Care & Nursing Essentials - Issue 106

&NURSING C A RE

ISSUE 106

FINDING THE JOY: TAKING A MORE BALANCED VIEW OF DEMENTIA

CARE SHOW EXPANDS TO LONDON FOR 2024

REST ASSUREDSUPPORTING RESIDENTIAL CARE HOMES’ TECH AMBITIONS

Sky High Staffing is a specialist employment business, which supplies to care homes, hospitals and other healthcare clients across the United Kingdom with highly trained nurses, social workers, care assistants, support workers and more.

Staff

We have a huge number of staff in our database covering a variety of specialities including the following:

We have a huge number of staff in our database which include the following:

• Social Workers

• Registered General Nurses

• Senior Support Workers

• Home Care Managers

• Healthcare Assistants

• Support Workers

• Senior Carers

• Carers

• Specialist Registered Nurses

• Kitchen Assistants

• Elderly Care

• Learning Disability

• End of Life Care

• Mental Health

• Physical Disability

• Acquired Brain Injury

• Cleaners T: 07983482179

E: info@skyhighstaffing.co.uk

E: recruitment@skyhighstaffing.co.uk

Flexible hours to suit your lifestyle, including night shifts as well as full and part-time hours.

MANAGING DIRECTOR: Emma Hatherall

PRODUCTION MANAGER: Sheila Helm

SALES: Deborah Glover: careandnursingessentials@live.co.uk

EDITOR: Nick Lavigueur: nick@euromediaal.com DESIGNER: Elle Creamer

DISCLAIMER Care & Nursing magazine would like to thank the advertisers that appear in this publication for their support and wish them continued success. Care & Nursing is an independent publication and has no affiliation with any other organisation. The

&

do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher, Euromedia Associates Ltd and its employees. Similarly

are the sole responsibility of the supplier / manufacturer.

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR

Interim Chief Inspector appointed as Kate Terroni moves to new role

A local authority social care chief has been appointed as the CQC’s new interim Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care and Integrated

Care.

Hello and welcome to the Summer 2023 edition of Care & Nursing Essentials.

Recruitment and retention is an issue that I’m sure is never far from your mind as a professional manager in the care sector. It’s the first thing that is mentioned whenever you speak to anyone who works in care. The issue is pervasive and while most people will know there’s a shortage of carers, not everyone realises the HR headache extends throughout the workforce including home managers and nurses.

Having had to read more than my fair share of CQC reports of ‘Inadequate’ rated care homes during a previous role as a Health Reporter in the mainstream media, the importance of a good care home manager that sticks around can’t be underestimated!

In this edition we have a focus on both recruitment and the CQC updates, including a special interview with Richard Attwood, a senior member of a small care group in the North East of England, who gives his take on the workforce conundrum.

This issue also reveals the inspirational tale of one carer who went on from the bottom to the top in just a decade. Hands on experience and an enthusiasm for care propelled Michelle Jackson all the way up the career ladder.

We also have our usual array of features that can aid you in your day-to-day operations. One in particular to pay attention to is how to refurbish your floors rather than replacing them as it could save you thousands.

We hope you enjoy your magazine and if you want to offer us any feedback don’t hesitate to get in touch via nick@ euromediaal.com

With current Chief Inspector Kate Terroni moving on to be interim Deputy Chief Executive, James Bullion, Executive Director of Adult Social Services (DASS) at Norfolk County Council, and a member of the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board, has been lined up to take over.

During his six years at Norfolk, he has overseen transformation of adult services with a strong focus on community development, strengthening social work and integrated services with NHS partners. In 2020-21 James was President of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), helping to support and advocate for people during the pandemic.

James has recently been working for the Department of Health and Social Care on plans to ensure people can leave hospital when they are fit to do so as well as working closely with

the CQC over the past year as ADASS’ representative to support the development of its new assessments of local authorities.

Commenting on James’ appointment, Kate Terroni, Interim Deputy Chief Executive at CQC said: “It’s fantastic to have James join the team at the point we go live with our new powers to assess local authorities, as an experienced DASS and having been involved with the development of our approach.”

James Bullion said: “I am delighted to be joining CQC at such an important time for the organisation, councils and people drawing on services as we strengthen the national assurance arrangements and reform social care. I am grateful to Norfolk for supporting this, and hope to bring my experience and understanding of being a DASS as well as my national work as ADASS past president and on social care discharge to the many talents in CQC.”

Former manager of Lancashire nursing home admits failing to provide safe care after two resident deaths

Judge orders Caroline Taylforth to pay £40,000 fine and £15,000 costs following CQC prosecution

Anursing home manager has been ordered to pay more than £55,000 after she admitted two offences at Blackpool Magistrates Court, both of which caused serious harm to residents.

Caroline Taylforth was fined £40,000 after pleading guilty to failing to provide safe care and treatment to two residents at Rossendale Nursing Home in Lancashire both of whom died after incidents at the home.

The CQC prosecuted Taylforth, who was the registered manager at the time of the incidents, after mistakes she admitted to meant the two residents suffered avoidable harm while in her care.

The first offence surrounded failures in Patricia Sutton’s care in the hours before her death.

Patricia was admitted to the home on 11 October 2018 and had a significant medical history. On 6 November 2019, she was eating dinner in the dining room and started choking. She was taken to

hospital but sadly died later that day. Prior to this, Patricia had been involved in three other choking incidents, and should have been referred to a speech and language therapist after the second one occurred, in order to properly assess the risks. However, Taylforth did not safely assess, monitor or manage the risk or make this referral. Additionally, a referral was made to a dietician, who requested further information within two weeks of a letter dated 31 July 2019. There was no evidence that Taylforth provided this information, and the referral was subsequently closed.

CQC also prosecuted Taylforth for another incident concerning Dereck John Chapman (known as John), who was admitted to the home on 22 October 2019 with a number of health issues and was also prone to having falls.

On 13 January 2020 John had a fall in the dining room at the home. At 3.00am the next morning a motion sensor showed that John had left his bed and

he was found on the floor. Later that morning he was taken to hospital and was diagnosed as having a fractured left neck of femur. A few days later his condition deteriorated, and he sadly died on 3 February 2020. The fall and subsequent injury contributed to his death.

Following admission to the home, John suffered at least 14 falls. Taylforth failed to mitigate the risk of falls and failed to ensure John was promptly referred to appropriate services, such as the falls team, GP and local authority, following known incidents, particularly those resulting in injuries.

Taylforth, as the registered manager of the home, was required to maintain oversight of people’s care, and ensure people’s care records were accurate and up to date, as well as any appropriate referrals made to ensure people were receiving safe care and treatment. In these cases, this did not happen.

Taylforth was also ordered to pay a £181 victim surcharge and £15,000 legal costs to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which brought this prosecution.

Alison Chilton, CQC deputy director of operations for the north, said:

“Patricia and John were seriously let down by the care they received from Caroline Taylforth at Rossendale Nursing Home, which sadly led to their deaths.

“Caroline failed in her duty as registered manager to protect Patricia and John from an avoidable risk of harm in a place they should have been safe and receiving the best possible care to meet their individual needs.

“This fine is not representative of the value of their lives, but this, and the prosecution reminds all care providers they must always ensure people’s safety and manage risks to their wellbeing.

“The majority of care providers do an excellent job but when they don’t, we can and will take action to hold them to account and protect people.”

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock

CQC updates care providers on inspection overhaul as rollout plan delayed

The Care Quality Commission has called for feedback on its ambitious inspection transformation plan.

The watchdog said it was “making good progress” on the proposals it laid out in December last year but admitted the overhaul was “complex” and might need to be adapted along the way. It has said to allow more time for testing, it has taken the decision to move back the rollout of its improved enforcement processes.

A CQC update said: “As we move closer to implementing our new regulatory approach, we’ll explain clearly how we’ll start to use our new single assessment framework through our provider guidance.

“Our published ratings play an important role in health and social care and we want to carry on building people’s trust in them and in us. We will set out more about this in our next update

“When adapting our plan for transforming our regulatory approach, we renewed our commitment to involving health and care service providers, the public and others in developing our work.

“Since our last update, we’ve been engaging extensively with these groups in a variety of areas. For example, what our new assessment reports will look and feel like, and how we implement a process to verify that those signing up to our new provider portal are who they say they are.

“We’ve engaged with over 1,000 stakeholders during this time.”

The CQC said it had restructured its own operational teams but inspectors would continue to use the existing assessment frameworks while further training and reviews of the planned

changes took place.

What will happen?

In summer the CQC will begin the roll out of its new provider portal, notifying providers individually when they’re able to sign up.

It has vowed to do this in stages and provide support and guidance.

Initially they hope providers use the new portal to submit information such as statutory notifications as the use of email is phased out.

A new facility for care providers will allow review draft judgements.

The new way of assessing providers is due to begin towards the end of this year.

By this point all online interactions between providers and the CQC are expected to be through the new portal.

UPCOMING EVENTS SHOW FEATURES

BIRMINGHAM |

LIVERPOOL |

LONDON |

CARDIFF |

23RD MAY 2023

25TH MAY 2023

17TH OCTOBER 2023

14TH NOVEMBER 2023

DO YOU WORK IN CARE?

SEMINARS & PANELS

LOCAL NETWORKING

EXHIBITION

UPDATES AND Q&A WITH CQC

BOOK YOUR FREE TICKET HERE

National Care Forum criticises ‘short sighted’ NHS workforce plan

Leading social care association unhappy with Long Term Workforce Plan

The National Care Forum (NCF) has criticised the lack of detail about integrating NHS care and social care workforce resources in the Long Term Workforce Plan, published last June, the day before the NHS’s 75th anniversary.

The NHS Confederation - a body that works to support organisations that work for the NHS - also expressed ‘disappointment’ that the government had not committed to developing a comparative plan for the social care workforce.

Professor Vic Rayner OBE, CEO of the NCF hit out at the omission of social care recruitment planning in the plan and the delay and reduction in investment for the sector.

She said: “The delayed workforce plan publication bears no relation to the much-vaunted integrated workforce commission of 2021. In 2021 Health Education England was commissioned to review the long term strategic changes needed for the health and social care workforce to support patients and the population of the future.

“What has appeared is a plan that only talks to the needs of the NHS and has a glaring gap around professionals within adult social care and any non-clinical professional in health and social care.

“The irony of publication on the day before the first anniversary of the establishment of the Integrated Care Systems should not be ignored. It makes repeated reference to integration, recognising the importance of stabilising and improving adult social care in making this plan a success, but contains no plans for how the government would do this.

“This seems extremely short-sighted and is characteristic of an ongoing deprioritisation of social care, which has seen reforms delayed, scrapped and reduced in scope over the last few years.

“This document, as originally scoped, should be a tale of two workforces coming together as one, yet this plan risks putting yet more strategic and operational distance between the two. We should not forget that this year is also the 75th anniversary of social care and yet only the health workforce is getting both a plan and additional funding – funding that is nearly ten times greater than the current plans to address workforce reform across the whole 1.6 million strong care workforce.”

Adult social care is also facing intense pressures. There are currently 1.62m filled posts but 165,000 vacancies and an 11% vacancy rate. There are now 5 million unpaid carers and requests for

care are expected to exceed 2 million in 2022/2023.

This pressure is underpinned by the failure of successive governments to bring forward a comprehensive workforce plan for social care or properly fund providers to improve workforce pay, terms and conditions. Important attempts to introduce reformed career and development structures risk failure because care and support providers are constrained in their ability as employers to offer more attractive pay, terms and conditions and maintain pay differentials which recognise and reward the attainment of additional skills, specialisms, and responsibilities, due to underfunding by the state.

More importantly, the government is missing the opportunity to unlock the full potential of adult social care. Social care contributes £51.5bn to the economy in England and proper investment in adult social care, as a key part of the nation’s infrastructure, would unlock jobs, growth and tackle health and socio-economic inequalities across the country. It would be one of the single-most powerful policy decisions a government could make to better the lives of people everywhere.

As a matter of urgency, the government must:

• Pay care workers at a rate according to their skills and competencies determined by an independent review body, aligned, at the very least, with NHS Agenda for Change Pay Bands.

• Develop a long-term workforce plan for adult social care which models future workforce requirements and seeks to diversify the types of roles available, as well as developing career structures and qualifications. This should be aligned with NHS workforce planning to enable a joined-up workforce and to enhance the quality of care provided by both the NHS and social care.

• Introduce professional registration for all adult social care workers and establish a professional body to represent them. This must be fully funded by the state.

Image courtesy of iStock

Charity Calls on Government to Increase Funding for End of Life Care

The Gold Standards Framework Centre (GSF) says the provision of high-quality end of life care must become a national priority as the trend towards people living and dying at home, rather than in hospitals, is likely to continue.

According to research commissioned by GSF, two thirds of people who expressed a preference say they would like to die at home or in a care home (67%).

But, the charity points out, unless more frontline health and care professionals receive specific end of life training and support to provide improved care - either at home, in care homes or retirement villages - the decline in hospital deaths will start to reverse.

This would lead to increased emergency admissions and hospital deaths, meaning people will be denied the chance to die at home or in their usual place of care.

Unlike some developed countries where the majority of people die in hospital, the UK has seen a gradual reduction in hospital death rates – a positive trend that over the last 25 years GSF has contributed to through its end of life care training and accreditation programmes.

Keri Thomas, founder and Chair of GSF, said: “If current trends continue,

home and care home death rates are set to almost double by 2040 as hospital death rates decline further.

“But if end of life training and support for staff in the community does not increase, we are likely to see poorer quality of care for the dying in the community along with increased numbers of hospital admissions and hospital deaths . This leads to increased hospitalisation and reduced access for acutely unwell patients, with the consequent clogging up of emergency departments and long ambulance waits seen in many hospitals last winter.

“Research confirms that over 40% of emergency hospital admissions of people from care homes are potentially preventable and more could be enabled to die at home with better staff training and stronger support.

“Over 650,000 people died in the UK in 2022 including a 9% rise due to post-Covid excess deaths, with numbers set to rise further in the next 25 years. So failure to provide staff with adequate end of life care training will result in many more people experiencing poor care at the end of their lives, greater distress for their families and excessive hospitalisation. Investment in prevention through proactive training can therefore reap benefits at practical, economic and humanitarian levels.

“This overuse of hospitals is not what

we or the public wants to see happen. It’s imperative that the Government takes action now to ensure adequate resources are made available to ensure all frontline staff in any setting receive end of life care training so that more people can live well and die well in a place and manner of their choosing.”

The charity says they have widespread public support with two thirds of people (67%) surveyed backing their call for the Government to provide more resources and training for end of life care as a national priority.

The research also highlighted a concerning lack of public awareness around end of life care with half those surveyed (50%) admitting they had scant knowledge of the care and support available to them in the last years of life. More significantly almost two thirds (61%) said they would appreciate a discussion with professionals about end of life care options available.

In the last 25 years the GSF Centre has trained over 5,000 teams, about half a million staff and accredited over 2,000 organisations or teams, (12) affirming its position as the UK’s leading and most experienced training provider in end of life care for generalist frontline staff across all settings.

A charity that provides training in end of life care is calling on the Government to make more resources and training available for generalist frontline staff who care for people in the last years of life.

An Incredible Ascent

Michelle’s rise from Care Assistant to Managing Director

The notion of care as a profession with little opportunity for progression has been obliterated by the remarkable career trajectory of Caremark boss Michelle Jackson. Michelle, now Managing Director of Caremark Redcar & Cleveland, went from the bottom of the ladder to the top in just ten years.

Before starting out in the care sector, she worked in sales but always had a genuine desire to help people.

She had originally established her own mortgage brokerage but driven by a yearning to make an impact, Michelle embarked on a life changing career change.

Starting as a care assistant with the home care provider in 2011, she provided emotional and physical support to help customers enjoy life safely and independently in their own homes.

Charles Folkes, the franchise owner of Caremark Redcar & Cleveland, empowered the rise of this compassionate and motivated individual, who he said had embraced every opportunity for learning and progression.

Having mastered her first role, Michelle was then promoted in quick succession to coordinator, then supervisor, then compliance officer - a role specialising in Caremark recruitment.

At each step, Michelle welcomed every chance to progress and acquire new skills, and in October 2012, she set her sights high and secured the role of registered manager.

Equipped with a wealth of practical knowledge, Michelle came to epitomise the endless possibilities available within the field and the Caremark franchise, and became Managing Director and joint franchise owner of the Redcar & Cleveland branch in April 2021.

She now uses her hands-on experience to inspire the way she leads the 330+ care team, leading by example and challenging any outdated concepts of hierarchical or authoritarian leadership.

Said Michelle: “Because the team knows I’ve done their job, they know that I’m not going to tell them to do something I’m not willing to do myself.

“I also know how it feels to work in their role. I understand their stress and

feelings, and I can relate to that, and that’s why we are a family. I don’t dictate, I am on the ground with them and part of the team, not someone superior locked away in a room.

“I run the business how I’d want my family to be looked after. The care that we give is the care that I would be happy to give my Nanna and Grandad to make sure they’re comfortable and safe at home.”

David Glover, Joint CEO of Caremark, commented: “Michelle’s remarkable journey from a care assistant to the Managing Director of our Redcar & Cleveland franchise is a testament to the power of hard work, unwavering determination, and an unwavering belief

in her abilities.

“Her success story is a shining beacon, not only within Caremark but also in challenging perceptions of a career in the care sector. We take the utmost pride in supporting every member of the Caremark family to achieve their goals – offering various training opportunities and career advancement paths. Through her dedication and commitment, Michelle is proof that a caring profession can be varied and full of opportunity. It is a great example of our progressive leadership style, highlighting the limitless potential for a career in care to aspiring professionals.”

Image courtesy of Caremark

As costs continue to soar in the care home sector, shrinking budgets remain a tremendous concern for providers who face significantly higher prices across the board. Scrutinising all outgoings is crucial to help ensure care homes can continue operating in the midst of very tough times, and seeking new ways to save money has come into the foreground of discussions around spend.

Although it’s not the first area that springs to mind when looking to cut costs, substantial savings can be gained from what lies underfoot. With the frequency of floor replacement averaging around 3 years in the care home space, it’s not about finding the cheapest, but identifying what delivers the best value for money in the longterm, and innovative solutions in the flooring industry can help improve efficiencies in the care home sector.

Resilient floor surfaces are prevalent in care homes because PVC/vinyl, linoleum, and rubber, all provide the level of durability, hygiene, and safety required for this type of setting. These surfaces are also subject to intense usage, with the movement of equipment, high footfall, and intense cleaning regimes, eventually taking their toll.

Floor renewal: Benefits for care homes

• More cost-effective

• Improves hygiene & safety

• Low maintenance

• Minimal downtime & noise

How resilient floor renewal leads to sharp cost savings for care homes

Rohit Sharma, resilient sales manager, at Bona, a family-owned company that provides sustainable, high-performance flooring solutions dispels the myth that a brand-new installation is the only choice when a floor is damaged. Rohit tells us why floor renewal is the new way to go.

• More environmentally sustainable

• Highly durable

Floor renewal: drives cost-savings

The renewal of resilient flooring is a turning point for the sector as it is viable in any situation – even if the surface is awash with scratches, dents, and gaps, and looks beyond salvage, it can be transformed. Extending the life of a floor in this way can turn even the most battered surface into something beautiful. One of the main reasons it is such an attractive alternative is because it can drive savings of up to 50%, compared to the cost of a brand-new surface. It also increases the life span of the surface, reducing the need to frequently replace.

Additionally, the renewal process itself is much quicker, creating less impact and disturbance on staff and residents. The downtime required for the renewal process is again, up to 50% less than a brand-new installation.

Improves floor hygiene

Hygiene and safety are of paramount importance, and here, resilient floor renewal delivers over and above other options. Whilst some surfaces may look shiny and clean, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they are hygienic.

However, the renewal process creates a monolithic, flat surface, removing joints and seams where no matter how rigorously it’s cleaned, bacteria grow. In fact, the monolithic surface has been proven a better solution for floor

hygiene when compared to floors with seams. Whilst safety wise, some renewal solutions also include anti-slip additives which increase durability and protection against falls.

Transforming existing resources

Utilising existing resources in the best possible way can create advantages for any business, and the practice of floor renewal has come a long way. It is widely undertaken across many sectors with outstanding results. Even for those of us with an expert eye, it is near impossible to tell the difference between a renewed surface and a brand-new surface; the quality is superb.

The renewal of resilient flooring enables care home providers to avoid an expensive short-term fix, and instead select a long-term solution that greatly reduces spend, saving thousands of pounds. When a resilient floor requires replacement, think renewal; unquestionably it ranks higher than new replacement against multiple criteria.

The workforce conundrum - what’s the solution?

Q&A with Richard Attwood, Finance Director at The Prestige Group

While the NHS has vowed to fix its recruitment and retention issues, the absence of a long term social care workforce plan has again left industry leaders on their own to handle the serious challenges of finding the right staff.

Here, Richard Attwood, Finance Director at The Prestige Group, talks to ‘Care & Nursing Essentials’ Editor, Nick Lavigueur, about what they’ve been doing to manage their human resources in recent years.

What do you think about the absence of a social care long term workforce plan and what action would you like to see from the government?

Recruitment and retention is one of our greatest challenges. Not only are there not enough staff in care but there is also the added pressure of staff being attracted to agencies through higher rates of pay.

One solution would be for some form of government / local authority care agency. They could offer staff the higher rates of pay but at least the profits on the hours they work would go back into the care system rather than to private companies.

Agency staff are essential for the care industry due to the strict staffing requirements and it not always being easy to cover shifts, especially at short notice. However, when you get an agency member of staff, you’re paying more for staff that don’t know the home or the residents as well. It is important for the home and the service that staff

know the home and the residents.

Why has it come to this?

Good question. The care industry isn’t perhaps as glamorous as some other industries and, particularly during the pandemic, the profile of care homes wasn’t helped. This is a great frustration for me as our care staff worked hard throughout the pandemic at a time when we didn’t know what the dangers of Covid were. These staff work hard to make life enjoyable and comfortable for some of the most vulnerable members of society. It would be great to see more positive coverage about the great work care staff do to make life at a care home enjoyable.

There is always the argument that the rates of pay are too low, but then again where does that come from? That comes back to fees being too low. If you don’t have the fees, you can’t pay the rates. Also it is an easy solution to just pay more money, but I think enhancing the reputation of working in care and also highlighting the career path available in care would help. Most of the home managers and operations staff I meet started out as carers and often advanced quite quickly through the ranks. If you want a path to a well paid job then care is definitely something to consider, it does come with a lot of hard work though.

What have you been doing to attract and retain staff?

Recruitment is something that will always be a challenge because of the nature of the industry - when you’re paid

minimum wage people will move around jobs.

We do tend to find we get those that stick with you for a long time, and those that don’t take to it so move to another industry, so you’ve always got that challenge.

In terms of things that we’ve brought in over the last couple of years to try and make it more attractive for people to come and work with us, we offer an additional payment for overtime for people covering shifts and we’ve put a sickness bonus in place. Care offers great flexibility for working parents for example. There is always the opportunity to pick up extra shifts to earn more money too.

Rather than paying agents to recruit people, if we can get staff to do it by word of mouth it helps immensely, so we have a recommend-a-friend scheme as well. We would far rather pay our own staff a bonus for helping with recruitment.

I’d say we’ve been relatively successful as two or three years ago, the amount of agency use we had was a lot higher than it is today. Will we ever get it to zero? I’m not sure but we’re certainly trying.

The shortage of frontline carers gets the headlines but that’s not the only recruitment headache is it?

Attracting managers and operations staff can be a challenge as well, there’s a lot of managers out there who don’t stay in jobs long - maybe six months to a year in each job. It’s easy to say ‘don’t take them on’ but sometimes that’s all you’ve got to choose from, so you have to try

and support them and try and help them to make it work. In addition to this, there is a well known shortage of nurses which also brings challenges.

Are you having to recruit from overseas?

Yes, and it’s been quite successful. Our first overseas nurse joined us about three years ago and she’s still with us now. It’s been quite effective because as everybody knows there’s a shortage of nurses, particularly in the care industry. It can be difficult to recruit nurses because a lot want to stay within the NHS, they don’t want to come into care homes. Our experience with overseas nurses has been a positive one, they’re keen to work and they’re keen to integrate. You pay the sponsorship fee for them, but if they stick with you and they do the hours then it pays for itself. We took our first two in 2020 and we’ve since taken five more on. We help them at each stage of the process from interviewing them in their own country to finding them accommodation, putting them through their OSCE training and their exams. Once they get their pin, they can work for us as a nurse. Prior to passing their OSCE exam they can still work

for us as a Senior which helps to solve another shortage. I think it’s been quite a success.

How do you find them?

We used an agency that took care of everything and then our operations team of nurses would interview them

online before any commitment was made. There was quite an outlay for us at the outset, but when you compare it to having to pay an agency for a nurse it is a much better investment. We’ve had some from Nigeria and some from Zimbabwe. We’ve started to make enquiries about Indian nurses as well.

Images courtesy of iStock

Finding the joy: taking a more balanced view of dementia

By Amrit Dhaliwal, Chief Executive of homecare franchise Walfinch

Recently a fit 60-year-old told me: “If I’m diagnosed with dementia, I will end my life.” I know he’s not alone in seeing a dementia diagnosis as the end.

Yet even though dementia will affect the lives of half of us in the UK, either because we care for someone with dementia, develop it ourselves, or both, it’s something that many people wilfully ignore until forced to confront it.

This makes our society prone to myths and misconceptions about it, resulting in a culture of fear.

A 2021 survey by Alzheimer’s UK found that 49% of people in the UK said that dementia was the condition they feared the most, and 60% of over-65s feared dementia more than any other health condition.

Care professionals need to counter this

Those of us in the care sector, who interact with people with dementia almost daily, know that there is some light in the shadows – and we must focus on that.

We have a duty to dispel some of the fears in the public mind, so that rather than seeing dementia as a reason for suicide, more people take a balanced approach to it.

Why we need a more balanced view

While no-one would welcome a dementia diagnosis, many people have no choice but to live with it. Some 944,000 people are living with dementia, and this is expected to rise to 1.6 million by 2050, according to The Dementia

The average life expectancy for people with dementia varies according to the specific condition and person. For instance, the average lifespan of people with Alzheimer’s disease is around eight to 10 years, says Alzheimer’s UK. Life expectancy is less if the person is diagnosed in their 80s or 90s. A few people with Alzheimer’s live for longer, sometimes for 15 or even 20 years. Viewing life with dementia as an ongoing tragedy from the day of diagnosis to death is not going to help them.

Many people also believe that a dementia diagnosis means an inevitable move to a care home – but 61% of over-65s with dementia live in their own homes. Many are partly or solely cared for by home carers – and many of our carers delight in bringing some joy into their lives.

Positive stories

At Walfinch we have heard many remarkably positive stories about the lives of people with dementia. Carers usually enjoy caring for them. All carers get dementia training and many at Walfinch take extra qualifications in dementia care.

Walfinch Compliance Manager

Amanda Keeler, who started her care career as a carer, told me: “Of course, there is a dark side to dementia, but as a carer, you can bring joy to their day, and they bring joy to yours. It’s learning to

Statistics Hub of Alzheimer’s Research UK.

Image courtesy of Walfinch

live in the moment.

“Often I have seen people with dementia return to their youth or early 20s. It brings back a kind of innocence. They lose the sullenness and taint that sometimes comes with tough life experiences and they can be a lot happier.”

As a homecare franchisee and now as Chief Executive of Walfinch, I have often experienced the same thing myself. A woman whose mother experienced hallucinations as one of her symptoms told me: “She often said she had been visited by her mum and dad, and a sister-in-law she was close to. They had all passed away a long time ago, but we never contradicted her as it brought her a lot of comfort and it was lovely to hear her so happy.”

Individual care: learning and laughter

We owe it to everyone to treat people as the individuals they are, each with a different experience of dementia at various stages of the disease, rather than lumping them altogether as a stereotype. That’s why it’s vital we find

out about a client’s background. Then carers can build on that, encouraging clients to talk and get involved in activities that we know they enjoy.

“I love learning about the person I am caring for. I encourage people to realise how important talking about their life is. We often laugh. So many people have a wonderful sense of humour, and laughter lifts the spirit and makes me, as a carer, and the person I am caring for, to feel happy,” says Carol, a carer at Walfinch Southampton, who provides care to many people with dementia.

Our franchisee in Oxford arranged a home visit from a care support dog for Joan, aged 100, who was a lifelong dog lover. Her son David told us: “We’d had several dogs in the family, and she often remembered them, so she loved it. She was diagnosed with dementia in 2019, and there were upsetting times, but there were many bright spots too, especially after her Walfinch carers started visiting. Caring for her was not all sadness. We’d often laugh about things.”

Fun for carers too

Activities like singing and dancing can boost wellbeing for clients and carers too. Robin Boulter, Walfinch Southampton’s Care Coordinator, recalls: “As a carer I visited one man who had quite advanced dementia. We used to go out for a drive and put on music, which we both sang along to. He liked oldies from singers like Sinatra and Sammy Davis Junior. He’d be changed man when we got back to his home.”

Let’s talk about this

Carers are perhaps the biggest experts in what it’s like to live with dementia. We need to shout about the reality of living with dementia. Yes, it’s different for everyone – but taking a more balanced approach and realising there is still some joy in life after a diagnosis will help everyone – those with dementia, their families and friends and the worried well. Let’s shout about that more!

For information about Walfinch home care services and its career opportunities visit: www.walfinch.com or call: 020 4531 8484.

Images courtesy of iStock

Why your care facility should consider cyber insurance

For the opportunistic cybercriminal, it’s been a good time to commit cybercrime, as the pandemic forced us to move away from our usual routines and reliable systems, leaving an exploitable gap in our security as we quickly adapted to new ways of working.

Between April and June 2021, the ICO reported that there were 2552 data security incidents in the UK with 688 of those related to a cybercrime. The

healthcare sector was one of the most affected with 607 data security incidents in total – 108 a direct result of a cyberattack. (More on types of cyberattack below).

The most common attack occurred through email or social media, and accounted for 53% of all attacks on businesses, leading to substantial multi-million pound losses. Healthcare, financial institutions, manufacturing, real estate, and education were the most

targeted industries.

Whether a big or small-scale event, a cyber-attack is likely to have serious consequences for any business –shutting systems, deleting data, preventing data access or stopping them from trading altogether. Dealing with the fall out of a cyber-attack can be complicated and stressful, not to mention time-consuming and potentially expensive.

As our reliance on the digital world increases it is no real wonder that cybercrime is on the increase, and this has been clearly evident in the last few years.

Image courtesy of Barnes Commercial Insurance Broker

Types of Cyber-attack

Cyber-attacks can take many forms, all engineered to get the victim to disclose information or take action, or to infect systems with malicious software. Phishing, malware attacks and ransomware pose a threat to all businesses.

It’s common to think that cyber threats against businesses come from unrelated hackers, cyber-attacks or ransomware and are big events, but sometimes they can be more subtle and come from sources a little closer to home. The four categories that cyber threats against a business typically originate from are insider threats, human error or negligence, external threats and thirdparty threats.

Wherever the threat originates the bottom line is how you to respond. Have you thought about how you would continue to run your care home if you lost access to all your data? You could lose access to client records and supplier data, order information, diary appointments, financial data, your website and more. If you are held to ransom for access to patient files, the financial consequences could be significant.

Additionally, you may be affected by reputational damage, which could affect existing relationships and damage future prosperity. You may need to rebuild and replace lost systems or create a new website. And, if a data breach occurred you are likely to face significant fines from the Information Commissioner’s Office.

All of the above will require money, time and resources and need to be addressed in a timely manner to help you retain customers, employees, your reputation and may ultimately affect the future of your care facility.

Having a comprehensive contingency and business interruption plan in place along with adequate insurance will help you to address and quickly overcome any fallout from a cyber-attack. A robust plan is vital to make sure you meet your legal obligations regarding data breaches and to reassure your customers.

The benefits of cyber insurance

Cyber insurance is a must for any care home business because it provides you with protection and peace of mind, should the worst happen. It will help

against denial of service, which may occur with ransomware, the recovery from computer virus damage, which may have resulted in a significant loss of data, and other data breaches such as the loss of a memory stick or laptop. Getting assistance quickly and from reputable, knowledgeable and reliable sources will be key in ensuring your business can continue to operate with minimal disruption.

If your care home holds data on a computer system, even with anti-virus software in place, you can still be vulnerable to a breach. Cyber insurance is relatively inexpensive and will provide you and your business with complete reassurance in the face of a data breach crisis. Every business is different and will have specific needs, so make sure you get advice for your unique situation and requirements. Don’t wait until you have experienced a cyber-attack to put measures in place, be proactive and help protect your care facility now.

For information on Cyber Liability Insurance please speak to Barnes Commercial on 01480 272727 or visit their website www. barnesinsurancebroker.co.uk

Specialist care home insurance

Care Show expands to London for 2024

CloserStill Media is delighted to announce that from 2024 onwards The Residential Home & Care Show will become a sister event to the award-winning Care Show Birmingham. Care Show London will be a standalone event, taking place on 24-25 April 2024 at the ExCeL London.

The expansion of the Care Show brand to London will help to create clarity to the social care landscape in the UK, and especially in the South and Southeast. It will be the UK’s leading destination for leaders in social care looking to improve the quality of their service, deliver personalised care, achieve outstanding ratings, and transform the care sector. It will serve as a premiere care in the community event to ensure the hottest and most important topics are tackled.

Michael Corbett, Portfolio Director, Closerstill Media said: “In true Care Show-style, Care Show London will be a mix of practical sessions, highprofile speakers, and inspirational panel debates, without forgetting the joyous

energy that defines the Care Show and celebrates the care sector itself.”

You can register your interest in attending next year and to stay updated on the Care Show London’s latest news .

The organisers, CloserStill Media, specialise in global professional events within the healthcare and technology markets. The healthcare portfolio includes some of the UK’s fastest growing and award-winning events, such as The Clinical Pharmacy Congress, The Dentistry Show, The Pharmacy Show, Best Practice and Acute & General Medicine.

It is a market leading innovator. With its teams and international events, it has won multiple awards, including Best Marketer – five times in succession – Best Trade Exhibition, Best Launch

Exhibition, and Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work For – four years in series – among others.

CloserStill Media delivers unparalleled quality and relevant audiences for all its exhibitions, delivering NHS and private sector healthcare professionals from across occupational therapy, pharmacy, dentistry, primary and secondary care with more than £16m worth of free training.

For more information please contact –Exhibition and speaker enquiries: Michael Corbett – m.corbett@ closerstillmedia.com

Marketing enquiries: Heidi Rasanen – h.rasanen@ closerstillmedia.com

Free up time by trusting the experts at Well Pharmacy with your medicines management

personalised medicines management for residents – giving staff more time to focus on their other needs.

Local Well Pharmacy teams work with care and nursing homes to develop a package that works for that individual home, and all of these include a local dispensing service, local delivery drivers and a dedicated customer account manager to make sure everything runs smoothly.

for any items that are out of stock – although with access to a large and well-stocked central hub, this is likely to be a rarer occurrence.

The service offers original pack dispensing and racked medication dispensing, alongside delivery of monthly medication and interim medication, all designed to give care home staff one less thing to worry about.

Luckily, the experts at Well Pharmacy are here to offer their support through the chain’s dedicated Care Home Service.

Backed by and run from more than 740 local Well Pharmacy stores across the UK, the service run by local teams takes care of delivering safe and effective

Well Care Home Services

Providing person-centred care

 We provide a local service, with a national structure of over 750 pharmacies across the UK

 Choice of paper MARs or one of our multiple eMAR partners

 We o er Original Pack, Dosette Boxes and Racking medication to suit your individual needs

 We follow up on your prescriptions with the GP so you don’t have to, giving you more time to take care of your residents

 Delivery of monthly and free same-day interims*, providing a bespoke package

*Dependent on size of care home and location

Teams handle everything prescription-related, including chasing any missing prescriptions from prescribers and organising recommended alternatives

To find out more about the Care Home Service offered by Well Pharmacy, visit Care Homes – Well Pharmacy, email carehomes@well.co.uk or call 0333 8666 980.

Managing medication could almost be a full-time admin job for many care and nursing home staff, with many residents having complex medical needs – and those needs often changing over time (or overnight, in some cases).

INTRODUCING THE NEW PRESSALIT MATRIX HEIGHT AND SIDEWAYS ADJUSTABLE WASHBASIN

THE ULTIMATE IN FUNCTIONALITY AND HYGIENE

recommended for a care or hospital setting where frequent adjustment is required, offering huge time saving benefits and improved working conditions for staff, whilst the manual solution is suitable for a bathroom where there’s only one user, or multiple users with the same needs.

The MATRIX MEDIUM AND MATRIX DEEP ANGLE washbasins both feature integrated handles for additional user support.

MATRIX basin bracket is a flexible solution, taking into account the specific needs of the user at any given time. By simple adjustment for height, or to create space sideways for greater access to the shower or toilet for wheelchairs, this helps create situations that boost selfreliance and help provide a greater degree of freedom.”

In any accessible bathroom, space is key, and with Pressalit’s new height and sideways adjustable MATRIX washbasin, creating space quickly and hygienically has just got easier.

The world leading manufacturer and designer Pressalit has introduced the MATRIX washbasin bracket with a choice of integrated basin styles, the MATRIX MEDIUM, or MATRIX ANGLE DEEP, featuring a new, simple to use, discreet adjustment for both height and sideways movement.

The ultimate in functionality and hygiene, the MATRIX washbasin makes the best use of space in the bathroom whilst accommodating the changing needs of both users and caregivers. Supporting self-reliance, space optimisation and a sense of security in the bathroom, the new adjustable washbasin has been designed for use in a wide variety of installations,

from a private home, care setting, institution or a hospital.

Whether for a seated or standing user, or when a carer is assisting, the new MATRIX washbasin offers a flexible solution and safe working environment, offering the commitment to quality, practicality and design that Pressalit makes its priority.

The easy-to-move washbasin can be adjusted smoothly sideways to a range of 500mm, to create greater access when using the shower or toilet for a wheelchair user and carer, by means of a discreet handle located underneath the basin.

Adjustment can be carried out safely with one hand, and requires very little hand strength to operate.

The vertical rise and fall allows for a variation of 300mm, with options available for either a manual handle or intuitive electric power button. The latter is

With both hygiene and aesthetics in mind, the discreet MATRIX bracket’s operating panel fits tightly against the wall and snugly against the washbasin, preventing dust and dirt from settling in hard-to-reach places. All surfaces are large, smooth and easy to wipe.

Andrew Lowndes, Sales Director for Pressalit in the UK says, “Some people need a lot of help in the bathroom, others little or none. The new

Pressalit has many years of experience and expertise in the field of designing accessible bathrooms. The company will provide advice on everything from space optimisation to rules and guidelines for design and the choice of solution and installation, creating the best conditions for the user, and where needed a carer or health professional.

https://pressalit.com/en-uk/ products/matrix-adjustablewashbasin-solution/

Images courtesy of Pressalit

Why not choose the Third Way

Richard Woodward, General Manager for apetito’s Care Home Division, shares how Care Homes can make the right choice for their residents’ mealtimes.

“When looking at meal provisions, care homes often feel they only have two choices: in-house or contract caterer!

“There’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ choice but there are factors worth considering. For many homes ‘fresh cook’ appeals. But there are inherent challenges in delivering a seamless quality service, plus a significant cost in preparing a quality freshcook service.

“And it should be asked; does it taste any better? How are specialist dietary needs met? How do you keep a firm handle on nutritional content?

“Contract caterers can appear to be an attractive alternative, promising the

minimising of work for management and seemingly, removing unpredictable labour concerns. But of course, alongside this, comes a loss of overall control which has been known (in some instances), to come back to bite.

“They’re also inherently more expensive as they look to make a margin that care homes wouldn’t, and one must consider the exposure to ever-rising labour costs (on a labour reliant model), alongside absence and inconsistency issues.

“We know how important it is for homes to balance costs and labour requirements. Opting for a hybrid system where costs are fixed and high quality pre-prepared

meals are deployed, care homes can reduce their reliance on labour. With a service like apetito, there’s no need for a large, costly catering team.

“For homes looking to serve residents’ delicious food, whilst making

efficiencies, it really is worth considering if the third waythe hybrid approach - could work.”

Check out apetito’s care homes service by calling 0808 239 2399 or visiting https://apetito.link/CNE

A Simple Step Towards your Net Zero Goals: Upgrade your Sluice Room

Remove the need for hot water or steam in your sluice room with a simple upgrade to a Haigh bedpan machine. The global commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions has led many industries, including healthcare, to search for sustainable solutions. A quick win that contributes to this as well as saving considerable annual running costs in the process, is to ensure that a site is not wasting energy by the heating and boiling of water in a site’s sluice room. Haigh Engineering’s bedpan disposers, when compared with hot water washing based alternatives, are proven to save thousands of pounds of electricity per site with the comparative CO2 savings: for a pan or pot washer being used 10 times per day, the reduction in CO2 is 1,050 kg per annum*, and with more usage or multiple dirty utility rooms across a site this saving only becomes more significant.

Alongside the financial and carbon savings, sites using Haigh’s Panaway also see the other benefits of using macerators, including all the infection control aspects of a single use

system and the reduced risks of cross contamination that re-introducing washed items into an otherwise clean environment. Additional, harder to quantify, contributions towards net zero include the reduction in waste to landfill associated with any products that have to be disposed of via the clinical waste route that are better off processed in a macerator, as well as reduced. While improving the sluice room is only a small aspect of a site’s move towards Net Zero, one of the points that makes this attractive is that upgrading bedpan machines is a well-established, simple, low risk project that has been made even more straightforward in recent years with the introduction of the plug and play Panaway DS system. Haigh’s Panaway equipment is easy to retrofit into a wide range of environments and requires minimal training for users with its simple intuitive interface. Upgrades to a site can be delivered as a one-hit roll out or incrementally over time depending on what suits a customer and the staff best.

The Haigh Engineering factory based in Herefordshire, UK, itself operates

towards net zero goals, with in excess of 50% of the site’s electrical requirements now coming from solar PV on the site, and plans to increase this self-generation level over time. The products themselves are designed by the team with reliability, long lifespan and straightforward maintenance as the overall life of a product is well known factor in keeping the embodied carbon content of a product as low as possible on an annualised basis. With carbon content and actual operating costs so interlinked, this of course brings financial benefits to customers and is in no small way one of the factors that underpins the global success and continued growth of Haigh’s waste disposal product range.

To calculate your carbon and energy savings, visit: https://haighmed.com/ calculator/

For more information please feel free to contact the team at info@haighmed. com or 01989 763131 Option 2

* Using established Carbon Trust calculation methodologies and typical machine parameters - contact us with your current equipment details for an assessment specific to your site

‘Older Adults, Inclusivity Through Meaningful Resources’

Here at ‘Older Adults’, know that the right level of sensory stimulation helps relieve stress and boredom; engaging in activity also involves an act of communication, leading to a feeling of comfort and well-being.

Following on from the aforementioned, Snoezelen® multi-sensory environments can be enjoyed by individuals regardless of ability and can be easily and continually adapted to focus on themes that encourage

reminiscence and provide suitable stimulation and comfort.

The level of stimulation in a Snoezelen® multi-sensory environment can be adjusted up or down to manage levels of arousal such as anxiety or drowsiness.

For more information on our Snoezelen® Multi-sensory Environment, or to browse our huge range of products from ‘Older Adults’, visit: www.olderadults.co.uk or email: sales@olderadults.co.uk

Older Adults is the new name for ‘Meaningful Activities for Older Adults’, the only company utilising Snoezelen® Multi-Sensory Environments to enhance the lives of adults of advancing age.

We believe in the power of personalised sensory stimulation through exploration, to ease stress and boredom; fostering a sense of comfort and wellbeing.

At Older Adults, we understand that each individual’s needs may vary, which is why the level of stimulation in our Snoezelen® Multi-Sensory Environments can be easily adjusted to cater to di erent levels of engagement, ensuring a calming and anxiety-free experience.

After spending time in Snoezelen® Multi-Sensory Environments, those with late-stage Dementia have shown positivie changes in mood and behaviour, and also an increase in their surroundings.

‘Older Adults’ is the new shorter name for ‘Meaningful Activities for Older Adults’, the

that uses sensory stimulation products and Snoezelen® multi-sensory environments, that cater to helping and enhancing the lives of adults of advancing ages, but in particular, those of us that may present symptoms of dementia, Alzheimer’s and many other conditions.

CareDocs - person centred software provider for care and nursing homes

CareDocs (Care Management Systems Ltd), one of the UK’s leading person centred software providers for care and nursing homes, welcomes Andrew Samuel as its new IT Manager.

work in supporting his local community throughout the pandemic.

passion CareDocs has for supporting UK care homes in the work we do.”

Mr Samuel brings extensive experience within IT, having previously worked for Nexus Open Systems, techrelate and many others.

Most notably, Andrew was listed in the New Years Honours 2023 and received the British Empire Medal for his

Having spent many years volunteering for charities, namely being part of the team that reopened a local theatre in Taunton, known as The Brewhouse, after it fell into administration, Andrew was nominated for this prestigious award after creating a support group of volunteers to support vulnerable people in his community during the pandemic. General Manager at CareDocs, Alan Pocock, commented: “We’re so pleased to have Andrew join the team.

“He will be an integral part of propelling CareDocs into the future of digital healthcare. We’re very lucky to have someone join us who is so caring and passionate, and will add to the

CareDocs has more than 15 years’ experience supporting healthcare professionals to manage service user records with our point of care recording software, we are paving the way for digital transformation in the healthcare sector.

Striving to achieve the highest standards of compliance and care delivery for our customers our software has unrivalled functionality in line with care compliance standards. Working alongside industry bodies such as the National Care Association, our top priority is our customers and how we can help transform the care delivered to service users across the UK.

Rest assured – supporting residential care homes’ tech ambitions

The Digital Social Care’s Assured Suppliers List (ASL) is a digital marketplace for NHS accredited solutions to meet the diverse needs of social care providers.

KareInn’s Managing Director, Kate Colborne-Baber, discusses the importance of the ASL, as residential care providers strive to meet their technology ambitions.

Why is it so important for social care to embrace digital technologies?

It is all about building on the great care that already takes place day to day in our care homes across the country. Embracing digital tools can offer so much more than time savings and greater efficiency, if done well they have

the potential to enrich care interactions, dramatically transform the quality of care and improve safety. When real-time insights are available for example, care assistants have access to the information they need to make better decisions and provide the best care, at the right time.

What are the barriers to adoption?

Social care is definitely moving in the right direction when it comes to using digital adoption, but we still have a long way to go in achieving widespread digitisation. Only 50% of social care

providers have any form of digital care records, and over 60% of care homes are still using internet connections that will not support full digital transformation.

As the latest CQC State of Care report highlights, technology is making inroads into care delivery, but challenges such as lack of funding, particularly for smaller providers, continues to be a major barrier to adoption.

A recent decision from the government to hold back half of the £500m promised to help plug staff shortages has been met with

understandable criticisms by social care directors. However, the Department of Health and Social Care has unveiled £2bn of grants for the next two years, which is in essence, aimed to further digitise social care and help to bolster the workforce.

The constant funding juggling act once again reaffirms the importance of technology suppliers providing the best possible platforms and effective partnerships for care providers, enabling them to meet their digital transformation targets.

However, simply giving money to implement technology is not the full answer. The funding will only cover the initial fees and implementation, so of course care providers want to take their time before making a decision about who they partner with for what is going to be a long-term relationship. Technology providers need to support the care sector with smarter, collaborative partnerships. We must ensure that the software care homes implement has the ability to talk to other systems. We need to offer so much more than simply taking existing paperwork and processes and moving them online, and instead think about what digital tools can bring to the table to elevate care delivery to the next level. Currently, care homes are not seeing the full extent of the benefits that embracing technology can bring because the focus is often on CQC and compliance and not on, for example, improving care outcomes. Interoperability is also going to be of paramount importance to prevent duplicate data entry into each separate piece of software.

What are the wider benefits for the industry?

According to the CQC, there is a fear that technology could replace personal support. Its report does thankfully note that it has seen technology being used to support staff and improve care delivery, and highlights how electronic recording systems make it easier to access people’s care plans and free up staff time to focus on the people they care for.

But for many, this fear remains a real threat. Our digital care planning software was created because we recognised the huge and positive impact the right technology can make to individuals. Our job is to take the complex and make it incredibly simple, so that we are helping care staff to do a great job, not acting as a barrier between them and the resident. A thoughtfully designed system will take this delicate relationship into account.

Ultimately there is much to be gained for us as an industry. One integration saw us reduce night-time falls by 55 per cent and a 20 percent reduction in hospital admissions. This was possible because of sharing structured data on residents’ night-time wakings, hydration levels and falls risk assessments and then sending push notifications in real-time to night staff. These sort of tangible examples just aren’t available on paper! However, if you apply a digital backbone to a care home’s operations with a care planning system, it will ensure quality standards in compliance and keep residents and staff safe, informed and happy.

How does the Digital Social Care Assured Supplier List address the challenges to adoption?

The government has set a target that care homes must choose a digital provider to ensure their care planning records are digital by March 2024. To support this ambition, it is providing grants to care homes if they apply via their local Integrated Care System (ICS) using a supplier that is on the ASL.

ICSs and the ASL are a fantastic resource for care home operators, as there are a lot of social care technology options out there and sometimes limited advice is available on how to choose the right solution for an organisation. We’re aware that it can be difficult for care providers to know which digital tools to buy. The ASL gives customers peace of mind that suppliers have systems, processes and technology that are credible and sustainable for the long term.

Can you go into more detail on the funding strategy and how candidates become eligible for funding and why they should take this opportunity, and how will ASL support the goals and progression of ICS?

The NHS Transformation Directorate’s Digitising Social Care programme’s aim is to increase digitisation within social care. Alongside supporting the adoption of care technologies, ICS teams are working with local authorities and care providers in their area to develop plans to increase uptake of digital social care records (DSCR).

ICS funding is enabling care homes and technology providers to make revolutionary changes in the way care is recorded and delivered and enabling pilot programmes to provide an evidence base for wider adoption of DSCR, to ensure data is recorded at the point of care and can be shared between care settings.

ICS teams are not taking a one size fits all approach. They are truly trying to identify what the barriers to adoption are within their area and adapting their offering on what they are prepared to fund accordingly. For example, in some remote areas the quality of wifi connection is the main blocker, so I have seen them offering to cover wifi upgrades as part of the fee. Others are offering to help homes buy devices or providing additional training to staff to support the implementation and uptake in using new technologies. This pragmatic approach should be applauded as it continues to show how much ICS teams have listened to the care homes within their area and genuinely want to support them to successfully implement this significant change.

Images courtesy of iStock

with CVMinder ATS

CVMinder ATS is a complete recruiting system built with guidance from HR professionals in Care. Organise recruiting in one system and stay on top of everything effortlessly. Post vacancies to jobsites automatically and leverage free-to-post options like Indeed and talent.com. Identify your best applicants faster with automated scoring. Keep applicants on side with quick, personalised communications so that you hire more successfully. Speed through the rest of the process too. Manage your recruiting right through to onboarding and gain powerful insights to help improve your recruiting approach. HR

staff, internal recruiters and line managers all agree that CVMinder ATS is easy to use, flexible and effective. With low cost options available for everyone, ask what we can do for you on 01634 202 101 or email us at enquiries@cvminder.co.uk for more details.

Image courtesy of CVMinder

Established in 2001, Equals One Ltd are a recruitment advertising service who provide clients with bespoke advertising across a wide variety of platforms. They support clients with their recruitment needs by advertising on National job boards. Equals One work in partnership with their clients and facilitate their needs to recruit new employees. Equals One clients have the benefit of their industry knowledge and experience gained over 20 years. They advertise and monitor the candidate responses by acknowledging every applicant under the GDPR legislation. If required Equals One screen the relevant

One

applicants for their clients, providing a short list of candidates which their clients contact directly and arrange interviews.

Recruitment packages start from £299.

For further information contact office@equalsone.co.uk or call 0800 046 3411

Introducing Click Operations (UK) Limited, No1 Trusted Providers of Healthcare Staffing and Cleaning Solutions Nationwide

Click Operations UK Limited (Click-Ops) is a distinguished Recruitment and Employment Specialist that specializes in providing exceptional staffing solutions.

With a proven track record of excellence, Click Operations has established itself as a trusted partner for healthcare organizations seeking highly qualified and dedicated Healthcare and Cleaning professionals to meet their staffing needs.

With both temporary and permanent talent acquisition within the United Kingdom and globally, Click Ops provides work force solutions to their clients, and ensure that clients get the best candidates for Ad Hoc, Temporary, Contract and Block Bookings to Hospitals, Residential or Supported Living Services.

Our Services:

1. Care Home Staffing:

• Registered Nurses

• Healthcare Assistants

• Senior Carers

• Support Workers

• Registered Home Managers

• Kitchen assistants/potters

• Chefs

• Cleaners

2. Cleaning Services:

• Professional Cleaners

• Housekeeping Staff

• Janitor

Click Operations takes a personalized approach to recruitment, recognizing that each healthcare organization has its own culture, values, and objectives. By thoroughly understanding the client’s needs and preferences, Click Operations tailors their search and recruitment strategies to identify candidates who not only possess the requisite skills but also align with the client’s values and goals. This approach ensures that their placements not only meet the functional requirements but also contribute to the positive workplace culture and overall success of the organization.

What we do better

• Dedicated and experienced in-house team

• Extensive experience and expertise in the industry

• Strong network of qualified candidates across the United Kingdom

• Deep understanding of healthcare and cleaning sectors

• Rigorous candidate screening and selection process

• Personalized and tailored staffing solutions

• Quick turnaround time for filling staff

vacancies

• 24 hours dedicated customer support and personalized service

• Unbeatable rates

Driven by their mission to improve the quality of healthcare services, Click Ops maintains a rigorous screening and selection processes to ensure that every candidate possesses the necessary skills, qualifications, and experience. They prioritize a comprehensive understanding of the healthcare industry’s evolving needs and dynamics, enabling them to consistently provide exceptional staffing solutions that continually exceed expectations.

Contact Us:

Phone: +44 1134508562

+447404789009

Email: admin@click-operations.com

wecare@click-operations.com

Website: www.click-ops.com

www.clickoperationshealthcare.com

Connect with us on social media:

Instagram: @clickops_uk_limited

LinkedIn: /company/click-operationsuk-ltd

CARING IS OUR DUTY TOPHAT HEALTHCARE LTD

MISSION STATEMENT

Improving the general well-being of our elderly and less-abled, by providing dignified care and support, thus, contributing to the national health condition of the UK population

OUR SERVICES

CONTACT US

ABOUT US

Tophat Healthcare Ltd. is a fast growing, leading recruitment staffing, care and nursing agency. We cover and supply both public and private sector organisations, including Residential Care Homes, Nursing Homes, Recovery Centres, Private Hospitals and the NHS, with competent candidates who can be integrated harmoniously with their existing workplace culture

Tophat Healthcare provides a wide range of services and staffing solutions, to the public and private sectors. We support individuals with different needs including physical disabilities, mental health, elderly care, recovery support and support for challenging behaviours. We understand the importance of finding the right person for the job, which is why we are always sourcing and selecting talented and motivated individuals to join our team. At Tophat Healthcare, we ensure that our staff are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to confidently support our client’s service users.

Supplying staff to private and residential homes

If you are an employer from a Residential Care Home, Nursing Home, Private Hospital or NHS, looking for talented professional carers and nurses; seeking the best in staffing solutions, or maybe you’re a carer or nurse looking for your next Challenge, we invite you to contact us at Tophat Healthcare today for an informal discussion.

TOPHAT HEALTHCARE LTD

Suite 401, Unit 3A, 34-35 Hatton Garden, Holborn, London, EC1N 8DX Registered Company Number:13190753

Tel: 02034325182

Mobile:07903072083

Email: info@tophathealthcare.co.uk

Website: http://www.tophathealthcare. co.uk

Supplying

Tophat Healthcare is a well-established Nurse Agency employing Nursing and Healthcare professionals across the UK. We have built a strong reputation for being one of the top agencies for healthcare assistants (HCA’s) and nurses (RMN/RGN), as well as doing our absolute best to cover any shift our clients have, whether it be days in advance or at the very last minute.

•

•

• Physical Disabilities

•

•

•

•

We supply Nurses, Mental Health care, Learning Disabilities, Respite care and Palliative care.

Sky High Staffing - Quality, Efficient & Person-centred Service

Sky High Staffing is a specialist healthcare recruitment business, which supplies qualified professionals to healthcare clients across the United Kingdom.With highly trained nurses, social workers, healthcare assistants, support workers and more.

Professional, Efficient and Personable

Everything about Sky High Staffing stands for quality, whether that’s the services we provide or the staff we employ. We want to make sure that our staff can offer the very best service in their work, no matter how small the task.

Our Service Standards

We are a specialist healthcare recruitment agency. This means we strive to hire only people who possess the necessary qualities and skills to make sure our clients and their service users get the very best standard of care.

In particular, Sky High Staffing aims to recruit individuals who have a great track record of working with diverse clients.

Quality Personal Service

Sky High Staffing is currently able to offer an extensive number of services to meet our clients’ needs. Our staffing specialities include supplying registered Nurses, Support Workers, Social Workers, Healthcare Assistants, Team Leaders, Seniors, Allied Healthcare Professionals and domestic staff to hospitals, local authorities, nursing

homes and other healthcare clients in the United Kingdom, and beyond.

Recruitment and Vetting

Our Sky High Staffing head office is home to a dedicated recruitment and vetting team who ensure that every applicant goes through the necessary checks before they are hired. This means that, only the highest calibre of staff are recruited.

24-Hour Availability

No matter what time of the day, week or year you need assistance, our team are always on-call to deal with any queries or last minute request for staffing solutions.

Fully Managed Service

Using our service can take some stress off your own organisation, both physically and financially. By managing the coordination and delivery of your staffing needs, Sky High Staffing could help you cut up to 15% off your current agency spending.

Precise Profiling

To make sure our staff are the perfect

fit for your requirements, we profile all our clients in advance, so we can then match them against our extensive staff database. We’ll sit down with you to discuss exactly what you need, from staff capabilities and qualifications through to shift patterns and services.

Spot Checks

To make sure our staff are continuously meeting our high standards, we hand in hand with our clients to perform regular spot checks for quality and consistency.

So Why Sky High Staffing

Aside what you have read so far, the team at Sky High Staffing is made up of individuals who have had first hand experience of working in care. Our team is made up of previous care home managers & Team Leaders who understand the significance of working collaboratively to help bridge the gap in shortage of staff.

Contact Us:

E: info@skyhighstaffing.co.uk

E: recruitment@skyhighstaffing.co.uk

T: 07983482179

Image courtesy of iStock

Contacts Us Today 01902 827700

kpwestmidlands@kareplus.co.uk kareplus.co.uk/wolverhampton

Contacts Us Today 01527 600092

kpredditch@kareplus.co.uk kareplus.co.uk/redditch

MedCare HQ: An award winning Healthcare Recruitment agency in client - focus care.

We provide continuity and are diligent in allocating our staff with clients to ensure long-lasting professional relationships. All our staff go through a mandatory induction process. Ongoing training is provided to ensure that staff are up to date with policies, procedures and industry standard practices.

We are a Healthcare agency based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. We specialize in providing highly qualified, experienced staff to our clients across the UK.

We pride ourselves on offering an outstanding service with an excellent managerial structure spanning 14 years’ experience. As the core and rapidly growing active service provider, we are a temporary bookings agency services spanning multinational clients, regional organisations and smaller independent private

care homes.

Every week we supply thousands of hours of short notice bookings by adopting three simple principles:-

• Provide the best competitive wages, training and resources so staff can confidently do their jobs.

• Develop relationships with staff and customers to deliver a shared standard.

• Continuously review and improve procedures to ensure we are operating efficiently.

Bespoke, Professional Service

We strive to ensure that our clients receive a bespoke professional service. Our experienced team of employees are carefully vetted and selected. We adhere to strict compliance processes to ensure that quality is maintained and that our clients are supplied with only the best candidates. All successful candidates receive full training and support.

Award winning

We are a London-based recruitment agency offering professional and reliable recruitment services to candidates and medical organisations in London and throughout the UK. We offer a start -to-finish hiring process for all areas of the healthcare sector. We hire and provide staff for both long-term and short-term job opportunities. We are associated with the Recruitment & Employment Confederation and have received the REC Accreditation. We are pleased to inform you that prerequisites for meeting 24-hour cover have been in place for many years.

INTELLIGENT NURSE CALL SYSTEMS

THE VITAL LINK BETWEEN RESIDENTS AND STAFF

Sustainable Cleaning Solutions in the Care Sector

As we move towards a sustainable future, there’s mounting pressure on service providers to consider their sustainability credentials and proactively reduce their carbon footprint.

In this feature, Brent Stansfield, Director at Bioshield Systems Ltd explores some of the key sustainability challenges associated with cleaning and hygiene in the care sector, examining the products typically used and the value of more sustainable alternatives.

The Importance of Hygiene

In the care sector, ensuring high standards of hygiene and sanitation is essential.

In addition to preventing the spread of infection and other health problems among staff and residents, maintaining levels of cleanliness helps to ensure a comfortable, safe and enjoyable environment. Whether it’s a nursing home or a residential care homepractising good hygiene is paramount.

From regularly disinfecting surfaces and medical equipment to washing clothes, bedding and cutlery at optimal temperatures - hygiene measures are integral to keeping residents safe and comfortable. One area that is easy to overlook in care homes is the furniture –sometimes, fabric chairs and upholstered items are forgotten about when it comes to deep cleaning and sanitation. With residents often spending a lot of time in chairs – this can be a major risk factor. Standards have to be maintained – and choosing the right cleaning products is an essential part of this process.

Cleaning Products and Sustainability

When it comes to hygiene and sanitation, results have always been prioritised over sustainability – no one wants to compromise on cleanliness, and rightly so! This has meant that strong, chemical-based cleaning solutions are often seen as the gold standard of performance for the care sector.

Historically, there has been a reliance on harsh and dangerous chemicals, including solutions that contain volatile organic compounds (also known as VOCs). While they perform well in terms of sanitisation, there are downsides from a sustainability and health perspective. This is an important consideration in the care and nursing sector, especially when these products are being used around elderly, ill or vulnerable people. Products made with minimally harmful ingredients can therefore be a much safer choice and typically offer numerous sustainability benefits.

Biological Cleaning Products – A Sustainable Solution

An effective solution to this challenge is by using naturally derived, plant-based cleaning products.

Often referred to as “green cleaning products”, biological products contain natural ingredients that have been manufactured to have a reduced or minimal impact on the environment. Unlike chemical solutions, these are biodegradable, so they do not contaminate local water supplies when washed away or contain ingredients which are harmful to the wider environment.

Other sustainable options include using products that are made from waste materials. This means that resources are being used to their maximum potential and are incorporated as part of a circular economy - which is better for both people and the planet.

Compromising on Cleanliness and Cost

Traditionally, sustainable cleaning products have been viewed by the care sector with suspicion – both in terms of hygienic performance and cost.

With care businesses operating to tight margins, and hygiene paramount – the industry has tended to stick with ‘tried and tested’ chemical cleaners.

The reality is that today, with the right

natural products, there is no compromise required. There are solutions out there that offer comparative cleaning performance, lifespan and cost –while delivering real benefits to the environment.

About Bioshield

Bioshield is an award-winning biotechnology business that provides purpose-designed, 100% natural and chemical free antibacterial and food-safe preventative and protective solutions. The company produces a natural cleaning product from orange waste that can be formulated as different sanitising products for a wide range of care and nursing applications. This includes atmospheric misting, space sanitisation and hard surface and textile surface protection - making it an ideal solution for a range of surfaces in the care environment, including fabric and upholstered chairs.

It’s made from completely natural organic compounds from oranges, natural bioflavonoids and organic acids, and offers comparative performance to synthetic, chemical-based alternatives. It also offers long-lasting results, as its antimicrobial properties last on surfaces for 30 days or more.

To find out more, please visit: https:// www.bioshieldsystems.com/

Sustainability is an increasingly important topic impacting all sectors - and that includes care.

We also include the bags worth £5.50 each

Swiftclean Support for Care Homes

Swiftclean is a family owned nationwide business. We specialise in air and water hygiene compliance with a particular emphasis on ventilation duct cleaning, kitchen extract fire safety cleaning, fire damper drop testing, laundry extract cleaning and commercial building water systems.

Swiftclean has been and continues to be invaluable to general managers and facilities managers of care homes and can provide a package of services giving you peace of mind and value for money.

Our specialist teams work in accordance with

BSEN15780 and TR19® for ventilation cleaning; L8 and HTM-04-01 for water management; TR19® Grease for kitchen extract fire safety cleaning; and BS 9999 for fire dampers; these are the industry standards which are recognised as key in each specialist area.

With all our services, excellent work is only half the story. In the event of an inspection, you will need to be able to demonstrate that your care home is compliant; it won’t be enough for you to know that it is. We provide all the required documentation, including before and after photographs and post clean and maintenance reports so

you can be sure that your service users are safe and you are protected from any liability for negligence. Contact us now to book

Running a care home presents plenty of challenges, some of which it is wise to outsource to an experienced and reputable specialist.

Image courtesy of Swiftclean

UK Company Heralds a Major Step forward for Hand Hygiene in Care Home Settings

Primel, a patient care-industry focused brand developing the latest technologies in health and hygiene, has announced ground-breaking results from the ‘real world in use evaluation’ held in a care home in Manchester.

gloves which were collected, and samples taken from the inside at the end of the time period, to assess the transmission of germs from hands to gloves.

Conducted by Perfectus Biomed Group, part of NAMSA, the purpose of the evaluation was to compare the efficacy of Primel® Skin Protection against a well-known regularly used hand sanitiser on the hands of 35 healthcare workers over a two-week period. Overall, the analysis showed that Primel® Skin Protection was able to maintain its efficacy and was more effective after one hour in comparison to the regularly used hand sanitiser after immediate application, demonstrating Primel® Skin Protections’ superior performance after 1 hour compared with instant efficacy from regularly used alcohol-based sanitisers.

The care home evaluation represents the first comprehensive comparison of long-term hand sanitiser efficacy in a real-world scenario. The comparative evaluation recovered samples taken from the hands of healthcare workers at four different points, including:

• Before the application of either product (regularly used hand sanitiser and Primel® Skin Protection).

• Immediately after application of either product.

• One hour after application of either product.

• During the one-hour period, the volunteers wore

Overall, the analysis showed that application of Primel® Skin Protection resulted in the recovery of significantly less viable microorganisms compared to the established regularly used hand sanitiser across all time points. In comparison to the well-known regularly used hand sanitiser, the evaluation highlights that Primel® Skin Protection was 23% more effective after immediate application and 45% more effective after one hour of use. Additionally, the inside of the volunteers’ gloves were tested after the one-hour timepoint, and the gloves of Primel® Skin Protection users were found to have 84% less pathogens. Taken together, results from the care home evaluation have demonstrated Primel® Skin Protection showed an increase in antimicrobial activity across all time points and has a greater sustained antimicrobial efficacy than any other hand sanitiser on the market today.

Further testing has proven that Primel® Skin Protection can disinfect pathogens, including some of the most drug resistant microbes, in 15 seconds, significantly quicker than other options regularly used. The evidence created demonstrates a considerable increase in antimicrobial protection thanks to the use of Primel® Skin Protection. This is further confirmed with Primel® Skin Protection with its “Kill-on-

Touch” Technology. For the first time users are able to disinfect surfaces they touch even when shaking hands to help maintain hygiene quality even on contact. Primel® Skin Protection enhances hand hygiene technology even for the most critical healthcare environments with 15 seconds contact time, residual efficacy whilst also reducing the amount of pathogens that were transferred from surface to surface.

Arjun Luthra, CEO of Primel, explains: “In the healthcare industry, every moment matters. While it’s important to do everything you can to prevent the spread

of infections and disease, it’s also vital to make sure that hand hygiene programmes incorporate solutions to derisk points in the sequence of care where human factors arise. The prevention of health care-associated infections is a major challenge for the healthcare industry, with hand hygiene being the most important intervention to prevent transmission from 50% - 70% (as stated by WHO). Understanding the effectiveness of our Skin Protection solution in a real-world setting is crucial to evolve hand hygiene practices and provide an evolved healthcare service.”

•

•

undertaken

Image courtesy of Primel

MoliCare® Celebrates 40 years of Incontinence Protection

MoliCare, the global incontinence brand, is celebrating 40 years of supporting people, carers and healthcare professionals with solution-based pads, pants and skincare products

The product range has been designed to help the everyday needs of those living with incontinence and bladder weakness, with the care of the skin at the heart of the MoliCare brand.

Incontinence is a condition that affects 1 in 4 women in the UK. For a condition which is so common, there is still a sense of embarrassment and isolation that leaves people feeling lonely and unsupported. In fact, 68% of those living with incontinence feel that it has had a negative impact on their quality of life, and just over half believe that urinary incontinence is a taboo subject. Therefore, it is vital that there is an increase in societal support, as well

as a wide range of simple solutions for people living with incontinence.

MoliCare has developed a range of pads and pants which feel like underwear. Over the last forty years, the brand has continued to focus on protection, security, and comfort as the core criteria for its product performance.

Amy Jaworska, MoliCare B2C Channel Manager comments: “As a global manufacturer and expert in the field of Incontinence and Bladder Weakness, we are delighted to be celebrating 40 years of the MoliCare brand, supporting people living with incontinence.

“MoliCare invests in the research, design and development of our premium incontinence products to

ensure they meet the highest quality, reliability and protection for people living with incontinence.

“We also support loved ones, carers and healthcare professionals alike, with the right support for the people they care for, because the individual’s wellbeing and quality of life is at the heart of everything we do.”

We are a manufacturer and supplier of high quality, innovative continence care products that have unique features and benefits designed with input from patients and healthcare professionals.

Image courtesy of Molicare

Introducing the Solite Pro Ultra Low Bed

The medical bed experts based in Halifax, West Yorkshire have designed an even lower bed to assist in further reducing these risks for the most vulnerable population.

The Solite Pro Ultra Low bed is a four-section electrical profiling bed, offering their lowest minimum platform height yet at just 7.5cm, enabling the bed platform to be lowered even closer to the floor and reducing the risk of a fall from height.

As well as an ultra-low minimum height, the innovative, patented Dual Actuator System (DAS) allows the mattress platform to rise to 80.3cm, to ensure that a

carer’s posture is closer to neutral for the moving and handling of bed occupants.

The Solite Pro Ultra Low has been developed for home care, nursing and residential care settings and offers clinically advanced features whilst providing a comfortable and safe sleeping environment. Featuring an Auto Regressing backrest, the Ultra Low bed is designed to maximise occupant comfort. The backrest section of the profiling bed raises and regresses away from the pivot point based around the sacrum; the resulting increase in space in the sacral area promotes comfort and minimises shear and friction

forces while supporting the reduction in torso compression.

Exciting new developments for the community and long-term care environments are ongoing at Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare, as they expand their range of home care and residential care beds for those most vulnerable to falls.

Images courtesy of Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare Limited

Care Show Birmingham is the UK’s multi award-winning social care event of the year

Celebrating the invaluable contributions and achievements of teams across the care sector.

understanding what the digitisation of care looks like, and getting ready for the next generation of people both accessing care and working within the sector.

Taking place on 11-12 October at the NEC, Birmingham, Care Show brings together individuals, teams, and organisations who share a common vision of improving the quality of care in the UK. It fosters solution-based, engaging, and inclusive conversations to transform the way care is delivered.

There are seven themed theatres, providing a comprehensive platform to address the pressing issues within the sector such as what the future of care looks like, how to gain new clients in a different climate, liaising with local authorities, regulatory updates and looking at workplace cultures by learning from different sectors. A thread on the cost of living running through the programme will highlight the solutions to challenges faced by both care providers and end users, with a holistic approach not only acknowledging the complexities of the sector, but also having proactive discussions with practical outcomes. Some of the expert speakers that will deliver the educational sessions and inspire you at the show are:

• Zoe Fry, Director – The Outstanding Society

• William Laing, CEO – Laing Buisson

• Rita Chowdhry, CEO – Savran Coaching & Consulting

• Derek Breingan, Head of Health and Social Care – Virgin Money

• Tobi Ali Usman, CEO – Smooth Digital Marketing

• Lucy Buxton, CEO – Lib Coach Consultancy

Key topics of conversation this year will include exploring affordable heating technologies, addressing the cost of living, enhancing staff support and resources to help with retention, looking at innovative approaches to recruitment,

This year there are many exciting features to help you make the most of your time at the event, including the return of the CQC Inspector Hub, The Outstanding Society Learning Lounge, and The Care Innovation Hub from National Care Forum, where you can find the latest products and services for social care. New for 2023 is the introduction of the Tech Concierge Service from Guided Innovation, to assist you in finding the software suppliers you need to speak to and ensure you leave with all the necessary information to make an informed decision.

The Care Show is the opportunity to meet with leading suppliers and experts, providing the chance to stay up to date with the latest developments and to network with peers in the sector. Gearing up to positively make changes to businesses, practice, and the delivery of exceptional care.

Registration for Care Show

Birmingham 2023 is open and free passes are available for all care and healthcare professionals.

Book your complimentary ticket here: https://careshow.co.uk/cne

Exhibition and speaker enquiries: Michael Corbett – m.corbett@ closerstillmedia.com

Marketing enquiries: Heidi Rasanen – h.rasanen@ closerstillmedia.com

Do you wash your work uniform? HMRC might owe you money back

As a healthcare professional you may be aware you can claim tax relief on your work-related expenses, including uniforms or professional fees and subscriptions, but did you know the best way to claim it is directly from HMRC? It is quick and easy to do and it’s the only way you’re guaranteed to receive 100% of your claim – straight into your pocket.

HMRC wants to ensure more hardworking professionals, like you, are getting what you are entitled to - 100% of your claim back. HMRC has an online portal on GOV.UK so you can make a claim directly with HMRC. Going direct to HMRC will ensure you get 100% of

your refund – with no small print to trip you up and no middleman taking a cut.

Jonathan Athow, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Strategy and Tax Design, said:

“Coming directly to HMRC is the most efficient way of claiming tax relief on your work-related expenses and ensuring you get 100% of your claim back – fee-free. Every penny counts and we want to make sure you get everything you’re entitled to at a time when you need it most.”

How do you go about claiming tax relief on your expenses?

The first thing you need to do is check what you can claim. If you aren’t sure that you qualify for a repayment on your work-related expenses, it’s easy to check on GOV.UK. You’ll be able to access all you need to know about claiming a tax rebate and ensure that you include claims for all your expenses including:

• uniforms and work clothing

• buying work-related equipment

• professional fees, union memberships, and subscriptions

• using your own vehicle for work

travel (excluding journey from home to work)

• working from home

So why use HMRC?

Quite simply: using HMRC to make your claim will guarantee you get all of your claim back. Last year the average claim for work-related expenses was £125. There are more than 120 active repayment agents in the UK. They submit claims to HMRC on behalf of their clients often for simple things that could be claimed directly (like work-related expenses) and charge a commission for their services.

While it may seem like a quick and easy option to use a repayment agent to submit your claim for you, it will end up costing you. There is always a fee charged when using a repayment agent – often up to 50% of the value of the claim plus an administration charge.

Using a repayment agent doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get your refund quicker as you’ll have to give them the same information you will need to make a claim directly through the HMRC online portal.

Catering with care

Save up to £100k per year and halve the time spent in your kitchen.

Over 200 nutritious meals made with sustainably-sourced ingredients

Easy to order, store, cook and serve

Guaranteed nutrition and safety: our meals are tested in our onsite laboratory

Caters to every taste, dietary and cultural preference including dysphagia, dementia and malnutrition

No need for a chef

To book a FREE tasting call 0808 239 2399 or visit carehomes.apetito.co.uk