Winter 2014-15 Bluebird Care Newsletter

WINTER 2015

Newsletter

NEW OFFICES IN P2 BRAINTREE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY

CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS & SURVEY ELECTRONIC MONITORING SYSTEM

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elcome to the latest edition of our Customer and Community newsletter. I hope you had a good summer and are looking forward

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DEMENTIA FRIENDS CAREER PATHWAY REMEMBER TO SCREAM

Meet our newest member of staff – Henry

to a great 2015. A lot has been going on since our last

He is 11 years old and when he is not out and about visiting customers and friends showing them how waggy his tail is he helps around the office by clearing up any lunch or biscuits. A task which he performs with great diligence and enthusiasm. If you would like Henry to visit you or a friend please call the office and he will make a slot in his diary to visit.

newsletter as you will see inside. The biggest news is our expansion into the Braintree and Uttlesford area which means we are providing care from Harwich all the way through to Saffron Walden. We have been far more active in the community with Information Roadshows; Dementia Friends sessions and we have started to embrace social media as a means of communication.

As ever our goal is to ensure we provide the best care and service possible. Our mission is and always will be to support people to live independently in their own homes with friends, relatives and their personal possessions around them.

Melvyn Plum Director

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We are pleased to announce that following our recent CQC inspection both the Colchester and Tendring offices have passed with flying colours and met all CQC standards. These reports can be found on the CQC website.

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CQC regulates My Home Choice (Essex) Limited to provide care at Bluebird Care (Colchester and Tendring)

Meeting all standards

New offices in Braintree

Making a difference in our community

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luebird Care are delighted to announce the opening of our new office and training facility at Rayne, near Braintree. The Care Manager is Mark Topps, who has had many years’ experience working in the social care sector.

“I am really looking forward to opening the new branch and building on the success we have enjoyed in Colchester and Tendring.” said Mark enthusiastically, “We have a large area to cover – Braintree and Uttlesford and all the surrounding villages.”

Customer Testimonials “I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you very much for putting the care in place and for the fantastic carers that you use. They are brilliant.”

Mrs C B “My Bluebird Care angels have been caring, understanding, helpful and advisory. They have been sensitive and calm, light spirited and smiling.”

Mrs G W-B “I applaud your use of a dementia expert in order to get the right approach in place for the family we are working with.”

Social worker, community mental health team JM “The girls are brilliant and so is the level of care provided.

My mother has been apprehensive, but now she loves having the girls.” Mrs BP

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luebird Care has been very proactive out in the community this summer, having taken a roadshow out to a number of venues. This has been to provide information to members of the community and to answer the many questions which concerns families and their loved ones. The most frequent concerns are: Where do I start? What sort of care is available? Most people are looking for reassurance and the comfort of knowing that there are people out there who are compassionate and understanding.

Customer Survey

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hank you to all our customers who took the time to complete our customer feedback forms. This is really helpful to us in identifying the areas we are doing well at and the areas we need to improve on. We showed an improvement in most areas but still need to improve our office communication. We will be providing more customer service training at the beginning of the year. Please do not forget you can always call one of our managers if you need to discuss any issues relating to your care.

New monitoring systems

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e have recently introduced an Electronic Monitoring system to enhance the safety of our most vulnerable customers and our lone working community based staff. Each member of staff has been provided with a smart phone which they use to log in and out of our customers’ homes. They also allow us to provide information in a secure and confidential way and help us be more Eco friendly by cutting out the need to have paper time-sheets.

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Dementia Friends

Bluebird Care provide free Dementia Friends sessions at the Waitrose café and everyone is welcome to attend.

For further information or to reserve your place please call 01206 827605

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eople with dementia want to carry on about their daily lives and feel included in their local community but they sometimes need a hand to do so. Bluebird Care has taken up the challenge and has sent some of its staff to be Dementia Champions which equips them to deliver the information sessions.

Bluebird Care Launches Career Pathway We have launched a new career pathway which provides a clear framework for training and progression identifying exactly how our staff members can develop their careers whilst improving the quality of the service we provide to our customers.

As Tracey Bourne (Supervisor – Colchester) said “I started as a part time carer for a little extra money and loved it. I was encouraged to undertake additional training including my level 5 QCF which lead to becoming a senior carer and then I applied for the supervisor position and got it!”

Training Update We have been very busy with our training programmes. Krissy Edwards (Care Manager – Tendring) said: “We have added several new modules to our induction training which includes the Dignity challenge, Mental Health awareness and challenging behaviour. This is now a full five day programme which really helps improve the quality of our service. We have also commissioned specialist training on Epilepsy/Midazolam Buccal training/ Incontinence care and end of life. I am already working on next year which is going to be even busier.”

A day at the races

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amie has a personal budget from Essex County Council which enables him to live in his family home with support from staff. Jamie is a huge fan of horse racing and can be seen enjoying himself at the races in Great Yarmouth.

Remember to scream Sophie Gilders (Administrator) and Shannon Taylor (Supervisor) from the Colchester office have volunteered to take the plunge for charity!

Bluebird Care are working with Dementia Friends to raise awareness, by holding information sessions for members of the community at local retailers such as Waitrose and Morrisons. So it’s really great news that two of our staff are raising money by taking part in a parachute jump.

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OUR CARE MANAGERS

Krissy Edwards - Tendring

Mark Topps - Braintree

Kimberley Pash - Colchester

The Services we provide all in the comfort of your home: Each customer receives an individualised package of care which is designed around your own care needs.

Personal Care Visits • • • • • •

Help getting up and going to bed Assistance with washing and dressing Assistance with getting into the bath or shower Assistance with meal preparation Assistance with continence care Assistance with medication

• Assistance with mobility issues.

End of Life Care We can be part of your Palliative Care Team to support you in the comfort of your own home.

Reablement Support Work with our occupational therapist to regain your confidence and daily living skills.

Carers Support Share your experiences, either one to one or as part of a supportive group.

Dementia Care and Support

Active At Home Group

This can include all aspects of personal care, one to one, reminiscent work, companionship and social outings.

Be part of our afternoon at home chit chat group.

Live In Care As an alternative to residential care let one of our personal assistants support you in the comfort of your own home.

Respite Care To provide a break for family members. This can be a one off break or on going, from as little as 30 minutes a week to full days.

Home from Hospital Service

Inside Out Group Enjoy trips out to various local attractions with one of our care staff.

Bluebird Care Club An exciting way to meet new people, enjoy new experiences and generally have a good time.

We are registered to provide care to:

We can collect you from hospital and organise everything to help settle you in at home.

· People over 65 years

Overnight Care

· People over 65 years with physical disability

We can provide staff who will be awake throughout the night, or sleep-ins, which is when someone stays with you and is woken when you need them.

· People 18-65 years with physical disability · People over 18 with learning disability and mental health issues

Tendring: 01255 427113 or email tendring@bluebirdcare.co.uk Colchester: 01206 827605 or email colchester@bluebirdcare.co.uk Braintree & Uttlesford: 01376 314090 or email braintree@bluebirdcare.co.uk