The Carer Digital - Issue #61

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The Carer Digital

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THECARERUK

Issue 61

Covid Vaccinations to Be Made Compulsory for Care Home Staff

Compulsory Covid vaccinations for care home staff in England will be required from the autumn unless medically exempt under new regulations.

MPs approved the measure yesterday (Tuesday July 13) with the House of Commons approving the regulations by 319 votes to 246.

Unvaccinated workers will be banned from entering England’s care homes from November under far-reaching laws also approved in Parliament, however, emergency services, urgent maintenance workers and those visiting the dying

will be exempt.

Health Minister Helen Whately confirmed the law would cover “not only care home staff, it also includes NHS staff who are entering care homes, ” adding that the law was about protecting elderly residents, she told MP’s: “There have been more than 40,000 deaths among care home residents. They were mothers and fathers, grans and granddads, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters."

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 3...)

PAGE 2 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61

EDITOR'S VIEWPOINT Welcome to the latest edition of The Carer Digital!

There are many implications to yesterday’s vote in Parliament, making Covid-vaccine for care home workers compulsory.

This is a profound departure from public health norms. This law will remove the right of care home staff in England to choose whether to be vaccinated against Covid-19, with the next step set to be a swift and immense expansion of a compulsory vaccination programme, requiring covid-19 and flu vaccination of all frontline health and social care workers.

Editor I wholeheartedly agree with ICG Chair Mike Padgham who said: “This is totally the wrong approach to this issue and shows a total lack of understanding of the social care sector. It is also surely wrong to be voting this measure through without producing impact assessments – making a judgement without having all the facts “Given time and the right message from government, I firmly believe that we could get to the right level of vaccination within social care.

“But making it compulsory and a condition of employment is not the way forward. It is going to discourage people from joining the sector at a time when we are facing an existential staffing crisis.

Put plainly, care home workers who refuse a Covid-19 vaccination could be dismissed from employment without compensation and be prohibited from access to their occupation. These will include long-standing, experienced, and committed staff.

Furthermore, from what I understand, a regulatory amendment will make it illegal for care homes to permit care workers to enter the care home premises without proof of full vaccination, imposing a new duty on all registered providers of residential care to validate the medical status of each worker, including full time and part time agency staff, staff employed directly by a care home, and volunteers.

There will also, I understand, be responsibility on care providers to monitor service providers visiting care homes for deliveries, hairdressers etc. A potential logistical nightmare!

At THE CARER we regularly receive news stories about care providers rewarding staff for long term service - that could be 10, 20 and, in some cases, 30 years or more’s unblemished service.

Imagine having to tell that member of staff you can no longer employ them unless they take a vaccine that they may, for whatever reason, be reluctant to

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This will, I suspect, add immense problems to social care already struggling to find staff, and one which has ongoing crippling financial issues.

A report (see page 7) has found that many frontline social care workers are undervalued by as much £7000 a year in comparison to their contemporaries in equivalent positions in other public funded sectors.

The report also highlights the fact the social care sector is currently losing over 34% of its employees every year and having 112,000 vacancies presently.

This report and the government announcement of compulsory vaccinations make rather a toxic combination.

Enforced vaccination is going to be a very divisive policy leading to many hurdles and legal challenges.

Reassuring staff, providing paid time in which to access and address vaccination concerns, with good training, decent wages personal protective equipment, and strong infection control measures, are a far sensible and acceptable option.

Once again we have called on some of the industry’s “leading lights” for insight, advice guidance and best practice, and are always delighted to print the many “uplifting stories” we receive from care homes and staff around the country so please do keep them coming!

I can always be contacted at editor@thecareruk.com

Sylvia Mawson David Bartlett Guy Stephenson TYPESETTING & DESIGN Matthew Noades PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Shelly Roche Published by

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61 | PAGE 3

Covid Vaccinations to Be Made Compulsory for Care Home Staff (...CONTINUED FROM FRONT COVER) Thirty Tories rebelled against the proposals, with Conservative William Wragg saying: "You could perhaps have a painting next to me of Munch's The Scream and get towards the feeling I have over the conduct of Government business in this House.

"The Government is treating this House with utter contempt. Ninety minutes on a statutory instrument to fundamentally change the balance of human rights in this country is nothing short of a disgrace.

"The fact no impact assessment exists, and I contend that it does not exist - and if that is proven to be the case then I'm afraid the minister will be in a tricky position if she contends it does and it doesn't - is a disgrace."

DISCOURAGING PEOPLE ENTERING SOCIAL CARE The Independent Care Group (ICG) expressed concerns over the move, fearing it will discourage people from taking up jobs in social care at a time when there are upwards of 120,000 vacancies.

ICG Chair Mike Padgham said: “This is totally the wrong approach to this issue and shows a total lack of understanding of the social care sector. It is also surely wrong to be voting this measure through without producing impact assessments – making a judgement without having all the facts”.

“Given time and the right message from government, I firmly believe that we could get to the right level of vaccination within social care.”

“But making it compulsory and a condition of employment is not the way forward. It is going to discourage people from joining the sector at a time when we are facing an existential staffing crisis.”

“Forcing people to do something against their will does not sit well with me and I’d prefer it to remain a matter of personal choice rather than be compulsory.”

“I think the Government hasn’t gone far enough in its efforts to persuade people of the value of the vaccine and is using the blunt instrument of legislation.”

“This will without doubt create another barrier to recruitment at a time when social care providers are facing an employment crisis and struggling to fill one shift at a time.

“What about those already employed? Are employers going to have to force them to have the injection and dismiss them if they don’t? That can’t be right and will surely open the door for legal challenge.”

“There has been discussion about redeploying those who won’t have the vaccine, but again that isn’t always an option, particularly for smaller operators. This whole thing seems to demonstrate once again a lack of

understanding of the social care sector.”

“It isn’t right that it is compulsory for social care staff and not, at this stage, for NHS staff who are similarly working with the most vulnerable people.”

“And where will this end? Is the flu jab also to be made compulsory as that can be similarly debilitating and even fatal for some people?”

HUMAN RIGHTS CHALLENGE? Matthew Wort, partner at Anthony Collins Solicitors, said: “Last night, parliament voted to approve the draft Regulations making it mandatory for anyone entering a registered care home in England to have been double vaccinated unless they are clinically exempt, subject to a short list of exemptions. There is a 16 week grace period - care homes will have until 2 November 2021 to get ready.”

“Despite concerns being raised about human rights and the lack of an impact assessment for the regulations, only a few Conservative MPs rebelled against the government. Earlier in the day, the House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee had expressed its concerns about the Regulations. For example, why is no guidance published yet on what evidence of vaccination would be required and why is the use of PPE and masks sufficient to manage the risks for visitors, but not staff or hairdressers attending at the home? What would the impact be in a sector already struggling to recruit”?

“Regulations could be challenged on human rights grounds. However, it will now be left for employees affected by the Regulations and their representative bodies to consider whether to challenge the new rules and as yet we haven't seen any suggestions that a judicial review will be initiated. As a result, all care homes now need to urgently implement appropriate systems to comply with the new regulations.”

FACTORS TO CONSIDER There are still a number of areas where guidance is awaited, however, there are key things that need to be done as soon as possible, including: 1. Notifying all staff of the Regulations being passed and the requirement for anyone who has to attend a care home during the course of their duties to produce evidence of vaccination or a clinical exemption. Ideally providing them with your policy on vaccination.

2.Develop a system for obtaining and storing evidence of vaccination or clinical exemption. Acceptable evidence of vaccination is likely to be the same as that used for foreign travel. Evidence from the NHS APP, the NHS website or a letter/email from the NHS. 3.Make sure those gathering evidence or involved in recruitment under-

stand the clinical exemptions. These are set out in the Green Book here and further guidance is awaited.

Exemptions include: • Allergic reactions - a prior systemic allergic reaction to the vaccine or prior allergic reaction to another mRNA based vaccine or similar reaction to another component of the vaccine including PEG • Pregnancy - Where vaccination isn’t progressed during pregnancy it should be offered “as soon as possible after pregnancy” • Immunosuppression • Being acutely unwell or who have Covid-19. The clinical evidence would only be valid for the period they remain unwell • History of a previous episode of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (HITT or HIT type 2) • A clotting episode with concomitant thrombocytopaenia following the first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine 4. Consult with those staff who do not produce the requisite evidence in the next few weeks making clear that from 2 November they will not be able to continue in their roles without the necessary evidence having been produced.

5. For those staff who cannot produce the evidence required, begin consultation about dismissal taking into account their relevant notice period.

The discussions with staff should explore their reasons for objecting to the vaccine and whether they can be overcome. They should also explore alternatives to dismissal. Are there other roles where they would not be required to enter a care home? Bearing in mind the need to give contractual notice, which in some cases may be 12 weeks, some employees will need to be given notice in early August. Notice could be withdrawn if evidence of vaccination or exemption is subsequently produced.

6. Implement a system for obtaining and storing evidence of vaccination for visitors to the care home and preventing anyone who is not exempt from entering the care home. The exemptions are: • Service users residing in the premises • Someone providing emergency assistance • Someone carrying out urgent maintenance • Someone carrying out duties as a member of the emergency services • Friends or relatives of a service user who is or has been residing in the premises • Someone visiting a service user who is dying • Someone attending where it is reasonably necessary to provide comfort or support to a service user in relation to a service user's bereavement following the death of a friend or relative • Someone under the age of 18 7. Update recruitment documentation so the vaccination requirement is clear from the outset so only staff who can comply apply and ensure any offers of employment are conditional on evidence being produced.

8. Ensure all employees will agree to have any booster vaccinations that may be required at a later date.

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The Government Was Right to Make Covid-19 Vaccinations Mandatory, But Not at the Expense of Human Rights

By Barry Price of QCS (www.qcs.co.uk) Nobody working in the care sector was surprised when the government announced last month that from October two Covid-19 jabs will be a mandatory requirement for many care workers. The government has been skirting around the issue for some months now and has been happy up until now to let care services adopt ‘no jab, no job’ policies. Many large care providers such as Barchester Healthcare have done exactly that.

But the narrative being played out by the tabloid media doesn’t tell the whole story. It has sometimes painted a picture of a selfish minority, who are reluctant to be jabbed and are thus putting vulnerable service users at risk. In doing so, the red tops have narrowed and diluted the debate. However, the reality is exceptionally nuanced and complex. As a care professional, who has worked in the social care sector for over a 15 years, I want to use this blog to dispel some of the myths and shine a light on what is really happening on the ground.

Firstly, anyone looking in from the outside needs to understand that the social care sector is different to other sectors. It advocates and values person-centred care. Dignity and compassion lie at the very heart of this culture, while the sector champions diversity, equality and human rights for those delivering care and those receiving it. Therefore, this partly explains why many in the sector have been reluctant to enforce a compulsory Covid-19 vaccination programme within their homes and/or services. The National Care Association, for example, has gone on record to say that it does not believe that jabs should be mandatory at this stage.

But, here’s the rub. The care sector is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the UK. It therefore has a responsibility to ensure that service it is providing to the public is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. The question that many from outside of the sector are asking is, ‘How can those who refuse to be vaccinated provide a safe service to people to some of the most vulnerable people in society?’

We should remember that care homes employ some of the most stringent, robust and effective IPC measures in the UK to safeguard service users during Covid-19, but even a world-class IPC regime won’t be enough to reassure every service user and their families that they’re safe. This is why many large providers have already taken proactive action and insisted on mandatory jabs.

Me? I sit somewhere in the middle of these two radically differing positions. And I think most people in the sector do too. While those who work in the sector should never be bullied into having the jab, providing safe care in a person-centred environment must always be the priority. Having lost two members of my wider family to Covid-19, I’ve seen this invisible and insidious foe at its worse. Therefore, I do think we - as a sector need to work harder to debunk myths, conspiracy theories and false information so that care workers come forward voluntarily to have their jabs.

However, as I wrote at the beginning of this piece, there is more to this story than meets the eye. Firstly, it's important to say that at the time of writing the majority of people working in the sector – around 84 percent have had one vaccination. By October, when vaccines become mandatory, that figure will be a lot higher.

Secondly, the government’s vaccination guidance is fairly opaque. It states that two Covid 19 vaccination doses will be a compulsory requirement this autumn for anyone working in a CQC regulated care home.

However, other settings aren’t covered in the guidance. Domiciliary care services and supported living services are not mentioned. This seems nonsensical to me, as it is customary for care professionals working in these settings to move from one service to another – often on the same day. In theory this could make anybody who is unvaccinated a vector for the disease. In contrast, care homes are isolated environments where an outbreak of Covid can be much more easily contained.

While I don't want to criticise the government, I do think guidance on Covid jabs needs to be clearer and more inclusive. As somebody who has spent a lot of time working with people with learning disabilities, the current guidance would mean that Learning Disability provision would continue to experience profound health inequalities. That is completely unfair and unacceptable in my opinion. Therefore, it would have been simpler and fairer to extend the protocol to include all CQC-registered settings rather than just care homes.

The question that we should be asking however is why is the government guidance so cloudy? I can only speculate - but when you consider that booster jabs are probably going to be needed in the coming months and years to keep Covid-19 at bay - it probably has something to do with a shortage of funding. Anyone who has worked in care will know that the ‘Cinderella service’ (as our sector is often nicknamed) receives much less funding than the NHS. However, if we are serious about containing Covid and providing other essential vaccines free of charge to care workers who need them, a properly funded and a joined-up social care system must be a priority.

Take the Hepatitis B jab, for example. It is freely available to NHS front line workers, but not for care staff supporting those with learning disabilities in the social care sector. While this disparity and many others like it need to be urgently rectified, I fear that if further Covid-19 variants lead to a booster vaccine being rolled-out across all age groups in the future, the narrative being played out may be very different. It may shift to one where the majority of care workers want a booster shot but many of them won't be able to access it. If social care workers don’t feel protected, there is a danger that many will walk away. In a sector where there are over 100,000 vacancies each day, that really doesn’t bear thinking about. That is why pumping more money into our beleaguered but beloved care sector this summer must be top of the new Secretary of State’s in-tray.

Over to you then, Mr Javid…

Barry Price is a Specialist in Adults with Learning Disabilities and Complex Needs.

To find out more about QCS, contact our compliance advisors on 0333-405-3333 or email sales@qcs.co.uk?

Alternatively, if you're seeking a new challenge, QCS is hiring.

For a list of current vacancies, click here https://www.qcs.co.uk/current-opportunities/

West Sussex Care Home Showcases Staff Dedication Throughout Pandemic A care home in Crawley recently held an awards ceremony to celebrate the achievements of its staff throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

to be recognised along with all of my brilliant colleagues.”

In attendance to present the awards was chief operating officer for Shaw,

Staff and residents at Deerswood Lodge care home, which provides care for up to 90 residents including those living with dementia, enjoyed the celebrations with refreshments, food and cakes catered by a local community restaurant and bakery.

Awards were handed to all members of staff who worked throughout the pandemic, along with gifts provided by local community groups.

An award was also given to two local community businesses, The Chef Thai Cuisine and R&S Cake, who have supported the home during the pan-

Mike Smith, regional director, Martin Vanhinsbergh, director of compliance and governance, Liam Scanlon, as well as operations manager, Clare Gibson and local MP, Henry Smith.

Wan Nowakowski, manager of the Shaw healthcare operated home, added: “I am so proud of the team here at Deerswood Lodge. Every member of staff deserves to be a winner as they have all shown true dedication and commitment throughout the pandemic.

“It was such a lovely afternoon which everyone thoroughly enjoyed –

demic.

Monique Rowland, administrator, commented on her win: “I feel honoured

including the residents.”

The Care Workforce At 'Breaking Point' The National Care Forum (NCF) has welcomed the research by member Community Integrated Care providing an absolutely essential independent perspective on the complex, skilled and demanding roles within social care.

Vic Rayner OBE, CEO of the NCF states: “’Unfair to Care’ is hard hitting – and rightly so. It is hard to believe that in 2021 we have workers who are highly skilled, doing complex work that enables people to live the life they want and yet being paid at minimum wage. If we have learned anything in the last year, surely it is how valuable and how precious it is to be a part of your community and have control of your life. That is what good quality care work delivers, day in and day out, for some of the most vulnerable members of society. Yet somehow, whether by design or neglect, we have sleep walked into a position where staff are undervalued and underpaid. We must take action now to intervene in the very real workforce crisis that is happening in hundreds and thousands of organisations up and down the country.”

“The Korn Ferry research is extremely important. It provides an independent perspective on care worker roles, and enables them to be externally evaluated and compared with other public sector roles. In

doing so, it brings to light what all within the sector understand, that care work should be viewed as a comparable role to that of colleagues within health and other public sector services. This level of responsibility, requiring the care worker to respond to constantly changing needs and complexity of tasks shows the skills, resilience and personal qualities needed in these roles. It also highlights how care roles require ongoing upskilling through training and high levels of knowledge to understand how best to offer care and support that changes lives.”

The reality of government neglect of the social care workforce for years is being felt right now. NCF have carried out research this week with members to find out how their workforce is changing in light of the opening up of the economy. Our research shows that a recruitment crisis is happening right now, and feedback from social care staff leaving makes clear just what is driving this; Vic Rayner says:- “Members have told us loud and clear that they are experiencing an incredibly challenging time in recruiting and retaining staff – and they only see this getting harder in the coming months. In our survey, nearly 60% said they have seen the rate of exit increase since April 2021. Over 40% of staff who leave, are leaving the sector alto-

gether which represents a higher trend than previous national statistics.

They are predominantly heading to the health sector where they can receive higher wages and better terms and conditions. They are also leaving to join hospitality and retail and they are stating that stress and burnout are at the top of the list for reasons to leave, with pay and terms and conditions coming not far behind. At the same time it is harder to recruit replacements, with particular issues in rural areas.”

We need the government to act rapidly on the evidence presented

by Community Integrated Care, which rightly calls for an immediate increase to care workers’ pay, a full scale independent evaluation of roles and a detailed workforce strategy to ensure social care is a viable, respected and sustainable career.

Vic Rayner concludes: “We let this moment pass at our peril. Early indications from members show that the trend for exiting social care is higher than normal, that some services have to close or be reorganised as a result of these shortages, and that we have a workforce that is stressed, burnt out and looking for the door. We simply cannot sit back and allow this to happen because people rely on having the care and support they need when they need it.”

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61 | PAGE 5

NHS Leaders Urge Mask Wearing To Continue To Be Legal Requirement In Health and Care Settings Healthcare leaders are urging the government to be clear with the public about where and when to wear a face masks and to ensure that it continues to be a requirement in hospitals, GP practices, ambulances and other health and care settings.

As the government promises to publish ‘clear and strong guidance’ on mask wearing, 9 in 10 healthcare leaders in England polled by the NHS Confederation, which represents organisations across the health service, say it should continue to be a legal requirement for people to wear masks in all health care settings.

If the guidance is too opaque or does not go far enough then stronger measures may also be needed to ensure people continue to don a face covering every time they visit their GP, go to into hospital or see a healthcare professional in other setting.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “COVID-19 has not gone away and although the vaccine is helping to reduce the severity and impact of the disease, we really do have to continue to be careful and try to protect ourselves and each other.

“We know that face masks are proven to reduce the spread of COVID-19 which is why the overwhelming majority of our members are urging the government to be crystal clear with the public and say that it is mandatory requirement to wear a face mask in all healthcare settings. NHS leaders are very concerned that unless the message is simple and unambiguous people may get confused and make their own rules which could put others at risk.”

One NHS manager said: “Wearing a mask is a small gesture but an important one as it dramatically reduces cross infection and will protect those still vulnerable.”

Another added: “It’s a small ask for potentially very large gain in keeping COVID transmission rates lower and keeping our patients and health and care staff as safe as possible.”

“If the public are not clear on when they should wear a mask and choose not to this will once again lead to the even more rapid spread of infection to the most vulnerable members of the population both in the community and within healthcare settings. The point of masks is not just to protect yourself but everyone else too.”

Care Team Celebrates National Day Local care team, Radis Community Care, celebrated the first ever national day of recognition for NHS, Social Care and Frontline Workers last week.

Monday 5th July saw the launch of the national date which not only marked the day back in 1948 when the National Health Service (NHS) was formed, but was also an opportunity to celebrate the efforts of health, social care and frontline workers to keep essential services running for people during the pandemic.

As part of the celebrations, Care Workers from Radis took part in the two-minute silence at 11am and shared afternoon tea with some of their clients.

Charlotte Hunter, Radis branch manager for

Gloucestershire said: “I am so incredibly proud of my team, and everyone else at Radis who give so much of themselves to make sure others are well-cared for. The last few months have been incredibly difficult, but we have risen to the challenge and thanks to their efforts and those of the NHS and other frontline workers we’ve made sure that some of the most vulnerable people in our communities continued to receive the support that they needed.”

Radis, which celebrates its 20th anniversary later this year, supports people of all ages and with a range of different needs including the elderly, people with disabilities and complex health conditions to live independently in their own homes.

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Cannabis Medicines for Help Towards the End of Life

By Dr Anthony Ordman, Senior Clinical Adviser and Hon. Medical Director, Integro Clinics (www.integroclinics.com / www.dranthonyordman.co.uk) END OF LIFE AND PALLIATIVE CARE Living with a life-limiting diagnosis must be one of the most difficult experiences that anyone has to go through. So many doors must seem to close when a doctor tells you that there is little more that can be done to your life-limiting condition. And for those who care for patients in such situations, or live alongside them, feeling helpless in being able helping to alleviate their pain and suffering, must be also be a difficult to bear.

So often, the response has been to treat the patient’s physical pain, with increasing doses of medications such as opioids, perhaps with antidepressants, or sleeping medicines, alongside all the other medications that must also be taken, adding the side effects of these medicines to the significant side effects of their oncology medicines.

Carers will know well the impact that all these medications can have on their loved ones. Many patients report experiencing ‘brain fog’, extreme fatigue or nausea. They will sometimes talk about how they feel unable to interact with their families in a meaningful way, or feel unable to engage still with activities that bring them joy.

The goal of treatment towards the end of life must be to enable the best quality of life for the patient and their family, while promoting as much independence as possible for as long as possible. While this may be the intention, it can be a difficult thing to get right.

Over my many years working in pain medicine, mainly in a large London teaching hospital, I’ve worked with, and alongside, some of the very best palliative care services in the country. These were services who brought a deep understanding of what the person and their family were going through towards the end of life. They used these understandings, and all the available medicines, in the most skilful ways. But still, these services have been to a considerable extent reliant on conventional medicines, including the opioids, and still the last days could pass in a haze of sedation and sleep, isolating the person from their loved ones. Other palliative care services up and down the country may rely more heavily on strong painkillers, which can take away the persons aspects of a person’s personality and energy, making emotional closeness more difficult at this important time, and making meaningful and loving goodbyes more difficult for all.

THE ENDO-CANNABINOID SYSTEM AND CANNABIS MEDICINES Over the years, aware of the limitations of many of the pain medicines that have been available to us, I have always been keen to find innovative treatments for patients. And so I always attended medical scientific lectures on the Endo-Cannabinoid System (ECS) found in all animals, with great interested. This naturally occurring system, which is part of all our nervous and other body systems, uses natural chemical messengers that are similar to the cannabinoids found in cannabis plants to regulate homeostasis, or ‘balance’, within the body. When it’s working well, the ECS can regulate and normalise such bodily functions as sensation, pain

and anxiety and sleep. It may also reduce inflammation. Knowledge of this system always promised great things for pain management, except for one thing; cannabis medicines were not legal.

CANNABIS MEDICINES Then, in November 2018, the UK regulations were changed, making cannabis medicines legal on prescription by a specialist. For those patients who had been advocating for this change for many years, this was a significant moment. But it was a quiet change, and most patients and doctors alike, were unaware that this had even happened, and the NHS was not able to respond in any noticeable way to the new regulations.

Over the last year, in my private clinic, along with a few chosen colleagues, I have been using cannabis medicines to help people with long-term pain, including some with life-limiting conditions. I’ve been surprised and impressed by how cannabis medicines can reduce pain and morphine requirements, and can lift mood and anxiety, and improve sleep, without ever making someone high, or even overly sleepy during the day. Even constipation has been improved. People at the end of their lives have felt that their days have been enhanced, making the very best of the days left, allowing enjoyable activities, and closeness and then meaningful farewells to happen.

My colleagues and I are keen to meet other people and their relatives, who find themselves faced with a life limiting illness, and who wish to discuss and find out about what cannabis medicines could do to help them to enhance the quality of life that remains to them.

If you think this might be for you, please do contact me, and I would be pleased to arrange an appointment, perhaps by video link, and discuss matters with you.

Battle Of Britain Veteran Celebrates 101st Birthday In Thornton-Le-Dale Eve Farnell, who lives at The Hall in Thornton-le-Dale, has celebrated her 101st birthday, 80 years since she supported pilots during the Battle of Britain.

Eve, who was born in Hertfordshire and grew up in the village of Ashwell, until the beginning of the Second World War, has lived at The Hall care home for around nine years. She celebrated her milestone birthday in style with friends and staff at home.

Serving in the Women’s Royal Air Force during the Second Worlds War, Eve was stationed in Sandwich, as an aircraft expert, who typed everything spoken by fighter pilots during the Battle of Britain.

She met her husband John, who also served in the RAF, and the couple married in 1944. After the war, they relocated to Westow, before eventually settling in Huttons Ambo where they lived for more than 40 years near their

daughter, Ann, and granddaughter, Lesley, who live in Ellerburn.

Eve is a keen gardener, indoor bowls enthusiast and dress maker who joined the Malton & Norton Art Society in the early 1970s.

Nicky Beach, home manager at The Hall, said: said: “We are delighted to have been able to help Eve to celebrate this incredible, milestone birthday.

“Eve is a wonderful part of the The Hall family, like all of us, she loves a good party!

“Eve has led an extraordinary life, and here at The Hall, we take time both to reminisce and support our residents to make new memories.”

Lesley Beale, Eve’s granddaughter, said: “Thank you everyone at The Hall Care Home for making the day so special!

“It was wonderful for Mum and I to be able to see Grandma today.”

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61 | PAGE 7

Landmark Report Reveals Frontline Social Care Workers Should Be Paid An Extra £7000 A Year A ground-breaking report has found that many frontline social care workers are undervalued by as much as 39% – nearly £7000 per year – in comparison to their peers in equivalent positions in other public funded sectors. With the social care sector losing more than 34% of its employees every year and having 112,000 vacancies presently, this research brings into stark focus the roots of an unprecedented workforce crisis.

Community Integrated Care – one of Britain’s biggest social care charities – has commissioned the first ever independent analysis of the frontline Support Worker role. Their report, ‘Unfair To Care’, provides indepth evidence that frontline carers receive an unjust deal in comparison to other public funded industries and breaks the stereotype that social care is a ‘low skilled’ sector.

This bombshell analysis has led to calls for the Government to provide an immediate and fair pay rise to social care workers and deliver a robust social care sector people plan, which ensures long-term parity of pay with other public funded sectors. The full report can be found at: www.unfairtocare.co.uk

A PAY INJUSTICE The average pay for Support Workers in England who assist people to live independently in the community is £17,695 or £9.05 per hour – 45p per hour below the Real Living Wage.

Community Integrated Care commissioned Korn Ferry, the global experts in job role evaluations, to undertake an in-depth analysis of this position, objectively assessing its true value across sectors. Their researchers found that roles with equivalent scope, complexity and accountability within other public funded sectors are, on average, paid at £24,602.

The gap is even greater in the sector’s counterpart – the NHS. The average take home pay for equivalent jobs in the NHS is £25,142, meaning that many social care workers would need a 42% pay rise, an additional £7447, to have parity with their NHS peers.

The analysis demonstrates that the role of social care workers has changed beyond recognition in the past decade, as the sector increasingly supports people with highly complex health and care needs. With frontline colleagues commonly supporting and understanding complex medical and behavioural needs – from dementia to acquired brain injuries, having innate and rare personal gifts, and taking an exceptional level of personal accountability, the position was found to be significantly undervalued.

This data demolishes the crude assessment by Home Secretary, Priti Patel, that social care is a “low skilled” sector. It demonstrates that Support Workers frequently have the same or a greater level of skill

and accountability as professions such as healthcare assistants, police community support officers, and senior teaching assistants.

The report outlines that the local authorities who fund social care and the social care providers they commission are at financial breaking point and cannot deliver increased pay without greater investment and progressive reform from central government. It has strengthened calls from across the sector for the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to live up to his promise, which is now almost two years old, of “fixing the crisis in social care once and for all.”

This research has drawn support from across the social care sector and political sphere. The report includes contributions from Oonagh Smyth, CEO of Skills for Care – the strategic body for workforce development in adult social care in England, and former Care Minister, Phil Hope, as Chair of the Future Social Care Coalition – a movement led by former health and care ministers and leading industry bodies, championing workforce reform.

A CALL FOR ACTION Unfair to Care outlines astonishing personal crises – such as mental health challenges, homelessness, family breakdowns – that are played out across the sector, due to low pay. It also shows how the turnover of the sector impacts upon the quality-of-care that people receive – showing that the loss of a much-loved Support Worker can be felt like a bereavement to people who access care.

Community Integrated Care has called upon the Government to immediately resolve what they describe as “an injustice played out on a grand scale across society”.

It asks the Government to give an immediate and fair pay rise to all frontline social care workers. It also calls upon the Government to urgently prioritise implementing a social care workforce strategy, which sees all roles being benchmarked to have parity of pay with other public funded sectors.

The report clearly articulates that pay is only part of the solution needed to both fix the employment crisis that is engulfing a sector that has 112,000 vacancies and to extend the societal impact of social care.

Its recommendations include a significant expansion of training and development options, a focus on creating routes to career progression, the introduction of professional registration, campaigns to raise the esteem of the sector, a focus on diversity and inclusion, investment in mental health support, and reward and recognition strategies.

AN ISSUE OF STRATEGY AND FOCUS, NOT POSSIBILITY Mark Adams, CEO of Community Integrated Care, says: “The moral case for investment in social care and its workforce has, sadly, been ignored for years. This research now provides cold hard facts, which

surely cannot be ignored by the Government. Our research proves that in other related sectors, many frontline Support Workers would be getting paid at least £6907 more per year, and almost £7500 within the NHS. This is immoral, illogical, and cannot be justified.”

“This is a significant challenge, but it can be fixed – firstly, by recognising the £46bn contribution that social care makes to the UK economy annually, and also delivering progressive reforms that improve efficiency and quality of live through delivering joined-up services, reducing the burden on family carers and embracing innovations. All evidence points to overwhelming public support for investment in the sector. This is an issue of strategy and focus, not of possibility.”

“It is a matter of national shame that social care workers, who provide such an invaluable service to society, are in such desperate circumstances. Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, frontline workers have risked their health to protect those who need their support. Most have done so below the poverty line and without the basic safety net of sick pay. This cannot continue.”

Oonagh Smyth, CEO of Skills for Care, says: “Community Integrated Care have brought together a wide range of data and thinking, including from our Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set, to make the clear case that our 1.5 million workforce are highly skilled professionals, who deserve to be recognised as such as we enter a period of promised reform.”

“We believe that policies to reform adult social care will not be successful unless they address the needs of the workforce, through a social care people plan and comprehensive workforce planning, underpinned by data and an understanding of our workforce now and in the future.”

Phil Hope, Co-Chair of Future Social Care Coalition and former Care Minister, says: “Unfair to Care provides essential evidence in the case for urgent investment in the social care sector, to deliver workforce reform and fair pay. It cannot be right that people in social care positions are so vastly underpaid in comparison to their equivalents in other public funded sectors, despite the significant skill and accountability of their roles.”

“It is time for the Government to respect, reward and regulate, to support all those working on the ‘forgotten frontline’. It has never been clearer that they warrant and deserve a fair deal.”

Teresa Exelby, Chief People Officer at Community Integrated Care, says: “Many frontline social care workers are living in poverty as a result of chronic underfunding of the sector.”

“It is appalling that many of society’s most valued workers are experiencing the devastating consequences of poverty, from the risk of homelessness to avoidable mental health challenges."

PAGE 8 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61

The Legalities Of Compulsory COVID-19 Vaccines For Care Workers

COVID-19 vaccinations are set to become compulsory for staff working in care homes for the elderly in England, with an announcement set to be made by the government in the next few days and a consultation on extending this within the health and care sector to be launched.

Since its rollout, nearly 42 million people in the UK have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination, with just over 30 million having received both doses. As the programme has progressed, there has been a lot of debate on whether it should become compulsory to have the vaccine and whether employers can require employees to take the vaccine.

According to a consultation by the Department of Health and Social Care in April this year, 47% of care homes for the elderly in England had more than a fifth of staff yet to be vaccinated – in a sector where there have been more than 40,000 deaths due to Covid-19.

Laura Kearsley, partner and solicitor specialising in employment law at Nelsons, said: “Employers in the health and care sectors will be very keen for their staff to benefit from a Covid-19 vaccine. Having a full complement of vaccinated employees will mean a dramatic reduction in the risk of the virus and less concern for the employer when it comes to transmission to vulnerable patients and service users and to others in the workplace.

“That being said, it might not necessarily be as simple as they think. The reports indicate that care staff will be given 16 weeks to have the jab or face being moved away from frontline duties, or where that isn’t possi-

ble, losing their jobs. Those who cannot have the vaccine on medical grounds will be exempt.

“The worry for the care sector is the impact this might have on recruitment and staff retention, given that there is already a shortage of staff in this sector. The detail of how this is to be implemented remains to be seen but this unprecedented move could prove unpopular with care staff who do not wish to have the vaccine” What’s next for employers in the care sector?

“Until these proposals are implemented, we continue to recommend that you encourage your staff to be vaccinated rather than taking any steps to insist on this if they are reluctant. We’d advise our clients to do this by ensuring staff have access to reliable information about the vaccine, so they’re able to make an informed choice, and even to allow paid time off for vaccination appointments.”

What about other sectors, does this create a precedent for a “no jab, no job” policy?

“An employer cannot compel you to be vaccinated if you do not wish to be so. However, it may be within their rights – depending on the circumstances – to take action if you are not going to be vaccinated and they think there are good reasons why you should be. In some circumstances, employees could in fact be dismissed for refusing the vaccination if it means they will present a threat to others.

“If your employer is insisting you get the vaccine but you are unsure, then you should flag and discuss any concerns with your employer and see what can be agreed. Unless you are employed in a sector and/or a job role where there are pressing health and safety reasons for you to have the vaccine, an employer is not likely to be able to insist you get it or be able to take action against you for not doing so.

“However, it’s always worth bearing in mind that employees who have less than two years’ service do not have the right to claim unfair dismissal – except in certain limited cases – and that those who provide their services on a self-employed or zero hours basis might also be less protected from their employer’s decisions.”

For more employment law advice from Nelsons, please visit www.nelsonslaw.co.uk/employee-rights.

‘What a Wonderful World’ as Midsummer Musical Magic Delights Revd Jim Team members at a Dorset care home were in fine voice as they staged a musical theatre thank-you to a 94-year-old resident who has led weekly services of worship all through the pandemic.

A pair of friends working at Colten Care’s Castle View in Poundbury formed a duo to perform specially for a ‘surprised and delighted’ Reverend Jim Cocke, the Church of England’s longest serving priest.

Companionship team member Lillie-Marie Harper and Jazmine Ball – a performing arts student at Chichester University who volunteers at the home – based their musical choices on Jim’s personal tastes interspersed with Shakespearian sonnets and lines from the Bard’s magical comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Amid the play’s traditional trappings of woodland flowers and fairies, the singers personalised lines while acting out scenes including the moment the weaver Nick Bottom has his head transformed into a donkey by the elusive Puck.

Among the songs they performed was one of Jim’s all-time favourites, Louis Armstrong’s 1960s hit What a Wonderful World.

The show of extended appreciation for Jim received an enthusiastic response from the man himself and fellow residents.

Jim said: “It was such a surprise. I very much enjoyed the afternoon.”

Jill Kember said: “I do so love the musicals and singing along is such a joy. Thank you so much.”

And Ann Scowcroft added: “Oh the girls sang all my favourite songs. I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Companionship team leader Katja Williams explained that the performance was specially devised to show heartfelt gratitude for Jim’s continued efforts to lead the home’s active worship during lockdown.

Katja said: “Week in, week out, Reverend Jim has led our Sunday services without fail for well over a year. He has given great comfort and peace to our residents ever since the first lockdown began.”

Before he retired in January 2020 and moved to Castle View, Jim had been an ordained priest for more than 67 years. He served as Vicar of All Saints’, Headington, Oxford, beginning his ministry as an assistant curate in 1952 and becoming Vicar there five years later.

When the pandemic started, it restricted the scope for external Church representatives to visit and hold services at Castle View, so Jim stepped in.

He designs his services at the home as a weekly focal point for Bible reading, prayer, worship, hymns and discussions of seasonal topics and local and global issues.

After watching the special show performed in his honour, Revd Jim was presented with a bouquet of flowers on behalf of all at Castle View by Nurse Beverly Welsh.

Thrifty Maintenance Person Transforms Wisbech Care Home Garden A Wisbech care home’s maintenance person has transformed the garden area to bring in more colour and make the space more enjoyable for residents.

Janice Webb has created colourful art features in Dove Court care home’s garden, as residents at the home are not able to grow many flowers due to a large tree blocking the sunlight to the flower beds.

To ensure residents still have lots of colour to enjoy when they’re outside, Janice has upcycled old tea pots and colanders to create hanging art and mounted old bicycles on the walls that look like they’re coming out of the building.

Janice has also created brightly coloured flowers on the fences using upcycled hubcaps from cars and on the floor from brightly painted old crockery.

Janice said: “I wanted to add a blaze of colour into our garden but as we can’t grow flowers very well, I needed to get creative!

“We have a rather large tree in the garden which blocks a lot of sunlight to our flower beds, but it has a preservation order, so we needed to come up with a creative alternative to traditional flower beds.

“Along with bringing in some colour, the art features are fun to look at and the residents are really pleased with the outcome, as am I!” Peter Crane, 62, a resident at Dove Court care home, said: “The art pieces that Janice made for the garden are wonderful and have given us lots to look at when we are enjoying the garden.

“It’s a shame we can’t grow many flowers, but the tree has meant we had to get a little bit creative, and now we have this fantastic garden feature which we may not have had.”

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61 | PAGE 9

We Care For England - Care England Launches “Vision” Care England has launched its vision for adult social care, We Care For England.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, says: “Successive governments have promised social care reform but have not delivered.

We Care For England represents the foundation for a long-term and sustainable future for adult social care that will be to the benefit of all citizens and the economy.

The vision calls on the Government to deliver a new system of support in which health and social care systems act in a coordinated fashion focused around the person and are financed adequately and appropriately.”

The vision is premised around five key themes, each of which presents a key ask of government: 1.Sustainability – Care England agrees with the Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee’s call for £7bn annual increase in social care funding as a starting point for reform.

2. Meaningful life – Quality service provision must be enabled so that people in need live with comfort, dignity and choice.

3. People – The sector requires a ten-year workforce plan, akin to that of the NHS, where

career progression, pay and rewards are identified.

4. Integration – Bridging the gap between health and social care stretches beyond funding integration, but also encompasses reforming commissioning practice, data and information practice and service delivery.

5. Innovation and investment – Providers need certainty about funding to invest in wider community development. This investment must be for providers of both state-funded and privately financed care.

Martin Green continues: “The sector is brimming with innovation, energy and commitment which Care England, with the help of its members, can harness. Care England has submitted this vision to the Prime Minister, along with other key policymakers. We are ready and waiting to help Government reach a definitive solution.”

The resources for the vision can be found here. Care England would strongly encourage all those involved in adult social care to bring light to these themes and asks with the hashtag #WeCareForEngland.

More Than 80 Million Vaccines Administered Across The UK More than 80 million vaccines have been administered across the UK through the largest and most successful vaccination programme in NHS history.

A total of 80,072,121 doses have been administered in the UK, with 45,697,875 people receiving a first dose (86.8%) and 34,374,246 people receiving both doses (65.3%).

This includes over half (54%) of young people aged 18 to 24 in England who have received a first dose – just three weeks after the programme was opened to this age group.

Every adult in England has been offered at least one dose and the Prime Minister announced this week that the vaccination programme is accelerating further, with all adults able to reduce their vaccine dose interval from 12 to eight weeks. This will mean every adult has the chance to have two doses by mid-September.

The government announced this week that people who have been vaccinated with both doses will not have to quarantine on their return to England from an amber list country from 19 July, providing they received their second jab at least 14 days prior.

From 16 August, double vaccinated people will also no longer be legally required to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “We have now delivered over 80 million vaccine doses across the UK – this a phenomenal achievement. Thank you to everyone who has come forward for their jab. It is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones”

Analysis from Public Health England (PHE) and the University of Cambridge suggests that vaccines have so far prevented an estimated 8.5 million infections and 30,000 deaths in England alone.

Data from PHE shows COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against hospitalisation from the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant. The analysis suggests the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 96% effective and the OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine is 92% effective against hospitalisation after two doses.

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “This is an astonishing accomplishment – in around seven months the NHS in every corner of the country has administered 80 million vaccines.

“The success is down to the incredible dedication of NHS staff, GPs,

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The UK government secured access to more than 500 million doses of the most promising COVID-19 vaccines early on behalf of the entire UK, crown dependencies and overseas territories. The UK’s medicine’s regulator, the MHRA, was the first in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines, allowing the rapid deployment of vaccines across the country and ensuring the UK has one of the fastest vaccination programmes in the world.

Vaccinated people are far less likely to get COVID-19 with symptoms and even more unlikely to get serious COVID-19, to be admitted to hospital, or to die from it and there is growing evidence that they are less likely to pass the virus to others.

YouGov polling also shows the UK continues to top the list of nations where people are willing to have a COVID-19 vaccine or have already been vaccinated and ONS data published on 2 July shows that more than 9 in 10 (96%) adults reported positive sentiment towards the vaccine.

Vaccines are available free of charge and from thousands of vaccine centres, GP practices and pharmacies. Around 98% of people live within 10 miles of a vaccination centre in England and vaccinations are taking place at sites including mosques, community centres and football stadiums.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61 | PAGE 11

Sajid Javid visits Aashna House Residential Care Home in Streatham Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sajid Javid paid a visit to Aashna House Residential Care Home in Streatham in South London where he met Smita Bhatt, the Care Home Manager, and the rest of the executive team and carers. He also met residents while they were taking part in activities – dance (Garba) painting and knitting – and spoke to staff about their working patterns during COVID-19.

On the visit the Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid said: “I’m in Aashna House in Streatham and one of the reasons I’m here is to thank the care home staff here and staff across the country for the incredible work they have been doing. Their job is hard enough in normal times, but of course during the pandemic, it was so much harder. I want to take this opportunity to thank them for what they’re doing and let all care workers

know they have the full support of this government.

“During the pandemic we’ve helped them in so many ways with PPE, with testing equipment, with extra funding and that kind of support will continue.

And turning to reform, I am not just the Health Secretary, I am the Health and Social Care Secretary. All of that matters to me, so social care is as important to me as health care is. And in dealing with the challenges of social care we’ve understood for a long time now as a government that more needs to be done. We’ve set out our intention to have significant reform and my predecessor did a lot of work on that with his cabinet colleagues. I am continuing that work and it remains a huge priority for me.”

Hertfordshire Care Home Teams Up with Local Girls’ School to Mark Good Care Month with Pen Pal Project A Hertfordshire care home has teamed up with a local girls’ school in a bid to strengthen community connection and form long-lasting intergenerational friendships by relaunching its pen pal project – marking the first of several events to celebrate Good Care Month.

Foxholes Care Home and Hitchin Girls’ School recently resumed its mission to help foster friendships the old-fashioned way by sharing letters between residents and students, after the scheme which initially launched in February last year had to be paused due to the coronavirus pandemic.

To mark the relaunch, residents Shirley Saunders, 82, and Pam Colicott, 73, visited the Highbury Road school to distribute the latest batch of letters from residents, which were for a mix of pupils in secondary and sixth form education.

The project will see 22 residents and students pair up to exchange handwritten letters seasonally throughout the year. The letters contained information documenting key elements of their lives, such as name, age, family information (marital status, no. of children/ grandchildren), which served as a mini-bio to aid the introductory process.

The relaunch included the students’ teacher taking the time to read through each letter and appropriately match them with a pupil, whose

and enjoy each other’s stories. Following a year of social distancing and isolating, it was touching to reconnect with the children, and we look forward to the next letter exchange.”

Theresa Lowe, a teacher at Hitchin Girls’ School, added: “It has been a pleasure to be involved with this project. Students across all age groups have really enjoyed listening to the letters from residents at Foxholes this week and are currently writing back. It was also fantastic that two Year 9 students in Bronte House got to meet Pam and Shirley in person, even if only from a distance. We look forward to continuing the project in the future.”

Neil Gandecha, Estate Manager at Foxholes Care Home, said: “We’re really excited to continue our collaboration with Hitchin Girls’ School on interests, background and hobbies align with a suitable resident.

The family-run home decided to relaunch the project to coincide with Good Care Month, a campaign in Hertfordshire that aims to raise the profile of the social care sector throughout July.

Shirley said: “It was such a pleasant experience to visit the school and see the girls’ wonderful young faces again. The pen pal scheme is a great idea and enables two different generations to connect, share

this pen pal project, especially with it coinciding with Good Care Month.

“Friendships, especially those formed from our school days, are sacred, and the same is true for care homes. We wanted to remind the younger generation how important it is to preserve these friendships and wanted to offer them the chance to learn from our inspiring residents. Every resident has lived a full, eventful life with an array of knowledge and wisdom to share.”

PAGE 12 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61

"When I Grow up I Want to be a Carer" - New Children’s Book from Jenni Mack Marketing executive Jenni Mack has written a children’s book entitled “When I Grow Up I Want to be a Carer”.

Jenni is passionate about care and works for the Holmes care Group.

In her own words Jenni describes a caring experience which motivated her into writing the book.

“I am Jenni Mack, Marketing Exec for the Holmes Care Group. I worked in Craigielea Care Home in Renfrew for 4 years before moving into this role. I LOVED my job there and became so passionate about it I decided to move into marketing so that I could help show the world the wonderful things that happen in care homes and help change public perception of them from places of sadness, loneliness and grief to the true colourful, bright, happy and fun filled places they are!”

“I had never even been in a care home before my own wee Granny (a matron and nurse herself) moved into Craigielea 14 years ago. Like many people who grieve the loss of a loved one prior to their actual death I avoided visiting as it confused and upset me when she didn’t always know who I was and conversation was difficult. I wish I had known then all that I know now about the joy I could have brought her with very simple activities and interactions. I spent a period of time punishing myself after her death for “letting her down” but now 14 years later with care experience under my belt I know she’d be proud of the other lives I’ve touched using the skills I should have used with her.”

“Craigielea Service Manager Sheila Inshaw and her amazing staff helped learn so much in such a short time and I’m now a passionate advocate for compassionate care and changing the social care sector from the

poor neglected younger sibling of the NHS to an equal partner and like childcare to be an expected and appreciated part of growing old.”

“Intergenerational Activities are a HUGE thing in the sector at the moment and hundreds of children across the UK have (pre COVID) visited care homes with their nurseries, schools or groups. I think this is an ideal time to tap into that awareness and help children to aspire to a career in care! if I believe that if children can see how special a role in social care is then it will work wonders for the future of health and social care. Like Whitney Houston said… “I believe that children are the future, teach them well and let them lead the way….”

“While attending Scottish Care workshops with Becca Young and Tara French we had many discussions around the future of the social care sector and what we could do to help.” “ I joked that I could write a children’s book and after thinking about it later I thought… why not!?”

“The support I have had from others in the sector has been overwhelming. Impact Arts Charity have become an integral part of the book with Wellbeing Support Worker Marie Gal setting me up with a local artist John Lavery who attends Impact Art’s Craft Café and who has illustrated my whole book.”

“The first £500 profit raised by the book is being donated to the charity so I’m hopeful to reach that goal.”

Jenni has been supported by the spoke digital care specialist Sekoia, whose chief marketing officer Morten Mathiesen has been a partner in all of it and together both have now published “When I Grow up I want to be a Carer” now available on Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/d5vpn54k

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61 | PAGE 13

75,000 Waiting for Social Care Help says ADASS Survey Almost 75,000 disabled and older people and carers are waiting for help with their care and support as social services struggle to cope with an avalanche of needs arising from the Covid pandemic.

Directors of social services report unprecedented numbers of people waiting for an assessment of their needs, or for agreed care and support arrangements to be put in place. Almost 7,000 people have been waiting more than six months for an assessment.

The figures have emerged in the annual budget survey of local council social services in England by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS). Despite the worsening delays in meeting people’s needs, councils are being forced to plan for savings of £600m in social services spending this year.

The survey has also found that directors are concerned at least equally, or more, about being able to help people of working age who have disabilities or other needs as they are about being able to support older people. Just 3% of directors say they are worried most about older people.

Stephen Chandler, ADASS president, said: “Many directors are saying they have never seen such an avalanche of need. Tens of thousands of people have lost their independence during the pandemic, suffered fresh distress or seen existing care and support arrangements break down. Many have delayed coming forward until now.

“Behind every one of the 75,000 cases of people waiting for an assessment or for care and support is a human story of someone unable to lead the life they want to lead and enjoy the minimum that any of us would want to guarantee for our fellow citizens.”

The ADASS survey was completed by directors of almost all English councils responsible for adult social services. The survey has been carried out annually for the past eight years and presents the clearest and most comprehensive picture of the adequacy of state funding of social care – a total of £16bn this year - to meet people’s needs.

Councils were found to be making £601m savings in services in 2021-22, representing an average 3.7% of budgets. Savings will mostly be through greater efficiency, or doing more for less, and developing so-called

“asset-based” support whereby people receive help from within their local community rather than from formal services. Since 2010, councils have made a cumulative total of more than £8bn savings.

However, only one in five directors say they are fully confident of making planned savings this year or of meeting all their statutory duties. Specifically, fewer than one in four directors is confident of meeting their duties to provide information and advice, safeguard all people considered at risk, or carry out assessments of all people seeking care and support.

The survey suggests that almost 55,000 disabled or older people, or carers, are waiting for an assessment of their needs, while more than 19,000 who have been assessed and deemed eligible are waiting for a service or direct payment to arrange their own care and support.

Of those awaiting assessment, almost 7,000 have been waiting more than six months.

Asked for their chief concern, only 3% of directors said it was being able to meet the needs of older people whereas 40% said it was being able to do so for people of working age and 54% said they were equally concerned about both. The government’s manifesto commitment to reform social care focuses on older people.

Stephen Chandler said: “Our survey shows starkly why the government must now, without any further delay, produce its plans to reform social care. We have called for the outline of the plans to be tabled before parliament starts its six-week summer recess next week. Those plans must address the needs of people of working age as well as older people."

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said: "No local government official readily admits they are routinely breaking the law, and the fact that so many have done so in this survey shows just how bad a state social care is now in. We admire the honesty of these Directors of Adult Social Services, and sympathise with the increasingly impossible position they find themselves in, trying to spread the jam ever more thinly to meet a tsunami of local care needs - a situation made worse by the pandemic.

"While Ministers fiddle, social care burns, leaving hundreds of thousands of older and disabled people, and their family carers, without the support they need to live decent, dignified lives. The Prime Minister has promised to fix social care and he should live up to his pledge. It's hard to imagine how the results of a survey like this could get much worse, but there's no doubt they will, unless and until the Government delivers on their promises."

Couple Celebrate 70th Wedding Anniversary A chance meeting on the High Street in High Wycombe and 70 years later, Fred and Doreen, a couple living at Mulberry Court Residential Care Home in Chalfont St Peter, are a match made in heaven.

Asked about how they met, Doreen said: “I didn’t actually think much of Fred when I first met him. I wasn’t sure if he was the one for me, but he went into the Army and when I next saw him, I had a change of heart. It wasn’t necessarily love at first sight, but we went out together… and the rest is history!”

Fred remembers things differently though: “It was love at first sight for me!” he said. Reminiscing about their wedding day, Doreen and Fred recalled details of their big day including their flowers, Doreen’s dress and their wedding party.

“We decorated the church with roses and sweet peas that my grandfather had grown. I wore a silk dress, with buttons sewn on by my uncle. The bridesmaids were all in pink,” recalls Doreen. Fred added: “My suit was navy blue and I remem-

ber feeling very smart alongside my best man – a close friend of mine called Mike.”

Doreen and Fred, who recently moved from their home in Prestwood to Mulberry Court in Chalfont St Peter, celebrated their anniversary with their new friends and the team at the home, enjoying an afternoon tea complete with Champagne.

Emma Cole – Deputy Manager at the home commented: “We had a great afternoon celebrating with Fred, Doreen and their daughters. We all enjoyed a glass of Champagne and spent the afternoon hearing all about their life together, including their children, grand children and great grand children. We also learnt that Doreen has a degree in Experimental Psychology and a Masters in Psychology of education. They are such a wonderful couple and the team and I felt honoured to celebrate with them and their family.”

PAGE 14 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61

Good Care Month: Spotting the First Signs of Dementia For this year’s Good Care Month (July 2021), Bernadette Mossman, Healthcare Director at specialist dementia care Vida Healthcare, discusses the initial signs and symptoms of dementia and how you can spot them.

WHAT CAUSES DEMENTIA? Dementia affects people in different ways, particularly as there are over 200 subtypes of dementia that we’re currently aware of. The five most common are Alzheimer’s Disease, Vascular Dementia, Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Frontotemporal Dementia, and Mixed Dementia.

Although there are different diseases which can cause dementia, generally the development of symptoms is due to the abnormal buildup of proteins in the brain which causes nerve cells to function less efficiently and eventually die. As the nerve cells die, different areas of the brain shrink, leading to the brain functioning in a different way.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND HOW CAN WE SPOT THEM? Alzheimer’s Society reports that 850,000 people are currently living with dementia in the UK and this is set to rise to over one million by 2025.

While rates of diagnosis are improving, many people living with dementia are still likely to be undiagnosed. It’s therefore crucial that people are aware of some of the symptoms of dementia and spot it early to support an earlier diagnosis, and secure the help and support that is required as soon as possible.

We must remember that regardless of the type of dementia diagnosed and the part of the brain affected, everyone will experience dementia in their own unique way. It can therefore be tricky to spot the signs and symptoms early on as they can vary from person to person.

However, there are some common signs that you should be aware of.

These include: • Memory loss • Difficulty concentrating • Finding it hard to carry out familiar daily tasks • Struggling to follow a conversation

• Being confused about time and place • Mood changes Although these symptoms may not seem significant, some people who experience “mild cognitive impairment” will go on to develop a form of dementia.

It’s therefore crucial that these symptoms are taken seriously and you book an appointment with a GP to investigate them further and confirm if it’s likely they could develop into dementia.

WHY IS EARLY DIAGNOSIS IMPORTANT? There are a multitude of ways that we can support people living with dementia, and the earlier that someone is diagnosed, the quicker the right care and support can be delivered to them.

Diagnosis also supports research into the causes of dementia and the development of new treatments. The more people that are diagnosed, and the earlier it’s caught, the better we’ll understand this collection of symptoms and how to treat them.

For more information on the specialist care available to people living with dementia, please visit www.vidahealthcare.co.uk.

Welsh Government Needs To “Step Up To The Plate” To Avert New Social Care Crisis A social care leader says it’s time for the Welsh Government to “step up to the plate” to avert a new crisis and fund the sector properly so that frontline staff can be paid what they deserve.

Mary Wimbury, the chief executive of Care Forum Wales, said social care workers had responded heroically to the unprecedented challenge of keeping vulnerable people safe during the pandemic.

But the added pressures caused the spread of the virus had amplified the financial fissures that were already undermining the stability of the sector.

Most independently run care homes and domiciliary care companies were funded via fees paid by local authorities or health boards.

The fees mechanism, she said, had never been fit for purpose since it was introduced more than two decades ago.

In effect they set staff pay at poverty levels that meant providers were only able to pay the basic minimum wage to many care workers.

It had also led to chronic underfunding in the sector and a postcode lottery of fees, with a massive disparity between the amounts paid in different parts of the country and an ever-widening North-South divide.

Now an investigation by the BBC has shown that the effects of the pandemic have contributed to Welsh councils having to make an average saving of more than £20 per head for this financial year.

On top of that, they were still likely to overspend compared to the budgets they have.

Ms Wimbury said: “We are concerned. We went into the pandemic, as the First Minister himself said, with social care in a fragile state.

“During the past 15 months or so we have seen both the value of the social care services and the fact that we need to invest in them.

“We have a manifesto commitment from the Welsh Government that all care workers should be paid at least the Real Living Wage.

“If that’s going to happen there needs to be more money coming from local authorities in the fees that they are paying.

“It’s not even a question of keeping services as they are. It’s actually to make them deliver what the people of Wales need, so we need extra investment.

“For the vast majority of care in Wales the fees are set by local authorities and they set that to a certain extent depending on what their budgets are.

“It’s been a frustration over the years say that Welsh Government are allocating more money for social care but when it gets to discussions with local authorities about fees they are looking at their overall budgets which might have seen allocations go down in other areas as well.

“We’ve seen in some local authorities in England over the past few years fees being frozen or going down.

“As a result of inflationary costs for the care sector, and in particular wages, we have seen the legal minimum wage go up significantly well above the rate of inflation so we’re actually seeing cuts in real terms.

We can’t afford for it to get any worse.

“The people who are responsible for squaring the circle of paying what care workers are worth and local authorities who are feeling the squeeze are the Welsh Government.

“Social care is both a profession and a vocation and the wonderful people who work in the sector deserve to be paid accordingly.

“For too many years we have seen the buck being passed between Welsh Government and local authorities.

“I think Welsh Government are going to have to step up to the plate if they want to deliver their manifesto promise about the Real Living Wage.

“They published a White Paper just before the election, talking about having a national framework including fee setting and I think that’s the direction we need to go in.

“Obviously, there is some room for local input in terms of understanding local services but we need to see Welsh Government take that stronger role as they have set out in the White Paper.”

Whitgift Care Announces Ongoing Support For International Children’s Cleft Charity, Smile Train UK Croydon-based care provider, Whitgift Care, has today announced that it is partnering with the leading children’s cleft charity, Smile Train UK, for the remainder of 2021, and will be launching a series of fundraising events for residents, staff and their families living in its care homes and sheltered housing – as well as the wider community – to take part in.

Cleft lip and palate is the most common facial difference in the UK, with around 200,000 babies born with a cleft worldwide every year. Without cleft surgery, more than 90% of these children will die by the age of 20 if they do not receive treatment*.

To tackle this worldwide issue, Smile Train uses a sustainable ‘Teach a Man to Fish’, model, which empowers local healthcare professionals with the knowledge, skills and training that is needed to treat babies and children with cleft in their local communities.

To date, Smile Train has supported over 1.5 million cleft surgeries worldwide.

The charity was picked by Whitgift Care after residents voted they would like to change the lives of children and babies around the world.

To kick-start the partnership, Whitgift House recently launched an Easter party, where residents and staff members raised an incredible £500 for the charity – covering the cost of more than three cleft surgeries.

The party involved a full day of festivities and fundraising, also including a raffle, a socially distanced egg hunt and an easter bonnet parade.

The care home has already lined up several other fundraising activities for the rest of the year, including a garden party which they are hoping to hold in late June, to mark Smile Train UK’s 15th birthday.

Dolores Pickersgill, Director of Care, Whitgift Care comments: “We are delighted to announce Smile Train UK as our official charity partner for 2021 and look forward to giving our support to such a worthy Charity. We wanted to choose a charity where we can clearly see the impact that our fundraising is having and for our residents and staff to support such a worthwhile cause for young people. With cleft surgery costing as little as £150, it’s amazing to know the difference this will make to children’s lives across the world and we are delighted to be part of this”.

Ian Vallance, Director of Smile Train UK comments: “We are thrilled that Whitgift Care has decided to support Smile Train UK over the course of 2021, and absolutely loved hearing about the Easter raffle that took place recently with its staff and residents.

“All monies raised by Whitgift Care will make an enormous difference to children globally, so we would like to say a big thank you to everyone at the care home for their continued support.”

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61 | PAGE 15

England Has An ‘Unforgiveable’ NHS Workforce Crisis That Threatens Future Patient Safety Says BMA The number of doctors per 1,000 people in England is 25 years behind comparable European Union nations, which means an estimate of almost 50,000 extra doctors are needed to meet the country’s current healthcare challenges, the BMA has found.

According to the Association’s research, there are 2.8 doctors – across general practice and hospitals – per 1,000 people in England compared to an average of 3.7 in similarly developed EU countries. Other than Poland, this means England has the second lowest doctor-to-person ratio than any other comparable EU nation.

The data shows that not one single area in England has 3.7 doctors per 1,000 people; the BMA estimates it’ll take until 2046 – 25 years – before the NHS has the number of practising doctors and doctors in training that it needs today to reach the current EU nations’ average.

Not only does this shortfall impact patient care and safety, but it also puts immense pressure on existing NHS staff, many of whom are being stretched to the limit and forced to take on extra, often unpaid work to make up staffing gaps. The BMA also believes that England has nowhere near enough medical academics, public health doctors, or specialist occupational physicians, who play equally vital roles in the health service.

To tackle this crisis, the Association is calling for: • A duty for the Secretary of State in the Health and Care Bill to publish regular, detailed and publicly available health and care service workforce assessments which inform current and future recruitment needs • Increased Treasury investment into the medical workforce to fund increases in medical school, foundation programme and specialty training places, alongside investment in the staff and infrastructure to deliver this • Investment in retention initiatives, including removing punitive pension taxation rules so older doctors can remain in work flexibly Dr Latifa Patel, acting chair of the BMA representative body and chief officer workforce lead, said: “It’s unforgivable that Government has allowed the NHS workforce crisis to get to this point. Today’s report not only highlights the sheer scale of doctor shortages in England, but also how woefully unprepared the nation is to meet the healthcare challenges of the future.

“It’s frightening that we’ve reached a point where we’re short of 49,162 full-time equivalent doctors, but even more terrifying to think that this number could hit 83,779 by 2043, as our research suggests. If this crisis is left to deepen, more patients will go without the care they need, their safety will be threatened, and existing staff will be pushed to the limit like never before, driving yet more talented healthcare professionals out of the NHS. “It’s clear that previous attempts to increase staffing levels have failed to bridge the gap. In primary care

alone, the overall qualified GP workforce has barely grown since 2015, with the number of GP partners falling by the equivalent of more than 900 full-time doctors in the most recent 12-month period. This is despite Government promises to increase the GP workforce by 6,000 by 2024 – this will likely only translate into about 3,400 FTE GPs. “There are other ways to solve this crisis, and Government must listen when we tell them what’s needed: funding extra places in medical schools and on specialty courses is essential to making careers in the NHS more accessible, and putting just as much emphasis on retaining staff as recruiting new colleagues is quite frankly, common sense.

“Our health service is the people who work in it, and without them the very existence of our NHS is thrown into jeopardy. It’s a tragedy to think that the NHS may no longer be the envy of the world because of repeated and totally avoidable Government failures – failures that are putting future public safety at serious risk. The Health and Care Bill, this year’s Spending Review, and a long-term workforce growth strategy are all opportunities for our new Secretary of State to get the NHS back on track, and we urge him to take them.”

Dr Andrew Goddard, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: “There is no doubt that the NHS needs more staff and we need to act now. More than a quarter of our experienced senior consultants are planning to retire in the next three years, and 56% of trainees have told us that they want to work part-time. The population is ageing and patient demand is growing.

“These are challenges that we know are coming and must prepare for by expanding medical school places at the Spending Review so we can train more doctors in the UK. We must also ensure the health and care bill includes a duty to regularly publish independent assessments of whether we are training enough staff to meet future demand.

“The annual cost of training more clinicians may seem high, but it is much less than what we currently spend on agency and bank staff, and nothing compared to the cost of maintaining the status quo. We can’t do nothing and expect patients not to suffer.”

Dr Ian Higginson, vice president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “We’ve known for some time that we are understaffed, both in Emergency Medicine and across the NHS, and the BMA’s analysis lays bare the scale of the problem. Our own findings show that our staff are exhausted and near breaking point due to workload pressures – which were difficult enough before the pandemic. Sustained investment in the workforce is needed to relieve the burden on the staff we do have and to prevent more from leaving; a tired, overloaded workforce compromises patient safety. The Government must prioritise a viable workforce plan as a matter of urgency, and level us up with European nations.”

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Mental Health Pandemic Huge Concern, Says Care Provider

EMPLOYERS at care homes across the UK risk facing a mental health pandemic if they don’t ensure they are looking after their staff in the wake of coronavirus, according to an expert from a leading care provider.

Claire Leake, people director at National Care Group, believes that the incredibly tough challenges faced by care home teams over the past eighteen months have the potential to be hugely damaging for staff, if employers aren’t taking care of their wellbeing and mental health.

She said: “With NHS data showing that the number of days taken off work by the UK public for mental health-related issues surged during 2020’s lockdowns, it has never been more important for employers to take care of their team’s mental health. This is especially relevant in the care sector, where staff have truly been on the front line of the pan-

demic and dealing with its impacts on a daily basis since early last year.”

Claire believes that one of the keys to success is for employers to lead by example, ensuring that they are showing their colleagues that mental health is a priority.

She said: “It is absolutely critical that the senior team in any business leads from the top. We aren’t immune to mental health issues ourselves but as leaders we often feel pressure to battle through them, thinking that is the way to lead by example.

“In reality, we need to be demonstrating that mental health comes first, and that it’s OK to take some holiday and have some downtime. By doing that, it pushes through to the team and cascades through the business.

“As part of this awareness, we try and ensure that as many of our senior team as possible have been through mental health first aider training – we want to build up a resilience within the business, which comes from knowing that our team leaders have the ability to spot those warning signs early and ensure that the individual gets the help they need.”

National Care Group currently employs 2,400 people across England and Wales. Its commitment to supporting the mental health of its colleagues has seen it train one mental health first aider for every 24 members of the team, with the target of that being one to every ten by the end of the year.

Claire said: “Since May, we have started to see a significant reduction in the number of days of mental health related absence, which we believe is a combination of the number of trained mental health first aiders, as well as the work we have done as a team around Mental Health Awareness Week.

“Our focus on increasing the number of managers equipped with the knowledge and understanding to support colleagues with mental health related issues will hopefully lead to a continued reduction in mental health related absence, as well as ensuring proactive support upfront

when warning signs occur.”

While Claire acknowledges the challenges posed by the differing attitude to mental health across the generations, she believes that significant progress is being made. She said: “For some colleagues, there is still a bit of a stigma and they find it harder to talk openly about mental health than younger generations do, but progress is being made. For those younger members of the team, conversations about wellbeing are taking place from school age onwards, so they can talk to a friend or family member and the stigma just isn’t there.

“However, for a bank of people in the middle of their careers, they are still feeling their way with these kind of conversations, so it’s important for us to ensure we are opening it up to them and making it as broad as possible.”

Among the measures introduced by National Care Group are Wellbeing Wednesday, featuring on-demand yoga and mindfulness sessions, and the Employee Assistance app, which provides a daily mood tracker to offer holistic support as well as a confidential adviceline that provides access to counselling support.

Claire believes that these measures help set National Care Group apart from other providers, ensuring that colleagues are happy in their roles and, in turn, able to offer the best possible care to the people they support.

She said: “Overall, this kind of approach is indicative of the commitment we have to our colleagues and ensuring that we are putting them at the forefront of everything we do so that they can unlock their potential. As an executive team, we lead by our actions and our examples, and we want to show that the support is not only there, but something we actively engage in.”

To find out more about National Care Group, please visit: www.nationalcaregroup.com

West Midlands Care Home Celebrates Award Win During a week of footballing highs and lows, one care facility in Oldbury, West Midlands is pleased to be beating its own drum of success.

Jackie Macalla, Activities Co-ordinator at Portway House has been named as winner in the prestigious West Midlands Care Association (WMCA) awards for 2021, in the category of Activities Coordinator. Jackie, from Quarry Bank, has worked for Portway House since July 2020 and has been ensuring that residents’ wellbeing and quality of life is at the core everything she organises and does.

From live singing to interactive games and chair-based sports challenges, Jackie has been pivotal to keeping residents’ spirits high during the challenging pandemic months. Kim Young, manager at Portway House, comments: “Jackie is one in a million. With her infectious and always-cheerful personality, she is a true asset to our team.

“The residents always look forward to her activities and every day, she goes

above and beyond her role and wants to further enrich our residents lives as much as possible – and for that we are truly grateful for all of her efforts.”

A professional singer, Jackie has worked on-board cruise liners entertaining hundreds of people at a time. She decided to remain on dry land to help others, and decided that a career in care was for her.

“I love my job and no two-days are the same. My residents are part of my family and I treat them as I would my own loved ones. I am thrilled to have won this award, it’s a true highlight of my career and something I will cherish forever.”

Keiron Broadbent, CEO of West Midlands Care Association, said: “For us as a judging panel, Jackie was a clear winner. She has demonstrated professionalism, creative thinking and innovative ways to entertain residents and keep their minds and bodies active. We wish her continued success for the future.”

Open Study College Announces 39% Increase In Students Aged 60 And Over

Leading distance learning provider Open Study College has revealed a significant shift in its demographic, with a 39% increase in new student enrolments from those aged 60 and over.

The statistic is based on figures comparing 2018 enrolments with those in 2020 during the global pandemic.

As part of research undertaken by Open Study College, there are a number of reasons people typically choose to follow the distance learning route including: those who are unable to physically attend a college or university due to suffering with mental or physical health; caring for family and home responsibilities whilst learning; individuals looking to upskill; or students that need to learn new skills and gain necessary

qualifications for a new or change in career.

More recently however, a pattern has emerged as a significant number of older students have joined Open Study College purely because they want to keep on learning in their later years about subjects that are of interest to them, providing purpose and keeping their minds active.

John, 74, from South Gloucestershire said: “It's important to keep the intellect alive in later years and completing a course and receiving the accreditation acts as a tremendous boost to one's mental health.”

Marilyn, 70, from Truro said: “I am 70 going on 29 years old. Physically I am doomed but will not be mentally. This is my tenth course with Open Study College, and I hope there will be more. To retirees thinking about taking a course online I would say ‘go for it’.”

Linda, 75, from Worcestershire said: “I am enjoying the course at Open Study College and I’m lucky to have been able to choose, for the first time, what it is I study.”

CEO of Open Study College, Samantha Rutter, said: “Learning new skills shouldn't stop when retirement starts. We couldn’t be prouder of all the students in the Open Study College family, and those that are continuing to study and excite their minds well into their years of retirement really help solidify our ethos of making education accessible to all.

“It’s interesting to see how life-changing events such as the global pandemic can contribute to how people chose to spend their free time, and in our research it’s clear that some of our older students are keen to keep on learning about subject matters that really interests them or was once integral to their careers and lives.

“This increase in older generations studying proves that learning is more accessible than ever before. We work incredibly hard to ensure that we adapt our courses for the young and young at heart. Many of

our courses come with the option of studying online or via a paperbased study pack where course materials are sent to your home. We know that this is often a preferred method of studying with our more mature learners.

"Our student support team and personal tutors are also on hand to guide students through their course, and for those with additional needs we can provide our materials in larger fonts or on coloured paper where required. Making learning more accessible is always going to be one of our top priorities and we hope to see more retirees benefit from learning with us.”

To find out more or to register for a course visit www.openstudycollege.com or follow Open Study College on Facebook, Instagram, twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

PAGE 18 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61

“Dear Mr Health Secretary…”

By Victoria Sylvester, CEO Acacia Training (www.acacia.ac.uk) qualification is 92%, compared to the local average of 55% .

Acacia’s wellbeing support programme is embedded in our care training. It includes the significance of a balanced diet and relationships with food; building resilience and mindset development; and the importance of sleep. It may sound abstract but equipping a team with the tools to decompress after a long, tough day is critical.

Of course, there will be staff who feel the pressure more than others and here, early recognition and empathy is vital. Access to counselling and support around mental health can make a significant difference in preventing pressure boiling over. It’s important too, that managers recognise their own pinch points – they are not, after all, invincible.

This wraparound support is essential when investing in a care team that feels valued, but professional training is crucial too. Those employed within care are too often seen simply as ‘workers’ – they must be considered ‘professionals’. There is no coincidence that the high percentage of the team at Samuel Hobson House with a Level 2 or higher qualification (amongst other factors) correlates to the low staff turnover there – the team recognises that it is valued and invested in.

The myriad of government initiatives that exist to drive greater levels of training within the sector provide it with the power to give staff a career that offers longevity and tangible progress – both appealing aspects in attracting the best talent. to wider wellbeing.

So, Mr Javid as you focus on funding and forecasting for care, please don’t also forget that training and This isn’t just an aspiration. There is a direct correlation between investing in people and their careers and how they, in turn, value their role. Providing care workers with on-going training, investing in their well-being, wraparound wellbeing support both go an incredibly long way to making those at the heart of the sector feel truly valued and invested in their own careers - that’s important! and supporting them when things get tough pays dividends.

I know this for a fact. Samuel Hobson House in Staffordshire has a positive culture and an established focus Victoria Sylvester, CEO – Acacia Training on wellbeing. Here, Acacia Training works with the leadership team on a range of wellbeing, mental health, tel: 01782 646 346 and training provisions. The impact is clear: staff turnover is 7% compared to the local average of 26%; sickemail: victorias@acaciatraining.co.uk ness days are half the regional comparison; and, significantly, the percentage of staff with a Level 2 or above web: www.acaciatraining.co.uk Sajid Javid settles in as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care at a time when the lifting of legal Covid restrictions and the uncertainty that brings, is balanced against a sustained period of media scrutiny on the sector. So, faced with a daily barrage of news headlines, what should he believe and where should he focus his attentions?

Recent news reports on health and social care burnout came as little surprise. Pressures were acute before the pandemic and have since increased and whilst this is the reality for many, it’s not the case everywhere and the new Secretary of State must remember this.

Mr Javid must consider why staff shortages can be so acute; why turnover can be so high; and why stress and anxiety levels are higher than in other sectors. In no small part, it’s down to how the people at the heart of care are treated. Simply, the sector needs to adopt a far greater appreciation of staff needs, from professional development

HC-One Care Homes Indulge in Chocolatey Goodness for International Chocolate Day HC-One care homes across the UK marked the annual celebration of chocolate on Wednesday 7th July, with Residents and Colleagues enjoying tasting a varied selection of delicious chocolate treats.

Residents at Dove Court Care Home in Lancashire, enjoyed trying out different flavours of chocolate in celebration of the day.

Inspired by the classic film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Residents received a ‘golden ticket’ invitation to join in the fun and try the chocolate delicacies on offer.

The majority of Residents in the homes love chocolate and a number of Residents enjoyed sampling the variety of chocolate, with some even coming back for seconds. Some Residents opted for the classic milk chocolate whilst others preferred the choice of dark or white chocolate.

There was plenty of clean plates and smiles. Residents also enjoyed sharing memories about their trips to the traditional sweet shops, and

their favourite sweets and chocolate treats when they were growing up as a child.

Activities Coordinator at Dove Court Care Home, Stephanie Tillotson, who organised the day, commented, “The Residents loved tasting the chocolate, it was lovely to see everyone enjoying themselves.”

At Acacia Care Home in Nottingham, the Catering Team in the care homes spruced up their tea trolleys before taking a stroll around to the Residents with a display and variety of sweets and chocolates to choose from.

The chocolate trolley caused quite the stir and Residents enjoyed trying and eating all different kinds of chocolate. The selection of chocolate delicacies included strawberries dipped in chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate sauce and peaches on pancakes, plus a variety of chocolates for Residents to choose from including aero and buttons! All of the Residents loved eating their sweet treats.

At Sunnyside Care Home in Droylsden, Residents and Colleagues have been celebrating World Chocolate Day. Working together as a team, the care, kitchen and wellbeing Colleagues decided to celebrate the special day in style with all

Residents enjoying the delicious chocolate on offer.

First, the kitchen team made a lovely homemade chocolate cake and then some chocolate made from moulds. Colleagues had to hide the chocolates away from other members of the team so that they didn’t eat them all as they were scrumptious.

Residents enjoyed talking about films they had watched about chocolate such as Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. They also looked at recipes but, most of all, enjoyed eating the chocolate concoctions.

Sunnyside Care Home’s Manager, Kay Harrison handed out chocolates and said, “It was such a successful afternoon, everyone is now looking forward to our next event!

“I love it when Colleagues organise these events, they are so successful. A lot of planning went into this and it was so nice to see the Residents fully involved and loving it!”

Sunrise Senior Living UK and Gracewell Healthcare’s Development Programme Granted RCN Accreditation for Sixth Time Sunrise Senior Living UK and Gracewell Healthcare’s Clinical Development and Leadership training programme has received reaccreditation once again from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) for the sixth year.

This is a comprehensive opportunity for professional development offered to Sunrise and Gracewell’s Deputy Managers, Clinical Care leaders as well as Nursing team members, who are looking to develop into leadership roles.

The programme remains a frontrunner within the industry, having first received its accreditation in 2016 from what is the world’s largest nursing union and professional body.

And, despite COVID-19 restrictions, the programme has continued to be hugely successful. With the introduction of changes that have allowed for the virtual delivery of modules, this has not only given greater flexibility to those attending, but importantly ensured their learning and development has persisted during this difficult period.

The programme provides Clinical leaders who are responsible for leading the provision of care and nursing in Sunrise and Gracewell’s care homes the opportunity to obtain the expertise and skills needed to champion clinical governance. As well as this, it also presents them with continual support throughout their career, ensuring they build important long-term skills.

Starting in 2014, the programme continues to be reviewed and devel-

oped by leading Clinical Trainer, Carrie Stone. Working with the organisation’s subject matter experts, Carrie Stone continues to make sure the programme is modified in line with changes in the care sector, and ultimately that it meets the relevant learning outcomes that are required for future leaders in the sector.

Over the past six years, the programme has been highly influential to

the delivery of Sunrise and Gracewell’s high standards and excellence in care, further reinforcing the organisation’s mission to champion the quality of care for all residents.

All team members who take part in the training have also benefited from its focus on Continuing Professional Development (CPD), including the opportunity it offers for team members to develop individual objectives and reflect upon their role and journey. The RCN’s accreditation means that the programme complies with the RCN’s standards of excellence and best practice promoted across the country.

Dawn Buchanan-Hole, Learning and Development Manager at Sunrise Senior Living UK and Gracewell Healthcare, said: “We are delighted that the RCN has decided to grant our Clinical Development and Leadership training programme re-accreditation for a sixth time. It is fantastic to receive formal recognition of its success yet again. Our programme is designed so that our team members are constantly developing, as well as assuring a commitment to excellent care for every single resident in our care homes. Despite the challenges of the past year, our adaptations to the programmes format have ensured this ambition has still been achieved. We look forward to continuing to deliver this programme to our future team members and evolving the content to the changing times, making sure we continue to go from strength to strength.”

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New Report Confirms Digital Technology As The Future For Accurate Pain Assessment

The first ever consolidated review of global pain assessment methods and pain management tools used in UK care homes confirms the central place for digital technology in enabling accurate pain assessment and treatment.

The pioneering report: Modern Pain Assessment in Aged Care: Challenges, Guidelines and Practices, publishes today (Monday 28 June 2021) and is available free to UK care providers and care professionals.

It consolidates details of a unique study carried out by medtech company PainChek®, the world’s first intelligent pain assessment tool to use artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse facial micro-expressions indicative of pain, to provide comprehensive advice and guidance on pain assessment and management, unique analysis of the common challenges for care providers and the strengths and weaknesses of pain assessment methods.

It also explores and explains how technology can be used to support

gold standard pain management, as well as offering guidance on how and when pain assessments should be conducted.

Pete Shergill, PainChek® UK&I Country Director, explains: “This report is essential reading for the care and social care sectors. Digital systems are poised to supersede traditional paper-based systems across the social care environment, and pain management should be no exception, empowering carers with the tools and training needed to accurately assess pain and provide appropriate pain assessment and treatment to every individual, regardless of their age of ability to verbalise pain.

“The subjective nature of pain makes quantification difficult, yet many clinicians rely on observations and measures to assess and infer the pain experienced by other people. Consequently, pain often goes under-detected or under-treated, which can lead to Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms in Dementia (BPSD), inappropriate prescribing and decreased quality of life. Indeed, a UK Department of Health study found that of 180,000 antipsychotic prescriptions for people living with dementia prescribed in the UK, close to 80%, or 140,000 individuals, were inappropriate.”

Unlike other tools and paper-based systems that rely on subjective observations from the carer, the PainChek® app automates pain assessment using facial analysis technology and artificial intelligence: “This assesses micro-expressions on a person’s face that may go undetected by clinical staff,” explains Pete. “The app combines these with observations to identify the presence and severity of pain, and based on our research* confirms PainChek® is capable of detecting pain with 95% accuracy, 96% sensitivity and 91% specificity in those unable to verbalise pain.”

PainChek®’s unique technology was first developed - and since validated** - as a reliable instrument that enables care workers to identify and manage pain in people living with dementia or cognitive impair-

ments.

Last month, its developers unveiled the latest upgrade which means PainChek can now be used with care home residents who can selfreport their pain. The new version PainChek® Universal, features the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) – an established standard used to document self-reported pain levels – within the one digital environment.

PainChek® Senior Research Scientist, Associate Professor Kreshnik Hoti, explains: “The Universal Pain Assessment Solution combines the unique PainChek® App with the NRS pain scale and PainChek® Analytics in one system, to deliver an inclusive, best practice pain assessment and management solution to UK care homes in a way that will drive objectivity, accuracy and consistency, as well as engage residents in their own care.

“By combining the benefits of the two pain scales into one universal pain assessment solution, which has a fully digital product, training and documentation system, pain assessment and clinical procedures and documentation are simplified and streamlined for care home staff and residents alike.”

The FREE report is available to download here: https://www.painchek.com/whitepaper-modern-pain-assessmentin-aged-care-uk/ For further information, visit: https://painchek.com/uk/ References *Hoti, K., Atee, M., Hughes, JD. (2017). ‘Clinimetric properties of the electronic Pain Assessment Tool (ePAT) for aged-care residents with moderate to severe dementia’, Journal of Pain Research » Volume 11. Available at: https://www.dovepress.com/clinimetric-properties-of-the-electronic-painassessment-tool-epat-for-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JPR [online]. **Babicova, I., Cross, A., Forman, D. et al. Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of PainChek® in UK Aged Care Residents with advanced dementia.

BMC Geriatr 21, 337 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02280-0

Norwich Care Home Centenarian Celebrates Milestone Birthday A resident at Hillcrest care home in Norwich has marked her 100th birthday in style with a guard of honour and a family celebration.

Ruby said: “I had a wonderful time celebrating my birthday with my family, and it was great to be greeted by the staff forming a guard of honour as I left

Ruby Baker visited her family to enjoy a small tea party and as she left the home for her visit, staff sent her on her way outside, chapping and cheering while playing Stevie Wonder’s ‘Happy Birthday to Ya’.

for the day.

“My secret to a long and healthy life is self-discipline, self-will, determination and faith in myself!”

Ruby has four children, son Stephen and daughters Susan, Elizabeth and Julie. Her wider family includes four granddaughters and eight grandsons.

Amy Parker, home manager at Hillcrest care home, said: “Ruby has a great personality and is very kind to others. She is known as the ‘Queen of Hillcrest’

Ruby was married to husband, Chris Baker, for more than 60 years. They lived

and will always join in with any activity and will never let her age get in the

happily together at Hillcrest care home until he sadly passed in 2013, on

way.

Ruby’s birthday.

“We are delighted to have been able to celebrate such a special day with

Ruby was a tailor for many years and also worked in a boat factory, clothing factory and as a cleaner.

Ruby and we look forward to celebrating future birthdays with her here at Hillcrest care home.”

Sparkle for Social Care and TAP to Shine A Light On The Nation’s Care Workers

Sparkle for Social Care is teaming up with TAP (Thank And Praise), the social thanking platform, to highlight the value of the social care sector to society.

Sparkle for Social Care, launched in 2020 at the height of the COVID19 lockdown by the volunteer-led group Championing Social Care, highlights the incredible efforts of the nation’s 1.6 million care workers caring for some of the most vulnerable members of our society.

During the pandemic, care workers across the country have shown an incredible level of selflessness and commitment, regularly putting those they care for ahead of their own families.

Despite this, according to the Institute of Health and Social Care Management’s Public Image of Social Care Survey (March 2021), 90% of those working in social care don’t feel that they receive the recognition they deserve.

A key priority for the sector therefore has to be to increase the recognition of social care, so that care workers receive the level of appreciation they truly deserve. Whether it’s for making a positive difference in their community, providing excellence in service improvement, going beyond expectations or for exemplary provision of care.

While Sparkle for Social Care is a year-round initiative, during July, it is partnering with TAP to elevate their social media campaign using the hashtag #SparkleForSocialCare to highlight the incredible work of care workers and to encourage people to show their appreciation by posting messages of support on TAP’s free-to-use social thanking platform.

“Our amazing care workers provide those they look after with a better quality of life every single day. Now is the ideal time to celebrate their contribution to society!” says Rebecca Woolley, Championing Social Care Director “TAP’s digital thanking platform allows people to share messages of appreciation with care workers; it’s a simple thing to do but it can make a massive difference to how they feel,” said James McLoughlin, Director of TAP. TAP’s free-to-use thanking platform is easy to use and messages posted on its Social Care Thanking Wall are shared with those being thanked. TAP has facilitated thousands of messages of thanks including heart-felt messages for care workers such as this one:

best time they can during the pandemic. Through my work at NCF and Care Workers Charity, I know at just what personal cost this has been to the care workers. We must make sure that 2021 is not just a better year for social care, but a much better year for each and every care worker.

Thank you all”. Vic Rayner Now is the ideal opportunity to show your appreciation to care workers by posting a message on TAP’s Social Thanking Wall If you represent a social care organisation you can also benefit from TAP’s free-to-use thanking platform to help improve workforce wellbeing at an organisational level; register your interest at: www.thankandpraise.com/organisations To register your interest in Sparkle for Social Care. Please visit: www.championingsocialcare.org.uk/sparkleforsocialcare

TO: ALL CARE STAFF

TAP (Thank And Praise) is a free-to-use social thanking platform which enables the public to show their appreciation to the unsung heroes working in social care, healthcare and education, while raising funds for good causes. www.thankandpraise.com

“I want to thank all the incredible care staff who have led the way during this terrible year. They have delivered care with such compassion, dignity, respect and skill. They have also kept spirits high - throwing themselves 150% into ensuring those they support have had the

ABOUT CHAMPIONING SOCIAL CARE: Championing Social Care is a volunteer-led group of leaders from across the social care sector committed to shining a light on the incredible value of the social care to society and those who live and work within it. Hosted by the CareTech Foundation, Championing Social Care’s vision is to ensure a wider and deeper public understanding, appreciation and respect for social care. www.championingsocialcare.org.uk

ABOUT TAP:

PAGE 22 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61

Garden Study Turns Dementia Care Home Residents Into ‘Eco Warriors’ time each day observing and recording details of everything from trees to creepy crawlies.

The awareness of how important the various eco-systems are for the environment led to the idea of planting more trees to help strengthen natural habitats.

Encouraged by the Woodland Trust’s efforts to address the climate crisis through reforestation, residents decided to plant an oak and a horse chestnut tree in the garden and call on community contacts to take similar action.

Companionship team member Wendy Harrington said: “Our garden study involved identifying the plants and animals in our midst, finding out why they are here and how they relate to other species in garden.

“The ultimate aim was to find out how our own garden affects the environment and what we could do to help.

“It began as a quiet study but became fascinating, with residents finding out lots of facts about trees and their essential role as the ‘lungs of the earth’.

“We learned how trees not only provide essential oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide but are also proven to lower stress and lift our moods.

Learning more about the plants and animals on their doorstep has prompted residents of a Dorset dementia care home to start their own tree-planting campaign.

The Aldbury in Poole held a month-long study of biodiversity to highlight the birds, mammals, insects, flora and other species living in its garden.

Based in the summer house at the Colten Care home, residents spent

“And we discovered that if every household in the UK with a garden planted just two trees there would be 45 million new trees in the country.

“This has inspired our residents to become ‘eco-warriors’, keen to spread the message to their local community and try to save the planet one garden at a time.

“The expression ‘from little acorns mighty oaks grow’ could not be more appropriate, with residents saying they will never look at trees the same way again.

“By planting two new trees in The Aldbury garden, we have made a start in lowering our carbon footprint and making our environment a happier, healthier place in which to live.”

Resident and former teacher Ena Grant said: “Whether it is a small tree or a large one, let’s get planting and improve the environment we live in. We absolutely must do this. Our message is simple: please plant two trees to save the world.”

Ena was joined at the tree-planting by fellow residents Joyce Holden, Connie Davis and Brian Hayles.

New Project Aims to Improve Hospital Care for People with Dementia

A team of researchers from the University of Hertfordshire, Leeds Beckett University and the University of Nottingham have been awarded over £300,000 of funding from the Alzheimer’s Society to co-design resources to improve dementia care in hospital.

People with dementia are admitted to hospital for many health reasons, often not directly related to their dementia. Being in hospital can be frightening and disorientating, and patients with dementia often

require additional support from staff during their stay.

This care can come in the form of one-to-one care (also known as “specialing”) or bay nursing (also known as “cohorting”). These are known together as “constant observation”, a common practice in hospitals that aims to keep patients safe.

It enables staff to provide care that responds to the particular needs that a person with dementia may have. However, to do this well in a busy ward environment is not easy. Staff require support, additional training, and opportunities to think through how the hospital environment can be adapted to reduce distress and confusion.

Rosemary Phillips, a former family carer and co-investigator on the project, said: “My father spent his last month in the geriatric ward of a major teaching hospital, and I was there for several hours every day.

There were days when I witnessed some outstanding one-to-one care.

And there were other days, with different staff, where the care was poor. What is needed is a clear understanding of best practice, in a form that staff are able to implement”.

Led by the University of Hertfordshire, this new two-year project will work with hospital staff and people with dementia to co-design and test resources that can be used during constant observation to support person-centred care.

Dr Melanie Handley, Research Fellow in Health and Care for Older People and joint project lead at the University of Hertfordshire, said: “We are delighted to be working with university and hospital partners

in Hertfordshire, Leeds and Nottingham to support best practice for people with dementia admitted to hospital.

“Co-designing resources with the people who will use them and benefit from them is important for addressing the known challenges of providing good dementia care in busy hospital environments. This study will help us to understand if an intervention that aligns patientsafety activities with a person-centred approach, improves the experience of staff and people with dementia to support recovery and reduce distress.”

Dr Richard Oakley, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Society said: “Going into hospital can be a difficult and distressing experience for people with dementia – who make up 40% of older people in hospital – so person-centred care is vital.

“The pandemic has stretched hospital staff to breaking point, making it difficult for them to provide one-to-one care for people with dementia. Our previous research found just 2% of people affected by dementia felt all hospital staff understood the specific needs of people with dementia1 – highlighting a need for effective training and resources that staff can implement in a busy hospital environment. It’s exciting to be funding a study that could transform this, by making sure staff have the tools and support they need to care for people with dementia.”

Are You in Need of Dysphagia Training ? *

*This training is intended for healthcare professionals only.

Did you know that between 50-75% of nursing home residents suffer from dysphagia1? Nutricia has a training solution for you, a FREE e-learning covering the fundamentals of dysphagia management using Nutilis Clear.

The training is divided into 4 sections and has been specially designed for busy health and social care staff caring for people living with dysphagia. It takes 60 minutes in total to complete, however you can complete one section at a time.

HOW CAN THIS TRAINING HELP YOU? • Easy & convenient online solution to dysphagia training • Visibility to track progress in your care home • Raise the quality standard of dysphagia care in a consistent way The quality standards aim is for all new health and social care staff members caring for patients with Dysphagia to complete the modules as part of their induction programme. Existing health and social care staff

members should also complete the learning to support their continuing professional development.

There is a certificate that can be downloaded once the training has been successfully completed.

Use the camera on your phone to scan the QR code to access the elearning and get started!

For any questions contact your local Nutricia sales representative or our Resource Centre at resourcecentre@nutricia.com.

Nutilis Clear is a Food for Special Medical Purposes for the dietary management of dysphagia and must be used under medical supervision.

Reference: 1. O’Loughlin G, Shanley C. Swallowing problems in the nursing home: a novel training response. Dysphagia 1998; 13, 172-183.( https://www.rcslt.org/speech-and-language-therapy/clinical-information/dysphagia)

0203 011 4070 | enquiries@thepolicycompany.co.uk

www.thepolicylibrary.co.uk

PAGE 24 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61

#Unfairtocare Report Launched One of the UK’s largest social care charities, Community Integrated Care, has developed Unfair To Care, a new report examining the social care workforce crisis.

Community Integrated Care launched a ground-breaking report that has found that many frontline social care workers are undervalued by as much as 39% – nearly £7,000 per year – in comparison to their peers in equivalent positions in other public funded sectors. With the social care sector losing more than 34% of its employees every year and having 112,000 vacancies presently, this research brings into stark focus the roots of an unprecedented workforce crisis. the report, ‘Unfair To Care’, is the first ever independent analysis of the frontline Support Worker role – providing in-depth evidence that frontline carers receive an unjust deal in comparison to other public funded industries and breaks the stereotype that social care is a ‘lowskilled’ sector.

The analysis has led to calls for the Government to provide an immediate and fair pay rise to social care workers and deliver a robust social care sector people plan, which ensures long-term parity of pay with other public funded sectors. The full report can be found at: www.UnfairToCare.co.uk The average pay for Support Workers in England who assist people to live independently in the community is £17,695 or £9.05 per hour – 45p per hour below the Real Living Wage.

Community Integrated Care commissioned Korn Ferry, the global experts in job role evaluation, to undertake an in-depth analysis of this

position, objectively assessing its true value across sectors. Their researchers found that roles with equivalent scope, complexity and accountability within other public funded sectors are, on average, paid at £24,602.

The gap is even greater in the sector’s counterpart – the NHS. The average take home pay for equivalent jobs in the NHS is £25,142, meaning that many social care workers would need a 42% pay rise, an additional £7,447, to have parity with their NHS peers.

The analysis demonstrates that the role of social care workers has changed beyond recognition in the past decade, as the sector increasingly supports people with highly complex health and care needs. With frontline colleagues commonly supporting and understanding complex medical and behavioural needs – from dementia to acquired brain injuries, having innate and rare personal gifts, and taking an exceptional level of personal accountability, the position was found to be significantly undervalued.

This data demolishes the crude assessment by Home Secretary, Priti Patel, that social care is a “low-skilled” sector. It demonstrates that Support Workers frequently have the same or a greater level of skill and accountability as professions such as healthcare assistants, police community support officers, and senior teaching assistants.

The report outlines that the local authorities who fund social care and the social care providers they commission are at financial breaking point and cannot deliver increased pay without greater investment and progressive reform from central government. It has strengthened calls from across the sector for the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to live up to his promise, which is now almost two years old, of “fixing the crisis in social care once and for all.”

A CALL FOR ACTION Unfair to Care outlines astonishing personal crises – such as mental health challenges, homelessness, family breakdowns – that are played out across the sector, due to low pay. It also shows how the turnover of the sector impacts upon the quality-of-care that people receive – showing that the loss of a much-loved Support Worker can be felt like a bereavement to people who access care.

It asks the Government to give an immediate and fair pay rise to all frontline social care workers. It also calls upon the Government to urgently prioritise implementing a social care workforce strategy, which sees all roles being benchmarked to have parity of pay with other public

Please mention THE CARER when responding to advertising.

Freephone: 0800 917 7943 www.euroservice-uk.com sales@euroservice-uk.com Manufactured in the UK

funded sectors.

The report clearly articulates that pay is only part of the solution needed to both fix the employment crisis that is engulfing a sector that has 112,000 vacancies and to extend the societal impact of social care.

Its recommendations include a significant expansion of training and development options, a focus on creating routes to career progression, the introduction of professional registration, campaigns to raise the esteem of the sector, a focus on diversity and inclusion, investment in mental health support, and reward and recognition strategies.

AN ISSUE OF STRATEGY AND FOCUS, NOT POSSIBILITY Mark Adams, CEO of Community Integrated Care, says: “The moral case for investment in social care and its workforce has, sadly, been ignored for years. This research now provides cold hard facts, which surely cannot be ignored by the Government. Our research proves that in other related sectors, many frontline Support Workers would be getting paid at least £6,907 more per year, and almost £7500 within the NHS. This is immoral, illogical, and cannot be justified.”

“This is a significant challenge, but it can be fixed – firstly, by recognising the £46bn contribution that social care makes to the UK economy annually, and also delivering progressive reforms that improve efficiency and quality of live through delivering joined-up services, reducing the burden on family carers and embracing innovations. All evidence points to overwhelming public support for investment in the sector. This is an issue of strategy and focus, not of possibility.”

“It is a matter of national shame that social care workers, who provide such an invaluable service to society, are in such desperate circumstances. Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, frontline workers have risked their health to protect those who need their support. Most have done so below the poverty line and without the basic safety net of sick pay. This cannot continue.”

Phil Hope, Co-Chair of Future Social Care Coalition and former Care Minister, says: “Unfair to Care provides essential evidence in the case for urgent investment in the social care sector, to deliver workforce reform and fair pay. It cannot be right that people in social care positions are so vastly underpaid in comparison to their equivalents in other public funded sectors, despite the significant skill and accountability of their roles.”

“It is time for the Government to respect, reward and regulate, to support all those working on the ‘forgotten frontline’. It has never been clearer that they warrant and deserve a fair deal.”

Well Pharmacy Partners with The Access Group to Support the Delivery of Outstanding Care Reduction in medication errors using pro-active alerts, alarms and best practice workflows to make sure medication compliance and safety for residents.

Greater visibility and compliance - provides all staff and management with a clear picture of medication administration.

Celebrating 40 years of trolleys!

Providing practical and stylish trolleys to suit your needs.

Watch your resident’s eyes light up when the beautiful tea trolley arrives..! Or even the drinks trolley for an afternoon tipple?

Euroservice trolleys are an attractive and practical alternative to clinical aluminium trolleys given that antibacterial spray can be used freely to sanitise them.

Moreover, when not in use the attractive trolleys can be used as a vending trolley, selling personal care products to residents or snacks/pastries to visitors.

Your lovely trolley could do so much for you and your residents!

Get in touch with our friendly, experienced sales team who will be happy to help!

www.euroservice-uk.com

Visit the website at euroservice-uk.com to see the full range.

Well Pharmacy, the UK’s largest independent pharmacy chain, is delighted to announce a new partnership with The Access Group, the largest provider of software to UK care and nursing homes, designed to support the delivery of outstanding care.

This partnership will highlight Access’ innovative Medication Management solution, which has already been successfully implemented in a number of care homes serviced by Well Pharmacy.

Access Medication Management is the UK’s most widely used eMAR system and is proven to reduce medication errors and make manual time-consuming processes like ordering medication and stock checking much more accurate and efficient.

Cited in CQC reports as helping clients achieve ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’ ratings, Medication Management is a quick and efficient way to introduce technology and help ensure residents safety.

Access Medication Management offers everything care home organisations need to support patient safety including all equipment, installation, training and technical support. They also provide the full range of solutions needed for care homes to transition to fully digital care provision.

Key benefits of Access’ Medication Management solution: Access’ market leading electronic care planning system gives care and nursing homes a unified record of both medication and care notes/activities.

Full integration with Well Pharmacy making data transfer more efficient and improving communication between the local pharmacy and home.

Ben Smith, Care Homes Sales Manager for Well Pharmacy said: “We are pleased to highlight Access’ Medication Management solution to over 350 care homes we serve across the UK. At Well Pharmacy we are always looking for new ways to help and support our care home customers. Patient and resident safety is our number one priority and we’re pleased to be working with The Access Group offer new solutions to give residents the best possible care.”

Steve Sawyer, Managing Director, Access Group’s Health and Social Care Division said: “At Access, we pride ourselves on supporting care staff to provide the highest quality of care to their residents. Access Medication Management reduces the risk of medication errors, while giving everyone in a care home more time back to interact with residents or focus on work that will improve care, capacity, and occupancy at their homes.

We're proud to be working with one of the largest pharmacy chains in the UK, who share our vision of using software in health and social care, to better manage all medication processes, encouraging fellow organisations so that this becomes a standard way of working across all UK care homes.”

For more information, about Well Pharmacy’s Care Home Service please contact: carehomes@well.co.uk For more information about Access’ Medication Management software visit: www.theaccessgroup.com/health-social-care/care-management-software/medication-management/

PAGE 26 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Burlington Uniforms Burlington Uniforms are proud to provide healthcare uniforms to a variety of Healthcare professionals.

With our friendly, dedicated Team always ready to help, their combined wealth of knowledge within the Healthcare sector covers everything from your first enquiry right through to managing your account after despatch and beyond.

Supplying high quality garments to our customers is our passion, in an array of colours and sizes, our extensive healthacre ranges can provide everything you need, making us your one stop shop. We can also take care of personalisation through our talented embroidery team, giving you a final look you'll be proud of.

We can cater to the public and private healthcare sectors, so our collection of healthcare uniforms has been expertly designed with all medical settings in mind. Offering comfortable scrubs, dresses, tunics and coordinated trousers, our medical workwear is suited to every area of your industry.

Designed for comfort and flexability, these garments ensure staff enjoy ease of movement and are unrestricted throughout their shifts.

Besides our extensive stock service, our experience in manurfacturing and our wealth of textile expertise allows us to also provide end to end bespoke solutions for our customers, contact us for more details about working with us on bespoke requirements.

Call 08707 300 150 Sales@burlington-uniforms.co.uk www.burlington-uniforms.co.uk See the advert on page 11.

Yeoman Shield Fire Rated Door Edge Protector When specifying for a structure, it’s important to be aware of the level of wear and tear a door can be exposed to in a public building.

Door edges, in particular, can be easily damaged or worn down by regular use – which can then render them non-compliant for fire safety regulations. To ensure that a project remains compliant, an architect can specify durable door edge protectors to add durability and longevity to doors.

Not only will specifying edge protectors increase the longevity of doors, they will enhance the cost efficiency of a project by reducing maintenance demands and the possibility of having to replace unsafe fire doors.

Yeoman Shield fire rated Door Edge Protectors are unique with a 2.0 mm Vinylac outer and a specially formulated 9mm PVCu reinforced core. They are FD30 (1/2 hour) and FD60 (1 hour) rated

with intumescent seals that are in accordance to the fire door’s specification. Fire rated Door Edge Protectors are suitable for commercial applications such as residential blocks, schools and hospitals etc.

Door Edge Protectors can also be specified with different fire seals, from a plain intumescent fire seal to a brush, fire and smoke variant.

Of course, for doors that are non-fire rated in an architect’s project Yeoman Shield also provide quality edge protectors without seals to enhance durability and reduce wear.

Source a full range of door protection panels and kick plates from a single supplier by choosing Yeoman Shield. Our door protection panels and kick plates offer the same lasting durability and quality as our door edge protectors.

Visit www.yeomanshield.com for details.

Mendabath UK uses high quality bath resurfacing and bathroom repair products that are trusted all over the world. Aligned with our expertise, we offer a service that is simply unparalleled in the UK. Our experienced team is comprised of experts that will deliver a service that will exceed your expectations. From minor cosmetic repairs to bringing an old bath back to life, we can restore any suite. We offer resurfacing and repair services for baths, sinks and showers for care homes, private residences and commercial properties across the UK. Commercial bath repairs and resurfacing Discoloured and damaged baths can be resurfaced with a turnaround time of just twenty four hours, keeping lost occupancy days to a minimum.

This is more environmentally friendly than replacing your bath and will save you both time and money.

Slip resistant application We apply slip resistance the day

after the bath or shower tray resurfacing. This works well in busy hotels, where there is a strong duty of care to customers yet time is of the essence. For this process the room will be out of commission for a further twenty four hours while the surface cures and hardens.

Basin repairs and resurfacing We can repair and resurface cracked, stained and chipped basins, making them look new again.

Cosmetic bath and basin repairs Sanitary ware with minor chips and scratches can be cosmetically repaired. Our technicians fade-in each repair so that they are almost invisible to the naked eye.

Shower repairs and shower tray resurfacing We can fully restore any stained and cracked shower tray, giving it a fresh, new look.

See the advert on page 9 or visit www.mendabath.co.uk

CareZips Dignity Trousers Bath Resurfacing and Chip Repair ™

CareZips™ preserve dignity and privacy of people receiving care during diaper changes.

CareZips™ make diaper changes easier and faster, reducing workload, saving efforts, and saving time!

CareZips™ help to deliver better standards of care!

Fitted with unique 3-zip fastening system, the CareZips™ make changing of incontinence diapers more dignified and comfortable for the patients and easier and faster for the carers.

CareZips™ feature 3 strategically positioned zips, 2 of which run from the waist to the knees on both sides of the body. The 3rd zip goes from the inside of one knee up to the crotch and down to the second knee on the inside of the other leg. This zip facilitates total opening of the trousers at the crotch during diaper changes. The 3-zip system ensures fast and easy access to the abdomen and crotch without having to undress the patients or pull their trousers down.

CareZips™ are suitable for men and women. They

are available in 7 sizes for perfect fit. CareZips™ are soft and wrinkle resistant with stretch and give for extra comfort. Practical, durable, washable and noniron, the CareZips™ trousers are the perfect choice for daily use.

Contact Win Health Medical Ltd - 01835 864866 www.win-health.com

Spotta’s Early Warning System Prevents Bed Bug Infestations Smart pest monitoring system marks one year of real-world operations, detecting bed bugs in 94.2% of cases

In its first year of operation, Spotta’s monitoring and detection system identified bed bugs in 94.2% of cases, significantly reducing the number of encounters between bed bugs and residents in multi-room properties.

The ‘always-on’ monitoring service uses advanced recognition technology to identify insects and provide real time alerts. Spotta enables multi-room properties such as sheltered and residential housing accommodation and their pest control partners to identify occurrences of bed bugs and treat the problem early, limiting the damage caused and spread of the pests.

In its first year of real-world deployment in customer properties Spotta serviced over 91,000 room nights. Of

the detections made by Spotta, over half (52.2%) were in rooms with no recent history of bed bugs, proving the system’s effectiveness as an early warning against new infestations. Repeat detections in rooms help property managers assess whether extermination treatments are successful or if further, more extensive treatment is needed.

“For accommodation providers, most of the overall financial impact of bed bugs comes from contact between the occupant and pests, which leads to complaints, disruption and high treatment costs,” says Robert Fryers, co-founder and CEO of Spotta.

During the Bed Pod’s first year, 94.2% of cases were successfully detected by Spotta, with room residents reporting bed bugs accounting for just 3.3% of cases and staff identifying the remaining 2.5%.

Fryers continues: “The first year results of Bed Pod show we have a credible, proven solution with realworld efficacy. This represents a transformative step for pest controllers, accommodation providers and property managers by allowing them to proactively monitor for bed bugs, rather than just reacting when problems are reported.”

Find out more at www.spotta.co See the advert on page 15.

Jolly Trolley Brings Therapeutic Activity and Entertainment to Patients That Are Isolating The Jolly Trolley® is an essential for any care establishment as it promotes social interaction between the service users and their carers. This innovative system is fully mobile and battery operated, allowing residents who may be unable to leave their rooms to also be included with ease.

The Jolly Trolley® comes complete with its own videos, quizzes, karaoke and other content, but personal music, photos and films can then be added from a USB stick to really bring out the magic!

Don’t just take our word for it here are just some testimonials from our very happy Health and Social Care clients:

Chester Park- Megan Allan, Activities “The fact that we can upload what is relevant to the specific Individual is so meaningful for that person and I can assure you we have shed some tears being able to be part of that residents memory journey. It has been an amazing addition to our care home – from staff and residents – thank you.”

Pennine NHS Trust - Beech Ward“we have been able to provide therapeutic activity & entertainment with ease to patients that are isolating” To see what the Jolly Trolley® can do for you, call us for a free demonstration on 0800 093 8499.

See the advert on page 6.

Adaptawear Iona Nightie: Full Opening-Back Nightie Ideal for those bed-ridden, struggling with mobility or needing palliative end of life care - the Iona nightie from adaptawear.com has been specifically designed with these people in mind.

This unique product comes with a fully opening back, shoulder openings on both sides, and easy poppers, which fasten quickly with limited effort. As the nightgown opens up completely flat, it can be put on from a lying or seated position, ensuring less stress for both the wearer and carer. The open back function with a generous overlap also ensures dignity when toileting and a quick drying cotton fabric is

comfortable and practical.

As well as the Iona adapted nightie, Adaptawear have a range of other back opening nighties, including their popular Petal Back range, and also fully front button nightwear. Their men and women's ranges feature a full range of adaptive daywear, including front fastening bras and comfortable cotton underwear; with a customer recently sharing they had ‘regained their independence with such helpful items.’

All items can be found at www.adaptawear.com or call 0800 051 1931 for more info. Don’t forget to use code CR10M at checkout for 10% off your order.

Evaness 100% Biodegradable Consumables Range EVANESS is the only full range of biodegradable products for the care and health sector, from various sizes and strengths of bin liners, to clingfilm and food/freezer bags. EVANESS is a derivative from the word ‘Evanesce” meaning to vanish and the technology used in the biodegradable range is scientifically proven to degrade the material if it gets into the open environment and then facilitate the secondary process of biodegradation, without causing micro-plastics.

New recent additions to the product range include compostable bin liners which are manufactured to EN13432 certification for home and industrial composting, and the UK’s first ANTI-VIRAL Grip Seal bag, which although are non-biodegradable are specifically designed to combat the transmission of viruses and bacteria.

The pandemic brought about many concerns over how to store and handle a range of items, which were handled by many a person to avoid the transfer of viruses

and bacteria. Consumable Supplies created a Grip Seal bag which incorporates an advanced British technology D2P by Symphony Environmental, which provides protection to the surface of the Grip Seal bag against microorganisms or viruses for the lifetime of the bag and offers a 99.9% Anti-Viral reduction after 1 hour of contact.

Although the bag can be used for the storage and handling of any items you wish to protect, such as medicines, PPE equipment, laboratory samples, cash, keys etc, as the product is Food-Safe, it also offers its use to storing food. The initial bag size offered is 150mm x 200mm, so useful for smaller items and can form part of your existing health and hygiene protection routine.

Consumable Supplies strives to offer unique quality environmentally friendlier products at reasonable prices with a great no-quibble customer service. Free delivery on any order.

See the advert on page 21 or visit www.consumablesupplies.co.uk

PAGE 28 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61

NHS Leaders Urge Mask Wearing To Continue To Be Legal Requirement In Health And Care Settings Healthcare leaders are urging the government to be clear with the public about where and when to wear a face masks and to ensure that it continues to be a requirement in hospitals, GP practices, ambulances and other health and care settings.

As the government promises to publish ‘clear and strong guidance’ on mask wearing, 9 in 10 healthcare leaders in England polled by the NHS Confederation, which represents organisations across the health service, say it should continue to be a legal requirement for people to wear masks in all health care settings.

If the guidance is too opaque or does not go far enough then stronger measures may also be needed to ensure people continue to don a face covering every time they visit their GP, go to into hospital or see a healthcare professional in other setting.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “COVID-19 has not gone away and although the vaccine is helping to reduce the severity and impact of the disease, we really do have to continue to be careful and try to protect ourselves and each other.

“We know that face masks are proven to reduce the spread of COVID-19 which is why the overwhelming majority of our members are urging the government to be crystal clear with the public and say that it is mandatory requirement to wear a face mask in all healthcare settings. NHS leaders are very concerned that unless the message is simple and unambiguous people may get confused and make their own rules which could put others at risk.”

One NHS manager said: “Wearing a mask is a small gesture but an important one as it dramatically reduces cross infection and will protect those still vulnerable.”

Another added: “It’s a small ask for potentially very large gain in keeping COVID transmission rates lower and keeping our patients and health and care staff as safe as possible.”

“If the public are not clear on when they should wear a mask and choose not to this will once again lead to the even more rapid spread of infection to the most vulnerable members of the population both in the community and within healthcare settings. The point of masks is not just to protect yourself but everyone else too.”

New Transparent Face Mask Shields Your Smile, Without Hiding It! Newly launched Smile Shield has a transparent panel to aid communication, whilst offering medical grade protection, and meeting all elements of the government’s Transparent Face Mask Specification. Smile Shield has also over 98% bacterial filtration efficiency, is breathable, splash proof and hypoallergenic.

It is a British invention, created by two founders Jennifer and Lisa, who also own TAD medical, known for its range of medical supplies, already widely used by hospitals, educational facilities and the emergency Services.

Jennifer Soboslay, Founder of Smile Shield comments: “Visual facial expression is a huge benefit to many industries, as communication is so important to us all, especially a smile, which can change the sentiment of the information being shared or be

encouraging without words. The Smile Shield allows lip reading, visible facial expressions, and a clearer understanding and connection between people to take place.”

The Smile Shield™ can also be used as a surgical mask.

The clear front panel makes the mouth visible, which is especially important for those caring for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, have a learning disability, or suffer with autism or dementia.

Soboslay, adds: “We saw a gap in the market for a medical grade mask with a clear panel, that can be used by healthcare providers.”

Hypoallergenic and latex free, the Smile Shield mask is comfortable to wear and offers over 98% Bacterial Filtration Efficiency. For more information about Smile Shield, please visit: www.smileshieldmask.com.

LAUNDRY SOLUTIONS Forbes Delivers a Streamlined Solution for National Care Groups A national care group needs to know that they are delivering a consistently high standard of care and in order to do this they need to ensure that they are working with service partners that they can trust. When it comes to laundry provision, centralised procurement and management teams want to know that they will have access to a streamlined process for all on-going account and service management.

Forbes Professional offers a nationwide delivery of a localbased service, with the security and reliability that comes from being a long-established company. Our expansive network of depots and field engineers enables a highly responsive service and maintenance response, which is mobilised via a dedicated hotline at our head office. We work closely with clients to devise the solution best suited to their requirements; conducting comprehensive site-surveys, offering detailed CAD designs and always specifying the most

appropriate, industry compliant machines. We choose our manufacturers extremely carefully to ensure that we are offering the highest quality of both product and service. For the care sector, hygiene is always of paramount importance and our commercial laundry equipment fully adheres to the relevant WRAS and CQC guidelines for infection control.

All of our laundry equipment is available for rent, lease or purchase with maintenance.

Our Complete Care rental solution gives access to premium equipment without upfront capital outlay and with no repair or replacement bills for the life of the contract. National care groups are always assigned a dedicated account manager who remains their point of contact, centralising all account management for a highly efficient process that keeps things simple for both procurement teams and care management staff. www.forbespro.co.uk info@forbes-professional.co.uk 0345 070 2335

Cash’s Labels- “The Name Behind the Name”

At Cash's, we aim to capture, reinforce and communicate our clients’ brand equity through quality and innovation, from design to distribution.

Our product range fully caters for the needs of both small and large retailers and brand owners alike comprising of woven and printed labels, woven badges, care labels, branded and promotional swing tags, garment accessories, packaging and barcoding.

Our ground breaking labelling and security technologies are also able to provide an unrivalled level of protec-

tion to our customers' brand by assisting to combat counterfeiting and grey market activity.

Our industry leading eCommerce system is designed to reduce cost, improve efficiency and streamline supply chain management and will fully protect the integrity and accuracy of critical business data. The order entry process is very simple meaning suppliers and vendors can spend their valuable time on tasks other than ordering apparel labelling and accessories.

See the advert this page for details.

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61 | PAGE 31

HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL CleanRite, Proves Efficacy of Hypochlorous Against SARS-CoV-2 to Offer New Generation of Alcohol-Free Sanitisers Launching in the UK CleanRite sanitisers, a new dermatologically advanced solution to keeping surfaces and hands guarded against COVID-19 is launching in the UK in April 2021. CleanRite is a new generation disinfectant range to ensure surfaces, the air in areas such as care homes, as well as hands - are all protected from the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

THE ‘WONDER’ OF HYPOCHLOROUS The CleanRite range of sanitising products are Hypochlorous-based (HOCl) which is an anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial solution, proven to kill 99.9% of germs on contact.

Specifically, Hypochlorous has been proven effective against SARS-CoV-2 in an independent lab test carried out by Richard Stanton, a Reader in Division of Infection & Immunity at the School of Medicine at Cardiff University. Fully regulated and child-friendly, CleanRite, which dries quickly and leaves no sticky residue, is perfect for use in care homes - as well as being dermatologically tested and suitable for use from birth.

Caroline Fogarty, Managing Director, CF Pharma, said, “In laboratory tests we were able to show that the Hypochlorous ingredient in CleanRite killed the SARS-CoV-2 virus within 30 seconds. Hypochlorous is a ‘wonder’ ingredient because not only is it free of alcohol and harmful chemicals, it is hypoallergenic and skin friendly. It is as natural as water and doesn’t need to be rinsed off. So not only is it people-friendly, but it is planet-friendly too.

“I believe that Hypochlorous is the future of everyday sanitisation. As we learn to live with the need for heightened sanitisation even after lockdown is eased, choosing something that is gentle on your skin, eyes, lungs and even the environment makes CleanRite ideal for long-term usage.”

CLEANRITE – BOTH POWERFUL AND SAFE CleanRite is an alcohol-free hypoallergenic sanitiser. It is highly effective without dehydrating, irritating, stinging or damaging skin or eyes making it perfect for all skin types, including sensitive skin.

CleanRite is highly effective on multiple surfaces and equipment including kitchen worktops (since it is food safe). And unlike most alcohol-based products, CleanRite is non-flammable.

Clare Hughes (MPSI BSc PHARM), Founder, CF Pharma said, “The advanced CleanRite formulation based on Hypochlorous, makes this ‘nature’s powerful disinfectant’. Indeed, Hypochlorous, which is produced naturally by the body’s white blood cells to support the human immune system in fighting infection and bacteria, has been used in wound-healing for decades.”

Caroline Fogarty said, “It looks like we are going to be living with the need for increased sanitisation for some considerable time. So being able to offer a sanitisation range that has a skin friendly pH for family use, from birth, makes CleanRite an essential tool for everyone as we navigate the new normal.”

AVAILABILITY CleanRite is manufactured in various sizes from 60ml to 4500ml with convenient 60ml and 150ml finger sprays for travel available, which are for sale on Amazon For further information, to view the full range of products or to place an order for your business, visit CleanRite CF Pharma http://cleanrite.ie

Protecting Residents From Germs And Viruses And Creating Odour-Free Environments Within care home environments, there is an intense focus on hygiene and cleaning standards to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the residents and mitigate the spread of viruses, bacteria, germs and infectious diseases. For elderly people, the threat of viruses such as COVID-19 poses additional concerns, given that they often have more compromised immune systems.

Despite the necessary measures of routine handwashing, PPE and disposable equipment, the spread of sickness, infection and viruses such as coronavirus and influenza are major concerns in the care home environment.

Between 2nd March and 12the June 2020, there were over 66,000 deaths of care home residents in England and Wales, compared to just under 37,000 deaths in 2019.

Whereas, due to the nature of care home facilities and the residents who occupy them, it is impossible to completely eradicate odours, sickness and the spread of infections and viruses, there is a factor that is often overlooked – indoor air quality.

However, though it may be more difficult to visibly recognise, poor quality indoor air can also have severe and lasting effects on cognition and health. According to studies conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in care homes and other large facilities, indoor levels of pollutants may be more than 100 times higher than pollutants found outdoors.

In the UK, the average person spends the vast majority of their time indoors, but due to restricted mobility or underlying medical conditions, most care home residents spend an even greater

proportion of their time indoors.

Therefore, adding the complementary process of an air purification solution to the hygiene mix is a vital requirement for care homes in maintaining a healthy living space.

99.99% EFFECTIVE AGAINST CORONAVIRUS One solution is the Fellowes AeraMax Pro air purifier, which utilises a unique fourstage filtration system, featuring HEPA filters, to provide maximum protection against harmful airborne contaminants – including being 99.99% effective against Coronavirus 229E. AeraMax Pro air purifiers remove germs and viruses, and eliminate odours, allergens and other irritants from the air, removing up to 99.9% of air contaminants.

AeraMax Pro uses EnviroSmart technology to monitor a room’s air quality and occupancy. It adjusts its performance to optimise effectiveness whilst reducing energy consumption and extending filter life. This is particularly important in the care home environment where occupancy levels may vary greatly in common areas and dining rooms throughout the day.

To learn more about the benefits of improving indoor air quality in the care home environment visit: http://aeramaxpro.com/uk/ *Fellowes AeraMax Pro air purifiers were demonstrated to be effective in reducing aerosolised airborne concentration of Human Coronavirus 229E in a test chamber reaching 99.99% airborne reduction within 1 hour of operation, based on independent laboratory testing.

How To Prevent Infection Spreading with Safer Bed Bathing

By Elizabeth Jamieson, Senior Product Manager, Vernacare (www.vernacare.com) Daily assisted bed bathing is usually provided for critically ill or immobile patients to help improve personal hygiene and skin care, promote comfort, and most importantly prevent infection. Poor hygiene can cause a build-up of pathogens on the skin, which can increase infection risk.

One research study found that 51% of patients in ICU were infected, the vast majority with a healthcare-associated infection (HCAI).

Moreover, it is thought that up to 39% of patients have at least one hospital-associated pathogen on their hands within 48 hours of hospital admission.

Critically ill patients are at greater risk for skin colonization and infection with multidrug-resistant organisms. Supporting those in hospital or community care settings with a lack of mobility, to cleanse regularly, is a fundamental aspect of nursing care.

There are several assisted bathing solutions available that help to provide a body wash for the elderly or those with limited mobility. Keep reading for our recommendations.

REUSABLE WASHCLOTH Reusable washcloths, which are often used across multiple patients, are well known for harbouring bacteria and should be replaced with a single-use disposable body wipe or cloth. This is particularly important for patients who are immunocompromised or critically ill, or those whose skin integrity is compromised, for example, patients with burns.

WATERBORNE BACTERIAL INFECTION Tap water meets stringent safety standards, but it is not sterile; as

DAILY CHLORHEXIDINE BATHING The use of chlorhexidine wipes in hospitals, as well as other CHG based products, has increased over recent years, leading to concerns that repeated exposure of bacteria to chlorhexidine might result in resistance. Some suggest that if clinical use of chlorhexidine continues to increase, it is important to be alert to the possibility that this may lead to the emergence of new clones with reduced susceptibility.

Indiscriminate chlorhexidine use in the absence of efficacy data should be discouraged.

RINSE-FREE BED BATHING TECHNIQUES – BEST PRACTICE

such bacteria and other microbes may be present when the water leaves the tap. For typical household uses these microbes rarely pose a serious health risk, however, in healthcare settings, patients might be more vulnerable to infection.

In recent years, research has indicated that water systems can act as a source of P.aeruginosa transmission in healthcare settings, and as a result, many infection prevention specialists advise that tap water should be avoided when caring for critically ill patients.

The development of water-free systems are giving healthcare providers a range of no-rinse body wash wipes to choose from when cleaning patients or residents.

Rinse-free washing eliminates: • Reusable components (such as reusable face washcloths) • The use of water (which can be responsible for waterborne infectious diseases) • The use of harsh disinfectants (similar to those used in CHG Bath wipes) The soft single use washcloths available contain a unique combination of skin cleansers to help remove sweat, dirt, urine, and faeces from the skin. Use one single-use cloth per anatomical region to ensure effective cleansing and minimised risk of cross-contamination.

If performed correctly, it is widely accepted that the mechanical action of wiping will remove most harmful bacteria from the skin, without the requirement for a biocide within the formulation.

PAGE 32 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61

HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL

Seconds Save Lives: Clean Your Hands Skin and surface hygiene specialist, GOJO Industries-Europe Ltd, supports the WHO’s annual ‘Save Lives: Clean Your Hands’ campaign

Skin health and surface hygiene expert, GOJO Industries-Europe, is proud to be part of the global movement to improve hand hygiene and is once again supporting the World Health Organization’s annual ‘SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands’ campaign. Its worldwide advocacy day falls on 5th May, and this year it is focused on achieving appropriate hand hygiene action at the point of care. Its ‘seconds save lives – clean your hands!’ slogan reinforces the message that taking a little extra time to practise hand hygiene makes all the difference.

To achieve this, healthcare workers should have access to good-quality alcohol-based hand rub products, clean water, soap, single-use towels and an adequate number of functioning sinks within patient zones. This enables hand hygiene practise at the five key moments: before touching a patient, before clean/aseptic procedures, after body fluid exposure/risk, after touching a patient, and after touching a patient’s surroundings.

2021 has also been designated the ‘International Year of Health and Care Workers’, so focusing on their protection is just as crucial. The PURELL brand’s focus on ‘formulation without compromise’ means that products in the range have been proven to maintain skin health and have high antimicrobial efficacy. In fact, in scientific tests, PURELL Advanced Hygienic Hand Rub was found to kill 99.99% of the most common germs that may be harmful, including Coronavirus, with a contact time of just 30 seconds.

Chris Wakefield, Managing Director UK & Ireland, GOJO IndustriesEurope Ltd comments, ‘As a founder member of the WHO Private

Organizations for Patient Safety group, we are strong advocates of making hand hygiene second nature to everyone – this past year has shown how this is more important than ever. We hope that this year’s campaign encourages everyone to do their part, as it takes commitment from all for

hand hygiene programmes to be successful.

‘We strongly encourage everyone in the healthcare industry to unite in support of hand hygiene improvement. As well as healthcare workers cleaning their hands, IPC practitioners need to continue mentoring and championing the act, facility managers must ensure that supplies are available at every point of care, and policy makers should invest now to enable hand hygiene for all. Everyone, the general public included, must make clean hands a habit. It protects us all.’

Backed by a wealth of scientific expertise, and specialist formulations, GOJO has the technology and experience to work in partnership with healthcare managers to implement effective hand and surface hygiene regimes, and promote hygienic and compliant hand hygiene behaviour.

Assets, such as posters and product placement guides are available to download from GOJO’s dedicated ‘Hand Hygiene Day’ page at www.gojo.com/WHO-May-5 from mid-April.

Free advocacy toolkits to support the WHO Save Lives: Clean Your Hands campaign are available on the WHO website: http://www.who.int/infection-prevention/campaigns/clean-hands/en/ WHO invites everyone to use the hashtags #CleanYourHands #HandHygiene #InfectionPrevention on social media to ensure Save Lives: Clean Your Hands posts are picked up by the campaign.

For more information, call +44 (0)1908 588444, email infouk@GOJO.com or visit www.GOJO.com

Take Maximum Control of Washroom Hygiene, Efficiency and Sustainability New from Kimberly-Clark Professional is the Scott® ControlTM Mini Twin Centrefeed Toilet Tissue system designed to deliver maximum hygiene, efficiency and sustainability in healthcare and hospital washrooms. Just launched, the new dispenser is the most hygienic in the marketplace1 and is the highest capacity centrefeed toilet tissue system available.

Launched as part of the Kimberly-Clark Professional 360 Hygiene & Protection programme, the new twin system provides the healthcare sector with optimum hygiene, with a one-wipe-clean dispenser that is designed with no shut lines or key holes.

“In the healthcare sector, hygiene plus the safety and wellbeing of staff and patients, is the highest priority as it copes with the ongoing pandemic,” says Richard Millard, EMEA Senior Category Manager, Bath Tissue, Kimberly-Clark Professional.

“The pressure on Healthcare Facility Managers and cleaning staff to deliver hygiene without compromising efficiency is higher than ever. This system is designed to reduce hygiene risks and refill events, enabling cleaning staff to be deployed to other more critical hygiene duties.”

Designed with fully enclosed, protected rolls for touchless dispensing, the new system avoids cross contamination as users only touch the sheet to be used. Controlled single sheet dispensing reduces paper usage for exceptional cost in use and maximum efficiency.

A never-run-out twin design delivers 100% tissue availability and reduces the need for refills for improved efficiency of staff and provides guaranteed dispensing reliability – every time.2 Fewer refills means less chance for cross contamination keeping staff, patients and visitors safe and confident that facilities are well stocked and managed for their comfort and convenience.

The most hygienic and highest capacity toilet tissue system ever from Kimberly-Clark Professional, the Scott® ControlTM Twin Centrefeed Toilet Tissue System is ideal for busy washrooms in high footfall environments. It has 1,666 sheets and a total of 408 metres of tissue per fully loaded dispenser which means it has 82% more metres and 426 more sheets than other twin centrefeed systems.

A full dispenser provides sufficient tissue for a huge 408 visits versus typically just 72 visits with a competitive

single bulk pack folded toilet tissue system. Compared with uncontrolled, toilet tissue systems, the new twin centrefeed dispenser provides up to 378 more visits than a small roll toilet tissue and up to 285 more visits than a 2x200 metre competitive jumbo toilet roll.

“Using a controlled toilet tissue system is the future for delivering maximum efficiency. The wastage generated from jumbo roll and small roll formats makes them not the preferred choice for high traffic environments”, adds Richard Millard.

In today’s world, hospital and healthcare facilities must ensure that heightened hygiene risks are managed with no concessions for efficiencies and sustainability targets. Meeting sustainability KPI’s is crucial for Healthcare Facility Managers with responsible and recycled products increasingly in demand.

Meeting such a demand, the new Scott® Control™ Twin Centrefeed Toilet Tissue is produced from 100% recycled FSC certified fibre, with roll packaging also 30% recycled and 100% recyclable. Additionally, the controlled dispensing of the new system reduces paper use and reduces the need for storage and transportation of supplies.

Washroom waste is avoided with this highest capacity system which has a roll change indicator to alert staff when supply is running low.

Domestic Managers need worry less about the hygiene and maintenance headaches of toilet blockages. The Scott® branded quality toilet tissue has excellent paper disintegration avoiding disruptive blockages.

“The Scott® Control™ range offers a complete washroom solution for the hospital and healthcare sector, delivering increased hygiene without compromising on washroom efficiency or sustainability,” adds Richard Millard. “As with all our washroom systems, the Scott® ControlTM Twin Centrefeed Toilet Tissue system delivers unmatched market leading hygiene and efficiencies, so our customers can provide facilities that support the safety, health and wellbeing of staff, patients and visitors during these challenging times now and uncertain ones ahead.”

To register your interest for a trial or find out more, visit https://home.kcprofessional.com/uk/scottTwin To see the system in action, watch our video here https://youtu.be/D1re4N1Bc_E

Angloplas Dispensers Help Reduce the Risk of Cross Infection Angloplas are a UK manufacturer who specialise in producing dispensers for the health and hygiene industry.

Although these are designed to keep the workplace tidy and uncluttered they are, more importantly, built knowing the control of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) are a priority for healthcare providers, and who are employing a combination of infection prevention and control strategies, including hand hygiene, cleaning, training and the adoption of new technologies, to tackle the problem.

As a result, a wide range of infection control products and technologies are emerging on the market, including antimicrobial technology.

Angloplas’ range of dispensers are produced in the world’s first proven Antimicrobial PVC with

Haigh Engineering Resident and patient waste is a day to day practical matter that simply cannot become a problem for frontline carers and nursing staff. With the raised awareness of cross infection risks, the proven reliable waste disposal systems from Haigh are recognised more than ever as being a key part of the toolkit for ensuring that human waste is effectively and efficiently removed as a source of risk, day in day out, without the risks and complications of either washing pots or manual bagging waste for collection.

The team from Haigh have been working hard to support this beyond just the manufacture of the Incomaster and Quattro waste disposers here in the UK, but also developing innovative and safe

silver ion technology and which is exclusive to Angloplas. This helps reduce the risk of cross infection by stopping the growth of bacteria and mould and works continuously for the lifetime of the product, reducing levels of bacteria such as MRSA, E Coli, Legionella, Salmonella and mould by up to 99.99%.

For non-clinical environments Angloplas has recently launched its new Budget Range of products which are made to the same exacting standards as the antimicrobial protected ones but with lower price tags.

You can order Angloplas products directly from its website by going to www.angloplas.co.uk and clicking Hospital, Health and Hygiene or by using the Quick Response code.

methods to enhance the servicing provisions that are available to customers. The recently launched allinclusive rental proposition has proven particularly effective and popular with new and existing customers alike, not least as it reduces the operational, maintenance and financing headaches from sites which have more critical matters to address.

For more information about incontinence and bedpan waste disposal please feel free to contact the Haigh team on 01989 763131 or info@haigh.co.uk

Please Please mention mention THE THE CARER CARER when when responding responding to to advertising. advertising.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61 | PAGE 33

HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL

UK Care Homes Use Groundbreaking Health Technology to Maintain Clean Air and Surfaces Care home owners have been among the first customers to purchase air and surface sterilisation products from Medklinn, the international health technology company, which recently launched in the UK. Following confirmation from scientists from Fujita Health University in Japan, that low concentrations of ozone gas can be used to neutralise coronavirus particles without causing harm to humans, UK care homes have an alternative method to sterilise the air and surfaces in their premises without the use of chemicals.

According to the university research, low-level ozone gas in concentrations of 0.05 to 1.0 parts per million (ppm) could be key to neutralising the spread of coronavirus in healthcare settings such as examination rooms and waiting areas.

Medklinn International, the health technology company that has pioneered research and development into negative ionisation and ozone in the sterilisation process, already provides air and surface sterilisation solutions in ASIA, the USA, Canada, Australia and Germany. Now the business has launched in the UK. Daniel Lu, chief technology and innovation officer of Medklinn International, said: “We are pleased to be bringing our health technology to the UK. The announcement from the team at Fujita Health University in Japan further demonstrates that ozone sterilisation technology is a viable alternative to the use of chemicals for disinfection.”

In addition to the latest breakthrough in neutralising coronavirus particles, Medklinn products are also proven to be effective in: • Killing 99.9% of harmful microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria, mould and fungi by destroying their RNA and DNA structure • Eliminating volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including those with adverse health

effects • Neutralising allergenic organic compounds such as pet dander and the protein in the faeces of dust mites, which are often the cause of allergies Steve Jones, Brand Manager Medklinn UK, said: “We’re really excited to be launching Medklinn UK. Our products are already used by some of the leading global brands in the healthcare, travel and tourism, retail, education, F&B and hospitality sectors, including Hyatt, Mandarin Oriental and Singapore’s Changi Airport. We believe that they will be particularly useful as we make gradual steps towards easing restrictions and reopening the UK following the lockdowns over the past 12 months.”

Medklinn UK offers a consumer range of products suitable for the home and for use in vehicles.

It also offers a range of air and surface sterilisers designed for business use including: • Permanent units for spaces up to 1,000 sq ft such as hotel guest rooms, washrooms, offices and classrooms • Permanent units for large spaces of 3,000 sq ft or more such as hotel corridors, washrooms, restaurants, halls, offices, exhibition centres, supermarkets, food processing and manufacturing plants • Portable units for ad hoc treatments of indoor odours recommended for hotel guest rooms, restaurants and facilities management It will also offer ozone water systems (for washrooms, industrial kitchens, food processing factories) and integrated sterilisation systems (for public washrooms, food processing and F&B outlets and supermarkets).

For further information about Medklinn UK please visit uk.medklinn.com or contact medklinn@tunnelight.net.

Portable, Hospital-Grade Air Purifier Rensair is a specialist in air purification, protecting and enhancing lives through clean air.

Developed to meet the strict standards of Scandinavian hospitals, ours is the only technology recommended by the WHO and UK SAGE committee and is independently validated by several scientific research laboratories.

In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, air purification has never been more important. Our mission is to get organisations back on their feet, destroying a minimum of 99.97% of airborne viruses to ensure clean air for every person.

Rensair collaborates with clients to develop the optimum indoor air quality for meeting care home requirements, as well as government recommendations for miti-

gating the risks of Covid transmission. Taking into account floor plans, existing ventilation systems and occupancy rates, we determine if there is a gap between existing air quality and that recommended by the WHO and UK SAGE Committee. If air quality is lacking, we will recommend a tailor-made configuration based on our portable, hospital-grade air purifier, in tandem with any existing HVAC systems.

Our no-obligation advice is based on verifiable data, research and experience, which is made freely available to ensure that decisions affecting health are wellinformed. www.rensair.com

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PAGE 34 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61

TECHNOLOGY FOR CARE

Why Now Is The Moment To Embrace Digital Health Technology As Part Of The Care Home System

By Axel Nordberg, Essity Global Brand Director (www.essity.com) Let us never consider ourselves finished nurses; we must be learning all our lives.

As we emerge from the depths of a historic pandemic, the words of Florence Nightingale have never rung truer for carers around the world.

From adapting to PPE requirements to abiding by social distancing, Covid-19 has forced all carers to relearn key parts of their trade to keep their residents safe and healthy.

Naturally, this has not come without a cost. According to our data at Essity, the pandemic has had a detrimental impact on either the physical health, mental health or emotional wellbeing of more than eight out of ten of the UK carers surveyed. Every carer said their role had changed, with 95% working longer hours to manage urinary incontinence, cleaning and sterilising responsibilities – the highest of any country in Europe.

Ultimately, the bravery of our frontline heroes can only endure this emotional and physical toll for so long.

In the face of adversity, however, we must look forward. The development of digital health technology – and the appetite to integrate it into care homes – is accelerating at an exceptional rate, and the industry is realising that it is an essential component of a more efficient, high-

er quality future for care.

TAKING THE CHANCE TO CHANGE The pandemic has provided the care industry with a moment to step back and evaluate how it operates. Alongside the long-term impacts of Covid-19, an ageing population will soon demand a new delivery of care – with care homes unlikely to be able to accommodate every patient that needs their service.

For many, home treatment will become the practical solution. In recent years, digital health technology has made this process safer and more comfortable for those who require care, their families, and their carers. From medication reminder apps and ECG wearables, to information-sharing software that lets nurses access patient data remotely, innovation is delivering products and solutions to cater for home care.

As more care organisations integrate digital health technology into their operations, they build the infrastructure for a digital future of care.

With over a third of carers wanting the government or private companies to invest in more technology, there is a clear appetite to make that next step forward from those that matter.

IMPROVING DIGNITY AND COMFORT THROUGH TECH To bring the power of digital health technology to life, it is important to discuss it in the context of the real, day-to-day issues putting an insurmountable strain on carers.

Managing urinary incontinence – an important yet challenging aspect of a carer’s day-to-day role – has had both a physical and emotional impact on the carer during the pandemic, with the rate of resultant exhaustion (25%) and resentment (13%) rising by 19% and 10% respectively since 2019. It’s not just the carers that are impacted – 80% of carers find it hard to maintain the dignity of those suffering from the problem.

Deploying technology to address these issues can be life-changing

for carers and those needing care alike. However, the UK is currently lagging behind. Only 27% of UK carers said that they have access to sensor technology to support incontinence care, compared to the European average of 32%.

Reusable sensors, such as our recently launched TENA SmartCare Change Indicator, can track when a patient needs changing and provide app notifications to their carers, ensuring instant attention and avoiding unnecessary checks. With 71% carers currently struggling with the time required to make frequent checks associated with urinary incontinence, this technology is invaluable to the efficiency of their role.

ENABLING A BETTER TOMORROW FOR CARE The value of digital health technology in the management of urinary incontinence is just one example of the impact it can have in a care environment, albeit a strong one: 98% of UK carers say that it helps them feel better about their role.

This figure alone highlights the value of digital health technology in enabling carers to react to health issues sooner and in a smarter way. By integrating technology into the care routine, any decline in the residents or loved one’s well-being, however slight, can be tracked and used to notify those that can provide the necessary support. As patterns appear in their personal data, it even has the potential to allow carers to predict and prevent various health issues.

As an industry, we must continue to work together – as innovators and carers – to co-create digital health technology solutions that will have a meaningful impact on people’s lives. The pandemic has provided the care sector with an opportunity to engage in digital transformation and provide its frontline heroes with the technological support they need to keep those in care, safe, healthy, and happy. Better connected care will deliver better care, for everyone.

Fighting Loneliness: Combining Technology With Training Could Make All The Difference

By John Ramsay, Founder and MD of Social-Ability (www.social-ability.co.uk) Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, loneliness has reached a new level of intensity for older people and especially so for those living with dementia. According to a survey of 128 care homes by the Alzheimer’s Society, nearly 80% had seen deterioration in the health of their residents with dementia during lockdown due to a lack of social contact.

Sadly, for many, loneliness will not end with the approaching easing of social distancing restrictions – it was, already, a worrying reality of everyday life. However, this could be a watershed moment in how we address loneliness. By providing holistic solutions, effective technology tools and supportive training for staff, care home providers can help residents to build truly meaningful connections – not just fighting loneliness, but fostering happiness for the long-term.

ADDRESSING CHRONIC LONELINESS Since the beginning of the pandemic, 56% of people living with dementia have reported feeling ‘completely isolated’, while a third of people living with the condition ‘felt like giving up’ last year, according to the Alzheimer’s Society.

Clearly, there is an urgent need for solutions that help people to build stronger connections within care home communities, amongst family and with care staff – and to sustain these connections for the longterm. But while lockdown has shone an important spotlight on the loneliness facing people with dementia, it is sadly not its root cause. In itself, the disease can also be a serious cause of isolation for people. In fact, a third of people report losing friends following a diagnosis.

The transition to living in supported accommodation or residential care can also make it harder to feel connected to their friends and family – a reality that has only been exacerbated further in the pandemic and which can have serious impacts for people’s physical health. Research has suggested that it can increase the likelihood of mortality by as much as 26% and, with as many as 1.4 million adults in England already experiencing chronic loneliness, this fact is even more concerning.

OVERCOMING BARRIERS THROUGH CONNECTION For many families and care home residents, the ability to have regular contact through technology such as video calls has been a lifeline in the pandemic. This is something that I’m sure carers will have seen first hand and, as restrictions now ease, we must not forget the phenomenal role that technology can play in improving people’s wellbeing.

Video calls are far from the full story. For example, interactive sensory activities can be an effective way of breaking down barriers and helping people to build meaningful connections with the people around them. As lockdown eases, this will be a powerful way for families to reconnect. Not only can this increase people’s sense of community, happiness and empowerment, but sensory activities – such as interactive light-based games – have also been shown to improve the condition of those living with early, mid and later stages of dementia.

SUSTAINING THE FIGHT AGAINST LONELINESS When powered by technology, connection-based activities can play a phenomenal role in helping to combat loneliness. At Alexandra Grange, a Hallmark care home in Berkshire that has been introduced to the Happiness Programme – a combination of interactive light technology and supportive training for care home staff – these initiatives have made a significant difference for people’s wellbeing. One resident in particular, who had stopped communicating verbally as their dementia had progressed, was helped to grow their vocabulary again and communicate more easily with their support team.

However, technology is not, in itself, the end goal. It is a tool to bring people together and, to be effective, it must be part of wider schemes that include training and support in its use for care staff. It is only through this support that such initiatives can be sustained for the long-term as part of a successful and holistic approach to engaging residents and boosting happiness.

AN END TO LOCKDOWN AND LONELINESS Put simply, as we approach an easing of lockdown restrictions, loneliness amongst people with dementia remains an epidemic we cannot afford to ignore. But that does not have to be the end of the story. By leveraging the potential of interactive technology and combining this with effective support for staff around its use, care homes can not only fight a state of chronic loneliness but also create truly happy times for residents.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61 | PAGE 35

TECHNOLOGY FOR CARE Digital Tech Holds The Key To ‘Desperately Needed’ Social Care Reform Digital technology must be the foundation for futureproofing the country’s social care system, and the government must modernise its strategy for care provision, and demonstrate it values the work of all NHS, social care, and frontline workers, according to med tech company PainChek speaking on the inaugural NHS, Social Care and Frontline Workers’ Day (5 July 2021).

PainChek – the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI)-powered pain assessment tool for care home professionals – says the government must improve the financial and strategic support available to the social care sector if it is to survive and cope with future demands on resource and facilities, by having the means to utilise the power of technology and innovation to improve the care for people with dementia and those who support them.

Peter Shergill, PainChek® UK&I Country Director, explains: “The social care sector in the UK has been promised reform for many years. It was long overdue before the devastating impacts of a pandemic which has sadly highlighted the lack of funding and strategic support it so deserves from central government. In the Queen’s Speech (11 May 2021), the government’s priority to ‘deliver a recovery from the pandemic’ was confirmed, along with the provision of additional funding to support the NHS, and to bring forward legislation to allow the NHS to ‘innovate and embrace technology.’

“However, we are now hearing of delays to these reforms, with plans unlikely to be announced until the

autumn. This is yet another blow to the underfunded, under-resourced sector.

“The government must share the plans they have for social care as a matter of urgency, and grasp what is the perfect opportunity to relook at how the country’s social care system works, to ensure they have the opportunity to utilise all the tools at our disposal to ensure high quality person-centred care. Technology is an enabler to assist with this- allowing us to work smarter, not harder.”

Pete adds: “In an open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent back in February, PainChek called for the creation of an innovation grant or fund to be used by social care providers to invest in innovation and technology that supports the care of people living with dementia, with a diverse coalition of support from health and social care organisations including National Care Forum and Care England.

“The first ever NHS, Social Care and Frontline Workers’ Day is a chance for all of us to show our gratitude to all the frontline staff who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to save lives. But the best way to honour and recognise the vital contribution social care professionals working on the frontline have made and continue to make is by the government giving the sector the financial support and investment it so desperately needs to support sustainable development for the sector.

“By harnessing the power of technology, care providers can deliver more efficient and effective care, streamline processes, and ultimately cut costs and save time – allowing overstretched staff to focus on delivering the highest standard of care.”

For further information, visit: https://painchek.com/uk/

The Only Care Home Management Software You Need Our care management system (CMS) helps you to plan and evidence the care that you provide, supporting you to achieve compliance within your business. The emphasis is on care management, recording, and analysis, and it has been designed with the carers and managers of the home in mind.

The result is time saved, admin simplified, and safe and effective delivery of care.

Ablyss Systems have been providing software to the residential care sector for over 15 years. Whether you are a single provider or part of a large group, CMS will provide you with greater control and complete flexibility to help achieve compliance and evidence the care you provide.

With a fully UK based team, our care consultants are always on hand to provide training and answer your questions, whilst our support team will help you to customise the system, set up integrations with other systems, and ensure your software is always up to date.

RESIDENTS Our residents module sits at the heart of the system and helps you to evidence the care you provide.

This module covers many aspects but its main strength is its flexibility.

EMPLOYEES Our employee module allows you to manage absences, training, and supervisions.

Employees can make use of our messaging system, ensuring your staff do not miss critical changes in a resident’s care needs.

CARE MANAGEMENT Our care management module gives you a deeper insight in to your business activities.

By making use of our reporting, shift handover, filtering, and breakdown views, you will find yourself better informed and empowered to evidence your care.

FACILITIES Our facilities management module assists you in organising and planning the physical resources and maintenance tasks required within your facility.

This module covers a broad cross-section of areas, from assets, readings, and repairs, through to Health & Safety and Governance, all managed through an integrated dashboard.

MULTIPLE DEVICES Ablyss CMS includes both our main desktop software and our care recording App. The CMS App can be used on tablets or mobiles to record at point of care.

For a 30 day trial, or a more detailed online demonstration visit www.ablyss.co.uk

PAGE 36 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61

TECHNOLOGY FOR CARE Check EU Employees Right To Work, Warns Bizimply Care employers will need to keep clear records of their team members’ immigration and right-to-work status as the UK moves into the post-Brexit ‘hostile environment’ from 1 July. Care workforce specialist Bizimply is warning businesses that they need a clear and accessible record of every employee’s status in order to demonstrate compliance with the regulations.

Under UK law, employers face imprisonment and unlimited fines for knowingly employing someone who does not have the right to work in the UK. Conor Shaw, Bizimply CEO, said: “Just as the care sector is bringing its workforce back as the economy reopens, there is a real danger that many businesses now face a significant new challenge as key employees lose the right to work. Of course, there are legal penalties, but with the labour shortage a challenge across the sector, businesses also need to know they have enough trained and experienced staff at all times and at every site.”

A leak of Government figures this week shows that around 130,000 of the 820,000 Europeans resident in the UK have yet to apply for Settled Status, despite the hard cut-off of 30 June as the date to apply.

Without confirmation of settled status, EU, EEA and Swiss living in the UK lose the right to work, as well as access to healthcare and other benefits.

Shaw added: “Although the deadline has been known for some time, the uncertainty over COVID and the challenges of communicating with employees during lockdown means that many businesses may not know the status of every employee.

“That won’t be an excuse when the authorities start asking for proof of right to work. UK politicians haven’t

talked about the ‘hostile environment’ over immigration for no reason. Proof both that employees have the right to work, and that employers have checked and recorded that status will be essential.”

Employers using Bizimply’s suite of workforce management software can easily and confidentially record all the necessary status confirmation and supporting documentation for employees, and make it available to check if required.

Employers can be jailed for five years and pay an unlimited fine if found guilty of employing someone who they know or had ‘reasonable cause to believe’ did not have the right to work in the UK. Details of the Settled Status regulations are at www.gov.uk/eusettledstatus. An employer toolkit is at www.gov.uk/government/collections/eu-settlementscheme-employer-toolkit See the advert this page or visit www.bizimply.com

Nurse Call from Edison Telecom Please Please mention mention THE THE CARER CARER when when responding responding to to advertising. advertising.

We here at Edison Telecom Ltd have been providing specialist solutions to your call system requirements tailor-made to each customers needs for over 25 years, says director Bob Johnson.

Is your current Nurse Call “legacy”, obsolete, so full of software bugs or commercially not viable for your current supplier/maintainer to maintain?

We may have just the part and expertise that you are looking for to give your nurse call a further extension to life, adds Bob, “Edison will treat your nurse call with the same compassion that you give to those in your care. There will come a time when your equipment is beyond repair but Edison are experts in extending the life of obsolete systems.” www.edisontelecom.co.uk

NURSE CALL IT’S NOT OBSOLETE UNTIL THE OPERA LADY SINGS EDISON TELECOM LTD (IN BUSINESS SINCE 1984)

have spares, enhancements and expertise for wired and wireless systems abandoned by the original manufacturer, whoever they are.

Call us on 01252-330220 We can give most systems a new lease of life and maintain them into the future.

www.edisontelecom.co.uk

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61 | PAGE 37

TECHNOLOGY FOR CARE Make Your Nursecall Data Work For You and Your Residents Using your ‘Call Bell’ data can help improve the care you provide and even aid in getting an “outstanding” CQC rating. Yet, quite often this data is only used to help investigate an incident and ignored for the rest of the time. A lot of care homes still rely on a printer to record event logs making data analysis time consuming and difficult.

KAM Systems Limited have launched their Kloud Care Home data logging service. Kloud can be connected to any existing nursecall system using a Kloud shuttle that has a printer or paging interface.

All events are logged by the Shuttle & synchronised with the Kloud on any internet enabled device. The service then analyses the data into an easy to understand report which can even be automatically emailed to a home manager’s inbox.

The data can include KPI’s such as Average Response Time, Top Five Rooms that ‘call’ the most, Busiest Hours In The Day, No. of Night Checks and much more.

Longer response times during certain hours may indicate that not enough staff are on duty. The data can also show that a resident has started to ‘call’ for help much more than usual and this can be investigated and appropriate measures put in place.

Users can login from any connected device to access the Kloud and create custom reports or investigate a specific incident if required. Care Group administrators have a dashboard of all their care homes in one place making it simple to manage.

Harpal Momi - Managing Director says “When we asked our customers about Nursecall Data logging most of them said that it was too difficult to analyse or they didn’t have the time. We developed Kloud to help them deliver better care based on the data analysis.

The ease in which it can be implemented and the simple subscription model makes it suitable for anyone”.

Contact 0330 321 1040, info@kamsystems.co.uk or visit www.kamsystems.co.uk

Alarm Radio Monitoring Alarm Radio Monitoring (A.R.M) is a UK based manufacturer of wireless Nurse Call and Staff Alarm systems; offering a comprehensive range of Nurse Call, Staff Alarm, Fire Alarm, and Door Access bespoke systems. With over 30 years experience in the design & development of wireless Nurse Call & Staff Alarm systems, A.R.M has established itself as a key player within the wireless solutions market to the public and private healthcare sectors.

Wireless solutions are ideal for environments which do not lend themselves to running cables, for example listed buildings or busy environments. Wireless systems can be fitted while your home remains operational, so you do not have to close rooms off and they offer greater flexibility and ease for future expansion.

Care Homes choose A.R.M nurse call systems because they: • Are quick and simple to install.

• Make it easier for staff to identify the source of calls

because they give full text descriptions.

• Give management the tools they need to monitor and control best practice. The system provides a full audit trail of which buttons are pressed and response times.

• Failsafe eg alerts you in the event of a system fault or batteries are running low.

• Carry a year’s guarantee.

• Are supported 24/7, 365 days a year by specialist engineers over the telephone or online.

No matter how demanding your environment, A.R.M believes everyone – whether you’re a customer in a care home or team member – should be within safe reach.

Whether you need a combination of a Nurse Call, Staff Alarm, Fire Alarm, Door Access system, we have a team to help design a package that will meet your requirements.

For further details call 01568 610 016 or email sales@arm.uk.com

Please Please mention mention THE THE CARER CARER when when responding responding to to advertising. advertising.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61 | PAGE 39

TECHNOLOGY FOR CARE Reliant Care Solutions Ltd WHY SHOULD CARE HOMES MOVE FROM PAPER TO ELECTRONIC TIME SHEETS

The industry is under considerable financial pressures. An efficient electronic booking on/off system that will schedule, provide budgets, calculate hours worked, overtime and absence such as sickness and holiday entitlement will save Time and Money.

HOW IS TIME AND MONEY SAVED BY DOING THINGS ELECTRONICALLY?

Collecting payroll information from paper timesheets can be slow, prone to errors, and very labour intensive.

Staff rosters can be produced as far in advance as practical and accurate within budgeted hours. Staff book on and off-duty electronically, thus eliminating any time errors.

Wage queries are virtually eliminated and immediate checks can be made without wading through reams of paper which invariably are inaccurate, misfiled or even 'lost".

THERE ARE MANY SYSTEMS ON THE MARKET WHY FACIAL RECOGNITION IS IMPORTANT AND HOW IT WORKS

Some systems use tokens, which can be lost or left at home, requiring management involvement in the booking on/off procedure. Fingerprint systems can be beaten and Social media is awash with ways to copy fingerprints. Face recognition combined with a staff PIN is simple to use and manage using touch screen technology and web cams. Staff see their image displayed immediately when booking on or off and confirms their identity visually. It provides the best deterrent available as it builds a greater 'image knowledge’ of each employee, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Eliminates 'buddy punching' where employees can book colleagues on/off duty using someone’s tokens, swipe card or even fingerprint.

HOW IS DATA PROTECTED? With the correct security setup computer systems provide more data protection than paper-based records which can be easily removed or stolen. GDPR covers all data including paper records and therefore the chances of infringing the rules and incurring fines is greater with paper.

For further information visit www.rcscare.net or call 03333 444 562.

WristPIT from Pinpoint The WristPIT from Pinpoint,is a bespoke patient call transmitter designed to be worn on the wrist.

This wrist-worn personal infrared transmitter (WristPIT) is easily accessible and allows patients to activate a call for even if they are away from their bed or a fixed call-point.

Pinpoint’s renowned PIT technology (usually worn by staff for personal safety) has, for the first time, been designed around patient use. The WristPIT can withstand showering and brief submersion in water and also incorporates antimicrobial product protection, reducing the ability for bacteria to grow.

According to figures published by the National Reporting and Learning System, around 250,000 incidents where patients required assistance in hospital were reported in 2015/16. In many cases, nursing staff remained unaware that a patient had had a fall for quite some time.

Pressing the clearly labelled call button on the WristPIT notifies the personnel on duty that a patient is requesting help and informs staff exactly where the patient is. The call button is recessed and surrounded by a bump guard to prevent false alarms.

Pinpoint Alarm Systems are installed in thousands of medical facilities throughout the UK and USA. The new WristPIT is backward compatible and easily integrated into existing Pinpoint Systems.

A green LED indicates the WristPIT is ‘activated’ with good battery level. When the battery requires changing, the LED flashes red until the battery is changed and the device has been retested.

In addition to being water-resistant, the WristPIT has been designed to withstand harsh environments and user tampering, meaning suitability for facilities where service users may be at risk of self-harm.

Please Please mention mention THE THE CARER CARER when when responding responding to to advertising. advertising.

PINPOINT WRISTPIT The WristPIT is a wrist worn Personal Infrared Transmitter designed exclusively for patient use.

The latest call button is recessed and surrounded by a bump guard to prevent false alarms. It is also backward compatible, allowing seamless integration into existing Pinpoint Systems.

DID YOU KNOW? Biomaster Technology is incorporated into all surface areas of the product during manufacture, inhibiting the growth of contaminating bacteria 24/7 for the lifetime of the product.

www.pinpointlimited.com

PAGE 40 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61

TECHNOLOGY FOR CARE Care South Invests In Ground-Breaking Care Planning Technology A not-for-profit charity in the South of England is the latest UK care provider to invest in ground-breaking technology proven to boost operational efficiency, reduce errors and dramatically improve care delivery.

Care South, which provides residential, nursing and dementia care to residents across its 16 care homes, also help people to live independently in their own homes.

Working with service users and their families, Care South tailors personal solutions in which all parties can feel secure and confident, with the dignity of those needing care central to the charity’s goals. To ensure that the highest levels of care are maintained, Care South’s care home portfolio benefits from ongoing investment and in-depth training programmes all year round.

Care South’s latest investment will see staff go paperless, using Person Centred Software’s award-winning Mobile Care Monitoring to evidence and monitor care interactions in real-time, in a move that will also save each carer up to 3 days per month on paperwork.

The gradual rollout will see Care South’s Sussexdown care home receive the software first, with the wider plan being to onboard up to two locations per month until all services are fully equipped with the software.

Using Person Centred Software, Care South will be able to make the

most of its unrivalled ecosystem of partners, which includes electronic medication management.

Discussing their reasons for adopting Mobile Care Monitoring, Aaron Whitehead, Director of Residential Care at Care South, said: “We first heard about Person Centred Software through word of mouth and, upon doing our research, it seemed the perfect solution for us. Being fully mobile and icon-driven, the software is incredibly easy to use and saves our carers time that had previously been spent completing paperwork.

“We’re delighted with the benefits that the software has delivered people living and working within our homes so far. We look forward to working directly with Person Centred Software as we complete the software roll out over the coming months,” Aaron concluded.

Having launched in Australia in 2018, Ireland in 2019 and the Netherlands in 2021, Person Centred Software’s innovative technology is improving systems used in social care globally and has won numerous prestigious industry accolades. In 2020, Person Centred Software was placed on the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 and top 10 SME in Digital Leaders 100, and the Deloitte Tech Fast 50 list in 2019. Furthermore, its new coronavirus-specific features were recognised at the Health Tech Digital Awards 2020 for Best COVID-19 Software Solution.

For more information about the benefits of moving to a digital care management system, please visit www.personcentredsoftware.com

First Installation of Game Changing Software for the Care Industry Installed at Nyton House in Chichester The first intelligent tech system that helps both carers and residents has been launched to market by Arquella and successfully installed at cutting edge care home Nyton House in Chichester.

Sheffield based Arquella was founded in 2019 –and provides innovative digital solutions for the care industry allowing the focus to be on the care of residents.

Combining modern nurse call equipment with advanced software they have created a higher quality of care and improved reporting system to help raise CQC ratings.

Paul Howell and Reuben Timoney are the very passionate and entrepreneurial drivers behind the care home gamechanger that is Arquella. CEO and COO respectively, they met by chance in 2018, changing their futures and the future of care home tech.

So, what is the digital system?

AIDA Assist is an advance nurse call system, a digital care reporter and a whole lot more!

The new system is a link between call-logging and care plan software with the most comprehensive automated compliance reporting available.

Most nurse call manufacturers use pagers to alert carers to a call on their system. Arquella’s wireless nurse call systems integrate with smartphones without the need for extra equipment to be installed. This allows carers to be alerted to call location instantly. So long pagers!

On top of that it can be used to provide evidence for care cost adjustments and supply in-depth specific and overall care analysis during an investigation. In conjunction with good quality home management, it provides unambiguous compliance data that shows the care home is doing

The Carer Digital Now Available Weekly thecareruk.com/backissues

more than just meeting the regulatory requirements.

Paul Howell, CEO of Arquella says: ‘It is not enough to be exceptional at looking after the needs of vulnerable people anymore. Alongside the hands-on care, you need to keep detailed care plans, compliance reports, in-depth care analysis, day by day monitoring of care delivery, accident and incident trend analysis, KPI monitoring against performance standards and so much more. The job of recording care is now so complex that some care facilities employ full-time compliance officers, a luxury that many other care homes don’t have. Our goal is to build a fully integrated digital world of care that helps the care homes take control.’

Arquella believes that their system will also help care homes with their CQC ratings which are often rated lower because of the recording of care, rather than actual performance.

Howell says: ‘To achieve a rating of ‘good’ or higher is not a matter of simply meeting the standards of the regulator. We all know how a classification of ‘Inadequate’ or ‘Requires Improvement’ can damage a facility’s reputation and income. It gives potential clients the perception that the level of care being provided is somehow substandard. However, the reality is that more often than not, it is the recording of care that has broken down.’

Along with care plan information, AIDA Assist provides global information for the care home. Average response times for each shift pattern, average staff attendance times and frequency and time of emergency calls. The data can be easily mined quickly for patterns and trends and key point indicators can also be entered into the system.

Harvey Hillary is a second-generation care home owner and owns Nyton House in Chichester, the first care home to have the system installed. After a successful career as Head of High Performance & Innovation for the British Sailing Team he came back to work with the family business and is a huge advocate of the Arquella system.

‘The vision at Nyton was to provide a ‘home-like’ experience by encouraging a ‘freedom to roam’ and for residents to spend less time isolated in their rooms and more time in communal areas. Arquella enables us to provide location-based calling from unique user pendants.

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Mentally - Brain training apps, memory apps, board challenges.!! quizzes, boar d games, rreasoning easoning challenges.

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Inspir Inspired ed Inspirations have been working dir directly ectly with car care e homes in developing their interactive touch scr screen een activity tables over the last few years, to pr provide ovide a range of scr screen een sizes and units to suit every car care e setting. setting.!!

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Just think of a giant Andr Android oid tablet built into a solid oak surr surround, ound, on a base that houses a lar large ge battery to allow you to use it all day long and smooth running wheels for easy movement between rooms rooms in your care care home. !

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‘Removing the clinical feel was one step but removing the triggers of challenging behaviour was a key focus. Our Coach House unit has been designed around people with Dementia and removing Nurse Call Alarms was a massive win. Arquella allows us to notify staff of a ‘Call’ using a mobile device and for a staff member to accept the call and then cancel the call once they have attended to the resident.

‘A huge frustration for me as a care provider was the inability for Nurse Call systems to inform care planning. Most systems can provide a list report of time and frequency of calls and the response time from staff.

From my perspective, this is a very limited data set that is missing the most obvious opportunity for the carer to log the ‘reason for call’.

Working with Arquella we are developing a carer input screen that will code all alarms and enable us to identify trends and inform care plans.

This will be followed by a Task scheduling functionality for prompting medication, pressure areas care, night checks and fluids. Using API exports, we hope to streamline the point of care records keeping that is recorded in or Electronic Care Planning system.

‘As a care home, ultimately, we all want to achieve an outstanding rating from the CQC, but it’s often the accuracy of recording the data that lets us down. This takes time, is labour intensive or has us juggling platforms when we have more important things to do! That is all solved with the Arquella system and we’re thrilled to have it in Nyton.’

The modern call units can be wall mounted or portable for maximum freedom and have been designed with practicality and user-friendliness in mind.

Key benefits include…

Call alert to mobile Nurse Call Panel Fall sensor Nurse call reporting dashboard Reports, CQC and Call logs For more info. see the advert on page 13 or visit the Arquella website: www.Arquella.co.uk Or call: 0333 242 7505

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“We’ve didn’tt “W We’ve noticed ed that quieter rresidents esidents who didn’ interact too much with others have suddenly more more been mor re e active ctive and mor re e vocal.” Lindsey Manager, Davies, Home e Manager r,, Cwrt Enfys

See the advert on page 42 for details.

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61 | PAGE 43

TECHNOLOGY FOR CARE StackCare UK Expands Offering with Launch Of Two New Client-Monitoring Systems – One for Care Homes CARE VISION and One for Home Care Professionals

StackCare UK, the market leading homemonitoring system provider, has expanded its product range with two new systems for the professional care industry - StackCare Pro and StackCare for Carers. Building on the original StackCare @home system that was launched earlier this year, the new systems provide care home managers and professional carers with up to the minute details on their clients’ wellbeing and activity levels, offering unrivalled extra levels of detail and resource to care packages.

Managers and agencies can monitor their clients both centrally, in their office using an online dashboard, and/or through an app on carers’ mobile phones. The systems allow staff to view the status of multiple clients, and, as with StackCare @home, managers and carers can monitor activity levels and data including the number of bathroom visits the client makes, room temperatures and sleep patterns, with alerts sent if a client’s behaviour patterns change.

Door sensors and help buttons are also available as optional add-ons to both systems for clients who would benefit from extra monitoring and /or a direct communication link to their care team.

FLEXIBLE, COMPREHENSIVE CARE SOLUTION

Care Control Systems Care Control Systems Ltd is proud to create the UK's best Care Management Software designed for use within all standard, niche and complex care settings. Care Control has been in constant development since 2010 and was made commercially available in 2016. Since then we have expanded across hundreds of providers within the UK and are well recognised as leaders in our field.

Care Control is used by over 15,000 care professionals daily across the UK in multiple service types ensuring their services have live, up-to-date essential information. Located in Tavistock, Devon our expert team is comprised of numerous industry specialists with many years of direct, hands-on care experience.

This is one of our key USP’s.

Our Managing Director, Matt Luckham started the creation of the original Care Control Software in 2010

Developed in Silicon Valley, and using enhanced AI and machinebased learning, both the StackCare for Carers and StackCare Pro systems use discreet wireless smart motion sensors placed in key locations around the client’s home, or care home room. There are no cameras or microphones, thereby ensuring privacy for clients. A central hub gathers the data from the sensors which is analysed and reported back to the carer / agency. The data is anonymised and held in line with GDPR rules.

The founder of StackCare UK, Noel Verbruggen, commented, “These StackCare systems give care providers an unrivalled resource that brilliantly compliments existing care packages. The cutting edge technology means carers can know that their clients or residents are OK even when they can’t physically be with them.

“We all know that carers often can’t be with their clients for as long as they would like to be, and for busy carers and care homes time pressures are a real issue. It’s here that our smart tech comes into its own. Having instant access to StackCare’s data essentially gives carers an extra pair of hands and gives reassurance to carers, clients and clients’ families”.

StackCare is offering agencies the option to partner with them to promote the use of the system to clients as an addition to the agency’s care package offering.

To learn more about StackCare UK’s solutions visit www.stackcare.co.uk with the aim to provide essential, accurate information for Spring House Care House in Devon. Matt had purchased Spring House in 2010. Matt developed the software and then spent 6 years proving its functionality within Spring House. It soon became apparent the software could add real value to other service providers and after numerous requests we decided to commercialise the software.

In 2016 Care Control Systems Ltd was founded and since then has gone from strength-to-strength with exponential growth.

We now have an exceptional team of more than 20 staff who have over 70 years of direct hands-on care experience between them. On top of this our team of Software Developers are experts in their field and are constantly developing our products to ensure they offer everything our customers expect in what is a particularly complex sector.

2020 has been a record year for Care Control with record numbers of customers choosing us, office expansion, overseas sales and an ever growing team to name just a few things. We are so excited for the future!

Visit www.carecontrolsystems.co.uk

At Care Vision we believe care may never be the same again. Outstanding care truly is at the heart of everything we do, with a clear purpose of Less Admin, More Care.

Growing up and working in a family owned care home, Rishi Jawaheer saw at first hand the main needs in the care sector; to cut down on the burden of manual paperwork while maintaining good practice and to encourage people to become more involved in care.

Using his experience as a registered manager, with some of the smartest minds in tech, Rishi was driven to create Care Vision, an all in one cloudbased care management, system incorporating all your care and admin into one easy to use system.

Presently the care industry has our work cut out to keep in line with statutory and legislative compliance in addition to the essential everyday tasks of looking after our clients.

Care Vision acts as a bridge which uses technology that organises care work, ensures a safer, better and more intimate experience for every member of the community, from administration, the carer to family, friends and the people we care for.

Care Vision provides An easy to use system for carers, managers, relatives; bringing care and admin into one platform; to manage time, attendance, rota, HR, housekeeping, maintenance and much more An E-mar system, fully compliant with NICE, reducing medication errors and keeping people safe An intuative daily notes section that can be completed at the point of service quickly and accurately A pictorial food order system that allows the individual to choose from a menu even if they forgot what a meal looks like Daily reminders in the form of care routines which reminds staff of key aspects of care for the individual

Care Plans / Risk assessments/ Life stories which allows you to customise care plans to specifically suit the person’s needs. Reminding all about one’s history and who Is important in one’s life A family app that allows families to keep track of their loved one’s wellbeing through videos and pictures, which has been essential during the pandemic.

Care Vision gives you the freedom to access it using mobile, tablet, laptop, or pc in real time whilst safely securing and storing data. within the platform.

Built flexibly to adapt to services of any size, large or small, Care Vision’s structured, interactive features engage carers in sharing information with the end-user and their family.

Registered manager and director of Summerhayes Care says “The carers have taken to Care Vision like a duck to water and the information that we are gathering is streets ahead of the previous system we used we are very impressed. They make it easy to understand and nothing is any trouble.

I highly recommend taking a look at this system if you are wanting to meet your quality standards and CQC requirements”.

Nationally our data has shown that working with homes Care Vision can save 2-4 hours every week per carer by reducing tasks that could be better spent with the people we care for.

As both carers and developers, we are unique in our focus on developing software that benefits the care sector.

This allows us to continually develop and update software for our clients.

The Care Vision team would love to talk to you about what the system can do for you, come and join us, we believe the future of Social care is in good hands with “Care vision” Contact us at info@care-vision.co.uk or call 0208 768 9809

PAGE 44 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61

TECHNOLOGY FOR CARE

A Digital Future of Care in a Post COVID-19 Era The New Year brings good news and light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel with the roll out of vaccination programs, despite this the UK has been forced into stricter lockdown regulations. Health and care sectors are acutely aware of their responsibilities and the importance to look after technology that is fundamental to caring for the vulnerable and their carers.

Should systems fail, technology suppliers should provide help and assistance remotely with telephone support and using remote diagnostic tools. At Courtney Thorne we find that most issues are resolved over the phone, where this proves difficult and further checks or reconfiguration is necessary this is done by remotely accessing systems and running diagnostics. 95% of the service inquiries we receive are resolved this way reducing the need to physically attend the site.

Inquiries that cannot be rectified remotely will require an engineer to visit. To ensure the safety of residents, staff and the engineers themselves, service providers need to adopt stringent policies with rigorous clarification processes concluding with written

The New MPCSA11 from Medpage Medpage is a family ran company, with a huge heart and resources gathered over our 35- year trading history. The majority of the technologies we design, manufacture and distribute originate from enquiries received from healthcare professionals and personal family care observations. Our product portfolio provides a wide variety of care solutions for epilepsy, dementia, senior care, special needs and sensory loss.

Our latest innovation, currently in use in

several Hospitals, presents an effective fall monitoring, detection and reporting solution.

The MPCSA11 is a complex software driven sensor monitor made to be user and operator friendly. This device has already proven successful in hospital and care home trials by reducing patient falls while also reducing false positives from a safe patient. The device can monitor and interact with up to three sensor products: bed and chair occupancy pressure pads, PIR movement detection sensors and proximity signal products.

In use, a patient or resident rising from their bed would be considered a falls risk, but what if they are simply moving to sit in a chair close to their bed? A standard bed monitor would raise an alarm alerting care staff, who would arrive to find the person safely seated. The MPCSA11 would only generate an alarm if the person was out of their bed or chair for a selectable time duration. Learn more www.easylinkuk.co.uk/mpcsa11 Or see the advert on page 15.

confirmation that there is no COVID-19 on site or where there is, that those suffering are suitably isolated. In the case of Courtney Thorne our process includes asking authorised care home management to fill out a questionnaire prior to our engineer turning up.

We also insist that our staff are regularly checked, including logging daily body temperature. Finally equipping field staff with necessary PPE, making sure it is always used and includes a hand washing regime before, during and after any site visit. Courtney Thorne provides our field-based engineering staff with overalls, gloves, face masks and plenty of hand sanitiser.

By diligently observing these protocols, and despite our staff visiting care homes and hospitals on a daily basis throughout the pandemic, not one of them has developed any COVID-19 symptoms at any time.

For further information visit www.nursecallsystems.co.uk or see the advert on this page.

Andy Bridgewater Expands Alarm Radio Monitoring's Team

Market Leading manufacturer of wireless nurse call and staff alarm systems, Alarm Radio Monitoring Ltd (ARM), has announced the appointment of Andy Bridgewater as its new Head of Sales & Marketing.

Former Royal Engineer with Her Majesty’s forces, Andy joined the business in late April, having over 15 years experience within the sales and engineering industry.

Andy’s appointment to the senior management team comes at an exciting time for ARM with numerous new products and systems being launched throughout the year, none more so than the Bed Angel, an innovative wireless bed occupancy monitor.

Stuart Ibbs, Operations Director for ARM, said: “We are delighted to welcome Andy to lead our sales team during what is an exciting period of growth for the business. With numerous new products entering the market over the coming year, his appointment is a big part of the company’s commitment to provide high quality products to the care and staff alarm industry” “Andy’s drive and passion for team management will strengthen our sales division, he will be crucial in mentoring our sales team to roll out the new products we are due to roll out” Andy’s role as head of Sales & Marketing will see him lead sales growth for ARM as their product range continues to expand throughout the UK. The Bed Angel, new monitoring software and 7’ touchpad display are either currently available or due to enter the market shortly.

Andy commented: “I am delighted to join ARM at such an exciting time as it continues to grow throughout the UK and innovate within the Health Care industry.

He continued : Alarm Radio Monitoring’s focus on people development and working as a team is something I firmly believe in, and I am looking forward to working with the sales team to exceed targets whilst continuing to deliver the outstanding customer service that ARM is renowned for” See the advert on page 31.

www.nursecallsystems.co.uk

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61 | PAGE 45

TECHNOLOGY FOR CARE How Technology is Transforming The Future of Social Care

by Steve Morgan, Partnership Director, Agilisys (www.agilisys.co.uk)

Chronic underfunding, a workforce crisis, insufficient modernisation and COVID-19 are all testing social care to the limits. There is now, however, an opportunity to reassess, redesign and re-ignite a strategy for lasting, effective change as we emerge from the pandemic.

The social care system is complex and fragmented, with care being provided by around 18,500 organisations throughout the country. Good practice being developed in one part of the care sector is difficult to share. A joined-up view is needed to achieve a clear vision.

By thinking long-term and bringing together the fragmented sector, funding decisions can be made to drive efficiencies and modernise the traditional service, to benefit all.

ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY ARE LEADING THE WAY

Demand for care is not going to reduce, so it’s down to critical technologies to transform the future of care:

• Tools for collaboration

There is a growing movement towards a 'delivery ecosystem' of collaboration tools. You can plug a variety of options into one connectivity hub, which enables everything from telehealth and telecare to social inclusion and family contact, without the need to have six or seven different boxes.

• Reduced inbound demand, through automation

There has been a fundamental switch from inbound telephony-based contact services to proactive outbound ones. To make those services more productive, you have to reduce inbound demand.

That is where artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and robotic process automation (RPA) are important. If the repeatable and everyday tasks are automated, staff have more time to make a difference to the peo-

ple they care for.

• Advanced predictive analytics

Data is critical to any strategic, joined-up future of care. Predictive analytics can help understand when somebody is in danger of needing health or residential care, which can dramatically reduce the overall cost of care delivery.

Using data to inform more effective decisions is the way forward and with the use of the Integrated care system (ICS) and how it will bring together data collection and joined-up data usage.

• Data collection at home

Technology can identify when there are issues with damp, carbon dioxide, humidity and temperature. Having knowledge of the environment vulnerable people are living in, can reduce and remove any knock-on effects.

• Social care cost modelling

Social care makes up most of local authority spend. In 2018/19, total expenditure on social care by councils was £22.2bn. Using data to predict outcomes and effective routes, social care cost modelling enables users to take any cohort of children or adults and apply one or more of a huge range of potential scenarios to it. This shows authorities how much social care services are costing them, and what they can do about it.

• Microsoft Viva

The transition to permanent remote working raises a crucial question: how does an organisation create a culture, a sense of belonging, a mission and connection in the absence of a physical presence? Employee Experience platforms such as Viva focus on employee wellbeing to help avoid burnout, highlight efficiency gains, and bring knowledge together in one place.

• Remote working solutions

Providing frontline staff with remote working solutions, encompassing software and client information, allows professionals to spend more time with their clients, speed up data capture, decision-making and reduce transcribing errors.

USER ENGAGEMENT KEY TO SUCCESS

Technology alone will not drive the change. If the purpose of a new app or software is not apparent, then it already presents a cognitive issue to your

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Upgrade your falls programme with the latest technology from Fall Savers®. The NEW Fall Savers® Wireless eliminates the cord between the monitor and sensor pad. This results in less work for nursing staff, improved safety for patients and reduced wear and tear on sensor pads. Wireless advantages include the ability to use one monitor with two sensor pads simultaneously and support for many new wireless devices.

Benefits include:

Safer for patients; less work for staff Bed and chair pads available One monitor works with two sensor pads Integrates with most nurse call systems A variety of options, including: Call button Pager Floor sensor mat Wireless door/window exit alerts

TREADNOUGHT ®FLOOR SENSOR PAD

team. Only by engaging the intended users through a change programme will change have the opportunity to succeed. Stimulate conversations, test ideas and gain buy-in from those who will be using the technology everyday.

HOW CAN WE TAKE ACTION NOW? 1. Plan

Think of every aspect of care delivery. Is it the right thing to do? Is the level of spending correct? What is the value? Do this right and it will drive a fundamental shift in thinking; towards treating the delivery of care like a business.

2. Introduce strategic thinking

Care is one of those few areas in in the 21st century, where there appears to be little strategic thinking around the continual improvement of service delivery. It is time to mirror the NHS and implement a five-year plan.

3. Map opportunities for partnerships

Currently, different bodies deliver assessments dependent on the area.

Far better to bring those together and have them delivered by a single individual who is empowered to operate on behalf of those other organisations.

Joined-up, multi-agency thinking is required.

4. Think prevention, not cure

Preventative investment in social care will deliver benefits to society as more people will stay healthy, happy, and independent for as long as possible.

5. Embrace organisation-wide technology

A recent paper from Socitm showed social workers are more ‘digital ready’ than previously thought. More frontline staff need to be identifying opportunities for digital improvements; not just in service management and client outcomes, but in what the future of social care could be.

By investing in preventative, person-centred approaches, including assetbased solutions to reducing social isolation, shared lives and community agents, outcomes can be improved, and costs reduced.

Technology has a huge potential to support more people to live independently. Data, workforce and true partnerships are critical in delivering care at the right time, making differences for people.

The TreadNought® Floor Sensor Pad is built to last with a durable construction that far out lasts the competition. Our anti-bacterial floor sensor pad is compatible with most nurse call systems or can be used with a portable pager to sound an alert when a person steps on to the sensor pad.

Caregivers typically place the sensor pad at the bedside, in a doorway or other locations to monitor persons at risk for falls or wandering. An optional anti-slip mesh reduces the potential for slippage on hard surface floors.

Features include: Connects directly to most nurse call systems High Quality anti-bacterial Floor Sensor Pad Large Size Pad: Measures (L) 91cm x (H) 61cm Options (sold separately): Anti-slip mesh for hard surface floors See the advert on this page for further details.

PAGE 46 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 61

RECRUITMENT & PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Rethinking Payroll In Health And Social Care To Avoid Staff Payment Challenges

By Abigail Vaughan, Chief Operating Officer, Zellis (www.zellis.com) As a result of COVID-19, care homes have taken the spotlight over the past 18 months. Although restrictions are starting to relax, there is another problem which has been bubbling under the surface for some time - and has worsened as a result of the pandemic - in the form of a payroll crisis.

There is always more to payroll than meets the eye - and care homes are no different. Through our work with many health and social care organisations, we have identified three main challenges.

Low pay risks This will come as no surprise. Frontline workers in health and social care are typically low paid. Long hours, ever-changing shift patterns and overtime routines add complexity to the payroll, especially when it comes to calculating hourly rates and keeping an accurate record of what has been done and when.

Plus, there is a heightened risk of payroll errors inadvertently causing a breach of national minimum wage rules, which can result in reputation issues, hefty penalties and, of course, damage to employee trust and wellbeing.

Monthly payroll cycles You might think it is easy to keep track of working patterns and overtime. Whilst it should be, many care homes are currently operating in monthly payroll cycles and either don’t have a robust system for tracking time and attendance or, if they do, it isn’t used correctly.

The problem with this is that a lot can happen in four weeks, especially in health and social care. Overtime can be offered, promotions can occur, resignations are issued, sickness happens. Essentially, there are lots of factors which can contribute to miscalculations within a payroll cycle. If you have to wait four weeks in order to address an issue or a change then, not only can it be missed, but the latency can have a major impact on budgets and employee wellbeing. There is the option of making corrections mid-payroll cycle, but this is costly in terms of both payment fees and time.

Lack of management oversight Often the payroll is signed off by a Finance Director who is very far removed from the day-to-day operations and running of the care home. Whilst they have clear understanding of the budgets, they aren’t neces-

sarily aware of the intricacies of the payroll - who is doing the work, and when.

For example, at the end of the month they know they normally pay Janet £X per month. But Janet was asked to do X hours of overtime by her manager, and it wasn’t logged in time. The Finance Director doesn’t know to correct this, so Janet is underpaid for the work she has done. As a result, the budget for that month is lost, perhaps never to be rectified or, if it is, taken from the following month’s overtime budget, impacting other members of staffs’ hours.

If there was a strong segregation of duties, then underpayment wouldn’t occur, and the Finance Director would have better control over the overall budget, knowing that back payments weren’t going to be claimed the following month and additional overtime could be offered in the month to come. At the same time, the frontline manager would be assured their staff were being paid correctly and be more confident in ensuring the best level of staff for the budget.

Another major problem in care homes along with underpayment is, in fact, overpayment. Again, this is closely linked to inadequate processes and information not being passed to the payroll team quick enough.

For example, if someone resigns at short notice, which is often the case in such a high turnover industry, and isn’t correctly taken off the system in time, all too often they will still receive a wage for a job they haven’t been doing.

Overpayments are hard to reclaim in any industry and, in the case of care homes, which are often under immense financial pressure, it could be the difference between being able to operate or not.

Rejuvenating payroll Health and social care organisations need to rethink their payroll in order to address these challenges and mitigate the impact of pandemic pressures. We would recommend taking the following steps as a starting point to reduce risk, improve the employee experience, and optimise the pay bill: 1. Putting checks in place, ideally via automated solutions, to reduce the risk of minimum wage underpayment.

2.Join up the payroll and benefits processes to help staff understand the total value of their employment package, including both the base salary and benefits-in-kind available to them.

3.Move from monthly to more frequent pay cycles to reduce under- and overpayments; with the uptake of technology such as Faster Payments, payroll teams can be a lot more flexible in how often and how quickly they pay employees, while also having the ability to instantly correct potential errors.

4.Develop strong internal processes for reporting and segregation of duties in order to improve the overall efficiency of payroll processes and control for management teams.

5.Consider partnering with a specialist who can take care of payroll and compliance, so the business can focus on providing high-quality care.

QCS and OnePlan Announce New Alliance Quality Compliance Systems (QCS), a major provider of content, guidance and support for the health and care sector has selected OnePlan Software (OnePlan), the Domiciliary Care Software solution provider to strengthen the support they are able to provide to Care Providers.

The agreement which was signed today will see both companies share their expertise to provide greater support to frontline care managers.

QCS tailored policies, procedures, best practice content and support compliments OnePlan’s advanced staff rostering, electronic call monitoring software and mobile solution.

Sue Newsome, OnePlan CEO, said, “This is an exciting opportunity for us to work closely with QCS. Over time both companies plan to expand the relationship to take advantage of our respective capabilities and offer clients unparalleled levels of end to end efficiency and support."

Simon Bunegar, QCS Marketing and Sales Director added “We're delighted to have formed a collaborative alliance with OnePlan. the close relationship that both organisations have formed with care providers will mean that, collectively, we can better understand and respond to the myriad of challenges that front-line leaders face.”

To join QCS, contact our compliance advisors on 0333-405-3333 or email sales@qcs.co.uk.

Care Home Finance from Global Business Finance Global assists clients throughout the U.K. who specialise in the healthcare sector to achieve their objectives of purchase, development and refinance.

We have organised over £1.8bn for clients in the past 30 years, providing clients with competitively priced funding to refinance existing debt, ease cashflow and develop businesses further.

From helping clients make their first purchase through to allowing groups to grow significantly in

size we assist at every stage of your business expansion.

Every proposal is individual and deserves to be treated that way, so we hope you will allow us to be of assistance to you and call us to chat through your plans and requirements, I am sure we will be able to tailor a facility to your requirements.

Call us on 01242 227172 or e-mail us at enquiries@globalbusinessfinance.net