The Caremark Corner May 2014
Five Minutes With Caremark (Wokingham & Bracknell) P.1 A Message From Anne O’Rourke P.2
FIVE MINUTES WITH BIPIN PATEL CAREMARK (WOKINGHAM AND BRACKNELL) Sue Hills Sue Hills
Bipin, what has been your career journey? Do I view my career as a journey or a destination? For me, a professional career is a destination. From the very start, the goal was to achieve a level of proficiency and stature in my chosen field of work. My aim was to attain a measurable goal and the goal was to start with a healthy foundation on which to build the vision for Caremark (Wokingham). By setting the target I was prepared to manage through changes as required. Focusing on this, a strong, rounded team was built to achieve the goal. Patience and timing played an important part in my progress towards my goal and reaching my destination.
Franchisee And Care Worker Of The Month P.3 “Fantastic Mr Fox” - Caremark’s New Mascot P.4 The Message In A Bottle Scheme P.5 Training Matters And Updates P.6 News From Around The Network P.7 More News On The Back Page P.8
What key things have you done to get where you are today? I always use a formula “PPEE”: Plan, Prepare, Execute and Evaluate. A Plan is very important in our business as we are in the service industry supplying a specialised workforce. Prepare for the balance which we need to strike: having the care staff ready with no customers is not ideal similarly having customers with no staff is disastrous.
Now, with the backing of a strong team I am able to look forward to new destinations and move ever onwards and upwards.
Execute the plan matching staff with the customers.
What do you most enjoy about working in the care sector?
Evaluate the complete procedure and then learn from it and implement change where necessary.
It is a challenging sector without a doubt. However, achieving quality outcomes for customers and staff gives me full and total satisfaction in my work. Our motto at Caremark (Wokingham) - “You Need to be Happy to Work Here” encourages everyone to have a positive attitude and the reason this is essential is that a “SMILE” contributes to 50% of the job!
What plans do you have for the future of your business?
What is the biggest challenge you face in your job on a day to day basis? All businesses have challenges. Our business is all about people (customers, care workers, social services, local authorities, families, doctors etc.). To please all at the same time is the biggest challenge and getting it spot on is a positive result and very rewarding when we do!
Finally it is very important to monitor the process and last but not least...
Having developed a strong dementia and learning disabilities team, we are on our way to the next destination – learning and educating the team to deliver care in various specialist areas such as heart and stroke care, cancer care, and diabetes care. We have learned that specializing in various fields results in happy, smiling customers.
What do you do in your free time? I enjoy golf twice a week, playing other sports and going to the gym. My chosen charity sees me working with underprivileged youth bringing them back into education through sports.
A MESSAGE FROM ANNE O’ROURKE MANAGING DIRECTOR
S
ummer is upon us, the evenings are getting longer and the optimism that often accompanies this time of year seems infectious. Change, growth and new projects, all synonymous with the season, are very much on the agenda here at Caremark.
So what has changed? Well firstly, I am delighted to announce that we have created a new staffing structure here at Head Office. This has been the result of months of discussion, analysis and review as well as the recent appointments of some additional staff. The aim of the restructure is to ensure that we have the right people, skills and expertise to continue to support a growing franchise network. We have an excellent team working here at Head Office, many with longevity and the knowledge and understanding that comes with that, and others with fresh eyes and new skills; all have experience and a commitment to provide the very best support. It is a winning formula! I wanted to harness all of this and utilise this in a staffing structure that will use our strengths to their best advantage whilst providing further opportunities for future development and training so that we continue to progress. The re-structure has gone ‘live’ during May with a month of handovers and you can find more details on the news item on the network site. We have also decided to hold another Mid-Year Event this summer. These national events have proven popular over the last few years and are a great opportunity to meet with your peers, network, share best practise and they also provide us with another platform from which to keep you abreast of the changes that we face both as an organisation and as an industry. There will be more information about this event soon but in the meantime please save the date of Thursday 14th August as we would love to see as many of your there as possible. Also this month, and as mentioned in the last newsletter, as a result of your feedback we have re-introduced a Consultative Group of regionally elected representatives who will meet with myself and Kevin on a regular basis to discuss topics that impact on the network. I am very pleased to welcome the following members to this group:
Colin Evans, Caremark (North Herts & Stevenage) who represents the London and Home Counties Region
Laura Reeves, Caremark (Mid Surrey) who represents the South and Eastern Region
Sanjay Pancholi, Caremark (Charnwood) who represents the North East Region
We look forward to meeting with you all soon. In light of this development the former Consultative Group has been renamed the Milestone Group and Kevin and I met with this group earlier in May and had another productive and informative meeting. These forums are a great way to communicate ideas and best practise and it is always inspiring to meet with you all at meetings, in your offices or at events. I attended the launch event for Caremark (Sutton) this month and was very inspired and very moved by the contributions that were made by customers, care and support workers and of course by Simon and Debbie Binner – well done to the team at Caremark (Sutton) and we wish you all the very best. The newsletter is full of information this month, so please take the time to read it and also any news items published on the network site. In particular there is an update on holiday pay that I know many of your have asked for and also there are many interesting and inspiring tales of the many things you all continue to achieve in your businesses. Well done!
ANNE
Platinum Club Well done to: Caremark (Aylesbury & Wycombe) Caremark (Redditch & Bromsgrove) Caremark (Barnsley) Caremark (East Riding) Caremark (Leeds) Caremark (Redcar & Cleveland) Who all achieved 2000 hours a week during the qualifying week in November and December 2013 and January 2014, as well as Franchisee of the Month winners: Caremark (North Herts & Stevenage) Caremark (Guildford & Woking)
Caremark (Barnsley) have been very active throughout Dementia Awareness Week 18– 24 May, posting on their web site each day 1 of the 8 Common Core Principles of Supporting People with Dementia. Principle 1: Know the early signs of dementia. Principle 2: Early diagnosis of dementia helps people receive information, support and treatment at the earliest possible stage. Principle 3: Communicate sensitively to support meaningful interaction. Principle 4: Promote independence and encourage activity. Principle 5: Recognise the signs of distress resulting from confusion and respond by diffusing a person's anxiety and supporting their understanding of the events they experience. Principle 6: Family members and other carers are valued, respected and supported just like those they care for and are helped to gain access to dementia care advice. Principle 7: Managers need to take responsibility to ensure members of their team are trained and well supported to meet the needs of people with dementia. Principle 8: Work as part of a multi-agency team to support the person with dementia.
Caremark (Coventry) We look forward to celebrating with you at Malmaison, Birmingham on 3rd June 2014 Winners in the February to July qualifying period will be announced later this summer with an event to follow in the Autumn. P2
Don't wait, see how you could become a 'Dementia Friend' http://www.dementiafriends.org.uk/
Franchisee of the Month
Care Worker of the Month
Congratulations to Mohammad Nazmul Hasan Caremark (Newcastle upon Tyne) for winning the award for May. Nazmul will be receiving his certificate and an invitation to the next Platinum Club event.
Congratulations to Claire Lawton, Caremark (Redcar & Cleveland) for winning May’s Care Worker of the Month award.
The nominations for Franchisee of the Month for May were: Claire Meade (Bradford) Caremark (Bradford) are nominated for achieving an outstanding and very well deserved CQC report which was followed up by an amazing 100% score in her Caremark file audit. It comes on the back of a lot of hard work over the last 12 months —not just from Claire but from the whole team who have kept each other supported and motivated. Claire and the whole team have genuinely worked tirelessly to meet all the criteria of not just the CQC but also the Local Authority and their results are amazing. The business hours remained constant through her rocky periods and (Bradford) is now growing and still maintaining great compliance.
Sunjay Majithia (Coventry) Caremark (Coventry) are nominated for winning a Spot Contract with Coventry City Council and are well on their way to surpass their targets! Although a new office, Sunjay has taken the scene by storm and is putting in 150% effort. His focus and determination is already paying dividends and (Coventry) looks set to continue growing by leaps and bounds in the months to come.
May 2014
Since starting with Caremark (Redcar & Cleveland) in September last year, Claire quickly showed herself to be a fantastic carer. Always reliable and helping out in periods of sickness or whenever an emergency presents itself, her Field Care Supervisor knows that she can depend on Claire to step in and assist. Claire always wears full uniform, has a great attitude and always smiles no matter how busy she is, follows all the Caremark policies and procedures and reports any concerns immediately to her Field Care Supervisor. A great team player, when new carers are due to start we know we can rely on Claire to take them shadowing and provide good support if in a double up. All the clients that Claire supports adore her and often ask for her to be their main carer. Claire is a good communicator and always answers the phone to office staff and supervisors. At one time Claire had concerns for a client’s grandchildren which resulted in appropriate action being taken at the right time.
Over the past few months, she has been working with a challenging person who is often dismissive of Caremark (Thanet) are nominated for the increase in their hours and new carers. However, since Claire joined his team, for taking on their first live-in package. Inspite of the fact that Kent her upbeat and positive attitude has won him over County Council’s doors are closed to them, they persevere with and he is now like a new man; being positive and acquiring private clients and do so with a very positive mental attitude. receptive to his care, he now really looks up to her as a person. Mohammad Nazmul Hasan (Newcastle upon Tyne)
Garry & Jayne Costain (Thanet)
Caremark (Newcastle) are nominated for bringing the business back to In short, Claire always puts the needs of her clients first and has a big, big heart. life after a long period in the “doldrums” having achieved:
We are proud to have Claire as part of our Caremark Appointed to the provider framework for his local authority team and would like to see her progress when an following a rigorous inspection which they passed with flying opportunity arises for her. A finalist in the Care Worker of the Year Awards colours
Seamless transition to a new office
The recent acquisition of Caremark (Newcastle) by Mohammed Nazmul has revitalized the franchise – and these achievements are testament to him and his team’s dedication and hard work, and determination to be a success!
Congratulations to Claire who will receive a £25.00 M & S voucher and certificate shortly!
Sharon Dhillon (Bromley)
NB– for those of you who haven’t been nominating for this award, why not let us know who has won your own Care Worker of the Month award? We will then consider them for the national award. They could be a double winner!
Caremark (Bromley) are nominated for continuing to grow their business and exceed 2000 hours per week. This has been achieved through building a very good relationship with their local authority and keeping their pricing really competitive whilst delivering a quality service.
P3
“Fantastic Mr Fox” Caremark’s new mascot! This beautiful and interesting creature is loved by many, feared by a few and disliked by some. But love them or hate them, one cannot but wonder at their ability to adapt to their surroundings and survive in a world which is encroaching further and further on their natural habitat. Urban foxes are now quite common place and Worthing is not without its regular nocturnal visitors. Even here at Yeoman Gate we have been recently visited by a young vixen and her small cub. Last week she was busy introducing her youngster to the delights of the brook outside our office much to our amusement and the horror of an unsuspecting duck that happened to be paddling quietly upstream! So you might be wondering why we have adopted the fox as the Caremark mascot? Read on and discover more about this resourceful creature. Foxes have a worldwide appreciation and are regarded differently by different cultures. The Celts believed the fox to be a guide, and was honoured for its wisdom. They understood the fox knew the woods intimately and they would rely upon the fox as their guide in the spirit world. In Native American lore, the Northern tribes observes the fox as a wise and noble messenger. Overwhelmingly, cultural consensus on fox animal symbolism deals with themes like… cunning, strategy, quick-thinking, adaptability, cleverness, wisdom. It is also noteworthy to observe the fox while it is on the hunt. Its entire body becomes pointed and looks arrow-straight and tightly aimed. This is a symbolic message for us to set a determined and powerfully focused mind set in order to “hit the target” of our desires. The red fox is also representative of a solar emblem and symbolises…. passion, desire, intensity and expression. The fox encourages us to think outside the box and use our intelligence in different, creative ways. They bring us a message to try to approach our circumstances differently that we normally would. Be aware of some of our habits and try a different angle of action. In short, we must utilise all our resources (seen and unseen) in order to accomplish our goals. Finally, we must be mindful of our surroundings—adapt to them, blend in and use them to our advantage. So, our mascot has some good messages to give us! In an ever-changing market we need to be resourceful, focused, determined and adaptable. We can lead the way, be a guide to others in the industry and use our success to be a noble messenger within the industry. What’s more, by using the fox’s skills of adaptation one can maximise opportunities within one’s territory to become the provider of choice. Our success will make us the leader others want to follow! P4
THE MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE SCHEME. This is a great scheme and is free to the user! Adopted by the Lions Organisation although not solely a Lion’s initiative, it is a simple idea designed to encourage people to keep their personal and medical details on a standard form and in a common location—the fridge. Whilst it is focused on the vulnerable people in our community, anyone can fall downstairs, so this scheme can benefit anyone, including you. As a minimum it will save the emergency services valuable time identifying you and your emergency contacts. By telling whether you have special medication or allergies etc., it is a potential lifesaver and provides peace of mind to users and their friends and families. It is aimed at assisting the local emergency services when they are called out to the elderly or those living alone by providing vital information on that person. This scheme has already been launched by many other Lions Clubs across the UK and has been strongly supported both by the emergency services and by the participating public. Anyone living alone can use the bottle to store personal information about themselves which could be needed in an emergency such as:
Personal details
Next of kin or relatives to contact
Allergies or regular medications
Doctor’s details and medical information
When you collect your green bottle, you also are given a ‘Green Cross’ sticker which should be stuck inside the front door which will let the emergency services know that information can be found in the bottle of the refrigerator. The "Message in a Bottle" scheme is supported by the Ambulance service, Police, Fire & Rescue service, Emergency Doctors & NHS Primary Care Trusts. Supplies of bottles and forms are available from most local chemists, health centres and doctors surgeries or through the website itself: bit.ly/1jLO3V9 This could be a good tool to incorporate into your marketing plans too! APRIL’S CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS
1. Camouflages 7. Merchandise
The week before the challenge I was feeling really anxious about the impending ride. I had not managed to train as much as I had wanted and was having to ride a borrowed and unfamiliar bike too.
8. Enlargement 12. Distinctive 17. Blackmailer 18. Expeditions DOWN 1. Commendable
13. Scalp
2. Moral
14. Irked
3. Usher
15. Chart
4. Lance
16. Igloo
6. Sweethearts 9. Act 10. Gun 11. Mat
NAZ IN A BRIEF MOMENT OF SUNSHINE!
My friend Shahida and I completed a 35 mile section of this gruelling cycle challenge in dreadful weather and over really tough terrain and perhaps if I had know how tough it was going to be I would not have gone in for it. However, I am really glad I did as we raised nearly £2000 for an amazing charity!
ACROSS
5. Glide
Caremark (Cheshire North East) and the Seashell Trust 60 miles for 60 years cycle challenge!
The day started off well and although it had rained heavily the night before we managed to commence the ride fairly comfortably on Sunday morning with the predicted storms remaining at bay for the first few miles of the challenge. As we commenced our ascent, which felt practically vertical in parts, we could feel the impending clouds closing in on us, but again despite the altitude and long climbs we did stop for a photo and even managed to enjoy the breath-taking views of the Peak District Hills. At this point we assumed we had reached the highest point of the route and were looking forward to the less painful descent…..unfortunately there was a good reason for my anxiety in the run up to the event! We continued to climb, higher and higher, alarmed at the lack of noise, people, buildings, vehicles on the roads/ tracks, with only fields of sheep surrounding us. It was worrying to see cyclists coming off their bikes and pushing them up the hills amidst thunderous downpours and gale force winds. There was no shelter, minimal visibility and still no sight of the top of the route. We cycled on, at times not managing to remain on the bikes due to the heavy rain and winds. We were now soaked through to the skin and at one point several of us desperately huddled for measly shelter next to a stone wall. By now we were really looking forward to literally getting our heads out of the clouds and commencing our descent back to normality and the much missed polluted air of the Cheshire suburbs! It was cold and wild up there… Again the gods did not rule in our favour because when we finally did start the descent, the tracks and roads had become flowing rivers, were treacherous and heedless to any braking attempts. We battled on and when we finally did reach level ground needless to say we were soaked through with numb hands and feet! We gratefully pottered to the finish line which did bring a hint of a smile to our lifeless and frozen faces! We had done it! The Seashell Trust support children and young people with severe disabilities. We have since visited them and are supporting them with other fundraising events as well as having a Caremark stall at their summer fair, together with other events in the future. P5
TRAINING MATTERS What did you do for Dementia Awareness Week? Show your support for this illness and sign up your staff for the dementia online training course. This is a great way to up-skill your care workers’ knowledge and abilities and prepare your care team for working with more specialised care needs. Have a look at CMT516—Guidance for Dementia Training. This will inform you about the course and the handout which staff will need to complete the course.
The Care Certificate In the wake of the Francis enquiry, the recruitment, learning and development, management and support of social care workers has been reviewed and recommendations have been made that a certificate of fundamental care be developed. This will be called The Care Certificate. It is planned that this certificate will be introduced in March 2015 and all new Care and Support Workers will have to complete this before they can work. Existing workers are expected to complete any part of the new certificate that wasn’t in the original content of their induction training. The Care Certificate can be delivered internally as long as it complies with the standards and will replace the National Minimum Training Standards and the Common Induction Standards, which will necessitate a complete revision of Caremark’s induction. The Care Certificate is both knowledge and competence based and evidence is expected in written, verbal and demonstration forms. E Learning is also allowed to form part of the certificate, so there is that option to consider for part of Caremark’s new induction process. It is not the intention or expectation that the Care Certificate will be accredited as a national qualification but the employer is expected to keep a record of who has completed it. Planning and revision of the induction is already underway to ensure that when the Care Certificate is implemented every franchisee is confident that they have the guidance and resources to evidence that their staff receive the best knowledge and understanding, gaining the correct level of competence to carry out their working duties. Please keep an eye out for any posts on the training forum where you can discuss this subject with the support team and other franchisees or news bulletins posted by me on the Caremark Network site.
Train the Trainer Don’t forget to keep your trainers certification up to date by arranging their yearly Moving & Handling update. If your training records are audited by the CQC or the Local Authority, don’t fall at the last fence by having certificates out of date. Curve Learning are delivering a Train the Trainer Moving & Handling 2 day course at our Pulborough office on 24 – 25th June. Many of you have used Curve Learning for your training certificates and have yearly updates due, in which case you can book a place on 25th June to complete this. There is also the option of a trainers Medication day on the 26th if enough people sign up for this. For more details contact me on lynda.goldsmith@caremarklimited.co.uk
UPDATES SECTION Holiday Pay
Research and testing is continuing to ensure that we find a robust solution to administer holiday pay when we move away from the rolled-up model. There is much that needs to be considered and quality tested and the team at Head Office are working closely with our software developers and lawyers. The scope of work has proven to be greater than we anticipated but progress is being made. We have had feedback from many of you about a preferred timescale to roll this out, however, the priority has to be ensuring that the system is functional and has been fully piloted at Pulborough. There are also practical considerations and with this in mind the proposed launch date will now be 1st January 2015, which ties in with the start of the new holiday entitlement and also is a date favoured by many of you. Look out further updates on the network site which we will publish as and when the situation changes.
Indeed Recruitment Pilot The pilot with Indeed is on-going and appears to be running well overall. We are working on improving this facility still further in order for you to get the most out of it. Currently, when someone searches on Indeed for a Care & Support Worker job, the job which appears is where the office is located rather than where the job is actually being offered. So what we are looking to do is build into the Caremark website the facility for franchisees to pinpoint the job by county, city and town rather than it defaulting to the office address. This should improve the quality and quantity of job enquiries being received by a Caremark office. However please don’t put more than two or three jobs on the Caremark website at any one time even if the job is for different locations because Indeed will mark that office down and this will affect your page rankings. P6
NEWS FROM AROUND THE NETWORK Great Sussex Bath Tub Race As you are aware a few of us will be competing in the Great Sussex bath tub race in just 32 days, and the fundraising pressure is on! Our target amount is £1000.00 and at present we have £40.00. Here are a few simple ways to spread the word and increase our funds:
Sharing the just giving link on our Facebook pages and asking our friends to donate and share
Tweeting the just giving link
Lastly but most importantly donating, just a couple of pounds here and there would make a large difference
For everyone’s information the link to donate is: bit.ly/1om2d3o Thank you everyone—GOOD LUCK SS CAREMARK!
A great testimonial from Caremark (East Hertfordshire)! It is always good to know that what we do is valued and appreciated by others. Read and enjoy this letter of thanks. “I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of my family and myself to acknowledge the fantastic care that Caremark provided for my mum during her time from hospital discharge through to her eventual passing on Easter Friday. We cannot fault any of the carers involved in my mother’s care and who always had my parents’ best interests at heart, providing not just the core care but also a confident and calming approach to what was a sad and upsetting time for us all. I would like to bring special attention to Pam, Sam and Charlie who in my opinion, not only provided fantastic care for my mum, but also ensured she was as comfortable as possible during her final stages. The support they also gave to my father in what was a very difficult time for him goes well beyond what was expected hence they are a credit to Caremark. This was all done without a single quibble and always with a smile and upbeat mood. I know my mother was extremely thankful for all they did and thoroughly enjoyed their company during their visits. Please can I ask that you ensure the appropriate people are aware of our acknowledgement and ensure our thanks are passed on to these girls. Kind Regards CP”
UKHCA—Important updates on some key areas Minimum price for care Their Minimum price for care publication has generated a great deal of interest and the minimum price they calculated (£15.19), has been widely quoted with some councils taking the findings of the paper on board. They are currently sourcing the council level data used in the recent BBC “File on Four” broadcast to target those councils with the lowest rates. HMRC and the National Minimum Wage March saw the implementation of new regulations increasing the financial penalties HMRC can impose on employers found to have underpaid their staff. Amongst other measures the regulations increase the maximum financial penalty from £5,000 to £20,000. Make sure your wage levels are set correctly! The Care Bill The staff and members of the UKHCA are playing an active role in contributing to the working groups developing the good practice and statutory guidance that will underpin the implementation of the Care Bill. Covering core issues, some of the issues being worked on include: Safeguarding, Workforce learning and development, implementation of the Better Care Fund, commissioning, the “Cavendish proposals” and others. Look out for further notifications from the UKHCA for updates on these and other important issues.
Welcome to Angie Cole, our new Regional Support Manager for the South West Region! Angie started her career in nursing and has a sound understanding of the NHS and local providers. She then decided to move into the world of business. Over the next 20 years, Angie gained skills and experience within the sphere of sales, marketing, brand building, finance and managing a strong, results-oriented team. Her experience has been gleaned through working in different industries as well as working in the Civil Service for a number of years all of which have honed her skills and given her a sound commercial and managerial foundation. A little interesting aside is that Angie also owns a butchers shop and a sandwich bar, run for her by tenants, which means she can get a good price on a leg of lamb and fresh farm eggs! Located by the sea in the SW of England, Angie is a keen outdoors person and loves going for long coastal walks with friends. When not doing that she enjoys spending time with her two grown up children (one is still at University) as well as cooking for and entertaining friends, with home grown vegetables available year round! We wish Angie every success in her new role. P7
WE HAVE ANOTHER AWARD’S FINALIST!
Thought for the day When we fill our hearts with regrets over the failures of yesterday and with the worries over tomorrow, we have no today in which to be thankful.
Congratulations go to Julie Parsons, Scheme Manager at Caremark (Osmund Court) for being selected as a finalist in the Laing & Buisson Independent Healthcare Awards 2014. We nominated Julie for the Extra Care Provider award and happily Caremark (Osmund Court) have come up trumps! This is great news and great PR for Caremark. Laing & Buisson are a large, well known company within the health and social care sector and an award from them is not to be sniffed at!
HMRC AND EMPLOYMENT ALLOWANCE Various conversations have taken place between myself and HMRC regarding the Employment Allowance of £2000 deductible from your Class 1 National Insurance bills. I can confirm that our business model would qualify for the allowance for any franchisee who has 50% or more of their business being delivered to private customers. Please therefore check your invoicing to determine if you are eligible for this allowance. They did apologise for the conflicting information we were given regarding this query!
LISA FYFE
Julie now goes forward to the next round of judging to be held in London on the 4th June where she will give a short presentation to a judging panel on why she feels Caremark should win the award. The final winners of each category are then announced at the Gala Awards evening in London on the 7th October 2014. Well done Julie from all of us at Head Office and lots of luck for the next round!
Caremark (East Hertfordshire) holds special event in aid of Care Givers Week
Congratulations! Caremark (Bradford) For their recent excellent CQC report!
Caremark (Oldham) support Oldham Council at the Short Breaks Network event held at Old Trafford, Manchester
On the 2nd May, Caremark (East Hertfordshire) held a special event for clients, carers and families to mark Care Givers Week. Partnering with the Apton Centre, a local centre and part of Age UK, they offered a day of complimentary holistic treatments giving visitors the opportunity to relax and be treated to a massage, some reflexology or a Reiki treatment from the visiting therapists. The day was a great success with people saying how much they enjoyed the experience and appreciated the treatments. Kate Brewis, Managing Director commented, “It was amazing! I thought the clients might be a little reluctant but everybody had a treatment. In fact, it went so well the therapists will probably be booked again!”.
Julie Hawkins, Short Breaks & Transformation Manager (above right) presented at the Short Breaks Network event supported by Cathy Williams – Parent, Andrew Robinson – Parents of Oldham In Touch (POINT), Valerie Bayley – Parent Involvement Officer and Stephanie Doherty – Caremark (pictured left to right). The team spoke about the Oldham SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disabilities) Pathfinder & Short Breaks Impact and Children’s Personal Budgets. Oldham’s SEND Pathfinder began in early 2012 and the remit was as follows:
CHANGES TO HCR SUPPORT As part of the recent restructure at Head Office, Paul Taylor will be taking over the day-to-day support of the HCR system since Michael Lewington’s new role will mean he is out of the office more. He will however, be supporting Paul in his new role. So that no support request gets unnecessarily delayed, a new email address has been created which both Paul and Michael will monitor, thereby ensuring the best and most efficient support is provided. This new email address is: hcr.support@caremarklimited.co.uk Please make sure you use this new address on all new support requests. P8
Personal Budgets
Education, Health and Care Plans
Local Offer
Preparing for Adulthood
Stephanie Doherty, Joint Managing Director of Caremark (Oldham) explained how Oldham Council has kept providers and other partners informed of developments at regular meetings. Stephanie explained: “Providers were asked to discuss and consider potential issues as personal budgets grow and parents become the commissioners. Caremark places the child and family at the centre of the support and involves the child throughout the assessment process.” This event was well attended and well received.