Social care

Deals and investment WEP Clinical joins with Wren Healthcare

London-based WEP Group Holdings is making a strategic investment in Wren Healthcare, a clinical nursing healthcare provider in the EU.

Wren works with key industry stakeholders across Europe, including national health services, pharmaceutical companies, and private healthcare providers, to provide and administer treatments in the patient home. Its team of registered nurses have years of clinical homecare experience, ensuring care is delivered to exacting protocols and drug summaries of product characteristics.

Under the new agreement, Wren will become part of the WEP team, allowing WEP’s patients, partners, and customers access to home nursing care services, such as: at home patient support for complex drug treatment and associated procedures; home nursing support for clinical trials and expanded access programmes; clinical Social care The self-pay social care sector should be obliged to provide customers with details on how to make official complaints, according the Social Care Ombudsman.

The Annual Review of Adult Social Care Complaints published today calls for “mandatory signposting” to make it clear how complaints can be made.

The report outlines the trends the Ombudsman has seen in the complaints received about adult social care in England during 201920.

During that time, the Ombudsman received 3,073 complaints and enquiries but only 430 were from people who arranged their care privately with independent providers.

The disproportionately low number of complaints about and disease area education; and provision of cross-therapy nursing support across multiple clinical specialities.

Jas Khera, managing director of WEP Clinical, said: “WEP and Wren’s shared philosophy of putting the patient and customer first make this new partnership a very exciting step forward for us at WEP. The energy of the Wren team, combined with WEP’s long history and track record, will create a solid platform for future growth. We look forward to providing these new services that will help patients lead healthier and more fulfilling lives.”

Iain Campbell, managing director of Wren Healthcare, added: “Recent challenges within healthcare have highlighted the importance of clinical homecare. The Wren Healthcare team remain committed to providing evidence-based patient centric care that continues to positively independent providers raises concerns that the independent sector is missing out on an “untapped seam of valuable learning and potential improvements to their services”.

Michael King, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman said:

“We’re pleased with how the adult care sector has worked with us to make almost 600 improvements to its services last year, which were agreed in our investigations. This is 7% more than the previous year, and they include things such as policy changes and staff training.

“However, people who fund their own care are still underrepresented in the complaints we see, and the number has plateaued for the past couple of years. Each missed complaint is a lost opportunity to improve care services.” impact those we support. WEP’s partnership, shared values, proven industry knowledge and experience further enhances the clinical services provided by Wren Healthcare. We look forward to

The Ombudsman upheld 69% of those complaints it investigated in detail – higher than the average uphold figure of 62% across all the organisation’s work. That uphold rate rose to 71% for cases specifically about independently provided care.

The Ombudsman is now calling for the government to use the planned social care reforms to require providers to tell people, if they are unhappy with the services they are receiving, how to complain not only to the providers themselves, but also how to escalate that complaint to the Ombudsman.

“Mandatory signposting will also be better for businesses. The social care complaints system in England is not a voluntary scheme but the current level of engagement varies considerably.

future collaborations building a platform for growth and shared philosophy of helping patients lead healthier and more fulfilling lives.”

Wren is headquartered in

Call for social care complaint pathway to be made clearer

Sandwich, Kent. This is placing greater burdens on more conscientious providers while allowing weaker operators to avoid public accountability,” said King.

“This undermines fair competition and consumer choice. Instead, there should be a level playing field, where the rules are applied consistently – in the best interests of users and businesses.”

Professor Martin Green of Care England gave the review cautious welcome. “There are some interesting recommendations and we look forward to discussing how mandatory signposting would work. During the pandemic the sector has worked extremely hard to deliver the best possible care and I want to pay tribute to the adult social care workforce for its incredibly hard work,” he said.

Social care Heathcotes to open supported living in Bradford

Chesterfield-based care provider Heathcotes Group is opening a new independent supported living site near Bradford later this year.

Heathcotes, which specialises in services for adults with learning disabilities and complex mental health needs, is redeveloping an existing property in Clayton to create Horton View, featuring 14 spacious apartments providing enhanced supported living for individuals who are stepping down from a hospital or full-time residential care setting.

Designed to help residents develop independent living skills, each property offers self-contained accommodation with a lounge, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen area. The service will include an on-site office and a team of around 30 staff providing 24-hour care support when needed.

Horton View has been designed by Heathcotes’ inhouse architectural consultancy, JDS Design, with internal reconstruction and external improvements carried out across two phases by contractors John Ryan Developments. Open from November, Phase 1 will feature 4,069 square feet of single person accommodation including six apartments alongside laundry facilities and office space. Phase 2 will total 6,415 square feet including eight apartments as well as a communal lounge, laundry facilities, staff break-out space and additional office space.

Heathcotes’ director of business development, Natalia Lysiuk (pictured), said: “Independent supported living is a model of care that Heathcotes have developed over the last two years, to complement our fulltime residential care services, offering the next step in the care

pathway towards full independence for our service users. It has been exceptionally successful and we have introduced a range of supported living properties across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire. Last year we opened our largest supported living service in Leeds, which has been hugely successful. We worked in partnership with LCC and are pleased to see the service at full occupancy, having only opened in January 2020. A real sense of community has developed amongst the service users, fostering social inclusion to complement their increasing independence.

“Horton View is even larger, with enhanced provision for service users and staff. It follows our established model, offering a spacious, homely environment which is ideal for service users seeking to develop their daily living skills. Alternatively, these apartments are also suitable for individuals who require a single-person service due to their complexity and inability to live with others. We will soon be announcing an open day for the benefit of local authority representatives, care professionals, service users and family members.”

Heathcotes Group has 72 residential care services nationwide and has been a partner to more than 50 local authorities and clinical commissioning groups since 2004.

Care home sector shows resilience despite Covid-19

The UK care home sector is beginning to recover following the impact of Covid-19 in Q2 2020, with occupancy measuring 80.2% and a steadily increasing admission rate, as confidence in the sector begins to resume, according to the latest research from property advisor Knight Frank. The Covid-19 care home occupancy tracking survey by Knight Frank surveys 21 operators managing 1,391 care homes and 79,848 registered beds and encompasses approximately 15% of the UK care home market. It has found that overall occupancy as of mid-August 2020 measures 80.2% which is 8% below the pre-pandemic level but has been increasing robustly since July as confidence levels improve within the sector.

Care home operators have also been devising and implementing new procedures to ensure they are best prepared in case of resurgence of the virus in the winter months, with barrier nursing and isolation measures crucial steps to maintain infection control.

This follows Knight Frank’s findings that the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the need for investment and innovation in the UK healthcare property sector, having accelerated trends that will lead to closures of care homes that are no longer fit for purpose, resulting in a significant national shortfall of bed provision.

Knight Frank’s research identifies a potential 6,500 care homes at risk of closure over the next five years, equating to 140,000 beds and estimated that the UK requires in excess of £15 billion to upgrade existing beds in order to futureproof for its ageing population. This comes as the share of people over the age of 80 is expected to surge in the next 30 years, with one in ten adults set to be aged over 80 by 2050, compared to one in 20 currently.

Julian Evans, head of healthcare at Knight Frank, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has shown the very best of the UK’s healthcare sector, with outstanding collaboration between the private sector, social care sector and NHS at this time of need and the strength in controlling infection levels. Having scrambled exceptionally well given the lack of government support, the operators are now much more prepared for the potentially imminent risk of the second wave of the virus, with new procedures in place and higher volumes of PPE at their disposal.

“Despite the fantastic work of the UK healthcare sector, the pandemic has also unfortunately highlighted the lack of investment by successive governments into the sector, and therefore the urgent need to prioritise preventative and crisis funding. Covid-19 has merely accelerated trends to scrutinise those buildings that are not fit for purpose whilst emphasising the insufficient funding available for reinvestment into existing care homes, which has therefore expedited the number of potential care home closures. We are at a vital crossroads where we face a national bed crisis unless significant inward investment in the UK care home sector is made immediately.”

Pete Calveley, chief executive of Barchester Healthcare, said: “The social care sector has faced an unprecedented event. Without doubt our front line staff have managed the situation with extraordinary courage. We’ve been through the eye of the storm but of course a Covid-19 rebound is a risk. That said we are well prepared for a rebound but do urge government to fully commit to provision of testing kit and PPE.”

Social care National Care Forum welcomes Adult Social Care Winter Plan

The National Care Forum (NCF), the representative body for UK notfor-profit social care providers has welcomed the government’s plan announced yesterday to protect care homes from Covid-19 over winter.

The Adult Social Care Winter Plan aims to support care providers in preventing the spread of coronavirus in care settings. Care workers will be provided with free PPE; a new dashboard will monitor care home infections and help local government and providers respond quicker; and a chief nurse for adult social care Impact Healthcare REIT has acquired nine care homes in Scotland from Holmes Care Group in a sale and leaseback deal.

The net purchase price before transaction costs is £47.5 million and the initial rent £3.5 million, reflecting a yield of 7.4%. Impact also agreed a deferred payment structure with Holmes under which Impact will pay up to £3 million based on the trading performance of the nine homes, in exchange Audley Group, a provider of luxury retirement villages, has formed a joint venture with the Royal London Pension Property Fund to deliver a new development in Buckinghamshire.

Audley Wycliffe Park will become the 21st village in Audley Group’s portfolio, with a GDV of £80 million.

The JV agreement is Royal London’s first investment into the retirement living sector and covers a 25-acre site at Horsleys Green, between Stokenchurch and High Wycombe. The village will provide a total of 156 high quality retirement living properties and luxury facilities. will be appointed to represent social care nurses and provide clinical leadership to the workforce.

Vic Rayner, NCF executive director said: “It is very positive that it appears the government has listened to the needs of the care sector in its headline announcements about the Winter Plan.

“NCF have been raising the issues facing providers – including the substantial costs of PPE and the importance of the Infection Control Fund in all its discussions with the Department of Health and Social for an annual rent increase of up to £225,000. The initial rent cover on the portfolio is in excess of two times.

Family-run Holmes Care Group pursued a sale and leaseback route as it allowed the owners Shiraz and Indumati Lakhani to retire while allowing the couple’s daughter to continue to operate and grow the business.

Sharifa Lakhani, managing director of Holmes Care Group,

Royal London will provide the capital for the development and retain freehold ownership when all properties are sold.

Audley Group, owned by the Moorfield Audley Real Estate Fund, will then enter a 250 year lease, taking on the operational running of the village, including the sales and marketing of all the properties.

Throughout the development phase Audley will support Royal London and oversee the design and fit out which they say is is a first for the expanding retirement village sector and Audley Group has been active in this market for over 20 years, and Care. We also welcome the role of the chief nursing officer for adult social care, having been consistent champions of the role of nursing in social care, and feel that this role will do much to stimulate interest and recognition of the vital contribution of nurses to the social care sector.

“It is less clear that the plan will cover other essential issues, such as improving the reward and recognition for our 1.5 millionstrong care workforce, who continue to work 24/7 to provide care and support across our said: “Providing excellent care to everyone who makes their home with us is our absolute priority. We are very pleased to have concluded this deal, which will allow us to continuously invest in our homes across Scotland whilst maintaining our proud tradition as a familyrun business. This long-term arrangement will see us continue to operate all of the homes, and is great news for residents, their families and our team.” the 21 villages in its portfolio, when completed, will provide over 2,000 properties nationwide.

Nick Sanderson, founder and chief executive, Audley Group, said the JV approach was an indication of the attractiveness of retirement living to investors.

“We are delighted that such a major new entrant to the market has recognised the stability, security and longevity of this sector. The demand for retirement village living continues to expand and we have no doubt that this is just the start of a fruitful working relationship with Royal London,” he said. communities. And while we support effective oversight and regulation, the headlines suggests yet more strong action and enforcement in an already tightly regulated and monitored sector. This does not give confidence at a time when we can only deliver on our ultimate shared objective around the provision of quality care in the midst of a pandemic in winter by working together in partnership. The devil will, as always, be in the detail – we need to see the full plan now to

Impact Healthcare acquires nine Scottish care homes

ensure it meets expectations”

Specialist business property advisor Christie & Co facilitated the deal. Martin Daw, senior director at Christie & Co, said: “This deal is the largest care home transaction to happen in Scotland in over 15 years. For the deal to be agreed and concluded during this very difficult time we find ourselves in goes to show the confidence in the Scottish care home sector and our client’s

Audley Group enter JV to build luxury retirement village

quality of operation.”

Andrew Johnston, head of alternative property investment, Royal London Asset Management, echoed Sanderson’s analysis.

“The retirement living sector in the UK presents significant investment opportunities. Changing demographics with an ageing society and a significant under supply of modern, purposebuilt age appropriate housing points to strong sector growth in the years ahead. Investors have an opportunity to make a real difference and make a positive impact while securing attractive returns,” he said.

Social care Care homes to get extra £546m Covid-19 funding

The government has announced an extension to the Infection Control Fund, pledging an extra £546 million in funding to bolster infection prevention and control measures in care homes during the winter.

The news came after a series of calls from the care sector for the government to make its plans known urgently before the deadline of the initial fund on 30 September.

Vic Rayner, executive director of Legal & General have announced a £5 million charitable donation to Newcastle City Council for elderly care in the city.

The gift will be used for two projects. Initially and with immediate effect, it will help fund additional independent living facilities for older residents within the Future Homes Alliance project at Newcastle Helix, managed by the City Council’s housing partner, Karbon Homes.

The facilities will be made up of 66 affordable units along with five demonstrator homes to test the latest innovations and products to help support ageing and environmental sustainability in a real-world setting.

The second, larger component of the donation will provide core funding for a 20/25-bed ‘new The Care Workers’ Charity is appealing for financial help to issue mental health grants for people working in the social care sector offering sessions of therapy or counselling from licensed professionals tailored to the needs of the individual.

Research from the charity showed that the mental health of care and support workers was suffering before the coronavirus pandemic. the National Care Forum said: “In the nick of time, the government has announced an extension of the Infection Control Fund. This ring-fenced finance has been a vital lifeline for many providers of care to ensure they are able to support staff who are isolating, and to minimise movement of staff within and between homes. It is imperative that this funding reaches the front line quickly. We welcome the funding, and model’ residential care home. This project, for which Newcastle City Council will identify a site, will be a prototype which moves away from the traditional large-scale care home to a more domestic, clustered, communal setting. Its design and operation will incorporate key lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, including on infection control and operation of lockdowns and ‘support bubbles’, helping to minimise negative effects on residents, particularly those living with dementia. The care home’s construction will be led by the City Council which will also own and operate the facility.

Both the independent living facilities and the care home

The findings reported care workers are finding themselves inwork poverty, and worse, suffering from mental health issues due to their low paid and emotionally charged frontline roles as carers.

Since then, the charity says “the toll on mental health has been and continues to be massive”.

Karolina Gerlich, executive director at The Care Workers’ Charity said: “The coronavirus pandemic has shown the resilience need urgently the detail to enable understanding of the criteria and time frame.

“The clock has been ticking on the government around a number of major announcements this week – the Infection Control funding is most welcome – but needs to be understood against a wider set of commitments for winter and any second wave. The well documented breakdowns around testing, rising rates of infection and increases will be built to enable best use of new technology including telehealth, telemedicine and remote monitoring using the internet of things. Both types of accommodation will provide data to help grow knowledge of how best to operate care facilities in a postCovid environment, facilitating maximum collaboration between facilities and the UK National Innovation Centre for Ageing, Urban Observatory as well as other researchers and providers of care. Nigel Wilson, chief executive of Legal & General, said: “With an ageing population, elderly care was already a major issue for L&G and many of our customers, and Covid was a further tragic blow for many in the care sector – including in the and determination of care and support workers as they have continued to care for the most vulnerable members of our society. The toll on the mental health of care and support workers has been great, long before the pandemic. However, Covid-19 has exasperated the mental wellbeing of individuals who may have struggled with their mental health previously and people who have never previously struggled with anxiety or depression in local lockdowns mean that we need these government plans to be shared today – preparation is critical and last minute announcements serve no one well.” The National Care Forum brings together 120 of the UK’s social care charities. Collectively, these deliver more than £1.9 billion of social care support to more than 135,000 people in 6,500 settings. The NCF membership body collectively

L&G donates £5m to Newcastle for elderly care schemes

employs more than 85,000 staff. Northeast. We have to find better ways to care for older people, and these prototypes will accelerate the process, demonstrate what can be done and what is viable, and complement the academic work we already sponsor. Doing this here, alongside brilliant partners, cements Newcastle’s position as a national leader in care.”

Nick Forbes, leader of Newcastle City Council, said: “The population in Newcastle is growing older and many of our residents live with complex needs that require different levels of support. I am passionate about ensuring we have the right level of care, available at the right time and in the right place that helps all our residents

Care Workers’ Charity makes mental health appeal

live long, happy and healthy lives.” are now finding their mental health is suffering.”

She said the charity is appealing for support and donations to the fund to help it ensure care workers receive “the right type of guidance and support to help them through what has been a very dark period for most”.

Donations to the Care Workers’ Charity can be made at: https:// thecareworkerscharity.enthuse.com/ cf/mental-health-appeal