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A taxing time for care
Those of us hoping for a Budget sympathetic to the care industry were hardly dancing with joy as we listened to Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivering her speech at the end of October.
For sure, we cannot begrudge the increases to the National Living Wage for the younger members of our profession. And Reeves did promise that a rise in local authority funding next year will include at least £600 million allocated to social care, but for employers the changes to National Insurance were something of a blow, albeit one that we all were braced for. Christie & Co’s Hannah Haines has more to say on this in this issue.
And on the subject of tax, James Brawn, a partner at solicitors firm Debenhams Ottaway offers some very useful advice on succession planning for family-owned care businesses that wish to continue operating by passing the business down to the next generation. James warns of the difficulties caused if the intentions of the bequeathing party are not made clear to younger family members through the correct legal procedures and paperwork, so that’s well worth taking note of if this is a situation that pertains to your care business.
James also partners with his colleague Millie Raynolds on an article that offers very sage advice for any of you currently thinking of adding a further home to your existing care business.
Also in this issue, law firm Shakespeare Martineau’s Alex Ryan examines the findings of the Dash’s review of the
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Care Quality Commission and discusses how care homes can be ready for the proposed changes, including a list of eight specific actions you can take to reduce the chances of the CQC taking any enforcement action in the first place, while also putting providers in the best position to address and remedy any concerns the regulator may have.
On a rather sad note, it is with genuine sadness that I have to report that our regular contributor Norrms McNamara is finally hanging up his pen after many years of sharing with our readers his battle with dementia. Normms is the founder of dementia campaign Purple Angel and devotes his time to publicising the effects of this cruel condition on its sufferers and those who care for them. Normms is a talented writer and communicator and on a personal note his column has always been my favourite item in the magazine. We all wish him the very best in the future and we thank him for his marvellous contribution to the magazine.
This is, of course the final issue of 2024, so it only remains for me to wish all of our readers a very Happy Christmas or whichever holiday you and your families choose to celebrate – and to wish all of the people in our incredible industry a truly successful, prosperous and caring 2025.
Charles Wheeldon
Interim editor
Caring Times
To keep up to date with the latest Caring News, ensure you receive future copies of the magazine and sign up for our newsletter, please visit our website caring-times.co.uk
News in brief
POLICY & POLITICS
Chancellor to increase social care spending
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has allocated extra funding for local government to spend on social care. In her Budget speech in October, Reeve said: “To repair our public services, we also need to work alongside our mayors and local leaders. We will deliver a significant real terms funding increase for local government next year including £1.3 billion of additional grant funding to deliver essential services, with at least £600 million in grant funding for social care.”
Providers call for NI review to prevent “systematic collapse” More than 125 adult care providers and sector bodies called for an urgent review of recent Budget measures to stave off the “systematic collapse of community care services”. Providers Unite is launching a grassroots campaign to appeal to Chancellor Rachel Reeves for an immediate review of National Insurance and National Living Wage increases to prevent the collapse of essential services.
As of April next year, employer National Insurance contributions will increase from 13.8% to 15%, with the per-employee threshold at which employers start to pay National Insurance reduced from £9,100 to £5,000 a year. The National Living Wage will increase by 6.7% for employees aged 21 and over, and the National Minimum Wage will rise by 16.3% for 18 to 20 years olds, and 18% for under-18s and apprentices.
Government policy causing confusion finds research
Adults are delaying making care plans and are confused by government policy towards later-life care, according to research. A survey of 2,500 over-45s from financial services provider Just Group found that that almost half (47%) said they would delay making financial plans for residential laterlife care until the government brings forward new plans for funding longterm care.
Report reveals critical gaps in care access
Only 6% of older adults in need of care receive state or privately funded home care, according to research from technology provider Birdie. The survey of 1,000 adults aged 70 and above who access care also found 4% receive care from district nurses and fewer than 1% live in care homes. This means over 60% of support takes the form of informal care provided by families, neighbours and friends. More than half (53%) of care recipients said they needed more support.
National Insurance rises could cause 10% care fees rise
Huge wage bills in the wake of changes to employers’ national insurance contributions could cripple some social care operators, market experts said.
Lizzie Wills, senior partner and head of private equity at GK Strategy said: “It will have quite a significant impact on businesses with a large wage bill, and it might mean the end of a few businesses already struggling with inflationary pressures and rising wages. From the businesses I’ve spoken with it’ll certainly impact hiring decisions, and the extent to which they’re able to invest in expanding capacity. But PEbacked businesses tend to be resilient, with management teams that are typically agile enough to make the best
of these types of situations.”
Ali Al-Mufti, the founder of Arcadia Care Homes, estimates it will cost the one-home group around £30,000 a year – which is equivalent to a new full-time employee: “Our contribution of NI on both salary and pension goes up from 13.8% to 15%, but the bigger issue is lowering the threshold from £9,100 per year to £5,000 per year," Al-Mufti said.
The government has published the report from its Older People’s Housing Taskforce. Key recommendations in the taskforce report include:
1. A new national strategy for an ageing population.
2. Reform of the planning system including:
• Revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework to strengthen the need for older people’s housing, with language that gives significant weight to the urgency of provision.
• A planning presumption in favour of new developments for older people’s housing.
• Proper assessments of housing need for older people.
• Measures to address the viability restraints that impact the delivery of new retirement schemes.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves
3. Expansion of the role of Homes England including:
• Set a target of 10% of delivery through the Affordable Homes Programme for older people’s housing.
• Review and expand funding for the Older People’s Shared Ownership scheme run by Homes England for people who are unable to afford the full price of a new retirement property.
FINANCE
Broadwood launches £100m credit fund for later-living Alternative lender Broadwood Capital has secured backing from asset manager Aviva Investors for a dedicated sustainable later-living credit fund. The Broadwood Later Living Sustainable Construction Finance Fund will provide finance for the development of new care homes and later-living residential properties, which meet selected environmental and sustainability criteria. The debt fund will provide developers with loans of up to 90% of total cost and 75% of value, to support the ground up construction of new-build property.
Allica Bank targets £100 million in new healthcare lending in 2025
Allica Bank, a business bank catering to established small and medium enterprises, is aiming to lend £100 million to the care home and day nursery sectors next year. Allica has cut
its commercial mortgage rates for care home properties across the board and enhanced its maximum loan-to-value for new entrants. This will allow it to support more operators, including experienced professionals and new entrants to the market.
SUPPLIER NEWS
Woman released without charge following care home deaths
A woman arrested following the deaths of three residents at a care home in Swanage has been released without charge. The 60-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter as part of initial enquiries into the deaths, but following further investigative work, she has now been released from the investigation without charge.
Detective chief inspector Neil Third, of the major crime investigation team, said: “To enable us to take a full account and recover any available evidence, while providing legal protection to the person, we made an arrest as part of our enquiries. The arrest was also made to establish where there were any actions or omissions by that individual that were believed to be grossly negligent and we have now reached a position where we do not believe that to be the case.”
Dorset Police received a report on 23 October regarding the death of three residents at the Gainsborough Care Home, owned by Agincare. The deaths of the residents – two men aged
74 and 91 and an 86-year-old woman –are still being treated as unexplained.
Care manager launches home care business
Care manager Gurprit Gill has launched a Walfinch home care service in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. Gill started as a carer in 2010, working her way up to the position of care manager. After 16 years in the care sector, and achieving a level 5 qualification in care management, she has launched her own care business as a Walfinch franchisee.
TRAINING
University to develop care workers as osteoporosis champions
Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh is to provide free training on osteoporosis to staff in care homes. The university aims to develop a community of osteoporosis champions as part of its Lydia Osteoporosis Project to raise awareness of the condition within the sector.
TECHNOLOGY
New phone service for care homes resident
Care home technology firm GHM Care has launched a new resident telephone service. The service uses digital technology to avoid cabling and long-term contracts. The new phones bypass the need for a physical telephone line and instead use the internet to make and receive calls.
Residents can access rolling 30-day contracts, get free calls, and the big button phones arrive fully configured. Residents and their families can order handsets directly.
The governments’s Older People’s Housing Taskforce has reported
Property news
First-time buyers, husband-and-wife team Sveta and Darpan Patel, have purchased Manor House Care Home in Liskeard, Cornwall, which caters to up to 16 older people, including those with dementia. The home has been owned and operated by retiring Bob and Nicki Broadhurst for the past 21 years.
Real estate fund Elevation Healthcare Properties has completed the sale and leaseback of Henbrook House care home in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, which is let to Connaught Care on a long-term lease with RPI-linked escalator with cap and collar. The home, which opened in May this year, has 69 en suite wetroom bedrooms and amenities include a bistro, cinema room, private dining room and health spa.
A new 66-bed luxury care home opened in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, offering residential, dementia and respite care. Cayton View Care Home is a purpose-built development offering all-inclusive provision including hair
styling and pedicures at the on-site salon, newspapers, chiropody and accompanied healthcare visits.
Smart Care Homes has acquired Mannamead Care, a group of four care homes and an independent living unit in Plymouth, Devon. Combined they are registered for 156 residents in the category of residential dementia care and nursing. The vendors are Phil and Tonya Gerry who established the group more than 20 years ago.
Inspired Villages is to develop a retirement village in Stamford, Lincolnshire. A 14.7-hectare development site will feature an integrated retirement community, designated commercial area, a mixeduse area, and a range of residential properties, including affordable homes, plus areas of green and open space.
in Cannock. Staffordshire, a Goodrated home registered to provide residential and nursing care for up to 45 residents. The two-storey purposebuilt home has been owned by Ramesh Dalton and Ravi Selliah since 2013.
A Qualia Care home, the 73-bedroom St Mary’s Nursing Home in Moston, Manchester, has been sold to Vriddhi Investments, which is backed by Agha Group, on behalf of the administrator Griffins. This is the first of the care group’s 14 homes, which were initially funded through a Ponzi scheme, to be sold following a landmark High Court ruling in September.
Husband-and-wife first-time buyers
Baksho and Onkar Hayer have purchased Alban House Residential Care Home in Ilfracombe, Devon, which provides accommodation and care for up to 23 older people, including those living with dementia, learning disabilities and other mental health needs, and younger adults with physical disabilities, including neurological conditions. For the past 25 years Alban House has been owned and operated by David Svenson.
Development finance lender Atelier has provided a £23.6 million facility to develop a vacant purpose-built 119-bed care home in London. The 30-month development loan will assist with the
Regional operator Northgate Healthcare has purchased a care home
construction cost. This development loan follows the provision of a £9.8 million site acquisition bridge facility, which funded the purchase of the asset earlier this year.
Hartford Care has entered into a partnership with the Highwood Group to develop a residential care home in Fordingbridge, Hampshire. The new 70-bedroom care home will offer dementia care, residential care, nursing care, respite breaks and end of life care.
Jaimon Lukose has purchased Oaklands Care Home in Kirk Hammerton, North Yorkshire from Maria Mallaband Care Group. Oaklands is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide care for up to 44 service users. It has spacious outdoor areas.
Lovett Care has acquired Cheshirebased luxury care home operator New Care, which has a portfolio of 15 facilities providing 1,057 care beds in Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Yorkshire and
Nottinghamshire. Established in 2009, Newcastle-under-Lyme-based Lovett Care provides elderly care homes across England and Wales in 16 homes with 1,091 care beds. The combined group will have a portfolio of 31 homes providing 2,148 care beds.
Property developer Zephyr X has purchased and commenced groundworks for a senior living development in Bishop’s Waltham, Hampshire, featuring 66 en suite bedrooms, spacious communal lounges, dining areas and secure gardens. In partnership with builder Beechcroft, the site will also feature 19 two-, three-, and four-bedroom houses, creating a senior living community that caters to independent and assisted-living needs.
Basanta Nepal of Dreams Care Homes, who operates two elderly care homes in Southeast Wales, has purchased Cherry Tree Care Home in Caldicot, a purposebuilt home that provides care for up to 41 residents requiring residential and
nursing support. It has been owned by Hallmark Luxury Care Homes for 27 years. Business property advisor Christie & Co facilitated the sale.
International alternative asset fund management group Bridgepoint has sold care home provider Care UK which it bought in 2010. On the back of the transaction, Care UK’s homes will be run by an operating company that has been acquired by company management. Financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed. Care UK operates 163 care homes across the UK, having more than doubled its estate under Bridgepoint ownership from 59 at entry.
Hamberley Neurocare has opened a specialist neurological rehabilitation centre in Camberley, Surrey, which offers advanced care and neurorehabilitation services for individuals recovering from brain injuries, spinal injuries, and a wide range of neurological conditions.
Signature Senior Lifestyle, in partnership with Elevation, has completed the debt financing and construction agreements to support the development of three wholly-owned sites into new senior living communities within the Greater London area. The purpose-built sites in Enfield, Surbiton and Hornchurch will add around 90 beds each to the local market. The developments will open to residents in 2026.
People moves
Athena Care Homes has appointed Beverley Murray as home manager at Langdon House in Cambridge, where she began her career in care 25 years ago, starting as a carer. Murray worked her way up to assistant manager at Langdon House before moving to another care home and then to Alex Wood House, Langdon’s sister home, where she was a night team leader for five years. Most recently, she was a home manager in Cambridge, spending nine years leading the team.
The former Deer Park Care Home in Holsworthy, Devon, which was acquired in September by Camelot Care, is to reopen early in the new year as Deer Park Nursing Home with Suzanne Evans as the manager. Evans has 20 years’ care sector experience and spent the past decade managing Halwill Manor Nursing Home in Beaworthy, Devon. Before that, Evans had a career in human resources within banking corporations in London.
Care worker Alice Jacobs has been appointed activities coordinator at Camelot Care’s Camelot House and Lodge in Wellington, Somerset, after 10 years’ experience as a healthcare assistant. Jacobs has worked for most of the past decade at a nursing home in Exeter, as part of a team that also included Zillah Oakes, who now manages Camelot House and Lodge. Camelot Care also has care homes in Bridgwater, Plymouth and Yeovil and a fifth due to open next year in Holsworthy.
Business property advisor Christie & Co has appointed Andrew Fyfe as an associate director in its care team in Scotland, to handle key healthcare transactions across Scotland alongside established broker, Martin Daw. Fyfe has experience working in the healthcare sector across the UK, and in Scotland in particular. In his previous role, he provided consultancy services on UK sites with a focus on care and senior living. He is also the founder and chair of The Scottish Housing-withCare Taskforce, which he set up in July 2021 to establish why Scotland is falling behind other countries in housing-with-care provision for older people. He is currently speaking with several MSPs on the topic and producing new research.
Claremont House and Lodge care home in Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk, part of the Healthcare Homes Group, has appointed Alison Fallowfield as manager. Fallowfield has more than four decades of experience in healthcare and a background in nursing. She began her career in 1981 as an enrolled nurse and earned a degree in adult nursing and holds certifications in ophthalmology, dementia care, and mentorship
Beverley Murray
Suzanne Evans
Alice Jacobs
Andrew Fyfe
Alison Fallowfield
Property group Eddisons has appointed Kate Deakin as a director in its valuation team based in the company’s Manchester office. Deakin has more than two decades’ property industry experience and joins the firm from commercial real estate company Cushman and Wakefield. Deakin will carry out valuations and provide strategic property advice for a range of healthcare providers including nursing and specialist care homes, children’s day nurseries, pharmacies, dentists and GP surgeries. Also joining the Eddisons valuation team in Manchester are surveyor Malcolm Kilpatrick and graduate surveyor Jack Mayfield.
Milewood, which provides living services for adults with disabilities, has appointed Danielle Thurman as registered manager for Oakwood House, Cedar Lodge and Beechwood House, three residential care properties in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Thurman’s responsibilities include governance and safeguarding in line with Care Quality Commission standards, ensuring compliance, and managing staff and individual performance. Thurman has more than 20 years’ experience in the health and social care sector, beginning her career as a care assistant and has worked within specialist care settings in the East Midlands for 18 years. Most recently, she undertook consultancy work in turnaround management, reinforcing her foundation in governance and operational oversight. Thurman holds an NVQ Level 5 in higher leadership management for adult social care and children services.
Handford House Care Home in Ipswich, part of the Healthcare Homes Group, has appointed Renata Sulugiuc as its new home manager. Sulugiuc has more than 14 years' experience as a registered nurse and managing nursing homes.
Healthcare Homes Group has appointed Rachel SmithHarrison as home manager of Blandford Grange Care Home in Blandford Forum, Dorset. Smith-Harrison has more than 20 years’ experience in the healthcare sector. She began her career as a nurse in 1997, progressing through various roles to become a leader in care home management. Since 2020, she has focused on residents in nursing homes.
Kate Deakin
Danielle Thurman
Renata Sulugiuc
Rachel Smith-Harrison
Pressure on care employers
Hannah Haines, head of healthcare consultancy at Christie & Co, examines the Budget and the increasing financial burden on the adult social care sector
On 30 October, Rachel Reeves presented her first autumn Budget. In this significant announcement, Reeves laid out some monumental changes, including a 6.7% increase in the National Living Wage to £12.21 for those aged 21 and over, an increase in employers' National Insurance contributions by 1.2% to 15%, and a drop in the level at which employers start paying NI on each employee’s salary from £9,100 a year to £5,000.
The compounding effects of these rises will undoubtedly negatively affect businesses across our sectors, especially those whose services are systemically underfunded, namely the local authority funded elderly care home sector.
The government also promised a rise in local authority funding next year, taking spending from £11.4 billion to £14.3 billion. This will include at least £600 million allocated to social care, however it’s unclear where this funding will be allocated, but we know that funding is disproportionately awarded to children’s and younger persons services. The adult social care sector is an incredibly resilient sector and has overcome a challenging four years, with credit to the operators and staff.
Wage costs in adult social care In response to the Budget, Care England estimates that the sector faces an additional funding hole of around £2.4 billion to plug. Utilising data from
“The adult social care sector is an incredibly resilient sector and has overcome a challenging four years, with credit to the operators and staff.”
“The efforts the sector has made to manage spending will have effectively been replaced by another cost pressure.”
Skills for Care alongside our latest Christie & Co wage rate benchmarks, we estimate that, as of 1 November this year, the additional employee wage costs for elderly care homes (residential and nursing) could be more than £1 billion.
With current national elderly care home benchmarks (local authority and private) of around £1,100 average weekly fee, 88% occupancy and 60% staff cost margins, we estimate that the overall increased spending will shift staff cost margins up to 64% and above. While this will vary case by case, it is especially disappointing when placed into context that this level is approaching where staff cost margins were a year ago when agency costs were significantly higher. The efforts the sector has made to manage spending will have effectively been replaced by another cost pressure.
Off the back of the 8% to 9% fee rate increases across both funded and private residents in the last financial year, further (and generous) increases are required to counter the impact that the budget will have, alongside any further cost inflationary increases come April next year.
The
future
impact
on the sector
We expect to see both the local authority-funded and privately-funded markets affected here, with local authority-reliant services seeing the greatest negative financial impact where fee rates are typically lower. Many homes may become unviable without the necessary funding support, which will hopefully be outlined in the NHS
“The industry is responding rapidly to the Budget, and we look forward to how conversations progress over the coming months and with anticipation of the 10-year plan.”
10-year plan, however the lack of direct comment on social care in the Budget does not invite optimism.
Private/mixed funding homes may choose to offset this additional cost onto private fee-paying residents, which comes with its own social challenges. Off the back of two years of high inflation rates, the uplifts observed this year have been perceived to be palatable and accepted amid the cost of living crisis. With inflation now significantly lower, the message to recover this increased cost needs to be carefully curated.
The industry is responding rapidly to the Budget, and we look forward to how conversations progress over the coming months and with anticipation of the 10-year plan. You can have your say through the Change NHS survey.
Hannah Haines
Develop your digital skills
Jane Brightman, director of workforce strategy at Skills for Care, rounds up the resources available to support your organisation with building digital confidence and developing digital skills
Digital skills are crucial in adult social care because they enhance the quality and efficiency of care delivery. As the sector evolves, digital competence is becoming increasingly important for meeting the growing demands of modern care.
The ‘Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care’, which launched in July, highlighted a 2021 review which found basic digital skill gaps in the social care workforce. The strategy went on to make several recommendations aimed at helping to improve digital skills across the sector.
To support the goals of the strategy, Skills for Care is running a campaign called ‘Building digital confidence’, which focuses on helping adult social care staff become more confident with digital technology.
We have put together several resources to help social care organisations looking to improve their digital abilities.
“Digital skills are crucial in adult social care because they enhance the quality and efficiency of care delivery.”
Digital Skills Framework
The Digital Skills Framework helps adult social care providers and staff build essential digital skills, improving service delivery and care outcomes. It offers guidance, tools and resources to identify training needs and boost confidence in using technology in care settings.
The framework supports the government’s commitment in ‘Next steps to put People at the Heart of Care’ to provide a ‘comprehensive digital learning offer’ for the adult social care sector.
Digitising Social Care
The Digitising Social Care website, managed by NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, provides guidance to support digital innovation in adult social care. This website offers clear, up-to-date advice to help care providers enhance care quality and safety through digital transformation.
Digital leadership programme
The digital leadership programme for registered managers and deputy managers supports leaders in adult social care to enhance their digital skills and lead digital transformation in their organisations. It offers tailored learning, tools and strategies to help leaders drive innovation and improve care through technology.
Digital skills e-learning
We’ve developed a suite of free-toaccess ‘bitesize’ digital skills e-learning modules, in line with the Digital Skills Framework. The modules are designed to support people working in adult social care to gain knowledge and understanding on how digital, data and technology are used in the sector.
Registered manager webinars
Our registered manager webinars are delivered to a live audience and recorded for further viewing whenever is convenient for you. Previous digital themed webinars include:
• Digital social care records.
• I wish I knew then what I know now –sharing lessons and learnings from early adopters of digital approaches.
• Change management – sharing lessons and learnings from managers leading digital change in their services.
• I’m a technophobe, get me out of here – taking the fear out of digital for social care managers.
• How can technology support the delivery of care?
• Supporting digital leadership in adult social care.
Find more support and information on Skills for Care’s #BuildingDigitalConfidence landing page.
Jane Brightman
Compliance post-Dash
Law firm Shakespeare Martineau’s dispute resolution legal director Alex Ryan examines the findings of the Dash review of the Care Quality Commission and discusses how care homes can be ready for the proposed changes
The recent comprehensive review into the Care Quality Commission, led by Dr Penny Dash, sheds light on several operational flaws and points to a regulatory body struggling to fulfil its core mandate.
Over the years, we have witnessed first-hand how regulatory inefficiencies and opaque processes can put undue strain on operators, both financially and operationally.
It’s clear that while the CQC has a critical role to play, it must adapt swiftly to earn back the trust of care providers.
Findings – a regulator strained and struggling
The CQC plays a crucial role in ensuring health and social care services in England provide safe, effective and compassionate care, and have a number of enforcement powers available to them to make sure this is done.
However, recent years have seen growing concerns about its operational efficiency and credibility within the sector, and Dash’s review was initiated to identify areas for improvement.
The review highlighted a significant reduction in the CQC’s inspection activities, with 6,700 conducted last year, compared to around 15,800 in 2019. This drop has led to backlogs in new registrations and delays in re-inspections, affecting the quality of care that can be provided.
The introduction of new IT systems since 2021 was intended to streamline operations, but has instead compounded
“It’s clear that while the CQC has a critical role to play, it must adapt swiftly to earn back the trust of care providers.”
frustrations and hampered the rollout of the Single Assessment Framework.
These key findings, teamed with a shift to generalist inspectors following the 2023 restructuring, has left many providers feeling that the CQC no longer understands the intricacies of its sector, further eroding confidence.
Recommendations and the path forward
To overcome some of the issues identified in the report, Dash made seven key recommendations, each aimed at restoring the CQC’s operational effectiveness and improving its relationship with providers.
These include increasing the number of inspections to reduce the backlogs, addressing issues with the new IT systems, restoring sector-specific expertise and enhancing engagement with stakeholders.
While ambitious, these recommendations reflect a clear path forward – one that prioritises consistency, clarity and a renewed focus on relationship-building.
Perhaps the most crucial recommendation, from a legal perspective, is improving the quality and timeliness of inspection reports. Delays in report processing not only undermine the regulator’s credibility but also leave care homes in regulatory limbo, limiting their ability to respond effectively. Timely, clear and actionable reports are essential for care homes to uphold high standards of care and comply with evolving regulations.
What care homes can do now to prepare
While the review has highlighted a number of issues, many of which will not come as a surprise to providers, the real question is now what will be done to resolve these and how will this affect providers and the quality of care?
Here are several steps providers can consider to prepare for the evolving
regulatory landscape:
1. Stay up to date – review the new quality statements and understand the criteria CQC inspectors will use. This includes area like learning culture, safe systems and environmental sustainability. Care homes can also keep up to date with CQC updates and guidance by signing up for bulletins and attending relevant webinars or training sessions.
2. Reevaluate policies and procedures – conduct a thorough review of internal processes to identify areas that need improvement to meet the CQC’s new standards.
3. Enhance documentation and compliance – ensure processes are meticulously documented and evidence of compliance is readily accessible. This will be essential for inspections and, crucially, demonstrate good faith efforts in any disputes.
4. Invest in IT infrastructure – digital compliance is becoming increasingly critical. Care homes should invest in systems that align with the CQC’s digital requirements. This includes implementing digital auditing and reporting tools and providing staff with training on new IT systems to
Alex Ryan
environment.
“Perhaps the most crucial recommendation, from a legal perspective, is improving the quality and timeliness of inspection reports.”
ensure smooth adoption and usage.
5. Prioritise staff training and retention – the regulatory landscape may place greater demands on staff. To avoid compliance pitfalls, focus on ongoing training and professional development to ensure staff are wellprepared for inspections and other regulatory engagements. Information about the new CQC framework should also be shared with all staff members, and be a regular agenda item in team meetings.
6. Engage in mock inspections –conducting regular mock inspections can be an effective way to identify potential areas of concern. This allows for corrective actions before an official CQC inspection.
7. Focus on stakeholder relations –building and maintaining positive relationships with CQC inspectors and other stakeholders is essential.
A transparent approach and open dialogue with CQC representatives can help address issues early and encourage a cooperative regulatory
8. Gather feedback – set up and monitor systems for collecting feedback from residents, families and staff. Use this feedback to make continuous improvements.
Taking the above steps will reduce the chances of the CQC taking any enforcement action in the first place, while also putting providers in the best position to address and remedy any concerns the regulator may have.
It also goes without saying that adopting such processes will inevitably give providers comfort they are providing the best care possible.
Legal readiness – navigating enforcement and disputes It also remains to be seen how the CQC will exercise its enforcement powers going forward, given the level and severity of prosecutions has recently surged.
Our most recent analysis shows the CQC’s prosecution rate of care homes and other registered providers is up 700% and at their highest level since the healthcare regulator’s introduction 15 years ago. In addition, the total fines levied by the CQC have also seen a dramatic rise. Between 2009 and 2013, prosecuted care homes and registered providers were fined a total of £650,973. However, in the five years leading up to 2023, the figure skyrocketed to more than £10.6 million.
This shift signals a more assertive approach by the regulator and the severe financial consequences of failing
to meet regulatory requirements is one care homes cannot afford to ignore.
Should your care home face enforcement action, it’s vital to respond thoughtfully and swiftly. Knowing when and how to contest a regulatory decision can be the difference between a minor adjustment and a significant operational setback. Having access to legal support, such as early consultation with a solicitor, can help care homes navigate complex compliance issues, present mitigating factors and engage constructively with the CQC.
Move forward with a proactive approach
The CQC’s review findings confirm what many in the sector have already suspected. However, with Dash’s recommendations, there’s a path forward.
For care homes, this means adapting to the probable changes and maintaining a proactive approach to compliance. Strengthening internal processes, investing in staff training and engaging actively with the CQC are all steps that will pay dividends as the regulatory landscape evolves.
Ultimately, by embracing the upcoming changes and preparing accordingly, care homes can continue to provide high-quality care while reducing the risks associated with regulatory scrutiny.
The CQC has a chance to regain the trust of the sector, and providers should be ready to meet it halfway, setting a standard of excellence that ultimately benefits residents, families and care professionals across England.
A rapidly shifting landscape
Jimmy Johns, director of corporate debt advisory, healthcare, at commercial broker Christie Finance, outlines factors that need consideration when financing the care sector
This article takes a focused look at the financial markets that support the care sector, considering the current funding landscape and sentiment in the market.
For the past two years, writing any kind of blog or opinion on the care sector and its supporting financial markets has been somewhat of a challenge – there is a rapidly changing landscape with political, economic, regulatory and global issues all influencing the facets within the day-today operations of a care business.
The sector, which delivers front line service and care to people who can be at their most vulnerable, constitutes a vital part of healthcare provision in the UK. It has been well documented that the UK has an ageing population, with higher needs and earlier diagnosis of conditions leading to support. Alongside subsequent referrals, there is an increase in demand on providers. Christie & Co data suggests that by 2034, 21% of the population could be aged over 65, equating to 16 million people.
When exploring funding, any operator or new entrant has to consider the noise that is in the sector, whether it is regulatory, economic or political.
Existing operators
Established operators will see opportunities in potential homes to improve them or increase their value. If this is to be the case, due diligence must be done. In most instances clear financial
“When exploring funding, any operator or new entrant has to consider the noise that is in the sector, whether it is regulatory, economic or political.”
forecasts and operational strategy will be essential for a successful lend.
More so than ever, existing operators need to be prepared to act on a potential acquisition. Although in general terms lenders will not provide a ‘blank cheque’, from our experience we are supporting clients with an assessment of their current business alongside any potential target, providing confidence to agents and sellers that offers are deliverable.
According to Christie & Co’s market analysis, supply and demand is increasing, especially for the small to medium groups. 63% of completions of care homes in the first half of this year were between 20 and 59 beds, subsequently being sold to 30% independent and 32% small to medium groups.
these operators will want to acquire the larger homes of 35-plus beds, potentially of a better quality than their existing assets.
This strategy of acquisition and demand is further supported by Christie & Co data through 2023, and the first half of 2024, remaining at its highest since 2021.
This demand has caused values to remain solid and multiple bids on targets. When seeking to expand portfolios, operators will need to be well prepared with funding strategy. This is an area where Christie Finance has supported multiple clients, making sure they are financially fit to acquire.
The supply of homes into the market of between 20 and 59 bedrooms has remained consistent, however the demand from operators to acquire has increased by 11% year-on-year, from 38% in 2023 to 43% in 2024. Typically,
New entrants
For new entrants the key areas to focus on will be the quality of experience or management team. Lenders will seek confidence in how well a new entrant can operate its first acquisition, what its career history is, and what direct experience it can bring.
The next focus should be on the target acquisition. What is the quality of the current service provision? What is the regulatory rating? What is the financial performance? Is the current management and senior management remaining?
The funding market is still challenging to navigate for first-time buyers,
Jimmy Johns
Deal volumes
however we have supported many to acquire their first home. Preparation is key to a successful funding application. A lot of our process is to understand fully a clients’ plans with any potential target.
Key takeaways on the market
Overall, the sentiment and transactional analysis from Christie
& Co’s ‘Care market review’ suggest the market remains buoyant, however there is an increasing supply pressure for potential buyers. There has been a decrease in first-time buyers, which could be due to the decrease in homes below 20 beds and a lack of medium providers being able to acquire or upgrade their portfolios, thus disposing of their smaller assets.
The finance market has continued its cyclical nature, with funders changing policies, exiting and returning. This makes acquiring debt always a challenge, before even getting into the detail of operation, structure, affordability, regulatory and quality of the asset.
Over the past 12 months we have seen the Bank of England base rate continue to fall, alongside contracting debt margins.
Appetite remains strong to support the sector, but heightened due diligence and lack of understanding by lenders can sometimes frustrate and protract credit decisions. The ability to make yourself fit to buy by fully understanding the sector, the structure of debt, the available funders, and the terms that could be available to you, will enable you to act quickly when offering on target.
Christie Finance’s detailed understanding of the sector and finance landscape helps to support clients with funding arrangements to achieve their aspirations whether it is to enter the market, grow their portfolio, refurbish or reinvest.
Health, care and life sciences consultancy Candesic’s senior engagement manager Jack Zeng and director of communications and content Kirsty Withams reflect on social care under the new government
Can a change in government make a real impact on social care, and in particular elderly care? Has the new Labour government’s short stint brought about any changes as yet? What does the future of social care look like under it – or is it too soon to tell?
Labour’s first hundred days certainly produced some great soundbites, particularly around health and the NHS. The Prime Minister’s “reform or die” response to Lord Darzi’s assessment of the NHS being in “critical condition” will probably resonate throughout his leadership. However, the government has been relatively quiet on social care, aside from cancelling the social care charging reforms that would have capped care costs in England and expanded eligibility for support.
As we anticipate the introduction of the National Care Service and a set of national standards aligned with the NHS, many questions remain. By examining the intentions of the Labour government for the NHS, we can predict one possible future for the social care sector.
The actionable responses to Lord Darzi’s report on the condition of the NHS came in the form of three ‘big shifts’: hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention.
So broad are the scope of these three ‘big shifts’ it would not be shocking if one mistook them as Labour’s intentions for social care. All three can easily apply to elderly and adult specialist care.
Hospital to community
Reduction of bed-blocking
Bed-blocking has long been a challenge, despite efforts from various governments, the NHS, care providers and local authorities. The Care Quality Commissiuon stated that “large numbers of people are stuck in hospital longer than they needed to be, due to a lack of available social care”. The last published data on delayed transfers of care from NHS England (February 2020), supported this and showed
that about half of blocked beds were caused by patients waiting for some sort of community provision (care home or home care). Labour’s manifesto specifically states it “will develop a local partnership working between the NHS and social care on hospital discharge”, a practice already in place to some extent. Comprehensive discharge planning, if started from the moment a patient is admitted, is proven to be effective, but only when adequate funding is available and data is shared and communicated well with all other agencies.
Strengthening multidisciplinary teams, streamlining processes, and ensuring better management and data flow between them are key to preventing avoidable bottlenecks. Tracking patients as they progress means that appropriate transport and care can be updated and organised in preparation for the patient’s discharge. Artificial intelligence tools and predictive analytics can help with workflows here.
Virtual wards may be able to facilitate an earlier discharge or even keep them out of hospital altogether. Virtual wards and remote monitoring ensure they are still under the watchful eye of medical professionals, but able to free up valuable hospital beds. Some virtual ward companies coordinate the discharge services and will begin the process as soon as they are identified as a candidate, taking pressure from other members of the team. Some virtual ward solutions like Feebris enable clinicians to monitor remotely and intervene in the community before hospitalisation is necessary.
Home care trends
Labour’s home-first ethos, part of its social care promise, aligns with broader health and care trends. In specialist care, this has long been the goal. In elderly care, despite an ageing population and occupancy rates finally starting to return to pre-Covid levels, longer-term trends still indicate a preference for independence for as long as possible.
Increasingly people prefer to stay at home, whether independently or in group accommodation, delaying entry into traditional care homes.
As people enter adult elderly care homes later and with greater, more complex needs, this shift necessitates change for both care homes and home care, presenting some key challenges to both types of care. Care homes will have to be prepared to take more high-acuity care cases, and design and staff future homes to facilitate this. Of course, funding also needs to be able to help facilitate this and ensure the appropriate level of care.
For home care, carers and caregivers are also trying to manage significantly longer than before. Many do not have the training to deal with more complex needs, which means it not only becomes more strenuous both physically and mentally for the carer, but also could result in less-than-ideal care outcomes. All of this is likely to cause significant challenges for home care groups, and retention is already a big problem. As a result, there’s a need for better training, support and tools made available for home carers and caregivers to ensure that these future trends in care can be supported.
Analogue to digital Digital support
Retention in care is a challenge. Despite requiring extremely varied and complex skills, it often competes with other unskilled industries for staff. Training, support and career development are key to retaining staff. Digital tools are having a real impact on how at least some of that can be delivered.
Enhanced digital training platforms like SimConverse currently help healthcare practitioners develop consultation and communication skills in set scenarios. However, something similar could be provided for caregivers to practise dealing with specific scenarios with clients and their families.
AI-powered tools, like CareBrain,
designed specifically for care, can also provide instant in-the-field support and training. The closed-loop AI enables users to ask anything about clients, their preferences, the care plan, or any scenario or situation they may encounter. These types of digital platforms can provide crucial support and training for carers, improving care quality.
Digital care records
The adoption of digital technology in care has been slow, with only 72% of providers using digital social care records by July this year, despite ambitions for 80% by March 2024. Though the CQC is monitoring implementation, it is not part of the overall inspection and assessment criteria as yet.
When properly used, digital care records are beneficial for recording and reporting client care. Digital platforms like Nourish can also integrate care management with digital records, enhancing care coordination. Access for family and friends is still in development. It could follow nursery and primary education and provide updates on care, medication and incidents.
Other digital solutions can directly affect health outcomes. Innovations in digital imaging solutions like Sensio, acoustic monitoring like Ally, and smart devices like Nobi can all help prevent falls and, where not possible, ensure staff are aware a service user requires immediate assistance.
Digital transformation in social care is essential for improving efficiency and quality of care. The fragmented nature of the market has made implementation challenging, but those who can successfully create an integrated digital environment have the potential to deliver better care outcomes more efficiently.
Sickness to prevention
The third and final shift looks at sickness prevention, a key component of which is timely access to care. This will allow health issues to be addressed early and in the community, versus later and in hospitals. Building a stronger community and primary care networks alongside previously mentioned virtual services will be key to this.
The better promotion of healthier lifestyles will also reduce reliance on the NHS and care systems. While we cannot prevent ageing, technology can help manage health and activities, even as cognitive decline sets in. This is particularly true for this first generation of the elderly who are really tech-savvy.
Smart devices and community initiatives for healthy meal preparation and physical therapy can support healthier living in old age. Although a 70-year-old now may seem to be more active than a 70-year-old 30 years ago, the rate of obesity in old age has grown. It is estimated that 67% of those aged 75-plus are overweight or obese in England.
Preventive care is a critical component of Labour’s vision for social care. By maintaining and promoting healthier lifestyles, using monitoring technology, and having remote access to clinicians, preventative care could help reduce the incidence of chronic conditions that require intensive care. These initiatives not only improve quality of life but also help alleviate the burden on healthcare and social care systems.
Challenges and future directions
The NHS isn’t the only one under a microscope. Councils are under huge financial pressure, largely due to the rising costs of statutory services. According to cross-party think tank Demos, spending on adult and child social care is reported to have risen from 53% of council expenditure in 2009-10 to over 66% in 2022-23. Local authorities are expected to face a projected shortfall of £11 billion by 2029-30.
To address the funding challenges, the government has announced its intention to implement rules around profitmaking in children’s social care. These measures include the ability to request financial transparency; if necessary, it
may introduce profit limits. Could this be expanded to the wider social care sector? Not likely.
The hospital to community goal can be achieved in two ways: first, by building more suitable care homes; the second, by moving service users from care homes to home care. Either would allow a better flow of patients from hospitals back into the community, but the question is, how will the government accomplish this? Will it build its own home care agencies and care homes after a long period of minimal involvement? If it doesn’t, then it will have to rely on the private sector to invest and expand capacity, but what incentives are there to invest?
Private investors face a lot of uncertainty when investing in the care sector. For example, to open a new care home, provides need to hire a manager, register with the CQC, invest either debt or equity in buying and building the home, and staff the home, all without a guarantee local authorities will utilise the new capacity.
They need to ensure the CQC will register their home/agency, and they take on the risk of borrowing the money or investing their equity in property/ staff/system, all without any guarantee that when you’ve built the home/ established the home care agency, commissioners will pay for you to care for their people. This risk needs to be compensated for, and the government’s soundbites give little confidence that will be the case.
The Labour government has only been in power since July. In that time, we have heard much from it, but to expect change, particularly in a complex area that needs such delicate balancing, is probably somewhat unrealistic. Can we expect big things? Perhaps it really is too soon to tell, but instead of focusing on the government’s intentions, we can focus on innovating and delivering better health and social care outcomes.
Modern slavery within care business |
Aimee Stokes, a barrister and senior associate at law firm Mills & Reeve, explores the legislation concerning modern slavery and its implications for and application to the care sector
Areport from the House of Lords issued in October highlighted a significant increase in modern slavery cases in the care sector, with a 400% rise in reported victims, since the sector was added to the shortage occupation list.
The Modern Slavery Act 2015 is an increasingly utilised, comprehensive piece of legislation which represents a significant step forward in tackling modern day slavery in the UK. The Act consolidates previous offences relating to slavery and human trafficking into a single piece of legislation and increases the maximum penalties for such offences. For example, the offence of slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour, contrary to section 1 of the Act, carries life imprisonment.
The Act also introduced two key civil orders:
1. Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Orders (STPO), and 2. Slavery and Trafficking Risk Orders (STRO).
Breach of either order constitutes a criminal offence, punishable with up to five years imprisonment.
These orders allow authorities, such as the police and National Crime Agency, to apply to restrict the activities of individuals who pose
“Orders allow authorities, such as the police and National Crime Agency, to apply to restrict the activities of individuals who pose a risk of committing offences under the Act.”
a risk of committing offences under the Act. These orders go towards the overarching aim of seeking to protect vulnerable individuals from harm and exploitation.
Recent cases
In November last year, an interim STRO was imposed against a care service manager in Leicester. The Care Quality Commission published an inspection report of the care provider on 25 May 2022. Of note the report found “staff were scheduled to provide unrealistic hours of care which meant we were not always assured people received the care and support they needed”. Further, “another relative told us, “There’s little conversation and I don’t really know anything about them as people”. Thus, raising concerns about exploitation of employees.
There are limited reported cases, but this case in particular demonstrates the significance of CQC inspection reports in evidencing potential exploitation before the criminal courts.
What’s the CQC’s position?
The CQC issued a statement in October last year addressing its role in tackling modern day slavery and human trafficking. The statement reiterates the importance of inspection reports in safeguarding people from modern slavery and human trafficking offences. The statement goes on to highlight that the CQC applies strict standards and monitoring to ensure its suppliers comply with anti-slavery and human trafficking policies.
This statement coupled with the increasing number of reports for this type of offending, raises the question of whether the regulator could be doing more to protect the individuals working within the health and care sector. This is a timely question in light of the recently published report of Dr Penny Dash on the operational effectiveness of the CQC.
“Collaboration between the various investigative authorities and the regulator is paramount for the effective implementation of the aims of the Modern Slavery Act.”
What can be said is that collaboration between the various investigative authorities and the regulator is paramount for the effective implementation of the aims of the Modern Slavery Act. The care sector continues to have an incredibly high demand for labour. Individuals working within the sector and those relying on its services are some the most vulnerable members of our society. Therefore, this is without doubt an area which is going to require close supervision in years to come.
Aimee Stokes
Team effort to go green
Nicky Barnes, operations director at Hartford Care, describes how the provider is working and investing to build a sustainable future
Sustainability is a hot topic in the care sector – and rightly so. No longer just a ‘nice to have’ box ticked, it’s now tied directly to standards of care, with the Care Quality Commission having brought sustainability into its criteria for the first time.
The regulator’s sustainability quality statement says: “We understand any negative impact of our activities on the environment and we strive to make a positive contribution in reducing it and support people to do the same.” The CQC is now looking for evidence of green initiatives, carbon reduction, recycling measures and structured staff training.
At Hartford Care, we are committed to building a sustainable future. We are already achieving this by the continual investment in our existing homes, improving our green credentials across the board, and ensuring our new homes are energy-efficient.
Our newly built homes which opened last year – Harlow Hall in Aldershot and Cotswolds Rise in Swindon –were designed with sustainability in mind, with significant renewable energy elements including solar panels, heat pumps and battery storage systems. Our homes currently under construction in Southampton and Alton in Staffordshire, and our newly acquired home in Fordingbridge in Hampshire, all have the same principles with industry-leading sustainability credentials and will be rated BREEAM Excellent.
We have already invested more than £8 million in reducing our carbon footprint and futureproofing our existing homes. We are undertaking refurbishment projects across our homes, including installing loft and cavity wall insulation, and changing all lighting to low-energy LEDs. All new home extensions are being built using energy-efficient structural insulated panels, a technology used in Passivhaus design, which requires less time and
fewer trades onsite, resulting in less travel and wastage during the build process.
Further sustainable initiatives have been put in place, including electric vehicle charging points being installed on all newly built care homes and extensions, a car sharing scheme for staff, new recycling facilities and a rewilding biodiversity programme.
We are constantly exploring new ideas in energy saving technology and we’re currently investigating the benefits of smart thermostats and voltage optimisation. The latter would mean that as electricity is drawn from the grid, anything that isn’t used –rather than going to waste – is stored and then sold back to the grid, saving both cost and waste.
While we’re adding substantial social value to the communities in which we operate, there are also significant financial benefits to prioritising sustainability in the care sector. Over the past 24 months, our energy usage is down by 13%. We expect this to fall to around 50% once the solar energy, installed in a number of our homes, starts to benefit us. On average, where already installed, around 30% of each home’s energy is now being produced from the solar panels, ground source heat pumps and air source heat pumps.
This is great news for Hartford Care;
the costs we save can be ploughed back into the business to enhance our service offering and ultimately, reinforce the high quality of care we already offer our residents.
Every Hartford Care member of staff–across all our homes and head office – is educated on our sustainability journey. Our residents are also included and kept up to date with everything that’s going on and they play their part too. This grassroots effort, where everyone comes together in every care home, collectively makes small, everyday wins, in-turn supporting our larger goal.
With sustainability increasingly at the forefront of many people’s minds, it’s also becoming more important to our residents and their families when they are looking for a home. It’s a powerful selling point and is increasing our desirability for environmentally conscious families. Potential new recruits are also showing an interest and prioritising sustainability; this means investing now helps us to continue to attract the best talent while meeting the expectations of residents and families.
Sustainability matters for all – to create a better future and environment for us all – and future generations – to live in, with the potential to provide significant financial benefits going forward, which will be profound for the future of the care sector.
From City consultant to care operator
Caring Times interviews Paul Nery founder and managing director of Rose Care Group, which now operates 10 care homes
After he found caring for his father in his final months a rewarding experience, management consultant Paul Nery knew he had to make the career pivot into care. Eleven years on, the Rose Care Group (RCG) has 10 care homes across the West Country. And Nery has been doing anything but resting on his laurels, instead designing an in-house artificial intelligence software system for the company. So successful has the technology been, that the programme has gone live and already has its first care home customers across the UK.
How does Rose Care Group set itself apart from the competition?
We are primarily a private, residential care home specialist provider. As a group, our differentiator is our strong focus on innovation and effectiveness. For example, I’m a strong believer in getting results to our residents and staff, so meetings and working groups involve only those who can helpfully contribute. Within those meetings, intelligent, professional critique is encouraged from all, and if we commit to a programme we have to deliver on-time.
Using technology we are able to survey and reach out to residents and staff regularly to gauge their opinions too. Residents and their families regularly praise our friendly, caring, well-trained staff, the accessibility of management and the homely feel of our care homes. While I know how much work and effort has gone in to get there, there is something fantastic about the simplicity of the result – that we make
“I wanted to start right and buy a good home, so I could learn good habits early.”
people’s lives better and bring them happiness.
Our staff are proud of the care we deliver, our investment in training and our friendly, supportive culture that gives them many avenues to share their feelings. Management, in particular, appreciates the strong operating model and guidelines we have in place, since they say it makes them feel safe and confident in their roles. I have managed and area-managed homes myself and I know how hard it can be, so providing that robust safety harness around our managers and senior team is critical.
What’s your background and what did you do prior to Rose?
I was a management consultant working in the City for several years, helping to solve complex problems companies faced. I really enjoyed the intellectual challenge, client impact and variability of the work. After several years working in the City, when I was about 27, my dad, who was a lot older than mum, started to fall ill in his last few months and I left my job and helped mum to look after him until he passed away. I’d really enjoyed the difference I’d made to his life, and mum’s, and I decided to move into elderly care.
How did you come to found RCG? It took a couple of years to find my first home. I wanted to start right and
buy a good home, so I could learn good habits early. I bought my first one in 2012 and then another in 2013. I learned a lot from those experiences, and it was around then that I had to step in and manage the sites, handle CQC inspections and so on. It was challenging, but I enjoyed it and so continued to grow the firm. As we’ve grown in size, we’ve had to grow up in approach, becoming better at looking after our staff, looking after residents through effective systems and ensuring a consistent culture throughout. I’m really proud that we have now expanded to the 10, Good-rated homes that make up the group today and we are continuing to grow.
Paul Nery
What challenges are you finding in the sector? How are you going about tackling them?
I tend to think about care through three lenses: demand, staffing and compliance. Demand for us remains strong and we are lucky to be a strongly private-leaning care group. However, I hear from many operators that it’s becoming challenging, not least due to strained council budgets. As a result, for operators who rely on a lot of council placements, fee levels are lower than they would like them to be to provide all the services they need to provide, and ensure the compliance checks are in-place that regulators expect.
Staffing, in general, seems pretty decent now, after the post-Covid struggles, but senior staff are hard to come by and I think operators, including us, are refocusing how to upskill internally and create stepping stone roles to grow people into positions. For example, we have created a ‘senior home
manager’ role for promising managers to learn to multi-site manage in preparation for area manager roles.
Compliance is good across all RCG services and we are lucky that our internal audit team and operations managers are very diligent in these aspects. However, the recent reductions in CQC oversight do pose a compliance challenge for the wider sector, especially when combined with the fee compression I mentioned earlier. Hopefully, as the CQC restructures, we will see it resume visits, which I have heard is picking up again slightly now.
How do you feel about the Labour government’s handling of social care so far?
It’s very early doors. Wes Streeting has talked positively about the need to recognise social care as an important sector and not just as a secondary element to our primary care system, so I hope he can deliver on that.
“As we’ve grown in size, we’ve had to grow up in approach.”
How have your dealings with the CQC been recently? Do you think it is genuinely improving in the wake of the Dash report?
I understand why the CQC wanted to change its approach and credit to them for trying a new thing. However, several of the initiatives, when we did our internal review and gap analysis, looked challenging. I think Penny Dash’s interim report’s findings to refocus on operational performance, provide named inspectors and experts, and to review the SAF are particularly welcome. I also think credit is due to the CQC which has reacted positively to the report’s initial findings. I hope the end result is a strong regulatory system that helps us to provide the best care for those we serve.
Grow your business safely
James Brawn, a partner and Millie Reynolds, a solicitor, in the corporate and commercial team at solicitors firm Debenhams Ottaway offer tips on acquiring a care home business
In the context of acquiring a care home business, there are a variety of factors that a prudent buyer should bear in mind so as to enable the level of risk involved in the acquisition to be determined and the transaction terms to be properly negotiated and finalised. Set out below are some top tips for buyers to consider in connection with a proposed care home acquisition.
Give thought to the transaction structure
Numerous professional healthcare businesses, such as care home operators, are structured as limited companies. Other structures include sole traders, partnerships and limited liability partnerships. Where a corporate structure is involved, there are broadly two transaction structures: an asset purchase and a share purchase.
An asset purchase will result in the buyer stipulating which parts of the target business it would like to acquire. The individual assets which comprise the business (including physical assets, contracts, intellectual property rights, goodwill, etc) will be purchased by the buyer and, as a result, the business will be acquired as a going concern, allowing the buyer to continue to operate it postcompletion.
A share purchase will involve the buyer acquiring the shares of the company which operates the target business, including any associated liabilities. It is often the case that acquisitions in this sector are carried out via a share purchase due to the tax implications and it being simpler from a regulatory perspective. Legal, tax and accountancy advice is likely to be required when determining the optimal structure.
Put in place a set of heads of terms
Heads of terms are entered into at the start of a transaction and act as written confirmation of the key transaction terms agreed between the parties, as well as outlining the timetable for completion of
the transaction.
While typically non-binding (subject to one or two exceptions), heads of terms help to ensure parties are aligned throughout the negotiation process and act to flesh out any ‘showstoppers’ prior to significant costs being incurred.
Consider requesting exclusivity
The transaction heads of terms may contain exclusivity provisions, or a stand-alone exclusivity agreement may be entered into between the parties during the preliminary stages. This will ensure that a potential buyer is able to negotiate with the seller on an exclusive basis in relation to a prospective transaction for a defined period of time.
A potential buyer may seek to be afforded exclusivity as a comfort mechanism and to help mitigate risk in terms of losing out to a rival bidder after investing time and incurring costs in connection with the proposed transaction.
Undertake due diligence
Due diligence is the process of investigating the business being acquired, and can broadly be broken down into commercial, financial, tax and legal workstreams. It is a crucial process, as it enables a buyer to make an informed decision as to whether or not to enter into a potential transaction.
In relation to legal due diligence, some of the key issues to consider are as follows:
• Regulatory – a thorough review of the inspection reports undertaken by the Care Quality Commission should be carried out, as well as interviews conducted wirh key personnel,
including the registered manager and nominated individual.
• Employment and pensions – again, a thorough review of the employment practices of the care home including pensions provision should be conducted. For example, copies of all employment contracts or terms of engagement/supply when agency staff are used should be requested. Employment policy documents and pension-related documentation should also be considered.
• Contractual obligations – reviewing existing business-related contracts, such as those involving catering and IT, is vital so as to highlight any potentially onerous ongoing obligations and to ascertain what impact (if any) the transaction will have on these and whether any third party consents will be required as a result.
• Property – the care home property itself will be a fundamental element of the deal and engaging in an extensive property due diligence exercise is vital.
• Litigation – enquiries should be made as to whether there are any ongoing or potential disputes or claims in relation to the business. Any such dispute or claim may affect the value of the business and have other potentially adverse consequences.
Liaise with the CQC
You should involve the CQC as early as possible and obtain from it any necessary consents, approvals or registrations to ensure that the acquired business can continue to be operated postcompletion.
Millie Reynolds
James Brawn
Pass it on
James Brawn offers a guide to succession planning for your family-run care home business
While most care homes in the UK are run by large independent companies such as Bupa and HC-One, a significant minority are run by local authorities, charitable organisations and by families who may own one care home or a small group of homes.
For obvious reasons, family-run care homes are often a popular choice because they are seen to provide a more bespoke and personal service than their larger, corporate counterparts. For the families that run a care home, making a difference by providing a nurturing environment for residents and building relationships with them and their wider families can be a very fulfilling experience.
If your care home is family-run, it’s important to plan and make succession plans regardless of whether your long-term goal is to pass the business to the next generation or to a qualified buyer. Making plans can often prevent disputes further down the line, something which unfortunately is commonplace in family-run businesses when things have not been properly thought through or documented. Therefore, ensuring that you have open and transparent discussions with your family members about their aspirations and wishes is a key part of the process, particularly when family members have competing interests. For example, some members may have a more active role than others. A well-sought out succession plan can also help secure the future of a family-run business.
An important planning step is to consider your legal structure and what agreement you need to regulate and protect the business’s interests. For instance, a partnership or LLP should have a partnership agreement which sets out what will happen if a partner decides to leave the partnership or dies. If you operate via a limited company you might need, or should have if there is more than one stakeholder, a shareholders’ agreement. As with a partnership agreement, the agreement should govern what happens when a key shareholder dies or wants to exit the venture.
Some shareholders’ agreements set out that a business partner has the option to buy your shares on death. This will help to ensure that a shareholder’s family benefit from and
“For obvious reasons, familyrun care homes are often a popular choice because they are seen to provide a more bespoke and personal service than their larger, corporate counterparts.”
inherit the value in the business, but it would keep the shares in the hands of those operating the business.
As well as taking advice about the corporate structure of your care home, we would also recommend that the key stakeholder reviews his or her will with a private client solicitor to ensure that important tax breaks including business property relief are utilised.
Succession planning can be complex and should always be undertaken in good time and with professional advice. As well as using the services of a corporate solicitor and a private client solicitor, we would recommend consulting an accountant, a financial advisor and possibly more experts to ensure the best result for your business and family.
Finally, we would recommend that once a succession plan is in place, it is regularly reviewed, particularly when a significant business opportunity presents itself, for example, it may be that the business looks to acquire a second care home. It is also important that the plan is reviewed when important life events occur such a divorce or marriage.
A guide to going green
Rebecca
Pearson, general manager at Bupa Care Services, advises the care sector on implementing practical measures to protect the environment
People’s health and the health of the planet are intrinsically linked; we cannot be healthy if our environment isn’t healthy too.
The healthcare industry is currently responsible for almost 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In the care sector, we have the added challenge of keeping our residents warm, safe and well all year round and so we must consider things like heating, PPE and single-use equipment and medications.
But while tackling emissions can seem like an insurmountable challenge, there are still ways that we can all go green and play our part, while continuing to provide high-quality care to our residents and keeping our people happy and healthy.
Where to start?
A recent report by Bupa with The University of Manchester and The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research identified some recommended areas that all healthcare organisations can review, to see where they may be able to take action. These include:
Travel and transport – how our people and residents’ families travel to the home and how we transport our residents in an environmentally conscious way.
Clinical practice – how we can make the clinical pathways we provide for our residents and the services we deliver more sustainable. Technology can play a huge role in reducing our carbon footprint here.
“It’s a good idea to lay the groundwork for how your organisation feels about the environment and give your people ways to get involved.”
Supply chain – setting clear guidelines and standards with the providers and suppliers we work with, to deliver our services sustainably. This can often be the largest part of a healthcare organisation’s carbon footprint.
Greener buildings – whether they are modern, purpose-built care homes or historic period buildings, running each one takes a huge amount of energy. Updating them can be complicated and costly, but it’s important to make investments today for a greener tomorrow.
Advocacy and engagement –arguably the most important factor. High-quality governance and engaging our people and residents in the changes required to become more sustainable, so they can see the benefits for themselves and our wider environment.
Bringing our people on the journey
To look at advocacy and engagement first, in a sector where competition for people is fierce, we must engage our people, ensuring they are fully brought into our wider mission and can act as advocates.
It’s a good idea to lay the groundwork for how your organisation feels about the environment and give your people ways to get involved. Every year we run a ‘Healthy Cities’ campaign which aims to get people moving more to raise money for local green causes such as forest schools, food banks and regenerating community spaces. Our people also have the chance to nominate local good causes for grants, so they can see how their action is making a difference in their local community.
Plus it’s all about getting moving and feeling healthier. Bupa Care Services people walked more than 250 million steps in June, a huge achievement.
Colleagues often have lots of ideas that can help reduce our impact on our environment. Our people told us they wanted to spend more time doing what they love about their jobs – providing care. So we introduced electronic care records across all our homes, moving
away from paper-based systems. As well as being great for the environment, moving towards electronic systems for records, safety and compliance helps drive better health outcomes and improves morale for our people.
Continue to put residents first Although many of the challenges we face apply to the whole healthcare industry, the unique challenge in our sector is that we’re dealing with our residents’ homes, and accordingly they will always be our top priority. Any changes to their homes where they feel safe, well and comfortable must be carefully considered, minimising disruption and with the full involvement of them and their loved ones.
It’s really important that everyone understands why we are investing in the changes and that change is managed at a rate where residents’ needs continue to come first, as transitioning to greener ways of working may sometimes be perceived as disruptive, when this doesn’t need to be the case.
Open communication and clear timelines with residents and their loved ones can help people feel involved, as well as offering the chance to ask questions. And although residents shouldn’t really notice any major differences while work is ongoing, a clear timeline can also help
Rebecca Pearson
– and remember to leave time for each change to bed in before moving on.
At Bupa we’re aiming to transition all of our homes to more green ways of working, but we know there’s a lot to learn on the way. So we’re lucky that one of our homes, Wykebeck Court in Leeds, has agreed to act as a vanguard for the project, becoming Bupa’s first net zero care home. Work is already under way to decarbonise the kitchen, update gas fuelled equipment with all new electrical appliances and upgrade the laundry and heating systems.
We’re involving residents and our
“At Bupa we’re aiming to transition all of our homes to more green ways of working, but we know there’s a lot to learn on the way.”
people every step of the way, taking their ideas on board including the planting of new hedges and apple trees, as well as feeding boxes for squirrels to make sure the building work has minimal impact on the local wildlife. It’s really exciting and we’re taking the opportunity to document their journey, so that everyone can see what it takes to make a care home net zero.
Supported by technology
Though face-to-face care will never be replaced, technology can support us to deliver high-quality care, while going green. For example, some services such as simple GP appointments can be provided remotely, while admin that used to be timely as well as paperintensive can now be done online.
At Bupa we are unique in that we can bring in services from other parts of the business so that our residents don’t have to travel. So, following a successful pilot at Richmond Villages Aston, we’re now providing our Bupa Health Clinics services to nine of our retirement villages. This means that residents are able to access virtual GP services and a 24/7 nurse-led healthline, on-site health
assessments and earwax removal, all provided by the Bupa Health Clinics team, as well as discounts on dental services, including the Bupa Smile Plan from the comfort of their homes.
We’re constantly pushing forward in this area and similarly to Wykebeck, we have an innovation-focused home, Queensmount, where our people and residents are ready and willing to try out any number of new apps, gadgets and interactive widgets that help us drive up our standards.
Learning through sharing
There are some amazing examples of progress from across our industry and there’s always more to learn, and making changes, whether big or small, are always worth doing. Ultimately, making a difference on climate change is something that none of us can do alone. If nothing changes, some expect that the healthcare sector’s carbon emissions could increase by 50% by 2050.
We can all make a tangible difference, making life better for our colleagues and residents, while helping to make a healthier world for generations to come.
There had to be a better way
Samir Patel, managing director of Oaklands Rest Home in Southampton and founder and chief executive of iCare Services, explains why he sought a digital solutions to support the people and professionals in his care
As an ‘early adopter’ of digital technologies in our familyowned care homes, I have always sought to share our experiences of implementing new digital systems with colleagues in social care, so that they too can deliver improvements, and in the hope that they can avoid some of the mistakes I made.
We implemented a digital social care record solution more than 10 years ago. It was the worst £12,000 I ever spent. This powerful digital tool sat as a box on the wall that nobody ever used. That was because we didn’t take the time to help staff understand why we were doing it and the benefits it would bring to them and our residents.
My more serious admission is that our adoption of digital solutions was partly driven by incidents that I wished could have been avoided. I was also fed up of seeing nurses in one of our care homes writing somebody’s name and date of birth for what seemed like a million times a day. I knew there had to be a better way.
So that’s where we started, and we haven’t looked back since. Now we use everything from digital social care records to acoustic monitoring, which has revolutionised night-times in our homes in particular.
It’s a really clever bit of kit that allows us to monitor residents’ sleep patterns. Again, the idea was born out of my own experience – personal in this case. When my children were
“Now we use everything from digital social care records to acoustic monitoring, which has revolutionised nighttimes in our homes in particular.”
small and my sleep was constantly interrupted, naturally it was impacting my wellbeing, not to mention my mood. I started to think about the effect our staff’s two-hourly checks, and the broken sleep, must be having on the people in our care.
We implemented a simple plug and play system that learns an individual’s sleep patterns so it will send an alert to the carers if there is anything out of the ordinary, or if they try to get out of bed when they would usually have assistance. It’s allowed us to stop or reduce those disturbances. Not only has it transformed our night-time care for residents, it has also empowered our staff to make their own decisions about where to focus their time and attention.
Often with digital solutions there are knock-on additional benefits that we didn’t even think of. This acoustic monitoring system has actually helped us to identify Covid cases much earlier – spotting and alerting the teams to changes in breathing or coughing – that means we test for Covid sooner and people are temporarily kept away from shared spaces and social areas earlier, reducing the spread of infection.
We are care providers, but we are also businesses. So being efficient is key, but providing quality care and offering great support to the people in our care and to their families is crucial. Very few people plan to move into a care home. Unfortunately, it’s more likely to come at a point of crisis, so people need support and they need time. If our managers and care teams are so tied up looking after people that they don’t have time to support families, then we are not meeting ours wider aims.
Now with multiple digital systems up and running well, we are focusing our efforts on digital upskilling. We now have an enormous quantity of data available to us. A home for 30 residents produces at least 3,000 data points a day. We need the skills and ability to make the most of that rich data to help
“Often with digital solutions there are knock-on additional benefits that we didn’t even think of.”
us learn about and understand our residents better, to spot patterns and identify issues sooner, which will mean we can put in even better and more personalised care.
Of course, there is also the new ‘magic silver bullet’ of artificial intelligence. There is no doubt it has enormous potential, but we are certainly not there yet and it will require careful understanding and control.
With my business hat on, if I can make some good decisions as a result of data and technology that means one of our residents can stay with us for an extra year or two, that’s good for business. But much more importantly, it’s amazing for them and their families if they are able to live longer and in better health, in a place where they are well cared for. It’s also amazing for our staff, who know and understand our residents better and can see what an incredible job they are doing.
Samir Patel
Creative Caring
As always, carers have been demonstrating their creativity through fun and innovative events for their residents
Soldier memorial
At Orford House, the Coulsdon, Surreybased residential care home run by charity Friends of the Elderly, residents, members of the local community and staff held an Armistice Day service and two minutes silence to remember all fallen Commonwealth soldiers of the First World War. The service, delivered by registered manager Michelle Kennett, was held beside the care home’s newlyacquired Tommy soldier memorial, made by British Legion veterans.
Bridge to the past
Residents of Alexandra House and Orchard Mews in Newcastle and Gateshead have been the first to try out a new virtual reality experience based on the Tyne Bridge. The tour immerses viewers in the history of the Northeast landmark through 360-degree footage and archive content from over the years.
Poppy power
All 21 Colten Care homes took part in Remembrance Day activities including making silhouettes of soldiers, knitting
and crocheting poppies and attending community parades and services. Residents at dementia care home The Aldbury in Poole, Dorset, spent two weeks making a giant poppy out of crepe paper which was hung in their front garden, and Newstone House in Sturminster Newton, Dorset, created a curtain of poppy chains cascading from an arbour and gently lit by red lighting.
Kindness day
Residents and staff at HC-One’s Dove Court care home in Burnley, Lancashire celebrated World Kindness Day in November with certificates and gifts. People were nominated for their kindness, care and empathy and presented with a certificate, and a small gift of chocolates or toiletries to say ‘thank you’ for all that they do.
Puppet play
Athena Care Homes partnered with local therapist Ben Martin to bring dramatherapy to residents of Goodwins Hall in King’s Lynn, Norfolk. Dramatherapy offers an engaging and therapeutic way for residents to express themselves through drama, connect with others, and enjoy a sense of community. Residents are preparing a Christmas puppet show to showcase their creativity.
Fang-tastic fun
Luton-based Little Bramingham Farm, run by Friends of the Elderly, welcomed
more than 180 members of the local community to a Halloween party. Activities included spooky scratch art and balloon modelling, a magic show, and a special visit from ‘Harry Potter’ and friends.
Diwali delight
Chippenham, Wiltshire-based MHA
The Fairways celebrated the Hindu festival of lights Diwali with traditional Indian sweets and savouries prepared by staff members Babina and Namita, who donned traditional attire and performed a dance. Residents joined in by producing and decorating lanterns.
Spooky shop
Camelot House and Lodge dementia care home in Wellington, Somerset, created a Halloween shop where residents could browse among items that jogged memories of Halloween past. Residents also took part in pumpkin-carving and creating autumnal decorations, as well as enjoying chocolate cobweb cupcakes, Halloween cookies and toffee apple cake.
Deep dive
Residents at residential care home Elm Tree Court received a fascinating lesson about penguins following a visit by The Deep, an education and conservation charity based in Hull. The event, part of a community initiative aimed at enhancing education about marine life, featured a live feed from a penguin enclosure, enabling residents to observe the Gentoo penguins in their habitat.
Appliance of science
Residents of Balhousie Care Group’s Willowbank care home in Carnoustie, Angus, took to the science lab with former high school chemistry teacher, Ailsa Phillips, who runs the Dundee and Perth chapter of science programme Mini Professors, introduced residents to a series of experiments including a bit of potion mixing, to mark Halloween.
Spread the love
Middleton Park Lodge Nursing Home in Leeds, part of Orchard Care
Homes, celebrated World Kindness Day by creating positive and uplifting handwritten messages which were displayed at St Cross Church, as well as at Middleton Elderly Aid, a charity which runs social clubs for elderly people, and at complex needs centre Laurel Bank.
Little stars
Children from Bright Little Stars Barnet Nursery in North London dressed in Halloween costumes to visit residents at the local Carlton Care Home. They spent the day engaging in arts, crafts and celebrations, sharing stories and creating Halloween-themed decorations.
Food for thought
A party of willing volunteers from Colten Care’s Canford Chase made a personal visit to Poole Food Bank’s hub at the St James’ Church Centre. They helped to sort and date donated food items ready for meal bags to be made up, and worked alongside fellow volunteers to check and categorise toiletries and non-food donations. It was the third visit that residents have made to the food bank this year.
Pretty in pink
The Black Swan Care Group’s Gables care home in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, raised money for Breast Cancer Awareness by taking part in Wear it Pink Day. Staff wore pink instead of
their usual care uniforms and residents decorated pink cupcakes. Regular entertainer Amanda the Singing Gardener sang a selection of show tunes ending with Lily the Pink, which everyone joined in with.
Film stars
Ben Line, activity coordinator at Warwickshire care home Studley Rose, used the magic of artificial intelligence to insert residents into their favourite films. Combining Photoshop wizardry and AI tools, Line creatively reworked images of residents practising their mobility exercises into dynamic scenes out of popular action movies, showing the resulting pictures in the Macc Care home’s onsite cinema.
Family fortune
Residents from Woking care home Bernard Sunley are going head-to-head with clients from the Woking Day Care Service in a monthly Challenge Cup game of Family Fortunes. Players don’t have to take it in turns – anyone from the team can shout out the answer.
Managers guide to… onboarding shift workers
Emma Seymour, chief financial officer at Deputy, shares her tips on how to onboard and induct shift workers effectively
Effectively onboarding shift workers is crucial for their longterm success and engagement. In sectors like healthcare, hospitality and retail, where turnover is high, a solid induction process helps new employees feel welcome. It ensures they can confidently perform their duties from day one. As chief financial officer of Deputy, a platform that supports hourly workforces, I’ve seen first-hand how structured onboarding can improve employee retention and overall job satisfaction.
Effective onboarding sets the tone for a shift worker’s experience in your organisation. By creating a structured, supportive and engaging environment from the start, you can help new employees feel prepared and valued, which leads to greater retention and higher job satisfaction.
Here are five practical steps managers and HR teams can take to ensure a smooth onboarding experience for shift workers:
• Implement a structured welcome programme. A clear and comprehensive induction process ensures shift workers understand their roles and the company’s expectations. New employees should
“By creating a structured, supportive and engaging environment from the start, you can help new employees feel prepared and valued, which leads to greater retention and higher job satisfaction.”
receive detailed training on safety protocols, job-specific duties, and an introduction to the workplace environment. In sectors like healthcare, where compliance with regulatory standards is crucial, this step cannot be overlooked. A wellorganised programme helps to build confidence, allowing workers to hit the ground running and feel like valued team members.
• Assign a mentor for personalised support. Starting a new job can be overwhelming, especially for shift workers facing unique scheduling challenges. Pairing new hires with a mentor can provide invaluable support during the early days. A mentor can help navigate the ins and outs of shift work, answer questions, and offer advice on handling the job demands. In care sectors, a mentor is particularly beneficial in guiding employees through the role’s emotional and practical aspects, fostering a sense of community and belonging.
• Prioritise ongoing training and regular check-ins. Onboarding doesn’t end after the first few days or weeks. It’s important to continue supporting shift workers through ongoing training and regular check-ins. This is especially critical in industries like healthcare or manufacturing, where procedures and regulations frequently change. Scheduling in-person check-ins allows managers to address concerns early, reinforces training, and ensures workers feel supported. This continuous communication helps shift workers feel engaged and confident in their roles.
• Leverage smart scheduling technology. Shift workers often face unpredictable schedules, leading to confusion, stress and difficulty maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Using smart scheduling
tools allows managers to provide shift workers with clear and predictable schedules, reducing last-minute changes and uncertainty. Knowing their shifts well in advance allows employees to plan their personal lives and ensures financial stability. In sectors like healthcare, this clarity is especially important for reducing turnover and improving job satisfaction. Technology, such as Deputy’s platform, is essential in providing clarity around scheduling and communication, allowing managers to focus on building meaningful connections with their teams.
• Recognise and engage early. Showing appreciation for hard work can have a lasting effect on employee engagement and retention. Recognising the efforts of shift workers, whether through verbal acknowledgment, formal feedback or small rewards, can build loyalty and improve morale. This is particularly important in high-stress environments like healthcare, where physical and emotional burnout can be common. Early recognition of their contributions reinforces the idea that their work is valued, motivating them to stay committed long-term.
Emma Seymour
Simplify Christmas scheduling
Perfect your roster with care home software says Iain Corrigan, commercial director at CoolCare
With the Christmas season fast approaching, care home managers and administrators face the annual challenge of balancing staffing needs against holiday requests, seasonal absences, and the added demands that come with the festivities. That’s where care home administration software, like CoolCare, can play an important role, by streamlining the entire process and making it easier to handle staffing needs smoothly and efficiently, even during the busiest times of the year. Below, I explore how you can save hours every day by forward planning your rota with administrative software that allows you to easily see any shifts that need filling, communicate directly with staff and fill your gaps in no time.
The rise of automation and the decline of manual
Traditional methods of rostering, usually manual, paper-based, or simple spreadsheets, can quickly become overwhelming and confusing. Automated rostering features within modern care home admin software make it easy to create, adjust and review shifts in just a few clicks. Notifications and reminders are essential tools for both staff and managers to keep pace with the demands of a busy work environment and are a key function of administrative software. Timely reminders help staff manage shift transitions, reduce gaps in coverage, and maintain a high standard of resident care, even during the most hectic days. With the likes of automated notifications, any available shifts are instantly communicated to qualified staff. This feature is ideal when someone unexpectedly calls in sick, ensuring there are no last-minute gaps. Whereas automated reminders help ensure shift requests don’t get overlooked, and roster updates are instantly communicated across the team, reducing the need for frantic lastminute calls.
Cutting costs and reducing agency reliance
Holiday coverage often requires some thinking to avoid over-reliance on costly agency staff. By using care home admin software, you gain a real-time view of available resources, allowing you to make the best use of your existing workforce. It instantly shows those available for additional shifts, making it easy to fill gaps without bringing in outside help, as well as tracking and adjusting staffing levels to ensure shifts align with your budget and meet residents’ needs, helping keep your operation efficient and financially healthy.
Advanced tools make rostering more strategic by preventing overstaffing and ensuring fair distribution of shifts, even when demand fluctuates. While it’s beneficial to accommodate those who want to work more, advanced scheduling tools ensure that this is done equally so no one person monopolises extra shifts, and all team members have fair access to overtime opportunities.
Bank staff
If there’s one thing that takes the hassle out of holiday staffing, it’s having a pool of trusted bank staff ready to step in. Care home admin solutions provide dedicated features for managing bank staff, ensuring they are engaged and available when needed. Staff members can register interest in covering specific dates, while managers have visibility on who is most likely to respond positively to last-minute shift requests. These staff provide flexibility, allowing care homes to adapt quickly to staffing needs without relying on external agency staff, which can often be costly and less familiar with the home’s practices and residents.
Digital rosters
Using software to manage rostering is particularly valuable for care groups with care homes in multiple locations. Digital rosters enable
Iain Corrigan
you to pool resources from nearby homes to cover for last-minute needs, balancing demand without the stress of scrambling for new hires or agency staff. This added flexibility makes it easier to manage higher holiday absenteeism while keeping residents’ care consistent.
A worry-free festive season
Technology can take away the holiday headache, transforming the Christmas roster into a task that no longer feels like a burden. With less work for everyone, smart workforce processes mean improved outcomes, less cost and more time.
In diverse teams, Christmas isn’t the only celebration to plan for, as many people observe this season in unique ways. Whether celebrating Hanukkah, Yule, Kwanzaa, or simply enjoying some peaceful downtime, the right admin software allows care home professionals to embrace the festive season and other peak holiday dates confidently, knowing that everything is under control.
Robot revolution care | care for tomorrow
William Walter, managing director of Bridgehead Communications, talks with Tony Prescott, professor of cognitive robotics at the University of Sheffield and director of Sheffield Robotics, to discuss the role of robotics in social care and how further developments can affect the sector in the future
Elon Musk’s recently unveiled the Optimus robot – with the billionaire tycoon making the bold claim that within 20 years there will be more humanoid robots than people.
So what should robotics in social care primarily be about and what function should they serve for carers and those in need of care?
“The goal is to help people live in their own homes for longer because that benefits everybody”, Prescott says.
Central to this use of robotics is the continued growth of smart homes. The market for smart appliances for use in the home is expected to grow by more than 10% a year until 2028. This is where he sees the greatest application for this technology in a care setting.
“It might be the case that more and more aspects of the home become automated,” Prescott adds, “rather than thinking of having mobile robots that are looking after you, it might be that aspects of the bathroom are automated in the way that they already are in places like Japan.”
But building on the smart home boom is easier said than done. “The challenge is retrofitting existing homes”, he notes, stressing that “it’s much easier to build these kinds of smart home systems into new accommodation.”
Given that the UK’s housing stock is the oldest in Europe, with more than 40% built before 1946, the scope of that technology is limited by Britain’s existing housing system.
“The goal is to help people live in their own homes for longer because that benefits everybody.”
Balancing technology with human care
A central question regarding the role of robotics in care concerns the potential dangers of overreliance on machines and the risk of removing the essential human element on which the sector is dependent.
“There are two things involved here. One is physical support, and the other is social support – physical support is less controversial, but it’s also the hardest thing to do,” Prescott explains.
“Most existing robots are made of hard parts and could potentially do quite a lot of harm if they’re not controlled very carefully.”
A further possible complication for robotics is a privacy concern, which Prescott notes contributes to the cybersecurity issues regarding these devices, stressing that “these systems need to be less hackable than they currently are.”
However, “the personal data involved”, he adds, “is no different from the cybersecurity issues around other devices that have cameras in the home, like phones and so on.” What he regards as a greater question in care is the difficulty of programming answers to ethical questions.
“There are risks of coercion [for example] if somebody’s not taking their medicine, how much of a role the robot should have.” This is something mitigated in care by the essential part that human decision-making plays.
“Carers deal with these [ethical] issues all the time, of course, and again, we underestimate how important human intelligence is in making those sorts of calls.”
Aiding workforce troubles
The issue most often on display in the ongoing crisis in social care is the shortage of carers. With a vacancy rate of more than 8% and 131,000
“A central question regarding the role of robotics in care concerns the potential dangers of overreliance on machines.”
posts left unfilled in 2023/24, there are hopes that automation and artificial intelligence could help reduce workforce pressures.
Prescott sees robotics helping with two of the biggest challenges in care: “the working conditions and the pay”. He mentions that “physical injury is a huge problem”, particularly back issues, in delivering care. “So, technology that can help with lifting and moving could [assist] there.”
Referring to the problem of low pay for the exhausting work involved in care, Prescott believes that “one way to make it better paid is to make it more professional by bringing in some of these tools that could be part of the social care support package.”
As such, he adds, “those training to be a social care worker would understand how to use these assistive systems effectively”.
Role of policymakers and government
As we near the end of our discussion, we turn to the importance of state support in driving these developments and innovation. Prescott considers existing support minimal. “If you think about the budget spent on research in this area, it’s pretty thin – a very small amount.”
“Those training to be a social care worker would understand how to use these assistive systems effectively.”
This, to him, makes little sense because “if you look at the cost of caring for people in residential care and in hospital, it’s a big multiplier compared to the cost of keeping them in their own homes”. So, if you can keep people in their own homes for longer “they’ll be happier about it and it will cost less. It’s a win-win”.
The importance of more significant support in this area is not just more cost-effective than providing hospital or residential care, it can also prove to be a driver of economic activity. “The UK could take a lead here. Currently, Japan and the US are leading in this. One of
our issues is we don’t have UK robot manufacturers, but we could have if this is something we could invest in more.
“If you were to spend a fraction of one per cent of the social care budget on research, there would be rewards you could get back in reducing social care costs, which could be quite significant.”
However, the state’s role extends beyond financial support and encompasses regulation too. On this, Prescott has already outlined his support for a “right to human care” in a 2017 White Paper that included a road map for the sector’s future.
“The road map was quite ambitious, but we’re still in the first phase of that,” he comments, but adds that the importance of a legislated right to human care was essential to building support for wider use of robotics in social care. “One of the concerns about robotics is that it would leave people with less access to human carers, and that’s one area where introducing legislation related to a right to human care can reassure people.”
Reflecting on our discussion, Prescott’s vision for robotics in social care presents a nuanced path forward that balances the potential of automation with the essential role of human care. What remains to be seen is how well policymakers can address this sector’s needs to deliver the robotics support that carers and those needing care are desperate for.
“One of the concerns about robotics is that it would leave people with less access to human carers, and that’s one area where introducing legislation related to a right to human care can reassure people.”
Professor Tony Prescott
Get moving
Amrit Dhaliwal, chief executive of Walfinch home care, says his company is making moves to improve its care clients’ lives
As carers we want to improve lives, and we are motivated by the kindest of intentions – yet our care often may not deliver the best results for clients.
We could do better if we took on board the need for movement. The care media is awash with pictures of clients sitting comfortably while smiling carers do tasks for them. It’s a heartwarming image –but this kind of care could be hastening clients’ physical and mental decline.
I believe that care should deliver wellness, and, for our clients, it should be a time to thrive. Key to this is greater activity.
The inactivity crisis
The sedentary lifestyle is a known killer. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that physical inactivity puts adults at greater risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, type 2 diabetes, dementia and cancers such as breast and zolon. Lack of movement is costing lives.
The WHO recommends that adults have 150 minutes of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or equivalent, per week. Yet around a third of people don’t achieve this, and lives are becoming increasingly sedentary through the increased use of cars and screens.
Inactivity is even more common in women and the over-60s.
Carers see it daily; many people, especially older adults, sit in front of television or computer screens for hours. The care sector finds itself dealing with the results – many clients are suffering from conditions that are exacerbated, or even caused, by inactivity.
How can we change this?
Most people already know they should be more active, yet they are not doing much about it. Why?
One reason is that ‘activity’ is often associated with going to the gym, or swimming 50 lengths a day, or 10-mile hikes – and most don’t fancy doing that. For many care clients, exercise like this is almost impossible, so they are being realistic.
We need to redefine ‘activity’ Physical activity is not solely about vigorous exercise, especially for older
Carers must be committed too Gurprit Gill, the franchise managing director at Walfinch home care in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, understands the importance of care that includes meeting a client’s aspirations.
Gill, who has 15 years' experience in the care sector, says she wants to work with her care team to deliver holistic fitness coaching to help clients increase physical skills, such as getting up from chairs more easily, and has plans for arts and crafts activities, pamper sessions and social occasions – all of which tie in with the Walfinch philosophy.
“I aim to bring our care clients a healthy life, fresh food, and the ability to attend social occasions, and I have the commitment and the experience to do it,” she says.
A moving story: how walking improved a life Home care franchisee Tiffany Meachim explains: “Our client Patrick, was prone to balance problems, and only able to complete 10 to 15 steps unaided – so his family was stunned on the day that he got up from his chair and walked upstairs. It was something he had been unable to do for years.”
The transformation was down to Meachim and her team. Patrick, who is in his fifties, had had mobility problems since an accident when he was seven and a stroke as an adult.
“After daily visits from our care team, who accompany Patrick round his village on social calls and help him with physiotherapy exercises, he can now walk up to 200 yards.” said Meachim.
His family told Tiffany how pleased they were to see the huge improvement in his mobility since her team started working with him.
Amrit Dhaliwal
and less able people. Will Ferguson, founder of The Caring Physio, whose physiotherapy team delivers services to clients at home, explains that care clients often face much more basic challenges.
“They may be unable to get out of bed, or out of their home into a car, so their lives are severely restricted,” he says.
This inactivity can be frustrating, and tends to cause deterioration in physical and mental health, as people focus on what they can’t do, rather than what they can.
Ferguson says: “This can result in a lack of motivation, so they move even less, so the body becomes weaker, there is a higher risk of inflammation and infections, and when they do move around, falls and fractures are more common.”
Increasing motivation
Clients can be asked at initial care assessments what they want to achieve and the physical challenges they face in reaching these goals. Often their aims are personal to them, such as attending a family wedding, resuming an art class, or meeting a friend for coffee.
Ferguson and his team often work with carers, including some from Walfinch. The physios assess the health and capability of the client, and their environment, to ensure that
they can move around easily. Once a physiotherapy plan is created, the carers can be trained safely to help the client achieve the greater mobility they need.
How carers can help
“The carer can go with the client while they make their way to the kitchen and make themselves a cup of tea, rather than the carer delivering the tea to the sedentary client,” Ferguson says.
The activity should be chosen by the client, and the carer should join in. Carers getting involved with activities alongside clients increases motivation for both, making it more likely they will continue with the activity, and the carer’s physical and mental health can benefit too.
One Walfinch franchisee is providing free online chair yoga sessions for clients, led by a local yoga instructor. Not only did it result in a 20% take-up among clients, but carers, including some who were pregnant, joined in too.
At Walfinch our carers aim to get clients to take part in activity for at least 10 minutes of every visit of one hour or more. It could be a short spell outside (maybe walking), or gardening, or going to a community exercise session – some of our franchisees make these available free to clients, families and communities. Activity also makes the carer’s job
more interesting, which can increase retention and engagement, and improve mental and physical fitness across the whole care team.
For Walfinch activity is a core part of care, which is why we have launched ‘Wellness With Walfinch’, the first initiative under Walfinch’s new ‘Time to Thrive’ tagline. Mobility is vital to wellness. Surely this is part of what care is all about?
The inactivity crisis
Lack of activity is taking a terrible toll on the health of people around the world. World Health Organization figures released in June this year showed that nearly a third (31%) of adults worldwide –approximately 1.8 billion people –didn’t meet the recommended levels of physical activity in 2022. What’s more, the trend of physical inactivity among adults, which has increased by about five percentage points between 2010 and 2022, looks set to continue. If that happens, levels of inactivity are projected to reach 35% by 2030. How many lives will be lost as a result?
A word from our sponsors…
A round-up from some of the sponsors of the Care Management Show held at ExCel London at the end of last month
Birdie
Our data-powered technology delivers actionable insights and smart automations that transform how you operate. Spot medication issues before they occur, stay ahead of CQC requirements, and maintain efficient rosters that automatically match skills and travel time. This means less time on administration and more time dedicated to superior client care.
The results speak for themselves – providers using Birdie have seen a median growth of 20% more care hours after just one year. That’s why more than 1,000 care providers of every size choose Birdie as their technology partner, whether they’re just getting started or are established market leaders.
While most homecare technology excels at digitalising processes – turning notes into clicks, and paper into docs – Birdie goes beyond basic digital transformation. We understand that in a sector with ever-increasing demand and limited resources, simply moving paper processes to screens isn’t enough to solve the fundamental challenges of time and staffing constraints.
Birdie offers comprehensive smart technology that supports providers across the entire care journey, from care management and quality auditing to rostering, finance and analytics. By bringing teams, tools and data together in one intelligent platform, we make the business of caring easier, faster and safer.
If you didn’t get a chance to see us at the Care Management Show and learn how we can help reduce your
administrative burden, boost financial health, and improve regulatory compliance, visit here for more information about making your care business fly with Birdie.
birdie.care/book-a-demo
Borderless
Borderless is a visa, immigration and compliance technology platform on a mission to solve the complexity of sponsorship. The company envisions a world where borders are no longer barriers, enabling anyone to move anywhere seamlessly and safely.
As talent shortages continue in the care sector, Borderless empowers providers to navigate the challenging terrain of international hiring. Its platform makes sponsorship effortless by bringing together the best of technology and human expertise for compliance, visa processing, sponsor licence assistance, and recruitment. With a 100% success rate and 350-plus customers, Borderless eliminates stress and uncertainty, helping you sponsor international talent and future-proof your workforce.
Using Borderless, companies save valuable time and effortlessly manage compliance, allowing them to focus on what matters – growth. Borderless makes international hiring reliable and cost-effective – up to three times more affordable than traditional solutions. getborderless.co.uk
Care First UK
Care First UK is a family-run permanent recruitment business operating right across the UK, specialising in the healthcare and education sectors. We recently won a
‘Family business of the year’ award and also go the extra mile to deliver for our clients. We have more than 30 years’ experience in recruitment (passed on by the founder to his son), 15 years’ healthcare experience, and although new to the education sector we have gained many years of knowledge in education through our care/education overlap. We tailor packages to your needs and specialise in our own unique ‘Recruitment days’ service. carefirstuk.co.uk
carehome.co.uk and homecare.co.uk
It was great to be part of the Care Management Show and probably our last opportunity in 2024 to engage with the users of carehome.co.uk and homecare.co.uk. We talked to lots of care providers who work with us to help drive bed vacancy and home care enquiries and generate third party reviews to build transparency and trust in their businesses. The show was also a great chance for feedback for us to
ensure we continue to offer the best possible services when matching care seekers with their perfect care home or care provider.
We are always keen to highlight what sets us apart as a business. We list detailed information on nearly every care home and home care agency in the UK and collectively host more than 420,000 reviews. This number grows daily as we continue to add new, verified, independent reviews from residents and those who have benefited from care in their own home. We always make it a simple process for care seekers to get in touch through email, tour or consultation requests, brochure downloads, or via the phone. We also provide a free Care Help service where care seekers call us, and then in turn, we provide them with a shortlist of care homes that match their specific criteria. Finally, we are always adding new articles to our advice centres to attract and support those looking for care. Articles cover a full range of subjects including ‘paying for care’, ‘life in a care home’, ‘demetia’ and ‘types of care homes’.
Care Research
More than 60% of evidence in the new Care Quality Commission Single Assessment Framework is feedback evidence. But we know that doing surveys, fiddling with Google Forms or monkeying around with survey monkey or any of the other survey platforms is a massive headache for most service managers. Care Research can do it all for you. We run the surveys for the people you support, families, staff and partners; we then process all the results and create amazing CQC-ready evidence documents for your service. We take the headache and hassle out
of the survey process, with our endto-end managed service, ensuring all your services have clear, consistent and independently gathered feedback evidence. We even have accessible surveys for individuals with learning disabilities including video, Makaton video and PECS video questions.
For services that want to run their own surveys, our ‘platform only’ option enables you to run your surveys seamlessly, track results on the live dashboards and create your own CQCready evidence documents with just a few clicks.
Care Research has been supporting care services for six years and works with more than 350 care services including residential, domiciliary, supported living and learning disability services. We also support services under the CIW and CIS regulators.
If you want to ‘next level’ your feedback approaches while saving your managers and quality teams some time, Care Research can help.
careresearch.co.uk
Care UK
At Care UK, we treat everyone as individuals so they can live fulfilling, rewarding and happy lives. We have more than 40 years’ experience offering quality care with over 150 homes across Great Britain – a number that’s increasing every year with our ambitious care home building programme.
We are proud to be the most awarded
care home provider for the past three years, and we have more Outstandingrated homes than any other provider.
Our teams work hard to deliver highquality care and to drive our success we need leaders who share our vision and values. We’ll help you to continue developing your career through quality training opportunities and tailored development programmes. Contact us about career opportunities today. careuk.com
Connect2Care
Connect2Care is a specialist training and apprenticeship provider for the UK’s adult care, healthcare, early years and funeral service sectors.
Our national team of training consultants are all industry experts ready to deliver our vocational training enabling you to develop outstanding employees, helping you create a safe, caring, effective and well-led environment.
Our aims are clear:
• Increase learners’ skills to improve their earning capacity.
• Make businesses more efficient by developing a highly skilled and more productive workforce.
• Minimise our impact on the environment and teach our learners to better manage theirs.
• Treat our staff well, pay them a good wage, and reward our shareholders. Simply put, we focus on ‘People, Planet and Profit’. Building Connect2Care has involved plenty of hard work, but it’s been immensely fun. Knowing thousands of learners and employers have already benefited from the service that we deliver is hugely satisfying.
Well-trained, competent staff are a
valuable asset and can help a business perform well by delivering improved efficiency, better customer experience and reduced staff turnover.
connect2care.net
Connect Catering
Since 1989, Connect Catering has delivered exceptional, bespoke catering services to the care industry, meeting the specialised needs of care homes, nursing facilities and hospices.
We prioritise choice and variety, ensuring that every resident enjoys their dining experience. Whether residents prefer a formal or relaxed atmosphere, our options cater to all tastes. Our café areas provide a welcoming space where residents, family and friends can gather over fresh coffee, light bites, snacks and delicious afternoon cakes.
Our commitment to resident wellbeing includes a focus on dietary needs, understanding complex requirements like texture-modified foods for those with dysphagia. We offer a visually appealing, balanced menu that supports both health and enjoyment. We also understand the importance of having our pantry open outside our regular service times ensuring fresh, nourishing options are always available.
Dining is more than a meal – it’s a daily highlight where residents can connect and share in the joy of good food and company. Our approach fosters social interaction, supports friendships, and creates a lively, inclusive dining environment that enriches each resident’s day.
connectcatering.co.uk
CoolCare
CoolCare is centred on admin made easy, with its services aimed at making operating care homes easier, more efficient and more profitable.
Following three decades of care home administration software development, CoolCare knows what good looks like – and it seeks to help care homes love their admin by making it simple. Its intuitive design drives higher staff confidence and increases the impact of digital adoption, while CoolCare’s userfriendliness is legendary, making it the software of choice for some of the UK’s leading care home operators.
Its recently launched ‘Connected Reception’ seeks to modernise and make the front of house more digitalised and inviting for both staff and guests. The new suite of systems is designed with compliance and visitor satisfaction in mind, providing a biometric face clock-in for staff, a virtual noticeboard and a digital visitor book that’s integrated with resident and staff databases and can also be integrated with Person Centred Software care plans.
In addition to this, CoolCare also integrates with care management software, Nourish, as well as having exports for most of the largest providers of payroll and finance software.
CoolCare’s ongoing commitment is to provide innovative and userfriendly solutions for care homes. By consistently seeking ways to support care providers, CoolCare makes it easier for them to operate more efficiently while meeting the highest standards of care.
coolcare.co.uk
Healthworks People
Healthworks People is a recruitment agency specialising in management roles for the elderly and specialist care sectors. The team is dedicated to providing a bespoke and personalised service to its clients, and finding
candidates their dream roles.
Healthworks partners with some wonderful providers, including Ivolve, Voyage and Milewood – and loves pairing its candidates with management roles in companies that have shared values and where they will enjoy fulfilling long-term placements.
At the Care Management Show in London, Healthworks was there to engage with candidates and clients in the sector. It ran a fun competition on its stand to win a free weekend away in the Healthworks holiday cottage, which it also gifts to every manager it places after they have been in their role for six months.
Healthworks plans to exhibit at the Care Management Show in Birmingham next June – so if you didn’t get a chance to enter the holiday home competition in London, be sure to pay a visit to the Healthworks stand in Birmingham.
healthworkspeople.com
Paragon Skills
The care sector is vital in supporting society’s most vulnerable members, yet care homes face challenges in attracting, retaining and developing skilled professionals. Apprenticeships provide a transformative solution, preparing your workforce for the future while enhancing care standards.
Apprenticeships offer tailored, hands-on training that fills skills gaps and boosts staff retention. From entry-level roles to management qualifications, apprenticeships provide clear development pathways, helping care homes maintain a stable and experienced team. Employees who feel valued are more likely to stay, reducing recruitment costs and improving operational efficiency.
Apprenticeships deliver practical, on-the-job learning, supported by formal qualifications aligned with industry standards. This improves
decision-making, fosters stronger resident relationships, and ensures adherence to care quality regulations. Skilled and confident staff contribute to compassionate care and build trust with families and communities.
Higher-level apprenticeships, such as Level 5, prepare employees to step into leadership roles. By cultivating future leaders who understand the care sector’s unique challenges, care homes can secure long-term success and continuity.
Choosing the right provider is key. Specialists like Paragon Skills offer training tailored to the care sector. Investing in apprenticeships not only raises care standards but creates an environment where employees and residents thrive.
paragonskills.co.uk
Quik AI
At Quik AI, we understand the challenges faced by the care sector. From the increasing burden on care operators, to the complexity of patient needs and the constant demand for staff to do more, we recognise the difficulties that come with running a care organisation. That’s why our founder, Paul Nery, saw the potential for artificial intelligence to make a real impact in addressing these challenges. Last year, he began funding the development of a customised AI solution, which has now become our flagship software application, Carey.
Our vision at Quik AI is simple – to provide you with the most precise and resourceful AI software application possible. Our goal is to make running your organisation more efficient and easier, while also improving the quality of life for your residents. With Carey, you can trust that you are utilising the latest technology to enhance the lives of those in your care. Our software integrates seamlessly with platforms like Nourish, Log My Care, and Care Vision, providing great assistance to
all staff members. Let Carey be your trusted partner in delivering top-notch care.
quik-ai.com
T150 Energy
T150 Energy is committed to helping care and education organisations save money on their energy bills while directly reinvesting into their futures. We specialise in securing competitive contracts for gas, electricity and water, enabling care homes, schools and charities to reduce their utility costs and focus more on their vital work. Our innovative Payback Scheme is at the heart of what we do. For every energy contract we secure, we donate a portion of our earnings back to the same organisation. This means that care providers receive additional funds to enhance their services, improve facilities, or support their staff. Schools and educational institutions can reinvest these funds in essential resources, learning tools, or extracurricular activities that directly benefit their pupils.
This initiative is part of our Million Pound Mission, a pledge to return £1 million to organisations within the care, education and charity sectors. T150 Energy was founded with a vision of making a difference, inspired by a life-changing personal health journey. Our mission is simple – to support organisations that do so much for others by ensuring their energy solutions work harder for them.
By choosing T150 Energy, organisations not only secure costeffective energy contracts but also gain an opportunity to receive tangible financial support. Together, we can make every energy contract count. paybackscheme.co.uk
The Blue Sky Social Care Card
The Blue Sky Social Care Card was
created in response to the lack of societal recognition for social care workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. While NHS staff were applauded for their dedication, social care workers who endured the same hours and risks, were largely overlooked. Unlike NHS staff, social care workers – who earn a lower average wage – lack access to the same discounts and benefits. Existing discount programmes often exclude many social care roles by requiring CQC registration, which limits the majority of the sector.
Determined to bridge this gap, the Blue Sky Social Care Card extends discounts and benefits to all social care staff, from unpaid carers to care home administrators. Beyond discounts, the card provides a unique online community where social care workers can find support, resources, and recognition.
The card is customisable, allowing care providers to add company logos, names and ID photos, enhancing professionalism and security in an affordable manner. More than an ID, the card grants access to discounts across retail, dining, entertainment and more, helping carers save on everyday expenses. With proceeds supporting the charity Disability Direct, the Blue Sky Social Care Card is working to unify the social care sector under a banner of appreciation, support and savings, and with the festive season near, this card makes a thoughtful gift, expressing gratitude, supporting retention, and giving back to the carers who dedicate so much to our communities. Give your team a gift they’ll appreciate all year round.
10 questions with…
We speak with Daniel Bridges, home manager at Avery Healthcare’s Hampstead Court Care Home in North London
Why did you join the social care sector? I was showjumping for the young riders in the British Showjumping Association and I had a really bad accident aged around 17, which caused epilepsy and back injury, so I had to give it up at the time. While I was being cared for, I had really appalling care, and I always thought I could do better, in the way I could make people feel, make sure the care was person-centred – everything I didn’t get. It gave me a drive to make a difference and be the difference in social care. I started as a night carer when I was 18 and have worked my way up through senior carer, head of care, deputy manager, to registered manager.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
It’s two things, my residents and my staff. It’s achieving great outcomes to make a difference to people’s lives and creating outstanding places for people to live and work. It is empowering my residents; one lady we care for in Hampstead Court has a dementia diagnosis but we have got her back swimming regularly – it is about keeping people within their local communities and feeling inclusive.
Who is your social care hero and why? It is most people who work in social care – whether you are a housekeeper or kitchen assistant or care assistant, we can’t work without any of them. I have true admiration for everyone who works in social care and really does make a difference to people’s lives.
What’s the one thing you would change about social care?
I want to spread the message that social care is fun and take away the stigma. I always try to do that on my socials, having 10,000 followers on LinkedIn. I try to do it to attract younger people into the sector; social care is sometimes seen as the last resort for a career but it should be the first that you think of.
What, in your opinion, makes a great care worker?
They always say you can teach someone a qualification but you can’t teach them to care. A great care worker has a good heart and genuinely wants to make a difference to someone’s life and wellbeing with their contributions to their daily routines. It needs to be someone who is emotionally strong, because we bring a lot of emotion
into our daily life, a very driven individual who gets up every morning and wants to keep those residents as independent as possible, to enable them, empower them and achieve the best possible outcomes.
What do you do when life all gets a bit too much?
Over the years I have learned there has to be a work and private life balance, although it doesn’t stop you thinking and caring; you don’t just leave the home at six at night and think that’s it, I have closed the door until tomorrow. For me, I do my family time, I like showjumping which is my huge passion, and spending time with my friends and family, and I love eating, going to really nice restaurants, that is my favourite thing.
Which three famous people would you have to dinner and why?
I quite liked Theresa May. Jennifer Hudson, the singer and actress, she has the most amazing voice. And Adele, she is hilarious.
What three items would you bring with you on a desert island?
Definitely a horse, definitely nice food, and I would have to say my mobile.
What’s your secret talent?
It’s the showjumping. I have just spent a week showjumping in Liverpool. I had to give it up when I was younger but I have been jumping again competitively for the last three years. I don’t think it ever leaves you. I had so many years out, then decided to come back to it and it is the best decision I ever made.
What advice would you give your younger self?
There’s a solution to every problem. Ten years ago I was very much “this is the way we have to do it”, but I have realised that whatever is thrown at you, especially when we went through Covid – there’s always a solution. Together everybody achieves more; you can’t do the job alone.
Daniel Bridges
Employee of the month
Emma Adderson, housekeeper at Badgers Wood in Drayton, Norwich, tells us how she goes the extra mile
Tell us a bit about your background –how did you get into care housekeeping?
Originally, I worked here at Badgers Wood around 20 years ago as a kitchen assistant. Then I left the health and social care sector, and worked in an admin role for nearly 15 years. Then the dreaded Covid arrived, and I was furloughed. I really wanted to come back to this sector to try to help just a little bit, and for me that meant coming back to Badgers Wood, I always loved it here.
As well as being housekeeper, I am infection control lead, and I take that very seriously. I have actually devised a whole new piece of governance around infection control monitoring and analysis, to help minimise risk of infections in our care setting.
How do you go about meeting the needs of residents?
I am very much a people person, and when someone comes to our setting I will make a point of getting to know that person. You spend time chatting with them and that is how you come to know their likes and dislikes, and then you can tailor everything to their needs, down to what side of the sink they like to have their toothbrush. We promote people wanting to maintain their independence and certain people here like to put their own laundry away; they like to make their own bed.
What’s a typical day like?
No two days are ever the same. There is a lot of structure here because it is a 37-bed care home and that is a lot of cleaning, but I do love a curve ball and they come in thick and fast sometimes. You think your day is going to go one way and then whoosh! with a flick of a mop it has gone, and you have to re-evaluate everything.
What’s the most challenging part of your job?
The hardest thing for me is, over time, you get to know the residents and you forge friendships with them, so when
you see someone on a decline, either physically or mentally, and there comes a time when you have to say goodbye, that can be tough, We are not robots and we all care about each other. We all support each other as a team and try to remind ourselves that as long as those people are with us, we will give them the best care we can, the best laughs, the best of whatever they want and deserve to have in their last years
Is there anything that would surprise people about your job?
I am a bit renowned for singing with my mop, they call me “the singing housekeeper”. I have been known to do a bit of Queen, I can do a bit of Doris Day, it depends on what they like listening to. If I don’t know the words I make them up.
Someone once said to me it must be nice to have a little cleaning job, a few hours a week. It is anything but “a little cleaning job”, it’s hard physical work, every single day. I love it, it saves me going to the gym; I get to eat more cake. There also used to be a misconception about what ‘old people’s homes’ were like – it is not like that here. Our residents have lived full and enriched lives; they have tales to tell.
Has anything changed since you started your role?
Everything is always evolving – the training gets better and is more accessible to everybody. The ancillary
“There also used to be a misconception about what ‘old people’s homes’ were like – it is not like that here. Our residents have lived full and enriched lives; they have tales to tell.”
staff have access to all sort of training, as do the care staff. I have gained a Level 3 NVQ in housekeeping and also have had training in enhanced infection control. When I came back after 20 years, I noticed a huge difference in the intergenerational work we do. We have contacts with childminders, nurseries, two of our local schools, and it’s so impactful on our residents, they absolutely love it. We have a full activities schedule every week, morning and afternoons, that is a massive and really positive change from 20 years ago.
What’s special about the care home you work for?
The people is what makes this place – the staff, the management, everyone from the administrators to the maintenance man will roll up their sleeves and help each other. It is the residents, the characters, the personalities – I just love it.
What skills and talents do you need to be a great housekeeper?
Definitely a sense of humour. You need bundles of patience and compassion, understanding, a big smile, because nobody wants to see a grump come to work every day. If you can be a good team leader and you have a happy team, they will be really productive for you.
Emma Adderson
Our overall winner is...
Kate Smith, a support worker at Rebecca Homes, is the overall winner of this year’s Ontex Care Heroes Award, along with a £500 Love2Shop voucher
There are thousands of people working in UK care homes who make a real difference, whether it’s behind the scenes in the laundry room, preparing meals in the kitchen or providing direct personal care for the residents. The Ontex Care Heroes Award seeks out and recognises those who go beyond the job description.
Whether it’s the gardener who brings residents their favourite biscuits or a housekeeper who helps residents to rediscover their hobbies, the award is designed to shine a spotlight on those who bring a little bit of extra joy into the care world.
“We’re excited to again sponsor Care Heroes,” said Ontex marketing manager Nicole Fenton. “It was tricky selecting the winners due to the many worthy nominations submitted. Our winners really have gone above and beyond in the workplace, so it’s lovely that they are recognised by their colleagues, residents or family members who have nominated them.”
For this year’s Care Heroes Award, Caring Times invited the overall winner and three runners-up on stage at the Care Managers Show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham at the end of June to receive their certificates and prizes.
The winner and runners-up were selected after what was the most competitive Care Heroes nominations process yet.
As well as receiving their certificates, each of this year’s Care Heroes was
“I believe Kate should be awarded because of the huge positive impact she has had working in our care home.”
awarded a Love2Shop voucher – £500 for the overall winner and £250 for the runners-up.
Over the past months we have spotlighted the runners-up and this month we feature the winner Kate Smith, a support worker at Rebecca Homes in Yoxall, Staffordshire.
Here’s what her colleague had to say about her admirable dedication to the role: I believe Kate should be awarded because of the huge positive impact she has had working in our care home.
A long-term member of staff left in 2022 and one person living at the home was particularly worried about this and
“She has also asked to do her dissertation for her psychology degree on relatives’ perspectives of their son or daughter as a young adult in a care home.”
that his passion for gardening would not be the same, as the person who left was a keen gardener.
Kate Smith
Kate a young member of care staff, currently studying a psychology degree, and not an experienced gardener, did some research and volunteered without being asked to step into a the role of continuing to support this individual in his hobby.
Kate has done an amazing job and made great improvements in the garden. She has created this beautiful vegetable patch and arranged the greenhouse into an organised workable area. She has planted vegetables and flowers with the person we support. She has successfully grown seasonal vegetables, herbs and spices that everyone living at the home has tried and enjoyed. The various vegetables have continued throughout the year as well.
She also improved the environment of the home by planting pretty wild flowers, so again everyone has enjoyed her work and she has kept interest going right from the moment she offered to support this individual in
November 2022 until now. She has also maintained the grounds painting fences and doesn’t mind at all mucking in digging up the garden and doing physically demanding tasks.
She has also asked to do her dissertation for her psychology degree on relatives’ perspectives of their son or daughter as a young adult in a care home. So her caring nature is from all perspectives, as a young person herself she has been such an inspiration to all.
“She has created this beautiful vegetable patch and arranged the greenhouse into an organised workable area.”
From left: Angela Gillespie, channel manager distributors at Ontex Healthcare, Kate Smith and Sam Lewis, former editor of Caring Times
Do you know or work with someone who is an unsung hero in a care home?
Ontex has teamed up with Caring Times once again to reward those working in care homes who are always ready to go that extra mile
There are thousands of people working in UK care homes who make a real difference, whether it’s behind the scenes in the laundry room, preparing meals in the kitchen, or providing direct personal care for the residents. We’re looking for those who go beyond the job description. Whether it’s the gardener who brings residents their favourite cookies, or a housekeeper who helps residents to rediscover their hobbies – we’re searching for those who bring a little bit of extra joy into the care world.
Your care hero may be a colleague or someone else you know, and now is the time to reward those individuals who have made a genuine impact on their particular place of work.
If you know of anyone that fits the bill, entries can be made online at: caring-times.co.uk/care-heroes-2025
So go to this link and tell us, in 400 words or fewer, why you think your
Terms and conditions
nominated person deserves to win. Make sure to include an example of when they have gone the extra distance to make a difference.
All winners will be announced in June and will be presented with their certificate and Love2Shop vouchers on Friday 27 June at the Care Management Show at the NEC Birmingham. Three runner-up winners will each receive £250 Love2Shop vouchers, and the overall winner will receive a £500 Love2Shop voucher. The three runner-up winners will feature in the September, October and November issues of Caring Times magazine, and the overall winner will feature in a special feature in the December issue.
Care Heroes 2025 offers a unique chance to celebrate the dedication of all those who go above and beyond to keep care homes running. It’s a brilliant way to shine the spotlight on people
who get on with their jobs, unseen and unheard, but make a real difference.
“This is the seventh year we’ve worked with Caring Times for the Care Heroes competition and we absolutely love it because it’s important to shine a light on those who go above and beyond for their residents,” comments Angela Gillespie, distributor channel manager at Ontex. “And it doesn’t have to be a grand gesture – it’s the little, consistent things that really have an impact on someone’s life.”
Last year, we received more than 350 entries and it took a panel of five to decide the finalists. Gillespie continues: “It’s a difficult competition to judge because each person is so deserving. My top tip when nominating somebody is to use a particular example with lots of detail for how they have made a difference and how this impacted others – good luck to all nominees.”
This prize draw is organised by Ontex, Weldon House, CorbyGate Business Park, Priors Haw Road, Corby, NN17 5JG. It is governed by the laws of England and Wales and it is subject to the following conditions:
• The prize draw is not open to employees or contractors of Ontex or any person directly or indirectly involved in the organisation and running of the competition or their direct family members.
• The prizes are up to the value of £250 of Love2Shop vouchers for the three runner-up winners and a £500 Love2Shop voucher for the one overall winner. The Love2Shop vouchers may be substituted to an alternative gift card chosen by Ontex to the same value if required. There is no cash alternative. The vouchers will be presented to the winners on stage at the Care Management Show at the NEC in Birmingham on Friday 27 June.
• The three runner-up winners will be included in the Caring Times publication during the September 2025, October 2025 and November 2025 issues. The overall winner will be included in the Caring Times publication during the December 2025 issue.
• No purchase is necessary to take part in the prize draw.
• The prize draw is open to UK residents only who are aged 18 or over.
• Closing date for entry is Friday 16 May. Winners will be notified by 5 June.
• The overall winner will receive two tickets to the National Care Awards on Friday 28 November in London.
• All winners will be presented with their award at the Care Management Show and must be available to attend the show on Friday 27 June.
• If the winners do not confirm acceptance of his/her prize within seven days he/she will automatically forfeit the rights to claim for the prize. In the event of the prize not being claimed, Ontex reserves the right to select an alternative winner via any means that Ontex feel appropriate. By participating in the prize draw, you declare that you accept these terms and conditions unconditionally.
Overall winner 2024: Kate Smith, a support worker at Rebecca Homes in Yoxall, Saffordshire. Kate is studying for a psychology degree. She also took on a gardening role to support an individual in his hobby making great improvements in the garden, creating a beautiful vegetable patch and arranged the greenhouse into an organised workable area. She has planted vegetables and flowers with the person supported. She has grown seasonal vegetables, herbs and spices that everyone living at the home has enjoyed. Various vegetables have continued to be grown throughout the year as well. She improved the environment of the home by planting pretty wild flowers and has maintained the grounds, painting fences and digging up the garden among other physically demanding tasks.
Runner-up 2024: Sibongile Sihwa, support worker at Dimensions Healthcare.
Sibongile’s commitment extends far beyond the confines of her job description, making an indelible impact on the lives of those she cares for and the entire community around her.
Runner-up 2024: Charlie Keane, therapy assistant at Oakleaf Care, Northampton. Charlie’s passion for the residents is obvious. Off the back of resident feedback that they would like to see pictures of the local area hung up in the communal areas, he set up a photography session using his own professional camera. This involved him taking the residents out into the grounds and surrounding areas and assisting them in taking photographs of their choosing, which were later printed out to be hung up on the unit. Not only was this a wonderful and meaningful activity to those residents, but the photos were so great that it allowed the company the opportunity to use them in the redesign of the home’s welcome packs.
During a particularly challenging period from January to March, when two of her colleagues fell ill, Sibongile didn’t hesitate to step in and cover their shifts. Her energy and dedication shone through as she worked tirelessly to ensure that residents with learning disabilities received the care they deserve. Whether it’s through small gestures like bringing residents their favourite cookies or facilitating activities that reignite their passions and hobbies, Sibongile consistently goes the extra mile to brighten their days and lift their spirits.
Runner-up 2024: Carly Pounder, senior carer at Care UK’s Cranford Grange in Knutsford, Cheshire. Carly is a natural carer. Experience gained through caring for her grandparents and a mother with cancer add empathy to her natural abilities. This benefits residents and their loved ones because she truly understands their individual situations. Ask Carly how she goes about delivering the extra mile and she will say that she doesn’t feel she is doing anything special. She says: "Our home is one big family, and this is how I view residents and their families. I treat each one as I would treat a member of my own family –to me this is the only way to do my job."
AWARD-WINNING AGENCY OF CHOICE
An agency that genuinely cares about the service we provide and the care we deliver. With our Head Office in Maidstone, we cover the entire region of Kent and the South East.
Providing an outstanding service since 2019, available 24 hours a day , delivering excellent customer focus and having a professional care team, who we are immensely proud of.
Emergency Cover Short & Long Term Perm Temp
Competitive Rates All levels of staff covered
NOT JUST AN AGENCY
AWARENESS
Dementia Event – Quarterly FREE Dementia Event – Zoom link provided. Join the evening to learn more about Dementia, receive training, gain invaluable information and contacts and share experiences with Home Managers, Guest Speakers, Care staff, Relatives and loved ones and those suffering themselves with Dementia. This has been an incredible journey of building the event, which now has over 70+ attendees both returning and new. A great line up is set for December 13th – Don’t miss out. Email Emily.carpenter@completecarerecruitment.com to get your invite link.
TRAINING
Training Provider – We have Qualified Trainers who provide Quality, accredited training in house or at your service. Covering Manual Handling, First Aid and BLS, Dementia Awareness, Fire Marshall, Administration of Medication and more.
