Care² Magazine, Volume 1 2018

VOLUME 1

THE CARE SECTOR MUST FACE THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM HEAD ON...

GDPR? WHAT IS IT AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOUR CARE ORGANISATION MAKING THE MOST OF THE SELF-PAY MARKET IN AN AGEING SOCIETY POLICIES. THIS TIME, IT’S PERSONAL

BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE FOR CARE N EW C o policy u ntent, leading pdates, supp l ie rs.

REGIST E TODAY R

THE ONE EVENT WHERE EVERYTHING JUST CLICKS Make sure your service is always the number one choice by attending Health+Care 2018 on 27th and 28th June at ExCeL London, where over 4600 owners, directors and senior managers from care providers gather to gain access to a world class conference, products and services that will help you achieve more positive outcomes. Find solutions to your challenges, and how the long-term integrated healthcare plans will effect your care business.

OVER 400 LEADERS in the sector WILL BE SPEAKING, INCLUDING:

Andrea Sutcliffe Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, CQC

Matthew Swindells National Director: Operations & Information, NHS England

Norman Lamb Former Minister of State for Care and Support, Lib Dem MP for N. Norfolk

REGISTER NOW TO ATTEND FOR FREE to boost your business and improve levels of care healthpluscare.co.uk/care2 or call 0207 013 4688 Health+Care is run in association with

Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates @healthpluscare #healthpluscare

Prof. Martin Green OBE CEO, Care England

Rt Hon Stephen Dorrell Chairman, LaingBuisson

Jane Silverster Associate Director - Social Care and Leadership, NICE

Incorporating

Official Care Media Partner

Organised by

CONTENTS GDPR? WHAT IS IT AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOUR CARE ORGANISATION?

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THE CARE GROUP CELEBRATING CARERS

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TIME TO SMILE WITH THINGS OVERHEARD

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TWO PRIORITIES WHEN BECOMING A NEW OWNER

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MAKING THE MOST OF THE SELF-PAY MARKET IN AN AGING SOCIETY ‘HI-TECH REVOLUTION’ FUNDED BY THE LEGACY OF TWO FORMER RESIDENTS

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ANCHOR PARTNERS WITH LEGRAND TO SUPPORT MORE THAN 40,000 CUSTOMERS

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REDUCING REGISTERED MANAGERS’ ISOLATION

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CELEBRATING 70 YEARS TOGETHER

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THE CARE SECTOR MUST FACE THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM HEAD ON...

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POLICIES. THIS TIME IT’S PERSONAL

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18

DON’T LET MEDICATION MANAGEMENT BE YOUR ONGOING PROBLEM

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THE IMPLICATIONS OF BREXIT FOR THE SOCIAL CARE SECTOR

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DEMENTIA CARE IN THE HOME

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SEYMOUR HOUSE PROVIDES QUALITY CARE

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A FRAMEWORK OF OUTSTANDING DEMENTIA CARE HOW TO BE FREED UP TO DELIVER ‘OUTSTANDING’ CARE

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NURSE CALL - BEST PRACTICE IN DEMENTIA CARE

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STOP THE REVOLVING DOOR OF STAFF TURNOVER

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EMPOWERING LOCAL CARE ASSOCIATIONS REGAIN POWER OVER YOUR UTILITIES

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NEXT ISSUE FEATURE: HIGH TECH ANSWERS FOR AGE OLD QUESTIONS

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WELCOME TO CARE2

Building a better future for care

Building a better future for care

Building a better future for care

27-28 June 2018 ExCeL London

17-18 October 2018 NEC Birmingham

The event for senior care professionals

The event for the care community

PUBLISHER MICHAEL CORBETT GUEST EDITOR MIKE BROAD FEATURES EDITOR CHELCIE RATCLIFFE

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CLOSERSTLL MEDIA PUBLICATIONS

WELCOME TO CARE2

WORDS FROM THE CARE GROUP MANAGER

W

e are delighted to welcome you to the first edition of Care², the newest addition to The Care Group portfolio, offering you an educational and exciting magazine to experience the most innovative products in the care sector, read about best practice techniques from other care providers who are on the road to outstanding, learn how you can improve your business and hear all the amazing activities happening within this wonderful sector.

We want it to be entertaining and informative, at times contrary, but above

all valuable. Inside you’ll find a mixture of news, features and regular columns on a wide range of care-related topics.

This edition looks at GDPR and what it means for your care business, medication management, and some of our partners and the impact they are having in the care sector. It gives you a chance to learn about some of the educational topics happening at Health+Care and The Care Show, and how those taking part in these events are leading the movement to outstanding and promote all that is wonderful in the care sector.

This is our first quarterly edition of Care2 so I do hope you enjoy volume 1. I look

forward to seeing you at either Health+Care or The Care Show later in the year.

If you are a care provider who is going above and beyond to offer an amazing service and you want to share your experiences with others in the sector, get in contact and we would be delighted to tell the sector.

Alternatively, if you would like to be part of our events, the Care² magazine or see how we can help promote your products to care providers, contact me on m.corbett@ closerstillmedia.com Michael Corbett, Event Manager

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CURA

GDPR? WHAT IS IT AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOUR CARE ORGANISATION? Put May 25, 2018 in your diary as a significant date. This is when the Data Protection Act 1998 will be replaced by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). All personal information your care home has needs to be protected and handled in line with GDPR. Personal information, in the GDPR context, is information that can identify living individuals (either on its own or in conjunction with other information already available). Things such as: Name, DOB, Address, Gender, NHS number and Occupation.

All organisations who deal with special categories of personal data will have to comply with GDPR. Special categories of personal data can include the below: • Health information • Information relating to race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation

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To comply with GDPR, you will need to ensure that personal information is: • Processed fairly, lawfully, and in a transparent manner • Collected for specified, limited purposes • Adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary • Accurate and kept up-to-date • Kept in a form which permits identification for as long as necessary and no longer • Processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security

Points to consider: Legal Basis and Consent • Under GDPR, if your legal basis for collecting and sharing personal information is consent, then that consent needs to be informed, explicit, and recorded. You will only be able to use the information for the consented purpose, and any further use will require further consent. Can you currently evidence this?

• There are other legal alternatives for collecting, using and sharing personal and special category data that may be more appropriate than consent, such as it’s in the vital interest (life or death) of the individual concerned. Are you aware of all of these?

• You will need to document the legal basis for all personal information your organisation utilises.

WHAT DOES GDPR MEAN TO YOUR CARE ORGANISATION? Data Quality • Do you have data quality controls in place to ensure your information is accurate and up-to-date?

Retention Periods • Are you aware of retention periods relating to all information types so you are compliant with GDPR? You will need to document this under GDPR. Information Security • Care home providers could be exposed if they are using paper or archaic care systems that are not designed with the latest standards of encryption and secure access • Under GDPR, you will be responsible for ensuring any contracted third-parties do not compromise your compliance with GDPR. Can you be certain that your system providers meet the GDPR requirements?

• Do you hold personal data on external hard drives or USBs? What are your security controls for these mobile devices?

• Do you have access and audit controls in

place to ensure only authorised staff are seeing sensitive information?

Subject Access Requests • Both staff and residents can request to see what information you hold on them (a subject access request). Under GDPR, the timeframe for legally responding to these is changing, as is the ability to apply a fee.

Have you updated your processes to reflect these changes? Are all staff and residents aware of this right?

• Can you access your information quickly to comply with these requests? Do you know where all your information is stored?

Dependant on how you have answered the above, your care home may not be compliant with the new GDPR regulations.

Want to know more information on GDPR? Follow this link for the Information Commissioner Office 12 step guide to becoming compliant.

Cura Systems can help!

Don’t panic, there is an easy way to

becoming compliant with GDPR. That is to utilise a company that understands data protection legislation on special categories of personal data and is committed to supporting other organisations in being compliant with GDPR. Cura Systems offer intelligent and modern care planning, medication management, staff planning, notes and time and attendance monitoring software. Using Cura will provide you with some reassurance that your information is secure and quickly accessed when needed, but only accessible to authorised individuals. Cura does this, and more, for care companies while also empowering them to utilise their information in a way that makes their information more useful to increase service efficiency and enable them to achieve to golden care and management standards.

Give your care home the competitive advantage, talk to the Cura Systems team today. Email info@cura.systems or call us on 020 3621 9111.

FIND OUT MORE FROM CURA

BY VISITING STAND F24 AT HEALTH+CARE 7

CARER OF THE MONTH MARCH

CARER OF THE MONTH If you would like to nominate a carer that has gone above and beyond with their work in the care sector, email careshowteam@ closerstillmedia.com by Friday, 13th April.

FEBRUARY

Carer of the month

Carer of the month

Congratulations

Congratulations

Alexander Louis

Elaine Green

You are The Care Show’s

Carer of the Month for March 2018

Building a better future for care

ALEXANDER LOUIS is a carer at Extra Mile Home Care in Cheshire and was nominated by owner Michelle Parry for always going that extra mile in her care efforts particularly during the severe weather conditions of Storm Emma.

It was amazing to hear the lengths you went to Alex to ensure patients still received care. Thank you from The Care Show Team!

The chosen carers receive a certificate and gift pack from The Care Show team and are automatically nominated for Carer of the Year.

You are The Care Show’s

Carer of the Month for February 2018

Building a better future for care

ELAINE GREEN is a carer at Elms Nursing Home in Bristol and was nominated by a colleague for her compassion, her bubbly personality and for always keeping the residents in high spirits. The Care Show would like to say thank you Elaine for all your hard work.

TIME TO SMILE WITH THINGS OVERHEARD IN THE CARE SECTOR Overheard from a colleague “Is the internet open on Sunday?”

Some people are born to care she definitely is

They certainly are heroes in my eyes, selfless and totally dedicated!

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Ever overheard something at work that you couldn’t wait to share?

Seen something on duty that’s inspiring or so sweet it melts your heart? Don’t keep them to yourself!

We want to hear all these stories and share them with the rest of the care community.

Email careshowteam@ closerstillmedia.com by Friday, 20th April for your chance to be featured in the next Care2 edition.

#SharingIsCaring

TWO PRIORITIES WHEN BECOMING A NEW OWNER

ALL INFORMATION STORED IN THE SAME PLACE, IN THE SAME ORDER, MEANING ANY INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT THE CLICK OF A MOUSE In May 2017, Ms Hardcastle became the owner of Ryhope Manor in Sunderland. Two of her priorities were to review the care plans for each of the residents, and to review the home’s policies and procedures.

Ms Hardcastle decided to introduce CareDocs, as it is a complete care planning and home management system that included a set of policies and procedures, and now everybody loves it!

Policies and Procedures Ms Hardcastle found the library of policies and procedures that come with the CareDocs system to the point and simple to use. After downloading the policies, she made the necessary amendments, and then could see when all her staff had read each policy and procedure.

Care Planning Ms Ann Schorah could also see the benefits of the CareDocs care planning process, including the time saved, the money saved in paper and ink, and the ease with which they can be updated.

After sitting with the Registered Manager, Ms Schorah, to review the first resident’s care plan, Ms Schorah then felt confident to complete the rest, as she found the assessment comprehensive yet easy to use.

The care plans are now completed in less than half the time that they were previously, and are far more person centred than before.

Ms Hardcastle especially likes the ability to choose between first and third person care plans at the click of a button.

Staff Involvement Staff were initially hesitant to use the system, but after a “great” training session from CareDocs, Ms Hardcastle introduced various features to staff one at a time. Firstly, only care plans were completed on the system, followed by food and fluid balance records, and then all daily notes etc. This gave the staff the time to understand and be competent working with the CareDocs system.

Finding Information Before CareDocs was in place, there was a lot of paperwork to manage, which was all done manually. When dealing with paperwork, there are lots of issues that need to be overcome including; omission of dates, times or signatures; entries not being legible; information being misfiled; and the safety and storage of the archived documents.

Also, significant time can be spent printing from master copies, archiving the completed paperwork, and then locating the information when it was needed.

Since CareDocs has been introduced, these problems have been minimised. The unwieldy files from before are now gone, with all information stored in the same place, in the same order, meaning any information can be found at the click of a mouse. Confidentiality is also less of a worry because the computer can easily be switched off when not in use.

Ms Hardcastle, Ms Schorah and all the staff can also get a snapshot of the home using the home status, and can see which records need attention, whether it be care plans that need updating, or if important information is missing.

Help and Support Ms Hardcastle knows that she or her staff can call the technical support team and get immediate answers to questions. There’s no waiting for a response to an email, and remote training allows staff to learn more features of the system at a time convenient to them.

FIND OUT MORE FROM CARE DOCS

BY VISITING STAND L10 AT THE CARE SHOW & F60 AT HEALTH+CARE 9

MAKING THE MOST OF THE SELFPAY MARKET IN AN AGEING SOCIETY

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here is a lot of doom and gloom in the social care sector – and with good reason. In this period of austerity, the sector has been underfunded and politically marginalised. But there are positives for social care providers in 2018.

The first is the symbolic renaming of the Department of Health as the Department of Health and Social Care. The minister in charge – Jeremy Hunt MP – has also been retitled as the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, at his own request.

He is steering the Social Care Green Paper, due in the summer, which is an opportunity to address the current funding crisis and better integrate health and care services.

The Green Paper – along with last year’s injection of £2bn of extra funding and the introduction of the new social care precept – at least suggest the Government realises the importance of the sector going forward. But, when it comes to the future success of care businesses, the most important factor is the dynamics of the care market itself.

The UK has an ageing population and the demand for care services is set to rise exponentially. A recent study in The Lancet suggests that there will 353,000 additional older people with medium or high care needs come 2025. The research says the UK will need another 71,000 care home beds by 2025, with more than a million people living with dementia by then.

Local authorities pay for about half of all care home residents nationally and, given our means-tested system, this rises to

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three quarters in many less affluent areas.

With Brexit threatening the health of the UK economy going forward, social care is unlikely to receive an upsurge in Government funding whatever its political persuasion.

So, the real opportunities lie in the growing self-pay market. Consultant Bhavna Keane Rao says it’s important for care businesses to reassess their model and to think innovatively.

“In a society that has changed the way it lives, socialises and works, it is little wonder that there is an opportunity to shift the model on which social care is built,” she says. “A greater number of care villages and imaginative use of buildings for community

a constant need to fill vacancies rather than looking after the team they already have.

“Happy staff equals happy customers, regulators and funders – so it makes obvious business sense.”

Care businesses need strong branding and an effective marketing campaign to attract self-funding clients and maximise occupancy rates. Marketing expert Nicki Wakefield explains: “Providers that have an effective marketing strategy, that understand where to spend their limited marketing budgets and are able to convert enquiries into residents are the winners.

“With the prevalence of social media and comparison websites your brand is what your customers say it is. This means objectively understanding how potential customers view your services compared to others in the area, articulating and evidencing why life in your home is better and overcoming any shortcomings.”

A recent report by the Competition and Markets Authority made worrying predictions.

It said the care fees being paid by councils to providers are on average 10% below costs, resulting in a £300m shortfall nationally, and which can only be plugged through cross-subsidy. If this continues there will be a national funding gap of at least £1bn by 2025 in social care, meaning many care businesses relying on local authority funding face closure in the medium term. That’s some incentive for care businesses to get their approach to the self-pay market right.

“The biggest challenge for care providers going forward will be to recruit and retain good quality staff to deliver good quality care” provision – such as cafes and day care services – shows there are still opportunities to make a profit in a squeezed sector.”

Self-funders are after a high quality environment with well-trained, responsive staff. Business valuation expert John Chapman says: “The biggest challenge for care providers going forward will be to recruit and retain good quality staff to deliver good quality care.

It is amazing how many employers fail to invest in their most valuable asset, accepting

To learn more on how to make the most of the self-pay market attend Health+Care Conference 2018 (28 June, London Excel) and the session ‘Making the most of an ageing society – being business ready’. The speakers include Jon Chapman, Director of Pinders; Bhavna Keane Rao, Director and Lead Consultant, BKR Care Consultancy; and, Nicki Wakefield, Director of Straight Up Marketing – all leading experts on the care business market.

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‘HI-TECH REVOLUTION’ FUNDED BY THE LEGACY OF TWO FORMER RESIDENTS

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esident care has undergone a hi-tech revolution at a leading Sheffield care home as it become the first in Yorkshire to install a pioneering new generation of nurse call system designed to prioritise care for the most vulnerable.

The Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Anne Murphy officially unveiled Courtney Thorne’s Altra Care system at the city’s Broomgrove Nursing Home.

Donna Pierpoint, the manager at Broomgrove said: “We’re constantly on the lookout for ways we can improve resident care and provide them with an extra level of safety and reassurance. This new nurse call system is absolutely fantastic.”

The legacies of two former residents funded the wireless Altra Care system by Courtney Thorne that automatically monitors response times and ranks their priority.

The Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Anne Murphy said: “Very impressive and great to meet Betty 101 years of age and Rod with Muscular Sclerosis who explained how comforting the new call system is and how much more confident they felt wearing the wrist band and the specially adapted button for Rod.” Nick Kennedy, sales consultant at Courtney Thorne commented: “We are proud to be the leading innovator in the UK’s nurse call industry for nearly 50 years. We are very happy and proud to see our technology

helping to protect and improve the lives of residents like Betty and Rod.” Care home managers like Donna Pierpoint look for a company with a long experience in nurse call solutions, no disruption during installation, simple operation, as well as adaptable and easy to move devices in the future.

Donna thanked everyone at Courtney Thorne and said: “As a manager I can now rest easy knowing I have a future proof and reliable system that both my residents and staff have trust in.”

Find out more about Altra Care and call Courtney Thorne on 0800 068 7419 to book a demo.

FIND OUT MORE FROM COURTNEY THORNE

BY VISITING STAND D20 AT THE CARE SHOW & F32 AT HEALTH+CARE 12

ANCHOR PARTNERS WITH LEGRAND TO SUPPORT 40,000+ CUSTOMERS

PROVIDING COMPREHENSIVE MAINTENANCE TO ALL OF THE ANCHOR CARE HOMES THROUGHOUT ENGLAND ON A 24HOUR A DAY, 365 DAYS A YEAR BASIS

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nchor has partnered with Legrand’s Assisted Living & Healthcare division to maintain the grouped living systems and nurse call systems that keep its staff and residents safe and supported.

Anchor is England’s largest not-for-profit provider of care and housing for older people, working with more than 40,000 customers.

Legrand Assisted Living & Healthcare is providing comprehensive maintenance to all of the Anchor care homes throughout England on a 24-hour a day, 365 days a year basis. The maintenance work will be carried out by Legrand’s Tynetec and Aid Call brands in partnership with two approved installers; S.E.A in Kent and Incom Systems

in West Yorkshire. This will ensure the company provides effective ‘on the ground’ maintenance coverage for Anchor’s extensive range of properties.

Tynetec manufactures and supplies grouped living systems, access control systems and telecare solutions to local authorities and housing associations across the UK, and Aid Call has been the leading UK provider of wireless nurse call systems for over 40 years. Together the business units supply Anchor with a complete solution which will maintain the high quality of care the not-for-profit organisation has always provided its residents.

Legrand’s acquisition of the maintenance contract has additionally created five new

jobs within the Tynetec and Aid Call business units. Two service engineers and three administrators have been recruited to assist with the maintenance of Anchor’s retirement homes and villages. The team will be communicating with Anchor on a daily basis to ensure that they provide the highest quality of security and support to the elderly population of England.

Sales Director for Legrand Assisted Living & Healthcare, Wendy Kendall, commented: “Legrand are proud to be working in partnership with Anchor and we now see ourselves as an extension to the Anchor team, given that we will be working very closely with the organisation to ensure the continued safe provision of their valuable services.”

FIND OUT MORE FROM LEGRAND

BY VISITING STAND F50 AT HEALTH+CARE 13

REDUCING REGISTERED MANAGERS’ ISOLATION

SUPPORT, REASSURANCE AND A CONFIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENT MAKE NETWORKS INVALUABLE IN REDUCING REGISTERED MANAGERS’ ISOLATION

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ood care managers and leaders in adult social care are committed to working with others and embedding best practice through networking, sharing information and developing their knowledge. This is why Skills for Care supports over 150 registered manager networks across England, giving them the chance to network with like-minded peers who face similar, everyday challenges.

These networks are led by network chairs, who are also registered managers. Local networks meet at least three times per year and always ensure that the topics are relevant to those attending. Networks aren’t just a great source of information, they’re also an excellent source of support.

Case study In 2017 a new network for registered

managers was launched in Coventry.

Enthusiastic and eager to celebrate the success of the launch, we spoke to network Chair, Laura Hambridge, who told us why she wanted to get involved with the network and shared her advice for other managers thinking about attending a network in their area.

“It’s a great place to come and have another registered manager to speak to away from the office. Managers receive support and reassurance in a confidential environment.”

Laura told us that her experience of being isolated in her role and belief in the benefits of networking with other managers motivated her to make sure that the network would be a success.

“I know that the role of the registered manager can be isolating. You can often feel alone, particularly if you’re working for a small company, with a single location. I wanted to make sure that the network was a success so

that other managers can access the sort of support that I was looking for.”

The network’s agenda has already included a broad range of topics, including staff retention, the development of new managers, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and local initiatives such as the ‘React to Red’ and ‘Say No to Infection’ campaigns. They plan to invite guest speakers to future meetings, including the CQC, and have made links with their local authority’s safeguarding team.

“Networks are unique from other meetings because of the breadth of topics on the agenda, which are set by the managers and make them a great place to keep up-to-date.”

Find out more about the benefits of networks and join your nearest registered manager network at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/networks.

FIND OUT MORE FROM SKILLS FOR CARE

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Helping you give the best possible care Boots Care Services Boots has over 25 years’ experience supporting care and our Care Services team is an important part of that story.

From being on hand with expert advice 7 days a week, with support to improve patient safety and with training to deepen your team’s knowledge, we’ve lots of ways to help you give the best possible care.

Find out more about Boots Care Services by emailing care@boots.co.uk

110346_BTS eMar_Care Services_Half Page Ad_148.5x210 V1.indd 1

20/09/2016 11:25

CONGRATULATIONS!

70 YEARS OF MARRIAGE! CONGRATULATIONS!

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he Care Show Team wish to congratulate Mr and Mrs Simmonds who recently celebrated their platinum wedding anniversary with other residents at Hillbury Care Home in Wrexham.

It was lovely to hear your story and the memories you have shared together. We hope you have many more loving moments together and hope you enjoyed the champagne.

If you know of other residents celebrating milestones this year we would love to know.

Email careshowteam@closerstillmedia.com with submissions.

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THE CARE SECTOR MUST FACE THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM HEAD ON...

There is a vast sliding scale to the quality of living space we provide for residents within elderly care in the UK. Take a close look at care homes and hospitals built more than 10 years ago, the standard of the built environment is poor at best. The quality of lighting is largely unsuitable, often designed with limited natural light and with very little availability to access outside space.

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oor design, decoration and lighting are a major factor in creating the “elephant in the room”. Seldom discussed, depression in elderly care is a plague blighting the health sector. Mental health and emotional well-being are as important in older age as at any other time of life, so surely this topic should be more widely discussed and given greater priority.

When elderly people enter the care system why do they become more depressed? We must do more to improve the living environments of the elderly to help address this issue.

This in-turn has an impact on staffing levels, the cost of providing care spirals out of control, seemingly making it more difficult to fund changes to the built environment. This viscous circle has to be broken if care homes truly want to make impactful change to the care they provide.

Dynamic human centric lighting has the power to address the care crisis.

Photonstar’s Chromawhite™ lighting system is revolutionizing the care sector by providing biologically optimised light. In the daytime, the system delivers stimulating light which triggers the body to produce the hormones

“Depression is the most common mental health problem of later life, affecting 10-20 per cent of older people (National Institute for Mental Health in England 2005) (12) and up to 40 per cent of care home residents.“ Older adults with depressive symptoms have poorer functioning compared to those with chronic medical conditions such as lung disease, hypertension or diabetes. Depression is both under diagnosed and under treated in primary care settings. Symptoms of depression in older adults are often overlooked and untreated because they coincide with other problems encountered by older adults.

Without resolving some of the root courses of depression, we may well be increasing the reliance on drugs used to correct symptoms.

required for concentration, focus, alertness and physical performance. At night, the system reduces the stimulus it delivers to prepare residents for sleep, enabling them to retain a deep restful sleep whilst providing a safe background night light.

Photonstar LED has installed the Chromawhite™ lighting system within a number of high profile healthcare applications in both the private and public sectors. We are fast becoming the sleep provider for the health sector.

FIND OUT MORE FROM PHOTONSTAR

BY VISITING STAND F1 AT THE CARE SHOW & B52 AT HEALTH+CARE 17

INSEQUIA

POLICIES. THIS TIME, IT’S PERSONAL

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verything these days seems to be personalised, bespoke, curated or tailored. Why get a generic, one size fits all version of something, when you can get something that’s built exactly to your own specification?

This sentiment has certainly made an impact in the world of social care policies. It isn’t really a surprise. Using generic policies causes problems for care providers when it comes to CQC inspections. Even when you run a fantastic operation in all other areas, if your policies are not sufficiently robust or relevant, they will let you down. Staff must read and most importantly understand a policy in order to implement service correctly and consistently - if that policy is neither accurate, relevant or easy for staff to understand, you are letting them down and leaving yourself exposed in the event of a CQC inspection.

Case study Insequa recently stepped in to help a care provider whose generic, one size fits all policies were found to be misaligned with the care provided. On inspection day, the CQC Inspector

raised concerns and demanded remedial action to bring the policies into line. The Inspector specifically took issue with the ‘broad-brush’ approach of the policies which had been sourced from a leading policies provider. They were also concerned the policies appeared out-of-date – despite being only three months old. The client decided it would take too much work and time to adapt and update all the policies and had lost confidence in the original policy provider. Our services were engaged to produce a fresh set of social care policies specifically tailored to her requirements.

At Insequa we have policy formats that allow customisation, so under scrutiny they accurately reflect the values and procedures of the organisation. To help our client turn around a potentially disastrous situation, we supplied her with a set of 115 new Instructional Design policies covering everything from Health and Safety to Food Hygiene to Modern Slavery. On the CQC follow-up visit, our delighted client reported back that the Inspector had commended our policies for their focus, relevance and clarity and a ‘Good’ rating was awarded. On the subject of how

her staff felt about the new policies, this is what she said: ‘we have had great feedback from our staff. They find these policies very easy to read and understand’.

Instructional Design policies have been developed specifically with the aim of better understanding in mind. When care staff read these copywritten policies, they are drawn in, not alienated by impenetrable language and dense blocks of text. The layouts feature graphics and take-away boxes, designed to engage and convey meaning in a straightforward way.

This example highlights the need for care providers to be honest with themselves about their policies. They make up an integral piece of the social care jigsaw and should be at the top of the priority list, not a last-minute add-on in the run up to inspection. It also illustrates there isn’t a one-size fits all solution, the sector demands a more intelligent and customised approach that serves staff and those they care for, in the best possible way.

To learn more about Insequa’s range of policy products call 0115 784 3311.

FIND OUT MORE FROM INSEQUA

BY VISITING STAND H12 AT THE CARE SHOW & B60 AT HEALTH+CARE 18

DON’T LET MEDICATION MANAGEMENT BE YOUR ONGOING PROBLEM

JULIE SPENCER, HEAD OF CARE AT AVERY HEALTHCARE GROUP, DISCUSSES HOW THE INTRODUCTION OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY HAS IMPROVED MEDICATION MANAGEMENT WITHIN THEIR CARE HOMES

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ffective medication management has been an ongoing problem for care homes for a number of years. Reports show that almost 70% of residents have experienced at least one error in their medication regime1. Now, new technology is helping Avery staff tackle this serious issue by reducing the risks associated with using a paper medication administration record sheet (MAR) in managed care homes.

On average, residents in care homes take an average of 7.2 medicines per day2. With each additional medicine comes an increased risk of errors in prescribing, monitoring, dispensing and adverse drug reactions3.

Julie states, “At Avery Healthcare, we needed a simple solution to ensure that our residents were receiving the right medication at the right time. We currently have 50 homes, so our teams are dealing with many complex medication regimes every day. We found that the staff’s time was regularly taken up for long periods with medication management. These processes are not only time-consuming but

also reduce the time dedicated to face to face resident care.

“Initially, we decided to run a pilot scheme across two of our homes using Omnicell eMAR as it was really user-friendly and provided a robust audit trail. In addition, the dashboard presents an oversight of medication rounds within the homes. The system gathers information, provides prompts and accurate instructions for our staff and gives managers real-time medication administration data at the touch of a button.”

Each individual medication is identified through a barcode applied in the pharmacy.

Medication can then be tracked at all stages from check-in at the care home and administration to the resident, to unused items that are disposed of or returned to the pharmacy. The system uses on-screen photograph identification and provides important medical history for each resident.

It includes a simple alert and verification system to minimise the risk of medication administration errors in the home. Each staff

member has their own log-in details which enables robust auditing.

Julie added, “Prior to using Omnicell eMAR the checking in of medication would take 5 hours per floor, totalling 15 hours of staff time per month for 3 floors. Since we have introduced the system this has been reduced significantly to 2 hours per floor which is now only 6 hours per month. This reduction of 60%, means our staff can spend more time providing face-to-face patient care.

“Our staff have really embraced the new system, so much so that we are now expanding the trial across 6 homes.”

References 1. Medication errors in nursing and residential care homes, CHUMS, 2009 2. Medication errors in nursing and residential care homes, CHUMS, 2009 3. The Right Medicine: Improving Care in Care Homes, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, February 2016.

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THE IMPLICATIONS OF BREXIT FOR THE SOCIAL CARE SECTOR

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he clock is ticking on Brexit, with the UK set to leave the EU on 29 March 2019. It doesn’t give health and social care providers much time to react – and react they must.

All the talk currently is on whether a ‘soft’ or ‘hard’ model will be negotiated but, regardless of which is chosen, Brexit will have profound implications for health and social care provision in the UK. Non-UK Europeans make up a sizable proportion of the NHS and social care workforce.

Last year there were 62,000 – or 6% of the workforce – working in the NHS, and 95,000 – or 7% – in adult social care. Gaining more control over migration and preventing the free movement of labour has been one of the key tenets of Brexit under the Conservative Government.

Later this year, an Immigration Bill will be introduced, challenging the free movement of people between Europe and the UK and establishing a new migration system that will restrict access. But both the health and social care sectors were already facing staff shortages, with demand for services outstripping allocated resources.

Skills for Care estimates that the social care sector has a vacancy rate of 6.6% and an overall turnover rate of 27.8% (equating to around 350,000 people leaving their job each year).

Brexit – in whatever guise it materialises – is only going to make this worse. In fact, there’s growing evidence it already is. The number of EU nurses, for example, registering to work in the UK has plummeted by 96%.

Even if you ignore the anti-European sentiment of Brexit, it no longer makes economic sense for Europeans to work in the UK because the value of the pound has plummeted. Any benefits from a favourable exchange rate with the Euro have all but disappeared. On the plus side, the Prime Minister has publicly committed to allowing EU citizens who are already here to be able to stay in the UK.

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“...the social care sector has a vacancy rate of 6.6% and an overall turnover rate of 27.8%... Brexit – in whatever guise it materialises – is only going to make this worse”

Health and social care leaders are calling on the Government to allow the immigration of care workers from Europe going forward, until we can train enough people domestically.

If not, during this period of austerity, Brexit could prove devastating to the availability and quality of services.

How should social care providers react?

They need to revisit how they recruit and retain staff as a priority. Care businesses are going to have to think a lot more innovatively about how they attract social care workers and offer greater benefits if they want to retain them. The sector has to dispel public perceptions of poor pay and zero-hours contracts. Employers have to develop ‘total reward packages’ that include flexible working arrangements, proper training and career progression.

As Care England’s CEO, Prof Martin Green says: “The social care workforce is critical to delivering high-quality care and, as we move towards Brexit, the sector will have to consider how they are going to recruit and retain the appropriate staff and how they can ensure the long-term sustainability of care services.

“Brexit is both a challenge and an opportunity, and the sector must be ready to attract appropriate people to deliver its vital services” But, individual providers can only do so much. A comprehensive, post-Brexit workforce strategy is needed from the Government to help address the current recruitment crisis and future challenges. Failure to act now, both individually and collectively, will ensure that the Nuffield Trust’s estimate of a shortfall in England of 70,000 social care workers by 2025 comes to pass.

As Skills for Care’s CEO Sharon Allen explains: “Adult social care has around 7% of its total workforce with an EU nationality, so the Health+Care Conference 2018 is very timely in helping us consider what decision makers and employers need to be thinking about in a post Brexit world.”

“Brexit is both a challenge and an opportunity, and the sector must be ready to attract appropriate people to deliver its vital services”

To learn more on the implications of Brexit on the social care sector attend Health+Care Conference 2018 (28 June, London Excel) and the debate ‘Managing Brexit – how can care businesses plan for leaving the EU’. The speakers include Sharon Allen, CEO of Skills for Care; Paul Burstow, Chair of Scie; and Martin Green, CEO of Care England – all leading experts on social care policy and workforce.

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DEMENTIA CARE IN THE HOME

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round 60% of people receiving homecare support services in England have some form of dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Society which recently found that 85% of people would prefer to stay at home for as long as they could if diagnosed with dementia.

Responding to the position that homecare support might be only suitable for people in the early stages of the disease, Home Instead managing director Martin Jones says: ‘Absolutely not - even as the disease progresses care can still be offered at home as long as it is safe and practical for the person, and homecare can be as little or as much as is needed by the person.’

Familiar surroundings and a home environment may have psychological benefits for elderly people with dementia, however, the practicalities of providing such care in the home is not without challenges.

The issue lies in the difficulty of ‘predicting when supervision or care will arise for people with dementia, whereas the care needs of other client groups can to a greater extent be predicted and services schedules at particular times of the day’, LaingBuisson’s Care for Older People - twenty-seventh edition notes.

Homecare workers may be able to provide elderly clients with one-to-one care, but a residential care home - in theory - has multiple staff to help if an elderly person’s behaviour becomes unmanageable, or if the person becomes unwell. But there are a growing number of agencies – Home Instead, SweetTree

and Christie Care to name but a few – which make a point of offering these levels of service.

Exploring homecare options also opens up the possibility of providing families with greater control over the total cost of care for a relative giving greater flexibility when it comes to selecting and adjusting the level of care required and the length of time services may be needed.

While residential care home funding support is often out of reach to families whose property assets exceed the funding eligibility threshold, the value of a person’s property is not included in evaluations for homecare funding, and so an elderly person may be eligible for financial support if his assets unrelated to their property meet the funding support criteria.

The Alzheimer’s Society is calling for the minimum training standards for dementia, framed through the Care Certificate, to be raised in alignment with Tier 2 of the Dementia Core Skills Education and Training Framework, introduced in 2015 by the then Department of Health to give more detailed guidance for the care of people with dementia.

Home Instead says its carers complete an accredited training programme with dementia specialists and are taught beyond the basic requirements of care to understanding the ‘unmet needs’ of the individual, and live-in carers at Christie Care have dementia training included in a two-week intensive course and follow up tests.

First published in LaingBuisson’s Care Markets March 2018.

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SEYMOUR HOUSE PROVIDES QUALITY CARE WITH MIELE PROFESSIONAL

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eymour House is a family run 40 bed residential care home in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire that provides 24 hour residential and dementia care.

Owner Salim Rhentulla’s parents set up the business in October 1986 and have now handed the company over to Salim and his sister. A family orientated establishment, Salim looks after the business side of things, while his sister focuses on maintaining the quality of care. The care home is dedicated to creating a warm welcoming environment and providing the highest standard of care, comfort and support. They help their residents have the maximum control over their lives, while delivering the necessary care and attention.

Salim recently made the decision to expand Seymour House by another 10 rooms. With the development in mind, Salim decided he needed to futureproof the laundry in order to cope with the expansion, without compromising on the standard of care.

Seymour House experienced many issues

with their previous laundry equipment and were left without machines for days at a time.

In a busy care home, maintaining an effective, working laundry is of high importance, so Salim and his sister researched the most reliable products that would last year on year. It was Miele Professional’s reputation of quality and reliability that led them to invest in the brand.

Speaking with their dealers, First Choice Marshalls, they were reassured that the cost savings for the care home over the life of the machines made the upfront investment well worthwhile. They decided to invest in Miele Professional’s PW6207 20kg washer and PT8403G 16/20kg gas dryer. Salim has been impressed by the responsiveness of the dealers who come out to service calls as quickly as possible.

Salim also feels that the Miele Professional machines live up to their reputation, commenting; “We’ve found the Miele Professional machines to be efficient and

effective. It’s great that we can finish our laundry much earlier in the day, which leaves us time to do other things in the home. The quality of the finish is fantastic too! Being able to wash very delicate items and having the confidence that they will be cared for with the honeycomb drum is vital.

Ensuring the best quality of care is so important to us and it’s great that when the residents’ sons and daughters come to visit they can see and smell the lovely clean clothes in their parents’ wardrobes. Through this our care service and reputation remains strong and our rooms are always in demand.”

For more information on Miele Professional’s products, please phone 0845 365 6636 or visit us at www.miele.co.uk/professional.

To download the on-premises laundry e-book log onto https://www.miele.co.uk/ media/ex/gb/Professional/Miele_Reads/ Onpremiselaundry_ebook.pdf

FIND OUT MORE FROM MIELE BY VISITING THEM AT STAND B30 AND THE LAUNDRY ROOM IN CARE HOME LIVE AT HEALTH+CARE 23

A FRAMEWORK OF OUTSTANDING DEMENTIA CARE

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he Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT) has provided care to the community for 25 years, underpinned by the belief that every resident living in our homes should be supported in a way that meets their individual needs.

We now provide this for more than 3,500 residents in 72 care homes, as well as our domiciliary service in 16 extra care housing schemes, across Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

The large and growing number of people living with dementia in the UK is a concern for everyone working in the care sector. With an estimated 70% of people in care homes living with dementia or severe memory problems, and over 1 million people expected to have dementia by 2025[1], our specialist care for this group is ever more important.

To ensure we continue to provide highquality, person-centred care to all our residents, and consolidate our expertise in this area, we recently launched a Dementia Care Framework. This is designed to equip all our employees with the knowledge and support they need to provide outstanding care to residents living with dementia, as well as their families and helpers. It reflects our aim to be the leading care provider, at the forefront of best practice and innovation, meeting one of the largest growing needs among our residents and the population as a whole.

Creating a Framework of expertise When it came to creating a Framework that set forth our vision for the best possible care for people living with dementia, we knew we had to draw on exemplary sources of expertise. This started with our employees and volunteers. They are on the frontline of

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dementia care, which gives them invaluable experience and insight. We also worked with partners, for example making links with wider Dementia UK work programmes, and drawing on existing competency frameworks and standards, and models of dementia care such as the National Dementia Declaration and the NICE Dementia Quality Standards.

Consulting with residents, their families and friends, people living with dementia and their carers who attend our Memory Café was a vital part of the process, to make sure the Framework took into account their specific needs. Indeed, the core principles and values of the Framework are underpinned by these views.

a good understanding of what it’s like to live with dementia. It details the knowledge and skills colleagues of different levels of expertise and in different roles should achieve when supporting people living with dementia, and their families.

Reflecting OSJCT’s commitment to providing on-going training for employees, the learning and development programme outlined in the Framework is an incremental pathway. Colleagues build on knowledge and skills, attitudes and behaviours, starting with the baseline knowledge and skills required by every member of the OSJCT team, up to the highest levels of expertise dependent on role.

“...designed to equip all our employees with the knowledge and support they need to provide outstanding care to residents living with dementia” The Framework incorporates the recognised pathway of dementia progression, taking into account the differing needs of a person living with dementia, their family and carers. These four stages of the ‘dementia journey’ are: • Keeping well, prevention, and a dementia diagnosis • Living well • Living well with increasing help and support • End of life and dying well Inside the Framework The fundamental principle of the Dementia Care Framework is to equip all colleagues with

Our Admiral Nurses are some of the employees who are trained to the highest level. We developed our Admiral Nursing Service in collaboration with the charity Dementia UK. Admiral Nurses are Registered Nurses that specialise in dementia care, giving expert practical, clinical and emotional help to OSJCT employees, and families and carers supporting those living with dementia.

As well as those Admiral Nurses supporting people in care homes, we also have two nurses who work in the community alongside people living with dementia, and their families: giving them one-to-one support, expert guidance and practical solutions. Our

“...our Dementia Care Framework has enabled a cohesive and thoughtful approach to spread throughout our organisation”

dementia cafés also give carers access to advice and support in the community, and carers tell us that with our support they can face challenges with more confidence and less fear, in particular the tricky transition from home to care home.

A culture of inclusion is key One of the aspirations set out in the Dementia Care Framework has already been achieved.

We now have four people in the role of Head of Dementia Care in our specialist dementia care homes, who are focused on building the capability of employees to respond to residents and their families. They help create a culture of inclusion, where social and occupational activities are designed to enhance, stimulate, and maintain the highest quality of life and enjoyment for residents.

Having our person-centred approach to care for people living with dementia enshrined in our Dementia Care Framework has enabled a cohesive and thoughtful approach to spread throughout our organisation. As we make sure our employees feel empowered to give people living with dementia the best possible care, we are enabling those residents and their families to maximise their rights, choices and health and wellbeing.

For more information about The Orders of St John Care Trust’s approach to care for people living with dementia go to www.osjct.co.uk/life-at-osjct/types-of-care/ dementia/

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PRACTICAL WAYS THAT QUALITY COMPLIANCE SYSTEMS (QCS) CAN HELP TO REDUCE YOUR ‘REGULATORY BURDEN’

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olicies, policies and policies are probably the three things that services are most concerned about when thinking whether the care and support being provided is up to date, relevant, following Best Practice or meeting the ever-changing legal environment in which we work.

Services that manage their own policies do this to varying success, and even when they have produced what they think is a very good policy, with clear content, that is easy to understand and implement there may be problems. For example, when the policy has just been written the temptation is to put your feet up and admire the excellent work that has been done, but how do you know that the regulations aren’t going to change tomorrow, and you could be back to square one! I often think a policy is like a DBS check – it is only valid on the day it was written, and could soon be out of date.

Also writing effective policies is extremely time consuming, and takes you away from the purpose of your service – providing excellent care and support to people that use your service. If you are locked away researching, writing and reviewing policies how can you be supporting staff to deliver high quality services or understand what the people that use your service want or need?

It must also be remembered that a good policy doesn’t stand alone, it is usually interdependent with other policies, and they support each other. It could be argued that a chain is only as strong as the weakest link, and the same is true for policies, the system

may fail due to one policy not being up to date or contradicting with other aspects of the policy area.

So, how can we help solve these problems for you? At Quality Compliance Systems (QCS) we live and breathe policies and have a highly developed process to share customised, up to date, relevant and bespoke policies to support the delivery of effective care across all the areas that you need. But it is far more than just policies, it is a full management system that guides you through everything you need to run your service. Your staff can access the full system via the QCS App, you can develop reading lists to ensure staff are aware and understand the content, there are self-audit tools and a full range of templates to support the delivery of care.

All these materials we provide free you up to focus on delivering ‘outstanding’ care, establishing the vision for your service, and supporting staff and people that use your service. All this with the knowledge that the policies that support what you do are always up to date and show you a path through the jungle that is running a care service!

Please contact us so we can show you how we can help you deliver outstanding care! To find out more, or to request a no-obligation FREE trial which will give you 24 hours access to the QCS system, visit www.qcs. co.uk or call 0333 405 33 33. The QCS App is available for download from the Apple App store or the Google Play store.

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NURSE CALL – BEST PRACTICE IN DEMENTIA CARE

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ourtney Thorne’s Wireless nurse call technology has been chosen as part of an international showcase of technology that supports best practice in dementia care.

What is the DSDC? The Dementia Service Development Centre (DSDC) at University of Stirling has been a leading international centre of knowledge and expertise, dedicated to improving the lives of people living with dementia for the past 25 years and advising those designing dementia care environments.

About the Design & Technology Suite The DSDC includes a ‘Design & Technology Suite’ which showcases inspiring technology and equipment that can make a real difference to the day-to-day lives of people living with dementia and their carers. Designed by BPA Architecture, the Suite comprises two ensuite rooms and a sitting room/kitchenette layout that demonstrate best practice in design for dementia residents and incorporate technology that supports excellence in dementia care.

Courtney Thorne’s wireless nurse call systems have been specified for the DSDC Design & Technology Suite to demonstrate the flexibility and dementia-friendly features that wireless technology can offer to the healthcare professionals and carers who visit the centre from around the world.

Why Courtney Thorne?

Courtney Thorne’s wireless nurse call system was selected for the Design & Technology Suite thanks to a number of design features and the accurate data capture that it provides: • At the point of use, the call button is easy to hold and press for patients and includes a pictogram symbol that aids recognition in people living with dementia

“The Design & Technology Suite aims to showcase some of the technical innovations available to professionals to help them implement best practice in dementia care. Courtney Thorne’s experience of specialist dementia environments and understanding of the needs of patients, staff and management teams was clear from the outset and the company has provided a system that clearly shows how flexible a wireless nurse call system can be in terms of both functionality and data capture.”

Shirley Law, Head of Learning & Development at DSDC

• The system is fully programmable to meet the needs of individual patients or care environments • The system’s flexibility aids futureproofing and enables changes to be made quickly and easily with no ‘dirty works’ to wiring, minimising disruption • The nurse call system can be used in silent mode, preventing noise that people living with dementia can find distressing • Staff can carry receivers in their pockets to alert them of a call instantly when they are away from the nurses’ station • The system includes pressure sensors which can be placed in the bed to alert staff if patients wander during the night • The data capture provided by the system can be used by management to plan staffing levels and care regimes • Data from the nurse call system can also be used to provide evidence based proof of call frequency and response times

An ideal solution for dementia environments Courtney Thorne’s wireless nurse call technology has not only been chosen for the globally recognised Design & Technology Suite at the DSDC, it has also been proven to support best practice dementia care in a number of hospitals, including the ForgetMe-Not unit at Warrington Hospital.

Lee Bushell from Warrington Hospital explains: “Any hospital ward needs to use management information to monitor standards of care and plan staffing levels, but in a dementia unit that’s particularly important because staff ratios need to be higher and patients often become disoriented and may complain that nurses have taken too long to respond. The data recorded by the Courtney Thorne system ensures we have accurate information about response rates, helping us reassure relatives of the standard of care.”

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STOP THE REVOLVING DOOR OF STAFF TURNOVER

BRENDONCARE REDUCED THEIR STAFF TURNOVER BY 25% WITHIN SIX MONTHS

“We knew there was a problem with the culture within the home, we just couldn’t put our finger on what it was” says Cath Dixon, HR Manager for Brendoncare, a charity organisation with 10 care homes. She’s describing a home which had a 40 % staff turnover, and what seemed like a revolving door of new hires, leaving the charity baffled.

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fter seeing Rob Coulthard, MD of Judgement Index speak about how assessing values could reduce staff turnover at Health+Care, Brendoncare decided to use the Judgement Index to assess behaviours, compliance, risk and wellbeing issues within the home along with a workshop for existing staff, looking at their own perception of performance, culture and dynamics within the home.

This provided a foundation of understanding and ensured the Judgement Index team could tailor the training accordingly. The realisation was that the culture within the home was non-embracing, and causing potentially great new hires to leave quickly. A values-based selection process for all new hires needed to be implemented, and all senior staff needed to be confident in effectively leading their teams. Over a

four-month period staff attended workshops focusing on key initiatives: • Develop and embrace the Brendoncare values • Develop a learning culture and mentoring system within the home • Develop and implement a robust and confidential wellbeing policy • Develop an induction plan for new staff.

• Develop internal admin and communication “Because the Judgement Index is all about values, and as a company we are all about values, we found that our people just got it” says Cath. “It gave us the ability to have very honest conversations with our staff, and they began to take ownership of their actions to improve the service, but critically to form a better working experience. There were so many lightbulb moments within the home.”

Within six months the staff turnover has reduced by 25% and continues to fall, a key

indicator that the culture within the home has dramatically improved. Brendoncare has also implemented the Judgement Index as an aid to recruitment and development of existing staff across all homes.

“From an initial resistant reception from the staff, they soon realised, as did we, that we all wanted the same thing; a warm, kind and happy environment with safe professional staff and care at the very centre.” says Rob Coulthard. “Everyone took a hard look in the mirror, embraced the change that was taking place and took responsibility. Collectively the effort was massive. The transformation and staff turnover has been dramatic.”

For more information about using the Judgement Index in your organisation call 0800 8101025 or go to www. judgementindex.co.uk

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EMPOWERING LOCAL CARE ASSOCIATIONS

HOW WE WORK FOR LOCAL CARE ASSOCIATIONS

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he Care Association Alliance was created from a discussion between a few like-minded local Care Association leaders during 2010 and has since gained a more formal footing as a Limited Not for Profit Company with an established mission to facilitate the development of local Care Associations, to promote high quality sustainable care and to bring a strong, positive and influential voice to the national social care and health conversation.

The underlying message throughout the social and health care sector is to find and deliver best practice throughout for the benefit of those being cared for. Recent changes to the structure of the Secretary of State for Health’s office by adding Social Care to the remit, signals a stronger move towards integration or at least cohesion between to two sectors. By working with ADASS, LGA, DoH&SC and NHS England, the Care Association Alliance aims to influence these developments to find a long term, sustainable, quality social care sector.

The Care Association Alliance is member based with no fee. The management costs of the Company are kindly supported by commercial sponsorship, for which we are very grateful and respond by promoting our sponsors. We meet formally in London about

4 times a year and plan to establish meetings in both the north and south for geographic and economic reasons and to maximise the opportunity for attendance at meetings. Our formal structure is based around having 2 voluntary Co-Chairs (currently Debbie Le Quesne CEO of the West Midlands Care Association and Erica Lockhart CEO of the Surrey Care Association) with administrative support and volunteer leads in specific subjects across the sector.

How we work • Empowering local Care Associations by developing them into strong, effective, progressive and sustainable organisations and to enable them to deliver benefits to members either directly or by shaping the market in which they operate.

• Providing written briefs for local Care Associations to deliver direct to their members.

• Providing sector specific information to underwrite the knowledge base at local Care Associations.

• Develop networking opportunities with sector leaders.

• Lobbying, influencing and providing a sector voice from the front line of care to central decision makers.

MEET THE CARE ASSOCIATION ALLIANCE AT HEALTH+CARE

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REGAIN POWER OVER YOUR UTILITIES Reducing energy consumption and introducing energy saving products to your property can be a sure-fire way to save money, but are there other areas that could produce savings and potentially bring a hit of cash back into your business?

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nergy saving and reducing usage has always been a way to decrease outgoings, but looking at additional charges and other utilities could be a way of reducing these further, also if there was any mischievous mischarging going on you may be able to gain a rebate. With the business water market now deregulated, there are further opportunities to seek out those savings.

The deregulation of water has brought with it many consumer benefits, for example all water companies need to sharpen up their customer service and offer much more to stay ahead of the competition. Prior to this, many have found water suppliers wouldn’t work to their best but now the deregulation is in full swing, you now have the opportunity to regain control over your water.

Water audits provide good guidance moving forward with reducing usage and can also highlight areas any previous overcharges. They are usually free to complete; however, many companies do charge a percentage of the savings and/or rebate. It’s certainly worth considering if a large amount of water is used at your business property.

Another area that could provide a quick win for your business is looking into additional energy charges. Working in the care industry may entitle you to gain a reduced VAT rate, but have you always been charged this? Simply investigating your payment history could show if you have fallen victim to the inflated 20% rate.

Recently we worked with a multi-site care home that was found to have been overcharged for their VAT. This was discovered when a standard bill validation was carried out by a consultant.

Understanding how the system works and the most effective way to address this can be tricky however, an experienced consultant should be able to work through this process with you (this a good way to put your broker to the test).

We have helped to gain a £23,000 tax rebate for the business and since then we secured a new gas contract that has a huge £17,000 annual difference from the previous contract. There are savings to be made and rebates to be had across VAT and water so why not get in touch to get these looked into?

Call us today on 0800 007 4001 to discuss your energy and water with an experienced consultant.

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the

An care event com for mu nity

Caring has its problems.

Let us help with solutions.

Join us at the new and refreshed Care Show on 17-18 October 2018 at NEC Birmingham where you can enjoy CPD certified talks, see the latest equipment to make your job easier and have a good natter catching up with others who care just like you do.

Reserve your pass at careshow.co.uk/care2 or call 0207 013 4989

@CareShow @careshows

Building a better future for care