Everyone really enjoyed themselves and got into the Christmas spirit. There was plenty of dancing (especially to the ‘Hokey Cokey’) and quite a few sing-alongs. Nancy even did a duet with Annie of ‘Knees up Mother Brown’. Win Langton said “I haven’t had this much fun in ages” and Joyce Wyatt said “I do love a good party!”.
Farewell to a dear friend and colleague Jane Wendy Wiltshire
It is with great sadness in November 2015 we said goodbye to Jane Wiltshire, Home Manager at Pilgrims View for the last time, after Jane lost a long and brave fight against cancer. Jane will be remembered for her kind and gentle personality, always willing to help and support both residents and staff. Jane began her career as a Care Service Assistant in May 1992 at the New Close (now Bridge Haven) in Canterbury. From her early days Jane’s career took off with her gaining the post of Team Leader, a first line supervisory role and then to a relief Assistant Manager position at the New Close. During these years Jane gained additional care, supervisory and management qualifications. In 2001 an opportunity arose for Jane, when she was seconded to Bexley as a Team Leader shortly after the Local Authority homes in Bexley transferred to KCHT in 2000. Jane then joined Kent Community Service Ltd as a relief Assistant Manager working on the bank during 2001 in Kent and Bexley to gain more experience. This effort paid off, because in November 2002 Jane was successful in applying for a promotion at the New Close placing her in her first management role as a full-time Assistant Manager. In 2003 she led the management team at the New Close in the position of ‘Acting Home Manager’ and there she remained until 2007 when she applied and was successful in becoming the Home Manager at Pilgrims View. Jane will forever be remembered and missed by her friends and colleagues at Avante Care & Support.
Parkview Care Home
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Santa’s Visit
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The Willows Day Care Centre
On 19th December The Willows day care centre celebrated Christmas with a party, attended by staff, family members and friends. (Pictured top right: Brenda Foord and her daughter Val both wearing their festive antlers!)
Jeannette Spooner, Activity Co-ordinator said; “We had a festive buffet for everyone to enjoy, plenty of Christmas themed music playing and a raffle with fancy prizes up for grabs! Lots of family members came along, and it proved to be a wonderful time for those that have joined us recently at the centre. Looking forward to our next party!� (Pictured bottom right: Norma Martin aong with her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter)
To find out more or download a copy of our Impact Report please visit:
Weybourne Christmas Lunch Residents at Weybourne care home were invited to Christmas Lunch on the 16th Of December, to St. Paul’s Academy just up the road from the home. The Academy also kindly donated £100 to the amenity fund and another £100 for an activity board. They also brought picture frames to the home as a personal gift for every resident to use. Everyone at Weybourne would like to say a big thank you to St. Paul’s Academy for their continued support and generosity!
The home was recently visited by Zoo Labs UK, who held a live animal/insect handling workshop for the residents with plenty of creepy crawlies!
Avante Care & Support Home Care workers awarded for over 20 years dedicated service Avante Care & Support believe in providing care and support services that put people first and recruit people to join the team, who are passionate about making a difference to the lives of those who use their services, contributing to their health, happiness and well-being. Everything Avante Care & Support do is about putting people first, and that includes delivering exceptional care and support for the vulnerable people in the local communities. Anne Philips (pictured left) and Anne Croucher (pictured right both pictured below have been part of the home care team for over 20 years and were recently recognised and awarded for their 20 years of dedicated service to home care at Avante Care & Support. Avante Care & Support is committed to developing its workforce to deliver the highest quality services to its customers. Staff undertake qualifications in Health and Social Care following the dementia pathway at Levels 2 and 3 and incorporate the organisation’s values and Philosophy of Care.
Anne Phillips Anne Philips aged 73, joined Avante Care & Support Home Care team back in November 1995 as a community care worker.
Previously she was a receptionist for a company that engineered parts for British Aerospace and Formula One racing. Anne had known since a young girl that she wanted to be involved in care in some way and often dreamt of being a nurse as a child. It was when her father sadly died that she realised she wanted to pursue a career in caring and help others. During Anne’s career at Avante Care & Support she has mainly worked out in the community but also spent time working in the office and became a Team Leader. Anne now works as the main lead on the out of hour’s service, covering the phone and ensuring all out of hours home care calls are managed efficiently.
“I have always loved being a home carer and have a lot of fond memories from my work, you need to have an open mind and at times expect the unexpected. Many years ago when I first started as a home carer one lady used to insist we sit out in her garden in all weathers, spotting various things ranging from people to birds and other wild life, the happiness it used to bring this lady meant that we did it every week!’’
Anne Croucher Anne Croucher has worked for Avante Care & Support for over 24 years and delivers home care on the Isle of Sheppey. Anne has been a carer for over 35 years in total as she previously worked as a volunteer providing care before joining the team at Avante Care & Support. Before working as a carer she was a hairdresser and also worked in a factory but realized these weren’t the types of jobs she wanted to pursue as a career.
”I have never looked at caring as a job I enjoy giving other people a better quality of life and making them feel special. Times have certainly changed since I first started caring and there is no way we would be able to do what we did back then, but we just seemed to get on with it as we didn’t know any different. The days before dinners were delivered into people’s home I was asked if during my calls to care for my clients, if I could deliver a Christmas dinner to each of them. This would have been fine but I was riding a push bike at the time!
Christmas greetings from Wolsley House Wolsley House provides supported housing for 12 residents with care is provided by the Erith branch of Home Care & Support. Carer Ros Griffin joined in with the Christmas spirit by donning her Father Christmas hat and enjoying Christmas lunch with the residents of Wolsley House, Crayford.
Looking back I’m not sure how I did it but I did, I can remember having hot Christmas dinners plated up in bags balancing off of my handle bars! May I say that every meal was delivered, hot and with not a drop of gravy spilt!” Sandra Killick Sandra has been a Community Carer with the Erith Branch for an amazing 25 years! She mainly covers the Sidcup area. Sandra in the early days of her career started work for Bexley Council and then Care Partners Trust until Avante Care & Support (originally known as KCHT) took over in 2009.
Lorraine Magee Lorraine has worked with the Erith Branch of Home Care & Support for 20 years. ............... From us all in Home Care & Support we would like to say a HUGE congratulations and one big thank you for all your dedicated service and we hope that you are with us for many more years to come.
Family Mediation Stepahead Support was founded in 1995 and has grown from a small service supporting young people in Gravesend to a multi-disciplinary service that supports children, young people and families across Kent and Medway. The support service provides emotional, practical and therapeutic support to young people and families in the community who are finding life’s problems difficult to overcome, or need support to move on in their lives. Many of the young people Stepahead supports have experienced significant challenges in their lives resulting in them having a heightened level of vulnerability. Stepahead provides these young people and families with a safe environment to explore their difficulties and identify their strengths, enabling them to increase their chances of leading a fulfilling life. The following testimonial is a perfect example of how staff at Stepahead Support have worked with a family in crisis supporting them to find solutions to their disagreements, enabling them to improve their relationships and regain a positive family life. The family have spoken openly on how Stepahead has helped and supported them and from this
they wanted to share their story to thank the staff at Stepahead but also more importantly to help others who may be approaching or in a similar family crisis that this family found themselves in.
“Approximately six months ago my family had hit rock bottom of a downward spiral, something that had been going downhill for quite some time, everything and everyone was out of control, unruly children, mainly a 12 now 13 year old child and divorce being on the cards for myself and my husband. Not knowing where to turn, or whom to turn to, we as parents believed the centre of our problem lied with our son and school. We were then referred to the early help team, a lovely lady came into our home and was trying her upmost to help, after so long believing that actually our family was beyond help we were then referred to Stepahead for some family mediation, me, myself was at a point where I was prepared to try anything, my husband not so sure, but he bit the bullet and agreed to give it a go. That is when Stella entered our madhouse we call home. Stella has been
a wonderful influence upon our family and worked with us. We tried what needed to be done, took it on the chin and listened with open minds and ears and took her advice on board and she listened intently to all sides, put up with our child’s sulks and soldiered on. Thank goodness Stella did, as our family has seen a new light, we have turned a corner and is now on a different path with different views. We have learnt so much about ourselves and to listen to each other, especially our child who we thought was the root of the issues it turns out we were wrong, very wrong and if it wasn’t for Stella we would never have figured this out. Turns out our child’s behaviour was a result of our behaviours as such, not listening to him and not letting him have a voice, punishing him for every little bad behaviour, so he was rebelling. We now know and understand this and have changed the way we parent him, he now has a voice, he is now listened to and his behaviour very quickly changed as a result, he is a different child.
Our point is for those who are sceptical about mediation, don’t knock it before you try it, it has helped our family tremendously and will continue to help many more families that find themselves in the situation we found ourselves in and those that find themselves working with Stella, you are very lucky people, she is a Godsend. From the bottom of our hearts thank you Stella for saving our family, thank you Stepahead for sending her our way, because if it were not for this team our family would no longer be, we would be another sad statistic. Thank you again Stella for bringing our family back to a much happier and settled place.”
If you would like to know more about Stepahead Support and the services it provides please call 01795 597432 for more information.
Staff benefitting from mindfulness training I cannot think of anyone who would not like to feel happier, more focussed and less stressed. With mindfulness often in the media, claiming to do all of these things, I was looking forward to attending a one day introduction to mindfulness training course. Last November, with my Young Healthy Mind colleagues, we met our trainer for the day, Cesare Saguato. As a Psychotherapeutic Counsellor and Mindfulness Instructor, you couldn’t help but notice Cesare was so calm that he was practically horizontal. With shoes taken off and sitting cross legged, you knew this wasn’t going to be a normal days training. In a nutshell, we discovered that mindfulness is about focussing ones attention on the present moment, paying attention to our thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations without judging them. Although interesting to find out about the origins of mindfulness in Buddhist practice, Cesare took us through numerous practical exercises so that we could gain first-hand experience. These included a mindfulness walking meditation and numerous guided sitting down meditations. It was interesting to see how you can practice mindfulness in any given situation, be it stuck in traffic, sitting in front of the computer or even washing up.
As an emotional health and wellbeing service working with 4 – 18 year olds it was fascinating to find out how we could use mindfulness to benefit those we work with. As a rigorously researched treatment for anxiety and depression, it can also help students deal with all types of stress including exam stress. More and more schools are embracing the benefits that mindfulness can bring to their students whilst there are even calls for it to be included in the school curriculum. What was clear to me at the end of the training, apart from feeling very relaxed, was that mindfulness can not only benefit the children and young people we are working with but also the staff supporting them. Our monthly team meetings now consist of a ten minute mindfulness session taken from www.headspace.com. I enjoy passing on some of the exercises we have been taught to those children and young people I am working with. It is very rewarding when they feedback how they have used mindfulness to overcome an anxious situation or to calm themselves when they are feeling angry. Celebrities who endorse the benefits of mindfulness include Will Young, Goldie Hawn and Ruby Wax. Ruby Wax even gained a Masters from Oxford in Mindfulness based cognitive therapy and her new book coming out soon is called ‘A mindfulness guide for the frazzled’. - Lisa Thatcher, Young Healthy Minds Support Worker. It you are interested in finding out more, useful websites include www.mindfulnessinschools.org/, www.leftbrainbuddha.com and www.themindfulnessinitiative.org.uk.