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Educating Public About the Value of Social Care is the ‘Single Most Important Task’
Helping the public to recognise the importance of social care will be “the most essential task” for the social care sector as it engages with the Government’s upcoming green paper on social care, the incoming President of the Association of Directors of Social Services (ADASS) set out in his inaugural speech earlier this month. Glen Garrod, The Director of Adult Social Services for Lincolnshire, who now assumes the responsibility for representing adult social care nationally for the next year, also says that delivering individual, person-centred care is essential to support our ageing population.
“Whether it’s the young adult with a profound disability or the grandparent with dementia, social care is there for us when we are at our most vulnerable. Helping the public to understand our contribution is perhaps our single most important task over the next year. They are the force for change to be reckoned with, the power to be harnessed,” Mr Garrod will argued in his inaugural speech. The preventative and essential role of social care is often less well understood by the public when compared to the NHS’ front-line services. Adult social care services face an overall £2 billion shortfall in their finances by 2020. “We can already see the impact of this in care homes closing and home care providers handing back con-
tracts. ADASS is preparing to make the case that investment in social care reaps rewards, for instance in significantly reducing the numbers of people stuck in hospital over the last six months, as part of its approach to the upcoming green paper.” He said With the Government’s green paper and work concerning working age adults on social care due in coming months, ADASS will focus on galvanising public opinion to ensure that the government can deliver a long-term funding proposal for social care so we all know what we are responsible for and so that we can feel secure for ourselves, for our families and for all of our futures in coming months.
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SPRING 2018
VIEWPOINT Hello AnD welcome to the Spring issue of The Carer! I think it would be fair to say that everybody involved in social care is eagerly awaiting the government’s green paper on care and support of older people. The paper we have been told will set out plans for how government proposes to improve care and support for older people and tackle the challenge of an ageing population. EDITOR As people are living longer and the population ages it is no secret that a long-term and sustainable solution to providing care for older people is needed, and in November 2017 the government begun a process of engagement in advance of the green paper to ensure it reflects a wide range of views and requirements. The Government is working with independent experts, stakeholders and users to “shape the long-term reforms that will be proposed in the green paper.” Inevitably this is going to lead to additional cost, on page 13 we have a story that one in 10 councils are facing exhausting reserves as social care costs mount, with local authorities struggling to juggle high demands and cost pressures against funding cuts. From 2010-2017 the estimated number of people over 65 in need of care increased by over 14% in the number of children being looked after increased by almost 11% with social care accounting for almost 55% of local authorities total service spend. Such expenditure is not sustainable. It is therefore vital, as our lead story (page 1) states that educating the public about the value of social care is truly the single most important task. Difficult though this might sound I think it is the only practical way. The current way we fund social care cannot carry on. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned that social care could account for half of all taxes raised by local authorities by 2035, with vulnerable elderly people at risk for even the most basic of tasks. Councils could also be forced to squeeze budgets on other public services such as housing, bin collections and roads to cope with the soaring demand for social care from the ageing population, the IFS said. We all remember the outcry at the last general election, the introduction of a so-called dementia tax which caused an embarrassing U-turn. I am no political observer but at the time the Conservatives seemed on course for a landslide victory but when the dementia tax was mentioned they collapsed in the polls. As PR exercises go it was a disaster, a policy thrown to the public without any mitigating information whatsoever. Any government would be foolish to attempt such a strategy again which is why educating the public, getting them to understand the costs involved, getting them to understand how said costs can be funded in a fair way, and educating the public as to how take more responsibility for their own health is absolutely vital. I remember last year when a case was put for replacing the current ‘pay-as-you-go’ (PAYG) approach to financing later-life care with a prefunded arrangement. Under this proposal, working-age people would contribute a percentage of their income into a Later Life Care Fund (LLCF). These pooled savings would then be managed privately, before being used to fund the care costs of those that contributed. It will be very interesting to see if that plays any part in the green paper!
Peter Adams
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SPRING 2018
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Educating Public About the Value of Social Care is the ‘Single Most Important Task’ ...CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 In a radical break from previous ADASS leaders, the incoming President is urging political leaders and social care staff from across the country to focus on the “opportunities” that the sector presents, with the upcoming social care green paper key. Mr Garrod is arguing for person-centred, individualised care saying: “Personalisation is our space, we cannot stagnate and watch other areas pass us by. There can be no excuses. This explosion of opportunities to expand personalisation is within our gift to reinforce and rejuvenate and it is essential that we deliver it.” Comparing the ability of other sectors to harness technologies that can deliver individualised services, such as transport or finance, Mr Garrod also called for a similar approach with social care: “We desperately need to see ‘creative disruption’ in social care, and in order to do that, we must encourage many more people to manage their care according to their own needs and desires.” Mr Garrod also acknowledged that though there are opportunities for the NHS and social care to work together, the upcoming social care green paper must provide a longterm funding solution for social care as a discipline in itself. And added: “Any relationship, personal or professional, depends on differences being respected, working alongside one another, and recognising that sometimes disagreement is helpful. This “critical friend” relationship is one that ADASS will develop with the NHS over the course of my presidency.” The full list of opportunities that Mr. Garrod urged social care teams to seize in the coming year include: • Educating the public on the value of social care. Describing this as ADASS’ “Most Essential Task” Mr. Garrod will argue that it is essential public opinion is shifted so a long-term funding solution for social care is provided, claiming that the public “are the force for change to be reckoned with, the power
to be harnessed.” • The Social Care Green Paper. Ensuring that the Government provides a long-term funding solution for social care is essential, and ADASS will be advocating for this, alongside immediate, interim funding to help the sector cope with the current crisis. • Developing care tools and early intervention for those in supported housing. With supported housing providing an opportunity to intervene early and help reduce care needs of those using it, ADASS will look at ways to develop and respond early to prevent social care needs spiralling, and how to support people in this housing. • Harnessing new technologies to provide effective social care. With industries such as taxis, delivery and mapping revolutionised by apps and mobile technology, social care teams are encouraged to continue innovating in this area, and ADASS will look at the role technology plays in social care and what can be developed, too. • Developing a ‘critical friend’ relationship with the NHS. Ensuring that patients experience a seamless transition in care transfers where possible is essential, and with social care experiencing half the delays in care transfers that the NHS does, social care teams will share best practice where possible, but not be afraid to stand up for social care in its own right when necessary. Welcoming Glen Garrod into the Presidency, Caroline Dinenage, Minister for Care, said: “The social care sector, and the workforce that underpins it, fulfils an essential role in caring for society's most vulnerable people. However, it’s clear that the system is facing unprecedented pressures as a result of our ageing population. “I look forward to working closely with the new President of the Association of Directors of Social Services on our forthcoming Green Paper. This will set out vital reforms to support the social care workforce, find a sustainable financial footing and bring health and social care closer together to deliver the best quality of care into the future.”
Pay Rises For NHS Staff, But Social Care Sector Faces Further Uncertainty Mears Group executive Director, Alan long, questions how long the care market can be held together by hope and good will. “I welcomed the news this week that more than one million NHS workers will be receiving pay rises over the next three years. “Less welcome, however, is the warning issued by the Institute for Fiscal Studies that the UK government’s plans for local authority funding could leave adult social care inadequately and inconsistently funded. “I have long campaigned for better pay and conditions for people working in the care sector. I want to see greater parity between NHS staff and care workers who are increasingly providing specialist services as more and more elderly and vulnerable people are being cared for in their own homes rather than in nursing homes or hospitals. My fear is that giving the deserving people in the NHS more money, will lead to more people simply leaving care roles, unless they are treated in the same way. If we want a truly integrated health and social care system, they indeed have to be.
“At Mears, we are fortunate to have thousands of care staff who all come to work wanting to make a real difference to people’s lives. We want them to work in an environment where they are enabled to give a great service and be fairly rewarded for this, just like anyone else. Unfortunately, there are too many parts of the country where it is simply not possible to do either of the above based upon the charge rate that the council is prepared to pay. “The result? Fewer people are willing to care for a living. The home care workforce already has costly and unsustainable turnover – around triple that of other industries. And ultimately, this impacts negatively on the quality of care we are able to provide to some of our most vulnerable members of society.m “Care workers need a career of esteem, a sensible training and regulatory regime and a clear career pathway that involves specialisation and recognition of experience and skill. But there is simply not enough money in the system to support this. Right now, the market is being held together by hope and good will, and that can only hold for so long.”
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Ombudsman Warns Councils Not To Charge For First Six Weeks Of Intermediate Care Councils cannot charge people for the first six weeks of intermediate care, the local Government and Social Care ombudsman has warned, follow ing an investigation into a complaint about north Somerset Council. A family complained to the that North Somerset was not clear about the care home fees they had to pay when a family member left hospital following an amputation. The council claimed that the care the relative received was not intermediate care, but ‘enablement’ and so charged the family. Following an investigation, the Ombudsman found fault with the council for having “confusing and conflicting” information on its website and in leaflets about its enablement service. The investigation also criticised the council for the way the care home sent an incorrect invoice to the family for the care received. “Where councils commission services from other organisations, they retain overall responsibility for those services,” the LGO said. North Somerset has agreed to: • Apologise • Pay the man £722.40 for the six weeks of intermediate care fees he should not have paid to the care home • Reduce the amount the family rightly owe because of the distress caused by wrongly backdating the full cost of care
for the period when he should have received intermediate care • Review its adult social care charging policy and procedures to ensure it is compliant with the Care Act, specifically addressing charging for enablement. The LGO said North Somerset should now notify staff in the relevant Social Care, Financial Assessment and Benefits Teams of policy and procedural changes; and identify any adults who have received ‘enablement’ care since April 2015, who should have been entitled to free intermediate care The Ombudsman has also recommended the council write to those affected, or where necessary a suitable representative, and arrange to refund their costs for the first six weeks of their enablement package. It has not yet agreed to this recommendation. Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Michael King, said: “Simply referring to intermediate care by another name does now allow the council to charge for it. Intermediate care, where people are receiving support with the intention of returning home, cannot be charged in this initial period. “I am pleased the council has agreed to apologise to the family and pay them the remedy we have recommended. However, it now needs to identify and repay any others who may have been incorrectly charged for the care they have received.”
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SPRING 2018
Waking Up To Sleep-In Pay Laws With many care workers required to sleep on site during their shift, associate solicitor and HR expert, natalie Spink looks at the rules governing overnight pay, including why employers cannot afford to ignore them. The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) recently sent out a clear message on sleep-in pay for staff, confirming that anyone who remains on site overnight should be paid at least the National Minimum Wage (NMW). If they have received less by the end of their pay reference period, they will be entitled to a pay rise to bring it up to the legal requirement. If this news is not already ringing alarm bells for employers, the fact that HMRC will be enforcing the legislation certainly should. Those who fail to comply face shelling out up to six years’ back pay for carers who did not receive the correct amount for the hours worked. It should be remembered that it is a criminal offence for employers to refuse or wilfully neglect to pay their workers NMW – and the repercussions for the business and its owners can be commercially catastrophic. HMRC has raft of powers to deal with underpayment, including penalties of up to £20,000 per worker, being ‘named-and-shamed’ in the press, civil court action and criminal prosecution. Workers who believe they have been underpaid, also have the power to take their employer to a tribunal to claim for ‘unlawful deductions’ in their wages. In this instance, a claim must be made within three months of the last deduction, though a change in the rules two years ago, means someone can only recover two years’ pay at tribunal. Where there has been a breach in the contract, firms could face legal action, either at a tribunal or county court.
Such cases can only be heard at a tribunal within three months of a contract ending, though if it is taken to county court, employers may have to foot the bill for claims going back six years and stump up a maximum of six years’ in wage arrears. Given this, senior care professionals should take steps to ensure their teams are being paid the correct amount sooner rather than later, since even genuine mistakes will prove costly. A full review of contracts will ensure all workers are receiving at least the NMW, adjusted for their age. It is also essential to stay on top of any changes in the rate, such as the one that came into effect in April this year, to remain compliant. Once every contract has been updated, employers need to bring payments in line with all hours worked, including sleep-ins. It is not enough to offer a flat rate of payment if this falls below the minimum wage. As pressure to deliver high quality care services continues to mount, the government has launched the Social Care Compliance Scheme (SCCS), an initiative for employers who believe they may have underpaid staff in the past. If eligible to join, firms must declare and pay what they owe within the agreed timescale, giving them a little breathing space and enabling them to avoid fines, court costs and damage to their reputation. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether an employer has wilfully withheld sleep-in payments, or simply not been clued up on the rules until now. On top of an enormous bill, which could be enough to put them out of business, care providers might also find it even more difficult to recruit workers, resulting in vital services depreciating in quality, or else disappearing completely. If you are unsure about the current risks facing your organisation as a result of the recent NMW developments or you require help with claims from workers, contact a member of the Your HR Lawyer team for advice about your options. Natalie Spink is an associate solicitor at HR and employment law specialists, Your HR Lawyer. For more information visit www.yourhrlawyer.co.uk or call 0115 870 0150.
Scouts Complete Community Badge at Rotherham Care Home SCoUTS aiming to achieve their community badge have been serving elderly care home residents in Rotherham. Over a dozen 14 to 18 year old teens from the 9th Rotherham Scout Group visited Broadacres Care Home, on Naylor Street, Parkgate. They helped serve refreshments, supper and spent time chatting with the residents. They were supported by assistant Scout leaders Heather Sherratt, Richard Jepson, Jonathan James and Dylan Harries. Heather said: “We want to do as much intergenerational work as possible for our young people to understand and respect our elder generation. “To be able to do this in a care
home environment is fantastic. We know this is the start of a great relationship with Broadacres Care Home and we look forward to many more visits in future.” Diane Rice, activities coordinator at Broadacres Care Home, said: “We believe it’s very important to create links with the community, to keep our residents engaged and provide a more stimulating and interesting place to live. “When the Scout group contacted us to ask if they could visit our residents we were delighted. Young people always bring so much energy and enthusiasm into the home. “The residents had a wonderful time talking to them about their badges and what they get up to in the Scouts. We look forward to seeing them again.”
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SPRING 2018
THE CARER
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Your Care Rating 2017/18 – Survey Results Released Results of the 2017/18 Your Care Rating surveys continue to paint a positive picture of life in participating residential care homes across the UK. Your Care Rating extends to two audiences: residents living in care homes, surveyed annually since 2012, and their family members and friends, surveyed annually since 2015. In the 2017/18 surveys, responses were received from 16,784 care home residents (representing a 40.5% response rate), and 12,068 family members and friends of residents (a 48% response rate). The average care home Overall Performance Rating (OPR) in the Residents’ survey is 878 out of 1,000, and the equivalent average OPR achieved in the Family & Friends’ survey is 836. These composite scores are driven by the positive results achieved across comparable measures rated in each of the two surveys. Nearly all residents responding to the survey (98%), and over nine in ten family members and friends (94%) are satisfied with the overall standard of the care home. Ninety-two percent of residents agree that overall, they are happy living in the care home, and nine in ten family members and friends (90%) agree the care home seems a happy place to live. Views relating to the care given by staff are extremely positive. Nearly all residents (98%) agree that staff treat them with kindness, dignity and respect – this figure is 97% among family members and friends. Ninety-four percent of residents agree that staff understand them as an individual, and 91% agree staff
are sensitive to how they are feeling. Residents are somewhat less likely to agree that staff have time to talk time them (86% say this), and this pattern is mirrored in the responses given by family members and friends (74% agree staff have time to talk to their relative or friend). Results for individual care home are published at yourcarerating.org/survey-results/ Overall, 25 care home providers participated in the Your Care Rating Residents’ survey in 2017/18. A total of 16,784 residents took part in the survey across 820 homes. The survey was conducted from early September to late October 2017, followed by a series of validation checks. The survey uses a postal self-completion methodology, with packs of questionnaires and freepost return envelopes sent to care homes. All responses to the survey are processed by Ipsos MORI. Overall, 15 care home providers participated in the Your Care Rating Family & Friends’ survey in 2017/18, covering 686 homes and with 12,068 responses. The survey was conducted between October and November 2017 and used a mixed postal and online methodology. Results are shown for all valid responses (excluding blank responses to questions) and are based on analysis of data for individual care homes receiving five or more responses, excluding those removed from the data following the validation stage of the Residents’ survey. For further information on the methodology and how results are calculated, visit yourcarerating.org/survey-results/
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MUSIC, games and henna tattoos took place at a Rotherham care home as part of a visit from teen volunteers. Eight teenagers from Rotherham United Community Sports Trust (RUCST) spent time with elderly residents at Broadacres Care Home. They organised a variety of intergenerational activities as part of their week-long Building Stronger Communities project. Several rounds of bingo were enjoyed by both groups, with prizes bought by the youngsters prior to their visit. RUCST engagement officer Daniel Horsham brought his guitar and played several songs, with the residents
and teens singing along to Stand By Me, Little Darling and My Girl, among others. They also served hot drinks throughout the day and chatted with the residents about the Millers, among other subjects. Community pastor Rose Florra, from Liberty Church Rotherham, was also part of the visit, when she offered henna tattoos to the residents. Luke Owens, home manager at Broadacres Care Home, on Naylor Street, Parkgate, said: “The day was a wonderful experience for the young teens and the residents thoroughly enjoyed a game of bingo with them. “The volunteers offered all residents, staff and visitors refreshments and were so polite, courteous and respectful. “One young man enjoyed his time so much he made a new friend with one of the residents and will call in to visit him again.” Dan Fitzpatrick, community engagement officer from RUFC Community Sports Trust, said: “It’s been a great visit and a real pleasure to meet people you’ve never met before and to learn about their lives. “There are a lot of elderly people living in our community and it was a privilege to meet them in the home. We can’t wait to come back.”
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SPRING 2018
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As populations around the world begin to live for longer than they ever have, their individual needs related to their health become even more complex, and this is no different in the UK. What this means, is that care homes need to use greater amounts of, and more intelligent, assistive technologies.
Furthermore, staff and care home providers will need to create sustainable living environments in the long-term, to ensure that patients are cared for appropriately when those in care require increasing amounts of supervision and attention. With doubts overhanging the future of care homes, due to a lack of governmental funding, together with Royal Blind – specialists in care homes for the blind and care homes in Paisley, we assess how care homes will be run in the future, and assess the technologies that will revolutionise the way people are cared for. An emphasis on quality In the next 20 years, research has suggested that care homes funded by both private means and social care, will emphasise quality within their ethos. This is because it has been suggested that this strategy has the potential for people to ‘live healthier and longer lives’, as Jane Ashcroft suggested in the Silver Chic report in the future of care homes. More specifically, quality will preside within the care home’s design, as housing will be implemented on a turntable, to help those living there be exposed to sunlight for the longest periods of time possible. As well as this, connectivity will also be a priority to help combat loneliness. To do this, care villages will use small bridges intersecting various gardens so that residents will closer to both their natural environment and other residents within the community. Innovative technologies In addition to quality taking a top priority on the agenda for the future of care homes, technology is also becoming more advanced, and they are helping to ensure that patients remain safe within care homes while allowing them to live longer, healthier lives.
For example, care homes are now beginning to utilise sensors in rooms and systems within the building that alert staff when a patient has fallen, or when they have stopped moving. To help those living with dementia, clusters within buildings can be coloured variously with different lighting so that they are able to recognise their own living quarters. These types of technologies then, are specifically designed to ensure patient comfort, and help to guarantee their safety while living in care. Care with greater independence When people live within the care system, they can begin to feel as though they’ve lost a sense of independence; technologies of the future are enabling those with specific care requirements to live their life in a more self-sufficient way. For example, wearable technologies in their present from can monitor heart rates, steps, and distance covered – but in the future, they will help to monitor fluid retention and respiratory rates, helping to lower hospital admissions, allowing patients to understand their own symptoms more effectively before they require medical assistance. Robotics As well as troubleshooting technologies, robotics will be used to help calm down dementia sufferers who have to deal with extreme stress, used within robotic pets that can respond to human touch and respond in intelligent way. To help with specific care tasks, robots will provide general tasks such as helping patients get in and out of bed, whilst wearable robotic suits will be used to help sufferers from arthritis stand and walk, and they will also help those with severe mobility problems get around more comfortably. Within a patients room, robotically controlled curtains alongside voice commands that also control lights, and other devices, will be used to help those who are blind and have visual impairments. Although we aren’t there yet, the future of care homes looks promising for both staff and patients. The technologies that are already being utilised, and the systems that are being proposed, will help patients lead more independent and comfortable lives so that they can live a happier and healthier life for longer.
Call For Parity Of Esteem Between the NHS and Social Care Workforce Care England has called for a parity of esteem between the NHS and social care workforce. The call was made in the body’s response to the Skills for Care Workforce Strategy Consultation, which was launched in February. The underlying theme of the submission is that the development offer to the social care workforce should be proportionate to its contribution to individuals and society in general in equal measures to that afforded to NHS staff. Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England says: “Currently the Government spends on average £3,615 on each NHS employee per year on staff development compared with only £16 on each social care
employee per year. We need a level playing field”. Care England has repeated its call for a more unified and proportionate approach to the health and social care workforce and one such mechanism to do this is to bring together Health Education England, Skills for Care and Skills for Health into one body. In addition the submission sets out the need for a multi year settlement for the development of the health and social care workforce and a greater emphasis on an evidence based approach together with an equal partnership between commissioners and providers. Professor Martin Green continues: “As the largest representative body for independent sector providers of adult social care, Care England is proud to support Care Home Open Day #CHOD2018, which this year took place on 21 April 2018. Care Home Open Day is one way of promoting messages about the valuable and attractive career paths available in social care."
SPRING 2018
THE CARER
CQC Announces Its Regulatory Fees For Providers For 2018/19 FOLLOWING A public consultation last year, the Care Quality Commission have outlined the fees that providers of health and adult social care in England will pay from April 2018 to cover the costs of their regulation. We made proposals that affected NHS trusts, NHS GPs and community social care providers. CQC’s regulatory functions are funded both by fees paid by providers and by grant-in-aid from the Department of Health. Government policy requires CQC to fully recover the chargeable costs of regulating health and adult social care in England. In a letter to providers, Chief Executive, David Behan explained that the fees paid by providers enable CQC to fulfil its purpose and ensuring that health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care. Following consideration of the responses, the CQC have made a number of decisions on its fees scheme for 2018/19, which are outlined in their response to the consultation. The only sector that will see an overall increase in fees is the community social care sector, in line with an agreed four year trajectory to full chargeable cost recovery. CQC grant-in-aid funding from government will decrease by the same amount. Examples of the fee changes that community social care providers, NHS trusts and NHS GPs can expect include: A community social care provider with 1 location and 15 service users will see their fee decrease from £2,192 to £926 A community social care provider with 3 locations and 50, 100 and 45 service users at each of the locations will see their fee increase from £6,093 to £9,643 An NHS trust with a turnover of £120 million will see their fee decrease from £158,902 to £85,200 An NHS trust with a turnover of £681 million will see
their fee increase from £322,249 to £483,510 An NHS GP provider with 1 location and a patient list size of 5,200 will see their fee decrease from £4,526 to £3,473 An NHS GP provider with 2 locations and patient list sizes of 10,000 and 8,300 at each of the locations will see their fee increase from £8,371 to £11,449. For all other sectors the fee scheme remains unchanged, which means a provider’s fee will remain the same as that for 2017/18, providing their registration remains unchanged. CQC fees for 2018/19 represent 0.16% of overall indicative turnover of the health and social care market. You can find the annual fee for your service for 2018/19 using the fees calculator published on our website. You can also find guidance on how and when to pay your fees, including information on paying by instalment. In response to these announcements, Vic Rayner, Executive Director of the National Care Forum said, ‘NCF acknowledges that CQC is progressing to full cost recovery through regulatory fees and that grant in aid from the Department of Health and Social Care is reducing. ‘However today’s announcement for community social care providers, where most will see an increase in their fees, whilst expected will not be welcome. ‘NCF members support independent regulation and inspection, but the increase in fees will further add to the challenges that providers face which have been so clearly articulated by the CQC themselves. ‘Seven days ago, Jeremy Hunt announced his seven principles of social care reform. This is an opportunity for him to take action and stop the escalator of fee rises for care provision, and bring the core principle of sustainable funding into each and every current government decision that has a direct impact on the fragile care sector. This is one piece of reform that does not need to wait for a Green Paper – press the button and stop the fee escalator now.’
Stocks Hall, St Helens, Take to The Ice A group of people living at Stocks Hall, St Helens nursing Home, recently experienced the thrill and excitement of Ice-Skating for themselves. Sean, Carl, David and Irene were accompanied by Health Care Assistant’s Dawn, Lisa, Maria and Lucy from the Activities Team, with Steve driving the minibus, for the exciting journey to Silver Blades Ice Rink in Widnes. Prior to arrival, Lucy had contacted Silver Blades Ice Rink to plan for the event. Lucy describes Silver Blades as “Absolutely brilliant in accommodating the whole group’s Individual and varied needs on the ice”. Lucy continues “We want to offer people living at the Home opportunities to participate in various sports and activities that they may never have had access to in their lives, or even thought they were able to
participate in – Ice Skating is a perfect example of this.” The sport Ice skating offers an amazing array of different sensory experiences. The acoustics of the Ice rink, the cool temperature and the sensation of freedom of smoothly skating, whilst being assisted in a wheelchair over the ice are all very unique, sensory, personal experiences. The whole group had an amazing time, and the event gave great pleasure to all involved. One only has to look at the photographs and video coverage to see and hear what this sporting opportunity and experience meant to so many. Lucy says “It was wonderful for Stocks Hall, St Helens to share together in this way. It left us more determined and with renewed hope …….. that anything is possible. Watch this space as we capture our next adventure, celebrating life together.”
PAGE 7
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PAGE 8
THE CARER
SPRING 2018
My Care Home Received A Poor CQC Rating And Now The Press Are Interested. What Should I Do? Robert Davies, a public relations and crisis communications specialist at Stephensons Solicitors LLP provides a guide to care home managers on handling enquiries by the media as a result of a poor CQC inspection or enforcement action by the regulator.
if.
Findings by the CQC are a matter of public record and the chances of local, regional or even national news journalists taking an interest are high. This means – for many providers – receiving a call from an interested publication is a case of when, not
hours.
WHAT HAPPenS WHen We ReCeIve An enqUIRY?
Unless you have pre-emptively drafted statements for the media it is unlikely you will be in a position to respond to the journalist straight away. In any case, I would always advise taking a short time to consider the specifics of the journalist’s enquiry. When a call comes in, there are three things you will need to ascertain: What is the reason for the journalist calling? When do they need to hear back from you? And, what are their contact details? The first point will help inform your response. The second will provide a time frame for doing so. The third is fairly self-explanatory, but there is a balance to be struck between respecting the time-frame requested by the journalist and making sure you have enough time to provide a proper, response. If you believe the journalist is being unreasonable with the deadline they have set you are entitled to ask for more time.
What Are Your Obligations Under The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)? Will You Be Ready? THe neW data protection compliancy involves making sure you and your team or associates are familiar with the GDPR, enabling you to be fully compliant with the different processes, systems and policies you are required to have in place by 25 May 2018.
• Information notices are in place • You audit your internal and external data processing activities • You keep a data protection breach register for recording breaches There are, however, many more areas that need to be addressed, including: • Technology used for processing data • Subject access requests • Privacy by design • Updating your terms of business and associate contracts • Appointment of Data Protection Officer (if required) • Breaches and fines The right for individuals to be forgotten is going to be the biggest theme that runs throughout this legislation. Transparency, making your organisation is available to be contacted and that the relevant contact details are included on all your materials, website, email signatures and newsletters is absolutely paramount. Any person new to this legislation will likely feel daunted by its implications and may be tempted to stick their head in the sand and hope it won’t affect them. But taking a positive approach, looking at what needs to be put in place, who is to be responsible for compliancy as part of your organisation and what are the likely potential breaches within your systems and processes are just a few steps towards making sure you’re ready and superorganised. There is definitely no need to panic – there is plenty of time to schedule in all the different tasks required to be compliant in readiness for May 2018. We all do battle on a day-to-day basis running our own businesses, fire-fighting whatever problems get thrown at us. Further hassle in dealing with more mandatory legislation can feel exhausting, eating further into your precious time and brain capacity. The best way is to seek advice and assistance, find a way of tackling this added mandatory obligation, and make sure you prop-
Certain types of personal data must be treated with particular care due to their Every business owner knows that ‘cash is king’, but public relations prosensitive nature. This is, of course, comfessionals will argue that reputation is the single most valuable asset any mon sense. ‘Health’ comes under what the organisation can have. Building a good reputation takes time, resources Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and money. What’s more, it is far more difficult to replace than an existing calls the ‘special category’, making it a WHAT SHoUlD We SAY? source of revenue. mandatory obligation to comply with the One major consideration will be avoiding saying anything which might Bad press coverage puts that reputation at risk. GDPR, and more especially if you work in compromise your position with the CQC - particularly if legal proceedings the health professional field. WHAT SHoUlD We be DoInG To PRePARe? are ongoing. As with any new legislation which genPreparing for media interest will need involvement from all levels of the However, any response should include as much information as possible. erates mandatory requirements, the initial organisation, but your front-line administrative staff should be the immediBeing vague or evasive is likely to only damage your organisation’s reputa- response is to panic and stress over yet ate priority. tion further and feed the perception that you are unable or unwilling to another set of red tape regulations to bow Your telephone staff are likely to be the first to face a journalist enquiry face up to the findings against you. down to, more paperwork and things you and will be understandably nervous about doing so. A fear of saying the Equally, any response should be authentic to your organisation. If your have to remember. It can all feel a bit too wrong thing can lead to rash decisions. It is not uncommon to hear stories communications say your home is ‘honest’, ‘caring’, ‘compassionate’ etc. much – especially as it’s a bit of a ‘dry’ from the sector where administrative staff have simply hung up on journalyour response should at the very least match these standards, if not sursubject – not the easiest of topics to get ists rather than be put on the spot for a comment. pass them. Avoid defaulting to stiff, wordy business-speak which could excited about. The first step is to ease the concerns of your staff. They should rememcome across as inexplicit or cold. We’re here to reassure you that data ber that journalists are people too. They have a job to do and it is not their protection is not that frightening. Good, HoW Do We KeeP TRACK? sole aim to tear a hard-won reputation to shreds. Equally though, it is not old-fashioned common sense and a baltheir job to paint your situation in a favourable light. It’s easy to get distracted or feel overwhelmed, particularly when fieldanced approach are what is needed. The Second, impress upon your staff that they are not spokespeople. They ing multiple media enquiries. Many organisations will simply fall into the HCPC, the regulators of health, psychologare not permitted to - nor expected to - make a response on behalf of your trap of reacting and forget to think ahead. ical and social work professionals, are not organisation. Their function is to politely and efficiently get the enquiry If one regional newspaper has requested a comment, it is not unreasonmonsters, in the same way the ICO is not where it needs to go – namely, to your organisation’s appointed media able to assume that other regional and local titles will contact you. If the there to hold you at gunpoint. You just spokesperson. findings against you are particularly serious, you may expect enquiries need to take it seriously and have a solid This should be the most senior member of staff – preferably the manager from national and broadcast media. plan of action in place, ensuring that: or business owner – with direct responsibility and influence over the dayHave all the relevant material to hand, including an approved ‘stock • Your team is properly trained with an to-day running of the home. comment’ from your organisation’s spokesperson, direct ‘out of office’ conunderstanding about breaches If your staff are unable to pass the enquiry through to the media tact details for that spokesperson which can be passed to the journalist and • You have a clear chain of command – who is spokesman, there is a risk that the journalist will go to print without you a record of which publications you have spoken to, when, and any agreed the processors, who is the data controller and having the opportunity to provide any comment whatsoever. Make sure future conversations. who is the data protection officer? your media spokesperson is available, on-site and off, even outside office https://www.stephensons.co.uk/site/businesses/regulatory-law/care• You have a good understanding about ‘consent’ and ‘the right to be forgotten’ • You know how all your systems are data mapped and what the information flow is celebration of inspiration and • You have the fundamental policies in place A corridor and lounge area at a Care Home in St Helens has diversity through the art and • Privacy impact assessments (another name recently been transformed with an area full of artwork that for risk assessments) are carried out craft sessions held at the sparkles with life and colour. Home, bringing an array of The Living Art Gallery at Stocks Hall St Helens Home has been benefits to the people wishing to be involved. The sessions encourage everyone to socialise within a creative environment developed to showcase a collection of beautiful and unique art pieces whilst discovering their own artistic freedom. The concept of the new Living Art Gallery has inspired further discussion that have been lovingly created by people living at the Home. amongst people living at the Home – transforming an additional corridor with colourful mixed media art work, comThe exhibition features eleven artworks that explore still life paintmencing in the next coming weeks.” ings using paint, pastels and collage. The exhibition currently shows the The Home’s mission is to unite people and inspire communication and understanding through the Arts. The weekly art works from the very talented Kevin Richardson (60), Ann Black (71), sessions are devised and delivered to enable participants to explore their creativity with the guidance of experienced Maureen Donegan (65), Brian Littlewood (73), Joan Fairclough (66), Paul artist, Laura, providing support as and when needed. Shepherd (44) and Paula Cowan (53). Laura says “Creative sessions not only gives people an outlet and a voice for their thoughts and ideas, it helps them to Laura Coghlan-Adam, Activities Staff and in-house Artist is passionate about offering everyone an opportunity to feel valued and is also incredibly therapeutic. We are looking forward to hosting our very own Living Art Gallery opening reflect Individuality, experimentation and expression through contemporary art practices. Laura says “This is a wonderful show very soon.”
Merseyside Care Home Delighted To Reveal An Evocative Collection Of Artwork
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SPRING 2018
THE CARER
Care Home Pharmacists to Help Cut Overmedication for Older Patients
nHS england has announced plans to recruit and deploy hundreds of pharmacists into care homes to help reduce overmedication and cut unnecessary hospital stays.
Around 180,000 people living in nursing or residential homes will have their prescriptions and medicines reviewed by the new pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Elderly care home residents often have one or more long-term health conditions, such as dementia, hypertension, diabetes or heart disease, and on average are being prescribed seven medicines daily, but it can be more, with around 10 per cent of people aged 75 and over currently being prescribed 10 or more medicines. This is significant as studies suggest up to one in 12 of all hospital admissions are medicines-related and two thirds of these are preventable. NHS trials show pharmacists reviewing medicines improved patients’ quality of life by reducing unnecessary use and bringing down emergency admissions, with less time spent in hospitals. This approach also led to meaningful savings in unnecessary prescribing costs of £249 per patient in one pilot over a year. NHS England will roll out the approach by funding recruitment of 240 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. The reviews will be done in coordination with GPs and practice-based clinical pharmacists to ensure people are prescribed the right medicines, at the right time, in the right way to improve their health and overall quality of life. Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said: “There’s increasing evidence that our parents and their friends – a whole generation of people in their 70s, 80s and 90s – are being overmedicated in care homes, with bad results. Let’s face it- the policy of ‘a pill for every ill’ is often causing frail older people more health problems than it’s solving. So expert pharmacists are now going to offer practical NHS support and medicines reviews in care homes across England.” The use of clinical pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to undertake structured medicines reviews of all new and discharged care home residents in Northumberland showed that one hospital readmission could be avoided for every 12 residents reviewed.
PAGE 9
Sherford Manor Residents Have the Need for Speed at Stock Car Racing Day Sherford Manor residents swapped tea and cakes for gears and brakes when they attended a stock car racing event at Smeatharpe Stadium.
In East and North Hertfordshire, where this model was applied across 37 care homes, an annual drug cost saving of £249 per patient was seen. Results from the six NHS England care homes vanThe Taunton home, based on guard sites piloting this approach show: Wyvern Road, arranged the day at • Reduced reported emergency hospital admissions by the races for a group of residents 21 per cent who wanted to brave the cold to • Reduced oral nutritional support usage by 7 per cent experience the action. • Reduced ambulance call out by up to 30 per cent Entertainment was provided by the vehicles and • Made drug cost savings of £125-305 per resident. their fearless drivers, who drove laps and performed The roll-out of pharmacists and pharmacy technicrashes into barriers and each other. cians into care homes is part of the NHS England Louis du Toit, Activities Co-ordinator at Sherford plan – Refreshing NHS Plans for 2018/19 – which Manor, said: “At Sherford Manor, we like to arrange sets out measures to provide joined-up services for exciting activities for our residents, and I doubt there patients to ensure they receive care in the most are many care homes that have had an outing to the appropriate place. Healthwatch England National Director Imelda Redmond, said: “We know from our work on hospital discharge that pharmacy and effective links with care services are key to helping people get home and stay home after receiving treatment. This initiative from NHS England, as the health service and local government look to work more closely together on these issues, is a welcome move and we at Healthwatch look forward to following up to see the difference it makes to care home residents.” Sandra Gidley, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s English Board, said: “This significant investment highlights the growing recognition that pharmacists who support care home residents can reduce medicines waste, improve efficiency and provide better health outcomes. “Many pharmacists already play a vital role in care homes, including through supporting other staff as part of a multi-disciplinary team, and we know that our members will welcome the opportunity to get more involved in providing direct patient care. “In order to make the most out of this chance to improve health outcomes, commissioners can also better co-ordinate and integrate patient care by drawing on the expertise and knowledge of pharmacists wherever they are based.”
Skills Network Adds Weight to Care Campaign A national skills organisation has thrown its weight behind a campaign led by a lancashire care home network to highlight the growing skills shortages facing the care sector. Skills for Care has come out in support of the Caring Heroes campaign which was launched by Springhill Care Group to help raise awareness of the lack of skills and the way care sector employees are undervalued. Skills for Care supports adult social care employers to deliver its services through the development of learning initiatives and workforce development for the sector’s workforce including qualifications at all levels. Sharon Allen, chief executive of Skills for Care, recently took part in a parliamentary public accounts committee debate to discuss the future direction of adult social care in response to a National Audit office report on the social care workforce. She told the panel: “It’s a national shame that we only pay the workforce a National Minimum Wage. “The social care and healthcare workforce should have parity in all ways including pay but also terms and conditions, and then we need funds to run a national recruitment campaign. The lack of pay in the care sector is also associated with a lack of skills when in fact it is a highly-skilled industry. Social care at its best transforms lives.”
The Caring Heroes campaign won the backing of industry leaders including Martin Green, chief executive of Care England and Alex Ramamurthy, CEO of the Care Workers Charity, along with MPs Graham Jones of Hyndburn and Rosie Cooper of West Lancs. Donna Briggs, managing director of Springhill Care Group with three homes in Accrington, Skelmersdale and Bristol, said: “We watch developments with great interest and the whole sector is now galvanising itself to ensure we are in a better position to provide the services being demanded from a growing ageing population.” A Green paper on the future of adult social care with recommendations for new funding is expected before the summer recess of Parliament. Springhill Care Group submitted written evidence to the public accounts committee setting out a case for increased awareness of career opportunities within the care sector, how a more joined-up NHS and social care network would reduce hospital admissions and the need for increased funding for workforce development. Activity in the Caring Heroes campaign can be followed on social media using #caringheroes
stock car racing. “The residents had a fantastic time and all the staff at Smeathorpe Stadium were incredibly helpful. We can’t wait to arrange another visit in the summer.” Katrina Ball, Home Manager at Sherford Manor, said: “When Louis suggested taking a group of residents to Smeathorpe Stadium, I thought it was a fantastic idea. It’s so easy to think that care homes only do garden fetes and cake sales, and not exciting outings like this one. “It is important to us that our residents are engaged in the local community, and are able to have fun together. We would encourage more care homes to think outside the box, and find something a little bit different to brighten up an afternoon."
PAGE 10
THE CARER
SPRING 2018
Is It Time For A Older People Receiving Social Care Set Out the Problems They Face New Approach To Adult Social Care?
By Tony Pilkington, managing director at Younifi Adult social care is facing a tough future. our growing ageing population is putting an increased demand on services, and amid a backdrop of ongoing austerity measures, it’s predicted that there will be a funding gap of £2.3 billion in the sector by 2020. In spite of these pressures, local authorities are striving to do better, and are keen to deliver a more personalised approach to the people in its care, while ensuring services are monitored and managed effectively. However, working across a variety of services has meant that local authorities are struggling to keep track of what is being spent and why, making it increasingly difficult for councils to assess where best to put their valuable yet limited resources to meet each care recipients’ unique needs, preferences and budgets. And the management of care isn’t just proving to be a challenge for local authorities. Research we conducted last year found that the majority of care recipients have little knowledge about the care options on offer to them, and a worryingly high number of recipients aren’t sure how much their care costs. Interestingly it found that information sharing was critical to care success, highlighting the need for information about day to day activities to be shared across a person’s support network. To create a social care market fit for today’s needs, care providers must deliver more personalised services and support to an increasingly diverse community. Local authorities must deliver greater support to all those within the system to allow for greater visibility and control to encourage greater involvement in care experiences if they are to achieve better outcomes. Authorities need to adapt the way in which they deal with demand and work together with partners, providers and recipients to adopt radically different relationships to create a sustainable social care system. YPO, the professional buying organisation for the public sector, has recognised the need for a holistic approach to managing care. It has launched the Managing Care Solutions framework to provide greater visibility, remove barriers and encourage more diversity within the social care system. The framework offers a way for care commissioners to create an evidence hub that informs strategic planning, develops and promotes community assets and enables self-care. Now is the time for radical change in the way social care is managed and delivered, and this framework offers true innovation to local authorities. As the sole solution provider on it we are able to help social care professionals address many challenges around managing care, which until now have been constrained by out of date solutions and practices.
A new report by Age UK, “Why call it care when noone cares?“, summarises the results of a series of listening events the Charity has held with older people who are receiving care and their family carers over the last two months. one hundred and twenty seven people participated in thirteen sessions in total, which took place in the north, Midlands and South of england, in urban and rural places, and in more affluent and poorer areas. At each event the local MP joined for the final hour to hear directly from their constituents. They included the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Health and Care, and the Shadow Secretaries of State for Health and Social Care and of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The listening events, had two parts: in the first older people and their family carers talked about their personal experiences of care, highlighted the problems they faced and what would make life better; and in the second they discussed various funding proposals and what they would mean for them and their families. Most of the older people who took part and their family carers were receiving care at home, but some were receiving care in a care home or supporting a loved one there. Age UK organised these listening events to help policymakers understand the real-life issues facing older people in need of care and their family carers in their constituencies, and to provide an opportunity to discuss potential solutions. The Charity also hopes and intends that the views and experiences of people for whom a better care system cannot come too soon will help to inform the Social Care Green Paper, which the Government has said it will publish ‘by the summer’. Although the listening events took place in very different places the same issues came up over and over again, showing that the problems facing adult social care are national. The top five problems that older people and their family carers talked about at every listening event were:
MAnY fAMIlY CAReRS feel AbAnDoneD AnD UnSUPPoRTeD bY THe nHS AnD SoCIAl CARe
THeY belIeveD We neeD A neW AnD beTTeR ConTRACT WITH fAMIlY CAReRS In oUR SoCIeTY
The family carers we spoke to wanted to do right by their loved ones, but they all agreed that it had to be voluntary and that people who need care should also receive support from the council or NHS. Those caring for parents or partners with dementia in particular often said they felt out of their depth and ‘dumped on’, struggling without enough basic help or specialist dementia support. One person explained how caring for his wife had led him to have a breakdown because he simply couldn’t cope 24/7.
Many of the family carers were visibly buckling under the strain, particularly those caring for a loved one with dementia. Older people said they worried about the impact on their relatives of caring for them too. The general view was that we need to be much clearer as a society about what it is ok to expect an adult child or partner to do in terms of personal care for another person and back them up with much more support – not leave them to get on with it as some participants complained happens now. A number of family carers spoke of their despair at respite care being cut in their areas, leaving them with no hope of a break.
THe SoCIAl CARe SYSTeM IS DYSfUnCTIonAl AnD nAvIGATInG IT IS A nIGHTMARe Almost everyone had struggled to find out how to arrange care. People were confused about what care is available, who provides it and how it is funded. Many had wrongly assumed care would be provided free by the NHS. There were often delays in receiving information and basic help, and some didn’t get it at all. Council delays in assessing older people were a particular bug-bear and we were told of older people with dementia locking themselves out, setting fire to their kitchens, or going days without food while waiting to be assessed. When it came to possible solutions and ways of funding a better social care system the top five points that older people and their family carers at these listening events made were:
eveRYone SHoUlD ConTRIbUTe In SoMe WAY Older people felt they had paid into the system all their lives and the whole population should continue to do so. The social care system should be there for everyone if and when they need it and so everyone has a responsibility to help fund it. Ideas such as a rise in general taxation and 5% off everyone’s estates following their death were the most favoured.
Too MAnY PRofeSSIonAl CAReRS ARe In A RUSH AnD THeRe’S no ConTInUITY
PeoPle WeRe onlY WIllInG To PAY MoRe If THeY GoT A beTTeR SeRvICe In ReTURn
Many participants complained about rushed, ‘tick-box’ home care visits from paid carers and a lack of continuity, so they never got the chance to build a relationship or even establish proper communication. Older people weren’t receiving ‘person centred care’; indeed what they got was sometimes not ‘care’ at all. The system was generally blamed for this rather than the paid carers themselves.
Participants felt there were already paying a lot of money into the system and most felt they were not getting value for money. If they were going to pay more out they wanted a much better offer in terms of service quality. They were not prepared to pay more simply in order for others to benefit in future. Some participants with assets were keen on a ‘cap’ of some kind, but even they did not generally feel this would be enough on its own to justify them paying more, without issues such as rushed home care visits and a lack of continuity in staffing also being addressed. Participants thought it would be good for future generations to be able to ‘pool the risk’ of needing care and were unanimous that any such scheme would have to be compulsory and State backed, rather than relying on individuals to choose to put money aside into a private account of their own. They wanted their children and grandchildren to have a better, less stressful experience of care, if they needed it in old age, than they felt they were having.
CARe ofTen IT ISn’T veRY GooD The majority of the people we spoke to highlighted the poor quality of care that they or their family members sometimes or always received. One participant had resorted to putting signs around her husband’s care home room to remind the staff to do basic things like leave him a drink within reach. Many people felt that if they had more money they could have bought a better standard of care.
SoCIAl CARe IS veRY exPenSIve AnD ofTen noT GooD vAlUe foR MoneY The high cost of social care is crippling families and older people financially. Those who had to pay for their care were shocked by the prices; for example, £25 an hour for home care in one constituency outside London. When people were entitled to free care and took it up they often found it wasn’t a decent standard so they had to ‘top it up’. Those who were not entitled to support felt they were signing ‘an open cheque’.
THeY WAnTeD AnY exTRA fUnDS THAT WeRe RAISeD To be RInG-fenCeD foR CARe Without a ring-fence there was concern that any extra public money raised for social care could be diverted elsewhere; and if it was raised to be shared across the NHS and social care they worried that the NHS would take the lion’s share and social care would lose out.
olDeR PeoPle AnD THeIR fAMIlIeS DeSPeRATelY WAnTeD SeCURITY Older people and their families wanted to feel secure financially and confident living in their own homes, without fear that they would have to sell up to pay for care or, in the case of some family carers, face homelessness if they were providing care in their parent’s home and it would have to be sold after their death. Some family carers also worried about using up savings meant for their own retirements to replace some of the income lost due to caring, and those who were paying their own care home costs dreaded running out of money and having to move somewhere cheaper and worse, and further away as a result. Commenting on the report, Age UK’s Charity Director Caroline Abrahams said: ‘We heard a lot at these events about how frightened many older people are of running out of money to fund their care, of having to sell up during their lifetimes, or of being able to get only inadequate care – and their sadness at the adverse impact on their families of their declining health and rising care needs. In this, the 70th anniversary year of the NHS, it is worth remembering that part of the rationale for the NHS’s foundation was to remove the fear of becoming ill from millions of ordinary people. Unfortunately, today it seems we have replaced one kind of fear with another: the fear of developing a social care need in later life. That’s a sad indictment of our society and surely something we all have a stake in wanting to change for the better. ‘Older people and their families said that they would be prepared to pay more but only if it was affordable and in exchange for better, less rushed care visits, with more continuity of staff, and more support for unpaid carers – in other words a properly functioning system offering reasonable value for money. They felt they had paid into the system and it should be there for them, and for everyone else if and when they needed it, so everyone should play a part in funding it, now and into the future.’ ‘Some commentators seem to think that ‘wealth taxes’ are too controversial to be broached with the public but the older people and their families who took part in these sessions did not reject them out of hand: for example, they were prepared to contemplate a 5% levy on everyone’s estates following death and an increase in general taxation, with the money raised being ring-fenced for social care.’ ‘In effect, these older people and their family carers have thrown down the gauntlet to some of our leading politicians to resolve the terrible problems of the adult social care system, once and for all, and we can only hope that they listen and respond. Certainly, at Age UK we will hold them to account for doing so.’
PRODUCTS & SERVICES Life is Rosie with a MeadowSweet Posy Mister Uniform Ltd “We bring the joy of beautiful, natural flowers into people’s lives”, explains Sophie Townsend, owner of MeadowSweet. “our weekly posies are a celebration of the story of the seasons. A gentle way to feel connected to nature throughout the year.” Being part of nature is something that Sophie feels passionately about. With a career in wildlife conservation, environmental factors are an important part of the business. “We avoid using the air-freighted blooms to keep a low carbon footprint but also so our posies have a real connection to the outdoors. Packaging has been designed for reuse and recycling and composting of green waste is all part of the service for regular customers.
Every week’s posy is an unique design using the best of British flowers. Blooms are often softer, garden varieties filled with nostalgia and. Think snowdrops, bluebells, sweet peas, cornflowers, scented roses and dahlias. Posies arrive in a vase of water, ready to display. They are the perfect size to pop straight onto a coffee or bedside table. Currently, a regular MeadowSweet posy service is available with free delivery to Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and Ferndown. A variety of subscription options and gift vouchers are available. For further information, see the website, www.meadowsweet.co.uk or follow Sophie on Facebook or Instagram at ‘MeadowSweet Posies’. See the advert on page 3 for details.
WITH THE recent warm weather many of our clients are on the lookout for lighter weight tunics and garments to help keep your staff cool while working. To help your staff look professional and stay cool this summer Mister Uniform are proud to launch our brand new range of “Super Lightweight” summer garments. Ask one of our friendly team about our brand new Ultra Lightweight Tunic which is proving very popular with our customers. This tunic is amazingly light at just 145grammes in weight. This is 25% lighter
weight fabric than many regular healthcare tunics. We also offer lightweight 100% cotton polo shirts, light weight chefs jackets and healthcare dresses. To find out more about our “Super Lightweight range” simply call us and ask one of our friendly staff who’d be delighted to assist you. To make ordering easy we offer our Free Sample Service so you can “Try Before You Buy”. This means you get to see an actual sample before placing your order. Why not add your care company logo to your garments by using our Free Logo Design Service? To see our brand new 2018 Healthcare Brochure call us now on 0117 32 52 199 (we’d be delighted to hear from you). Email us on: sales@misteruniform.co.uk View our entire workwear range at: www.misteruniform.co.uk or see our adverts on pages 4 and 8.
Footwear For Residents With Swollen Feet positivID Identity Systems Services for the Less Able
Do you have residents with swollen feet who can’t find shoes or slippers to fit? Cosyfeet can help. Their footwear for men and women is roomier than anything on the high street. Recommended by over 11,000 health care professionals, it fits a range of swelling as well as bunions, problem toes, bandaging and orthotics. Cosyfeet’s range includes supportive slippers, leather and fabric shoes and summer sandals. They also have a collection of stretchy shoes that won’t
Total Racking Solutions Total Racking Solutions ltd is one of the UK`s leading suppliers of racking for just about every necessity. We are a friendly family run business with 30 years experience , who really go the extra mile for our customers. Our 5-star Trustpilot rating speaks for itself, not only are our products superb quality they are extremely good value for money compared to our competition. We offer a superb range of racking Chrome and high gloss powder coated steel for storage rooms , care homes , hospitals
put pressure on swelling, bunions or hammer toes. To complete your residents’ comfort, Cosyfeet offers extra roomy socks and hosiery which are designed to fit swollen legs as well as diabetic-friendly socks that won’t rub vulnerable feet. Cosyfeet’s ‘No Quibble Money Back Guarantee’ and free returns means your residents can order with confidence. They also offer VAT exemption for anyone with a chronic medical condition. Visit www.cosyfeet.com or ring 01458 447275 for free catalogues. See the advert on page 13 for details.
, document & file storage , linen storage , kitchen products , warehouses you name we stock it. All our products are Ex Stock we cater for both big and small requirements. We offer a no quibble five year guarantee on all our products, if you are not happy with our products for any reason we will either give you a replacement or a full refund. Not only are they very easy to put together they really are sturdy and look superb when built and in use.. We offer a next day delivery service, anywhere in mainland UK. Give our friendly sales and design staff a call, we offer a free design service and will of course do you a highly competitive deal.” For further information contact 01977 555007, email sales@rackingsolutions.co.uk or see the advert on page 6.
positivID Identity Systems is a family run business providing a fantastic range of badging solutions and accessories for the care industry. Our customers include NHS & private hospitals, care agencies, care homes, nurseries, schools, and a wide variety of private companies. We understand the care industries demand for clear and reliable cards, and can design yours to meet or exceed ID requirements established by the Care Quality Commission. We have been specialising in the Care Sector for over 15 years. Forget out of date laminated or enamel badges, positivID can provide your care agency or home with fully personalised, photographic PVC cards, which can be either worn as a badge or used as an ID card. Our minimum order quantity is for a block of just 10 cards, although we are happy to send out the cards individually when they are needed. We also have a comprehensive range of badging accessories! From plain lanyards (available in 10mm, 15mm or 20mm and 10 different colours) to our own, huge range of pre-printed lanyards designed specifically for the care industry. Identify members of your team with our extremely popular generic titles; ‘CARE ASSISTANT’, ‘TEAM LEADER’, ‘SUPERVISOR’, ‘NURSE’ and ‘FIRST AIDER’. We also stock ‘NHS’ and ‘NHS Staff’ lanyards and many others. Everything you need to display your ID card professionally. Our ID card packs include single sided ID cards, card holders, 10mm lanyards and postage. A 10 card pack costs £35. The 25 card pack costs £50 and the 50 card pack costs just £85! Call 02392 450677, visit www.positivID.net, email: sales@positivID.net or see the advert on page 13.
oUR SeRvICe has been built to provide our Clients in both nursing Home and Private home locations, with a service second to none. So should the need arise for you to call upon us for our specialised service you can be sure that the service we provide will be carried out quickly and efficiently, giving full customer satisfaction and peace of mind. S & T Services is a small group of Engineers who are all factory trained, as well as their expert knowledge and experience in servicing and repairing products from leading Manufacturers of Specialist Bathing and Lifting equipment such as Chiltern Invadex, Arjo, Huntleigh, BHM, Invacare, Reval, Oxford, Sunrise Medical and Parker Baths. With access to several manufacturers’, we are able to advise & recommend equipment most suitable to the individual needs for both the resident & carer! We are also able to source both new & refurbished equipment such as baths, hoists, beds, wheelchairs and other equipment associated with special needs with warranties at competitive prices. For further information call 01386 765877, visit www.servicesforthelessable.co.uk See the advert on page 1 for details.
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Which? Report Into Care Home Contracts Care homes are failing to provide contracts and may be breaking the law by neglecting to tell residents and their families about important terms and conditions, a Which? investigation has found. The consumer watchdog contacted 50 homes on the premise of looking for care for an elderly relative and requested documents including a sample contract – but fewer than one in 10 provided the information. Which?’s investigators received four contracts – three of which included terms that could be considered unfair to residents – including charging fees for a month after death and the right to terminate a contract with 24 hours notice for undefined “detrimental behaviour”. The other 46 homes refused to send a sample contract, in many cases urging our investigators to visit or directing them to websites that did not provide the information. When Which? received reports from more than 500 members of the public about their experiences with care home contracts, only 54 per cent said the provider checked if they understood the document they signed. More than a quarter (27 per cent) said no-one from the care home checked if they understood the terms and conditions, while 19 per cent said they did not know if checks were made. Of those who said no checks were carried out, almost a third (31 per cent) said they did not understand the contract at all, or did not understand it very well. Although most people in Which?’s care arrangers survey (81 per cent) claimed to understand their care home contract well – there was confusion around important terms. Four in 10 (38 per cent) said they did not know if their care home could evict a resident without giving a reason and more than a third (34 per cent) said they did not know whether the home could evict a resident without giving the
notice period stated in the contract. Three in 10 (31 per cent) did not know if the home could charge fees after a resident vacated a room, possibly because they had died. More than a third (34 per cent) said they did not know whether the home could evict a resident without giving the notice period stated in the contract. Any care home that fails to provide prospective residents and their families with important information they need to make an informed decision risks being in breach of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations. Which? believes the lack of transparency over contracts leaves potentially vulnerable people open to exploitation – and sees them in some cases hit with exorbitant bills or led to believe they are tied into unfair terms and conditions they would never have knowingly agreed to. Our Care Needs Care Now campaign has heard stories about the care system from more than 1,000 people – with some claiming stress linked to unfair contract terms contributed to a loved one’s death or made their last years miserable. The CMA also raised concerns about care homes failing to provide contracts when asked and warned homes risk breaking consumer law – either by failing to give residents and families sufficient time to read contracts, or in some cases only giving them a contract after they have moved in or failing to let them see it at all. While the upcoming Green Paper should address the badly-needed fundamental reform of the broken social care system later this year, Which? is calling on the Government to act now on the competition authority’s recommendations to strengthen consumer protections for care home residents and relatives including on contracts, unfair fees and evictions.
Europe’s Largest Event Dedicated To Building A Better Future For Care, Returns To ExCeL London on 27-28 June 2018 Health+Care 2018 on 27-28 June, excel london will welcome thousands of care business owners, directors and managers all wanting to find solutions to their challenges and learn how the longterm integrated healthcare plans will affect the care they provide. Health+Care is unique because it gives senior professionals from the health and care sector the opportunity to come together to network, collaborate and share learning. This year thousands will attend to gain access to content, products and services that will help them: • Achieve more positive outcomes and improve the quality of their care • Improve future CQC results and better prepare for inspection • Develop an agile care service able to adapt to, and make the most of change, whether it be policy or market-based • Enhance the services they provide through new innovations and technologies • Drive business efficiency and growth with lessons learnt in pre-
sentations and panel discussions by industry leaders and successful care business operators • Network with leaders from their local CCGs, Local Authority Directors, Trusts and GPs who have new pools of funding they will want to access Health+Care gives visitors the opportunity to learn from fellow care providers succeeding with the same challenges they face and regulators whose policies impact the service they provide. With over 240 sessions in 13 theatres full of world class conference programme, discussions and tutorials, Health+Care will help you excel in 2018 and battle any challenge you face and most importantly provide better care. A hard-hitting programme delivered by the highest calibre of speakers will showcase the latest innovations and expert advice to help tackle the mounting pressure on care businesses whilst providing excellent care for patients and residents. Over 400 leaders from the sector will be speaking including: Andrea Sutcliffe CBE, • Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care - CQC
• James Sanderson, Director of Personalised Care - NHS England • Bridget Warr, CEO – UKHCA • Scott Sherriden, Managing Director - The Care Hub • Deborah Hayes, Director of Care & Services Development and Registered Manager/Safeguarding & Dementia Lead Age UK East London • Rob Martin, Head of Care Quality - Anchor • Martin Green, CEO - Care England
As a senior care professional, you are entitled to a complimentary pass to attend the event for free by signing up this week - saving you £899 + VAT*. There are a limited number of complimentary places, so guarantee your place at Health+Care 2018 by booking your pass today. Please visit the following website now to make sure you secure your place and can attend: www.healthpluscare.co.uk/book
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1in 10 Councils Face “Exhausting Reserves” as Social Care Costs Mount The financial health of local authorities across England is getting worse, says a report from the National Audit Office (NAO).
The report highlights that despite greater freedoms to increase council tax bills and one-off short-term funds from government, local authorities are struggling to juggle higher demands and cost pressures against significant central government funding cuts of nearly 50% since 2010-11. Many local authorities are relying on using their savings to fund local services and are overspending on services, which is not financially sustainable. The report goes on to show that if local authorities with social care responsibilities keep using their reserves at current rates, one in ten could have exhausted them within three years. Last month, Northamptonshire County Council imposed strict in-year spending controls as it is at risk of spending more than the resources it has available in 2017-18, which would be unlawful. Continued increases in demand for social care and tightening resources are pushing local government towards a narrow remit centred on social care. From 2010-11 to 2016-17, the estimated number of people aged 65 and over in need of care increased by 14.3%, and the number of children being looked-after grew by 10.9%. Social care now accounts for 54.4% of local authorities’ total service spend, up from 45.3% in 2010-11 Despite growing demand, spending on social care still fell by 3.0% from 2010-11 to 2016-17. However, this compares with a 32.6% reduction in spending on all other service areas including: reductions of 52.8% on
planning and development; 45.6% on housing services; 37.1% on highways and transport; and 34.9% on cultural and related services. There is further evidence that these spending reductions are impacting frontline services. Since 2010-11, 33.7% fewer households have their waste collected at least weekly, the number of bus miles subsidised by local authorities outside London has fallen by 48.4%, and the number of libraries has reduced by 10.3%. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (the Department) has made improvements in understanding the sector’s financial position since the NAO’s last report in 2014 but, because responsibility for services is spread across departments, there is no single view of how funding cuts are impacting the whole of local authority services. At a time when social care spending is being prioritised by local authorities, failing to understand how funding and demand pressures affect the full range of local authority activities risks unintentionally reducing services to a core offering centred on social care. The government has given local government several short-term cash injections in recent years, but most of this funding has only been available for adult social care. Uncertainty remains over the long-term financial plan for the sector. The government has confirmed its intention to implement the results of the Fair Funding Review in 2020-21 and to allow local authorities to retain 75% of business rates, but the implications of these changes for local authorities’ finances are not yet clear.
Coventry’s Most Mature Lady Celebrates 109th Birthday There was much to celebrate as the eldest recorded person in Coventry, marked her 109th birthday this week at her Sanctuary Care home.
Surrounded by family and friends, Edith Smith celebrated her milestone birthday at Lammas House Residential Care Home on Lammas Road, where she has lived since 2014, living independently until she was 104. Looking back at her incredible 109 year life, Edith said: “My advice to my younger self would be to make the most of things and enjoy life and every part of it.” Born in 1909 to parents Louisa and Harry Laycock during the reign of King Edward VII, Edith grew up in Bradford later moving to Coundon, Coventry with her first husband Harold and has lived in the city most of her life. During the Second World War, husband Harold was an engineer in a reserved occupation and was also responsible for looking out for fires started in the city by enemy bombs, leaving Edith to look after their new-born son Roger. Edith didn’t have an air raid shelter in her garden so rather than use the communal shelter in the street, which was filthy and infested with rats; she would shield Roger during the bomb blasts by hiding under the dining room table.
Following the severe bombing of Coventry in November 1940, when the city was annihilated by German Luftwaffe, Edith and thousands of others escaped from the city. Edith and Roger moved to a farm in Leicestershire to get away from the danger of the raids, where they lived for several years. After the war Edith lost her first husband Harold, who died of lung cancer at the age of 55. With a pension of just 50 pence per week she had to work as a bookkeeper for a company in Coventry to make ends meet. When asked if she could go back in time and change one thing, Edith said: “It would be to be able to have more time with my first husband.” Edith has always had a passion for dance and was a hobby she enjoyed well into her 90s. Dance also led Edith to love, meeting her second husband Harry at a local dance hall. Spilling her secret to reaching such a great age, Edith said: “It could have been Gin and Tonic or being busy, having a good family, playing tennis or dancing!” “It’s amazing to be 109; I suppose I am very lucky.”
National Association for Safety and Health in Care Services HeRe AT nASHiCS we would like to offer you three themes to promote safe services. Be innovative, Be inclusive, Be inspiring. All can be woven into our daily activity pursuing “Excellence for Safety and Health in Care Services”. Working in the Care sector presents everyone with an emotional seesaw; sometimes on your own and isolated or getting bogged down in complex topics, while aiming to deliver fantastic outcomes for all those people being supported and cared for. Safety is not optional. In order to support social care delivery relating to Health and Safety; investigate our associations website.
www.nashics.org NASHiCS - to promote and improve health and safety within care services and to provide a forum for individuals and organisations involved in any aspect of health and safety to exchange and share information, experience and expertise. We also have three Forums across the UK titled : Think Proactive – Less Reactive ( Edinburgh. Cardiff. Belfast.) These forums will give a unique opportunity for care providers to find solutions and hear about good practice that will help with the day to day Health and Safety challenges. If you would like more information about NASHiCS or these forums, please contact , Administrator, Tel. 07840 160 030 or e-mail. administrator@nashics.org See the advert on page 17 for details.
Please mention THE CARER when responding to advertising.
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Resident Dies In Chingford Care Home Fire A resident has died in a fire which broke out at a care home for people with learning disabilities. Over 70 firefighters were called to Connington Crescent, Chingford, just before 2.15am on Friday. London Fire Brigade said 12 people left the three-storey block before firefighters arrived. When the ten fire crews arrived, two floors and the roof of the building were alight, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said, paramedics treated a female resident, but she was pronounced dead
at the scene. Station manager Keith Wilson said: “Firefighters have been working hard to contain the spread of the fire which has destroyed the roof. “Crews expect to be here into the day, tackling hot spots.” MP for Chingford and Woodford Green Iain Duncan Smith has described the incident a “terrible tragedy”. The former Tory party leader added: “My heart goes out to victims.”The former Tory party leader added: “My heart goes out to victims.”
PAT Testing in the Care Home YoU Don’T need to be an electrician to PAT Test; it can be done by any competent person. by following a instructional DvD or attending a training course. PAT Testing can be done in house using your own staff at a time convenient to you. This gives you many advantages including: • Testing resident’s personal items as required, day or night. • Use own, recognised staff. • Save money and time by testing when convenient.
• Monitor appliances to help with asset management budgeting replacement appliances. Doing your own PAT Testing, helps to put you back in control, it’s cost effective and makes sure you have covered your health &safety and insurance obligations. By buying a PAT Tester from a reliable supplier you will get also free support and advice. PAT Testing kits are a cost effective solution, supplied with everything you need to start PAT Testing. For further information, call 01392 364933 or visit www.parker-bell.co.uk or see the advert on page 12.
Is Managing Fire Safety In Your Care Home A Balancing Act? Do YoU feel that managing fire safety in your care setting is a bit of a balancing act? How do you adhere to the guidance of the Regulatory Reform (fire Safety) order 2005, whilst also promoting and enabling independence of frail and disabled residents? Fire doors are heavy, with a strong closing action, which makes it very difficult for elderly residents to open them. This often results in residents staying in one place for long periods of time, which can lead to feelings of isolation and low selfesteem. Clinicians have proven that these emotions can have a negative impact on the general wellbeing of the elderly and their ability to recover from illness. Finding a safe way of holding your heavy fire doors open gives residents the freedom to move around from room to room, boosting their self-esteem and independ-
ence, which in turn has a positive impact on their general health. Dorgard has developed three types of fire door holders for care settings that will solve this age old issue, Dorgard, Dorgard SmartSound and Dorgard Pro. Your type of setting will determine which of the Dorgard fire door retainers is right for you. If you are a small to medium setting with normal or low noise levels, then the original Dorgard will suit your needs. For settings where the noise level is louder you may benefit from the improved sound recognition of the Dorgard SmartSound and for large sites the Dorgard Pro is ideal. Dorgard Pro gives you the possibility of managing up to 500 fire doors in one system and has the option of wiring into your fire alarm panel, it also provides a ‘one glance’ check that the entire system is functioning correctly. For more information call 0800 978 6287 visit www.safelincs.co.uk or see the advert on page 14.
The Carer is published by RBC Publishing Ltd, Suite 4, Roddis House, Old Christchurch Rd, Bournemouth, Dorset. Contributions are welcome for consideration, however, no responsibility will be accepted for loss or damage.Views expressed within this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editorial team. Whilst every care is taken when compiling this publication to ensure accuracy, the publisher will assume no responsibility for any effects, errors or omissions therefrom. All rights reserved, reproduction is forbidden unless written permission is obtained. All material is assumed copyright free unless otherwise advised.
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Staff “Burnout” Linked To Neglect In Care Homes Says Study A new anonymous survey of over 1,500 care staff has recognised instances of neglect in care homes linked to staff burnout. However, positive behaviours were reported to be much more common than abusive behaviours. For the study, published in PLOS ONE, care home staff were asked anonymously about positive and negative behaviours they had done or had witnessed colleagues doing. Dr Claudia Cooper (UCL Psychiatry), the study’s lead author, said: “We found low rates of verbal and physical abuse; the abusive behaviours reported were largely matters of neglect. “These behaviours were most common in care homes that also had high rates of staff burnout, which suggests it’s a consequence of staff who are under pressure and unable to provide the level of care they would like to offer.” From 92 care homes across England, 1,544 care home staff responded to the survey. The staff were asked whether they had, in the past three months, witnessed a range of positive and negative behaviours. Their responses were linked to data from each care home describing a measure of burnout in care home staff. Some negative behaviours were categorised as ‘abusive’, using a standard definition,* and based on the behaviour reported, rather than the intention of the care home staff. The most common abusive behaviours were: making a resident wait for care (26% of staff reported that happening); avoiding a resident with challenging behaviour (25%); giving residents insufficient time for food (19%); and taking insufficient care when moving residents (11%). Verbal abuse was reported by 5% of respondents, and physical abuse by 1.1%. At least some abuse was identified in 91 of the 92 care homes. Positive behaviours were reported to be much more common than abusive behaviours, however some positive but time-consuming behaviours were notably infrequent. For instance, more than one in three care home staff were rarely aware of a resident being taken outside of the home for their enjoyment, and 15% said activities were almost never planned around a resident’s interests. “Most care homes, and their staff, strive to provide per-
son-centred care, meaning that care is designed around a person’s needs, which requires getting to know the resident and their desires and values. But due to resources and organisational realities, care can often become more taskfocused, despite intentions and aspirations to deliver person-centred care,” said co-author Dr Penny Rapaport (UCL Psychiatry). “Carers can’t just be told that care should be person-centred – they need to be given the support and training that will enable them to deliver it,” she said. The study is part of the UCL MARQUE cohort study, which is also looking into cost-effective interventions to improve the quality of care for people with dementia, and will be using this anonymous reporting as a measure of how well training interventions are working. More than two thirds of care homes residents have dementia. Agitated behaviours such as pacing, shouting or lashing out are more common in dementia, and can make provision of person-centred care very challenging for care staff to deliver, often with minimal training and limited resources. “With the right training, care home staff may be able to deliver more effective care that doesn’t need to be more expensive or time-consuming. If they understand and know how to respond to behaviour, they may be able to do more without greater resources,” said the study’s senior author, Professor Gill Livingston (UCL Psychiatry). Dr Doug Brown, Chief Policy and Research Officer at Alzheimer’s Society, commented: “70% of people living in care homes have dementia, and it’s clear from these findings that they’re bearing the brunt of a chronically underfunded social care system. “It’s upsetting but unsurprising that abusive behaviours were more common in homes with higher staff burnout. We’ve heard through our helpline of people with dementia not being fed, or not getting the drugs they need, because a carer isn’t properly trained, or a care home is too shortstaffed. “By 2021, a million people in the UK will have dementia. The government must act now, with meaningful investment and reform, or we risk the system collapsing completely and people with dementia continuing to suffer needlessly.”
Great Feedback From The South West Expo Hosted By CLH
The ClH team held their first care expo since 2010 at Sandy Park Conference Centre in exeter last month. Running from Wednesday 14th March to Thursday 15th March, this two day event was an incredible success. The purpose of the event was to promote awareness of the wide range of healthcare products available from CLH and the suppliers that are used, in addition to educating on how each product range should be safely and effectively
used. Care professionals, industry experts, and healthcare suppliers travelled from across the country to attend. Although the #CLHExpo2018 was a professional industry event, it was also a fun and enjoyable couple of days that were valued by all. Not only did the expo promote a wide range of specialist products and offer training on those products, many exhibitors in attendance offered deals, raffle prizes, discounts and live demonstrations. Comments from attendees were, “Presentation and welcome was outstanding”, "My staff enjoyed finding out about different and up to date equipment and coming back with new ideas" and “Excellent knowledge & demonstration of the particular items I was looking for”. For more details or to contact CLH Healthcare check out www.clhgroup.co.uk/clhexpo2018 for more info.
TO TO ADVERTISE ADVERTISE IN IN THE THE CARER, CARER, PLEASE PLEASE CALL CALL OUR OUR SALES SALES TEAM TEAM ON ON 01202 552333
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KITCHEN DESIGN & EQUIPMENT NACC Care Chef of The Year 2018 Finalists Confirmed The 12 finalists for the nACC Care Chef of the Year 2018 culinary competition have been confirmed. Following a series of regional heats, the National Association of Care Catering is one step closer to crowning the nation’s best chef working in the care sector. Across Scotland, Wales, the North, the Midlands, the South West and the South East, care chefs have been showcasing their exceptional talent, skills and knowledge in this specialist field of catering to secure a coveted place in the national final. The final 12 stood out to the judges for their innovative, tasty two-course menus, suitable for a care environment, that demonstrated clear nutritional understanding of the ingredients used, as well as aptitude and flair in their flavour combinations, technical execution and presentation. They are now preparing to go head to head at the national final where they will compete for the NACC Care Chef of the Year 2018 title. The national final takes place on Wednesday 6 June
2018 at Barking & Dagenham College’s Technical Skills Academy. The 2018 NACC Care Chef of the Year finalists are: • David Oswin, Signature at Loxley Park, Sheffield • Anthony Newton, Primrose Bank, Poulton-le-Fylde • John Grover, Auchtercrag House Care Home, Ellon, Aberdeenshire • Brian Gollan, Ivybank House Care Home, Polmont, Falkirk • Steven Harding, Dormy House Care Home, Sunningdale • Sam Nurse, Coombe Hill Manor, Kingston-upon-Thames • Simon Lewis, Gracewell of Frome, Somerset • Nicola Burroughs, St Monica Trust Retirement Village, Keynsham Bristol • Cheryl Crook, Heol Don Nursing & Residential Centre, Cardiff • Stuart Pelham, Sunrise of Cardiff • Martin McKee, The Hawthorns, Aldridge • Christopher Williams, Fernhill House Care Home, Worcester Neel Radia, national chair of the NACC, said: “Congratulations to the 2018 finalists! The incredible talents of chefs in the care sector continually impress me and all the competitors in this year’s NACC Care Chef of the Year competition are no exception. The
The UK’s Only Dedicated Show For Commercial Kitchens Is Back at the NEC in June now in its third year at the neC birmingham, Commercial Kitchen is already renowned as a must-attend event for catering professionals from care homes across the UK. over 2,000 attendees are expected to pack the aisles again when the show returns on 5-6 June. Over 100 exhibiting companies will be there to meet them, showcasing the complete range of innovative equipment, services, devices and utensils required to run, refurbish or build a commercial kitchen; including cooking equipment, refrigeration, storage, warewashing, fit out and design. There’s also plenty of ideas and inspiration to take away from the free two-day seminar programme, with keynotes by industry experts from all sectors of the foodservice industry.
Returning associations include: ceda (the show’s lead partner); The Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI) (partner); and Hospital Catering Association (HCA). The National Association of Care Catering (NACC) is a new supporter for 2018. “Suppliers to the care sector are incredibly important. The support they offer care caterers and chefs through innovation, insight and advice is most valuable,” says Neel Radia, national chairman of the National Association of Care Catering (NACC). “As the only UK show solely dedicated to catering equipment and services, Commercial Kitchen is a must-attend event.” he says. For more information and to register for your free trade ticket in advance (saving the £20 door fee), please visit www.commercialkitchenshow.co.uk and quote priority code CK69.
standards at the regional heats were exceptionally high and I applaud everyone that took part for being such fantastic ambassadors for care catering. I can’t wait for the final – it’s going to be an exciting and closely fought event.
tionally-balanced, two-course menu (main and dessert) that is suitable for service users in a care setting. The combined food cost for both courses must be no more than £2.25 per head based on three portions and it is to be produced in just 90 minutes.
Victor Manufacturing Limited for moving, storing, and holding hot and cold foods, UK equipment producer, victor Manufacturing can help. With 70 years of manufacturing experience, Victor is able to deliver an extensive range of catering equipment suitable for a wide range of organisations, including hotels, restaurants, hospitals, sporting arenas and educational establishments. The product range includes gas & electric hot cupboards, hot plates, kitchen passes, heated plate dispensers and warmers, counter top The competition requires entrants to create a nutri-
servery units, pie heaters, pasty warmers, heated drawer units, refrigerated salad wells, deli bars & counters, patisserie units, heated tiled, ceramic & glass top carvery counters, bespoke and custom food servery counters, mobile heated and refrigerated servery units as well as a comprehensive range of drop-in gastronorm compatible hot and cold food service modules. The entire range of Victor products are all handled and managed efficiently through the company's comprehensive network of national and local distributors. For further details see the advert on this page.
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MEDICATION MANAGEMENT Essential medical information to hand whenever needed MEDICAL BRACELETS • No reliance on third-parties or external websites • Data is held on the bracelet itself • No battery required • Works even without internet connectivity • Light, waterproof and durable
KEY FEATURES
✓ Just scan with a smartphone ✓ Medication details, allergies, emergency contact numbers and more ✓ All accessible in 2-3 seconds HOW IS IT USEFUL? • Provides an additional safety net to ensure correct medications are administered in care home settings • Useful when residents leave care home temporarily, offers some peace of mind for staff and family • Valuable when providing home care or one-to-one care • Information available even if central records are inaccessible for any reason • Saves time during doctor visits or when getting repeat prescriptions
hello@mediread.co.uk 020 3488 3366
www.mediread.com
Fully Compliant Drug Dispensing Solutions from CLH
Medicine Cabinet with Inner Controlled Drugs Cabinet
Independently tested to conform to or exceed all the required standards and legislation.
01392 823233
UDS Unit Dosage System Drug Trolleys The ideal solution for storing, distributing and dispensing medicines and patient prescriptions
info@clhgroup.co.uk
Sofia Lockable Medical Cabinet
Metal first aid wall cabinet.
• Lockable with keys Budget • Can be wall from mounted £37.45 • 2 fixed shelves
www.clhgroup.co.uk
PharmaCare-365 - Your Care, Our Mission PharmaCare is a nHS registered online pharmacy that offers a wide range of services tailored to meet the health needs of the community. PharmaCare is supervised by fully qualified pharmacists who are available to discuss your medical issues and problems in a confidential environment through email, telephone or skype. At Pharmacare-365 we understand the importance of good medicines management for your care home and the need for first class, reliable pharmacy support, particularly in these times of increasing regulatory requirement. We are able to provide a comprehensive service package, including : • Separate Care-Home pharmacy premises closed to the public so we focus only on you. • Here for you EVERYDAY ! we offer 365 days access to our pharmacy branches. • Open till 11pm every night and local to you.
• Same day delivery of urgent medicines (approximate 2hour turnaround time). • Free Paperless Barcode medicine management system incorporating eMAR(electronic MAR). • Various monitored dosage systems if required (Award winning MultiMeds / Nomad / Venalink) therefore both unit-dose & multi-dose systems catered for. • Assist with CQC inspection preparation. • Annual audit to maintain efficiencies in medicines management (New CQC & NICE requirements and guidelines). • Free Flu vaccination for staff. • Staff training where required. • Unique Home Manager assigned to your home so you always speak to the same person Because we are independent we are able to offer you services which other pharmacy chains cannot cater for – simply ask us your requirement and put us to the test! For further details see the advert on this page.
Med Mart Pharmacy Med Mart Pharmacy is here to help care homes manage their residents needs more efficiently by providing a personallised service for each care home. We take care of dispensing and delivering direct to your home. By choosing Med Mart as your Pharmacy provider you will have: • Reassurance: knowing you are doing everything in your power to keep residents and patients healthy, happy and safe. To cut
the risks that comes with managing complex medication regimes. • Confidence: in having the most robust care management protocols in place. • Confidence: for relatives and regulators that adherence is high on your agenda. • Confidence: in putting medication management in the safe hands of your local independent pharmacy. For further details, call today on 0208 381 5222 or visit medmart.co.uk
MediRead Medical Bracelets MediRead is a london-based start-up that has developed an innovative medical bracelet, intended for use by the elderly, both in care homes as well as other settings. The MediRead bracelet allows the wearer’s medical details to be viewed simply by scanning with a smartphone. There is no number to call or website to go on to as the data is stored physically on the bracelet. The bracelets are light, waterproof, durable and do not require a no battery. They are cost-effective too, with no ongoing subscription fees. MediRead bracelets can augment existing care home protocols and can
reduce the possibility, however remote, of medication errors. The data is available even if central records are not accessible for any reason. They can also be useful during handovers or when there are temporary staff catering to the needs of the residents. Should residents have to leave the premises for any reason, the vital information on these bracelets is potentially life-saving in case of an emergency. The MediRead bracelet can also be a boon when care is being provided at home. A reminders function in the app helps ensure that the correct medication schedule is being adhered to. For more information, please email hello@mediread.co.uk, call 02034883366 or visit our website at www.mediread.com.
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Controlled Drug Registers “CARe HoMeS must keep a record of all controlled drugs obtained and supplied in a bound book or register with numbered pages. It is also good practice to keep separate records of inpatients using their own controlled drugs, which have been prescribed and dispensed in the community.” ‘Controlled drugs in Primary Care’ by Nigel Morley Dispex as a leading supplier of Controlled Drug Registers, has designed a Supply and Administration of Controlled Drugs Register specifically for use in care homes. The Supply and Administration Controlled Drugs Register is especially suited for private care homes where
controlled drugs are personally administered to patients. It is also extremely useful where medication is wasted or part dosages occur. If you deal with Controlled Drugs we have the solution. Dispex can supply you with in-house training on Controlled Drugs, denaturing kits and primary care standard fridges at great prices. We also run training courses aimed at GP practices, but many of the principles of Controlled Drugs purchasing, storage and supply are just as relevant to the care home environment. Contact us for more details. If you would like to see a sample of our Supply & Administration Controlled Drug Register please contact Dispex 01604 859000 or send an email to enquiries@dispex.net or visit www.dispex.net See the advert on page 11.
Complete Temperature Management for Cold and Ambient Pharmaceutical Storage qeD vACCIne/PHARMACY RefRIGeRAToRS QED Scientific +2°C to +8°C Pharmacy and Vaccine Fridges are designed for safe and secure storage of all pharmaceuticals as advised in ‘Protocol for Ordering, Storing and Handling Vaccines by Public Health England’. These are compliant with all guidelines including the DoH Green Book as well as being ideal for hospitals these are also suitable for use in clinics, care homes, schools, veterinary surgeries – or anywhere needing refrigerated storage of drugs. They come in a range of sizes from under bench and wall models up to free standing floor units. Many have solid or glass door options. All have digital display, fan, and auto defrost as standard.
+25°C. These cabinets offer an ideal cost-effective solution for departments that don’t want the expense of air conditioning, yet struggle to maintain recommended storage temperature for non-refrigerated medicines. They come in a wide range of capacities from under bench right up to free-standing larger models and are ideally suited for i.e. clinical studies, care homes, GP surgeries and hospitals.
feATUReS Both QED Pharmacy refrigerators and CRT cabinets are lockable and automatically alarm if the temperature goes out of range, plus store min/max values of measured temperature. Options include digital door locks and data storage for download to your PC. QED Scientific Ltd, Unit 21 Botany Business Park, Whaley Bridge, High Peak, SK23 7DQ. Telephone: 01663-735494 Email: drugstore@qedscientific.com
neW! ‘SToRe beloW 25°C’ MeDICIne SToRAGe CAbIneTS For medicines that are not normally stored in a fridge manufacturers generally guarantee that they remain stable if stored below 25 degrees Celsius (25°C). In a heatwave, ambient temperatures may rise above this. To protect these medicines, QED Scientific now supplies a range of CRT ‘controlled room temperature’ cabinets that operate between +15°C
Please Please mention mention THE THE CARER CARER when when responding responding to to advertising. advertising.
A Smarter Way To Care
We take care of dispensing and delivering direct to your home. We’re committed to maximising the standard of care and work in partnership with your home and other care partners to provide a reliable pharmaceutical service.
Why choose our Pharmacy Services?
Knowledgeable team of experienced staff.
Fully disposable Monitored Dosage System
Consistently high dispensing standard personalised to your home. Emergency and out of hours service.
Free structured medication training. (CQC Approved) Free medication audit in line with CQC standards. Free equipment loan.
Free medication waste removal service.
Written risk assessments for all covert medications.
Med Mart Pharmacy is here to help care homes manage their residents needs more efficiently by providing a personallised service for each care home.
0208 381 5222 medmart.co.uk
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HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL Truvox International Limited Truvox International limited is a global manufacturer and supplier of commercial and industrial floorcare machines, based in Southampton, england. Its products offer floorcare solutions for virtually every floor type, with specialist machines designed to tackle the unique floorcare challenges facing care homes. The Valet vacuum range includes the Valet Battery Upright – an award-winning commercial battery upright vacuum cleaner that features 50 minutes runtime. Inclusive of a HEPA bag, it weighs only 5 kg
and lies flat for effective cleaning under furniture. The Multiwash range of scrubber dryers offers a costeffective and hygienic solution. The Multiwash washes, scrubs and dries floors in a single pass, leaving floors ready to walk on in minutes. The Hydromist range of carpet extractors injects cleaning solution into the carpet and extracts the dirty water in one pass. The Hydromist Compact has an optional upholstery tool that’s ideal for cleaning spillages and stains in care environments. For further information, please call 023 8070 6600 or visit www.truvox.com
KalGUARD Offers Maximum Benefits For Limescale Control lIMeSCAle ConTRol is recommended for any business located within a hard water area, and especially those that rely on the availability of hot water, such as restaurants, care homes, schools, leisure facilities and hotels. If left unchecked, limescale can lead to problems such as higher energy bills (British Water estimates that just 1.6mm of limescale can increase a heating system’s fuel requirement by up to 12%), as well as premature repairs, breakdowns and replacement of secondary hot water system
components and appliances, business downtime, and unnecessary, unplanned capital expenditure. To inhibit the buildup of limescale, KalGUARD® from Sentinel Commercial is a scientifically- and independentlyproven limescale control device which uses unique driven electrolytic technology: the only powered device-led methodology to be recommended by UK Building Services Compliance Guide to Part L. WRAS-approved KalGUARD is able to treat an entire system when installed on a rising main before pump and booster sets, providing a value-engineered solution to limescale control. Once commissioned, KalGUARD requires only a bi-annual service if the system filter is fitted. KalGUARD is available in a range of sizes, from 22mm through to 108mm. To find out more about the benefits of KalGUARD, call 01928 704330 or alternatively visit www.sentinelprotects.com/about-kalguard
A Great Solution to Cleaning Up Accidents The Urine off brand introduces a welcome solution to a common care home and nursing problem. often accidents are cleaned up by quickly grabbing the nearest thing, resulting in reels of soggy paper towel or mountains of dirty bathroom towels that are messy and inconvenient to deal with afterwards. A common practice is to press down on the towels with the sole of your shoe which in turn spreads the contamination throughout the building when you walk away! Now you can use Zorb it Up Absorbent Sheets! Impregnated with Zorb it Up technology, which turns liquid to gel, the sheets absorb incredible amounts of
fluid including urine, vomit and diarrhoea. Simply lay the sheet over the mess and press down to ensure contact, leave until the liquid has been absorbed then pick up easily and hygienically. The sheets have a plastic film backing which provides a sanitary barrier, ensuring that the soles of your shoes or your hands never come in contact with the contamination Zorb it Up is also available in a powder form which solidifies liquids into gel. For information on Zorb it Up and other products in the Urine Off range contact Bio-Fresh Environmental Tel: 01903 876310 email: sales@bio-freshenvironmental.co.uk or visit the website www.urine-off.co.uk
Sepsis: Time to Tackle The Hidden Danger
SePSIS IS believed to be the cause of around 44,000 deaths in the UK every year. That’s a greater number than bowel, breast and prostate cancer combined, yet it remains a relatively unknown issue.1 GoJo Industries-europe ltd is a strong advocate of the World Health organization (WHo) campaign to increase awareness and strengthen preventative measures against sepsis and encourage the care sector to help raise awareness too. Sepsis – the body’s overactive and toxic response to an infection – is a rare but serious complication. Without quick treatment, it can lead to multiple organ failure and death. It is therefore vital that everyone in a care setting takes all appropriate steps to prevent infection, including paying careful attention to hand hygiene.
‘SAVE LIVES: CLEAN YOUR HANDS’ GOJO Industries-Europe Ltd is a member of the Private Organizations for Patient Safety group, and a strong supporter of the annual WHO ‘Save Lives: Clean Your Hands’ campaign. This year the focus is ‘It’s in your hands – prevent sepsis in healthcare’. Hand hygiene compliance is a cornerstone of this effort, helping to break the chain of infection. Everyone in a care setting should understand the importance of hand hygiene and have the right products available in the right place, at the right time, to carry it
out. Ensuring appropriate signage and correctly positioning hand washing, and sanitising solutions in care settings, should be a priority. Good hand hygiene companies will offer sound advice on the most effective approaches, and provide support materials. When purchasing hand hygiene systems, good aesthetics, accessibility and ease of use are key. They should also be equipped with pleasant and effective hygienically advanced formulations. Innovative technology also helps. Touch-free dispensers are popular as they sense the presence of hands and dispense just the right amount of product every time. Their touch-free nature also increases their hygiene rating. The type of soap and sanitiser formulations being dispensed is also crucial. Suppliers should be able to prove the effectiveness of their soaps or sanitisers against germs through independent scientific testing. Formulations that have been tested and passed in accordance with key hospital norms EN 1500, EN 14476 and EN 12791, provide assurance that they are safe for use in care locations. Hospital-grade product efficacy is important, but only part of the solution. A wide range of hand washing and sanitising options, which are kind to healthcare workers’ skin and located throughout a care facility are needed to boost hand hygiene behaviours. Partners to combat the problem This year’s ‘Save Lives: Clean Your Hands’ campaign is a great opportunity for the care industry to use this day as a catalyst to raise awareness of the dangers on sepsis and take all possible actions to reduce the risks it poses. We’re here to work in partnership with the care industry to help reinforce these messages. 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/ For more information on surface hygiene solutions from GOJO, please call +44 (0)1908 588444, email infouk@gojo.com or visit www.gojo.com 1 https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/sep/18/ sepsis-the-truth-about-this-hidden-killer
HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL Air-Freshening Solutions for Care Homes fRAGRAnCe DelIveRY Technologies ltd (fDT), one of the leading players in air-freshening industry, with presence in 50 countries, has pioneered in odour eliminating and neutralizing products. The Oxy-gen Powered range is designed to counter the unpleasant tough odours that can present themselves despite a thorough cleaning regime. They are effective for odour elimination, yet safe for health. FDT very well understands the sensitivities and challenges associated with the caring business, especially when it comes to providing a clean, safe and odourless environment for their valuable members. A wide range is available for Care homes to choose from, for example, the VIVA!e air-freshener, the programmable Oxygen-Pro (30/60/90 days) or the tamper-proof SHIELD model. The Oxy-gen® Powered products use patented medical grade technology to provide a consistent, continuous odour control without particu-
lates, propellants or solvents. Unlike aerosols, Oxy-gen Powered system releases fresh fragrance oil continuously for round the clock freshness. FDT’s Oxy-gen® Powered products are available in ‘Non-Fragrant’ and ‘Fragrant’ odour control cartridges that contain proprietary odour neutralising agent, Neutra-Lox, which eliminates malodours instead of masking odours. The Fragrant odour control cartridges eliminate malodour, while emanating clean, fresh-smelling fragrances into the air. Visir www.oxygenpowered.com
SEBO Evolution Range Sets New Standards Setting new standards in the professional cleaning industry, the SEBO Evolution range of upright vacuum cleaners provides effective, user-friendly cleaning and excellent reliability year after year. Every detail is thoughtfully designed and reflects SEBO’s reputation as an innovator. The machines are light to use, easy to maintain and can be used for long working periods; features include fast, tool-free cable change and simple brush height adjustment. The SEBO Evolution establishes benchmarks in durability and usability and is available in three models - 300, 350 and 450 - which offer working widths of 30cm, 36cm and 46cm. Sophisticated design solutions ensure cleaning tasks are simplified while time and cost savings are made in relation to machine servicing and maintenance due to quick access to all
parts. Designed to be efficient and ergonomic, the SEBO Evolution features a comfortable handle which ensures easy control and smooth manoeuvrability. The handy wand and integrated suction hose are immediately ready to clean hardto-reach areas or typical above-the-floor items, such as furniture. Full-size crevice and upholstery nozzles are neatly and conveniently stored at the rear of the machine. The brush height has four levels which can easily be adjusted by the foot or telescopic tube. If the brush of the SEBO Evolution is obstructed, the machine turns off automatically and a red indicator gives notification of a problem. The brush strip is changed without the use of tools by simply pressing a button, releasing the side plate and sliding out the brush strip. For further information on SEBO, please call 01494 465 533 or visit www.sebo.co.uk
Incontinence UK: Accessories To Help With Incontinence Alongside the wide range of incontinence products that Incontinence UK sell; they also offer a great selection of incontinence accessories that can help. From wipes, gloves to skincare range we have it all. Some of our best-selling accessories include: • Moist Patient Wipes - gentle, fragranced moist wipes are ideal when quick cleansing is required. They lift soiling quickly and easily. Dermatologically tested. • TENA 3 in 1 Skincare Range - TENA Wash Mousse, Wash Cream and Wet Wipes are the perfect replacement for soap and water in addition to skin conditioning products. • Gloves – powder and latex free vinyl gloves.
• Urinals - Male and female urinals with a 1 litre capacity. • IncoStress - medically designed for women, to combat stress incontinence. Worn internally, its shape supports the bladder, strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. • Sangenic Easiseal Pad Disposal Unit - This bin is the most convenient way to dispose of incontinence products. The system individually wraps and seals each incontinence pad in a fragranced, antibacterial film locking away germs and odours in a hygienic way. For more information on the full Incontinence UK’s Product Range please visit www.incontinenceuk.co.uk. Carer readers please quote CARER18 for 10% discount off your first order. See the advert on page 5 for details.
Waterproof Bedding Protection esemtan - Effective Skin That Doesn’t Feel Waterproof Cleansing For Residents ®
CAREWELL LIVING’S waterproof bedding protection range is high quality and discreet – they really do have to be felt to be believed. They take a much needed, but also much maligned product and transform it into comfortable, soft, undetectable piece of bedding that is breathable. Absorbent and waterproof, they are a great natural alternative to sweaty plastic under sheets. The undetectable layer of polyurethane that makes these bedding protectors waterproof also acts as an anti-allergy barrier, protecting against dust mites – a major cause of increasingly common conditions asthma and hayfever. Available in both brushed cotton and Tencel fabric, in fitted and flat sheet styles – it’s difficult to see how something that feels so luxurious can be so practical. Tencel is made from sustainably sourced naturally hygienic wood cellulose fibres, its natural waterproof and absorption properties draw moisture away to keep you cool at night, whilst inhibiting bacteria, mould and mites. Their cotton protectors soft to the touch, naturally absorbent and breathable without negotiating on their practicality. For more information on Carewell Living bedding protection, please visit www.carewellliving.com
With Incontinence
esemtan® Cleansing Foam is a gentle, quick and effective skin cleanser designed particularly for the skincare of incontinent or bedbound residents. Containing antimicrobial active ingredients, esemtan® helps protect the skin from infection, whilst also having a gently moisturising action. esemtan® Cleansing Foam is easy to use and should be sprayed onto the skin, left for 30 seconds, then wiped with a disposable cloth. The foam has a discreet but fresh scent. Says Jan Buckley, Manager of a Surrey Care Home: ‘We always use esemtan Cleansing Foam to clean the skin of all our incontinent residents; it’s hygienic and discreet to use, gentle on the skin and has a very pleasant fragrance. The foam mousse is very easy to use, particularly at the bedside or where quick and tactful cleaning is required.’ To try a sample, email: mail.uk@schuelke.com
Ontex - Personal Hygiene Solutions ontex is a leading international producer of disposable personal hygiene solutions for all generations. offering a comprehensive range of continence products, supported by a dedicated team of professionals providing leading levels of customer service. Recognising the importance of face-to face contact with customers, Ontex have invested in a large team of qualified nurses who offer and training and support (on their iD and
Lille branded products) to Care Homes and the NHS. Ontex is a key supplier to over 300 NHS organisations and is currently NHS Scotland’s preferred supplier Their quality, value-for-money products are also distributed in more than 110 countries through retailer private labels and leading brands including iD Expert and Lille. id-stockists.com | lillehealthcare.com | ontexglobal.com Please see the advert on page 9 for details.
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 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. There you can use the easy online shopping system, or alternatively if you are NHS or an account customer, via an emailed or faxed purchase order. You can also view and/or download the latest catalogue and price list.
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ACCESSIBLE BATHING Simple Affordable Solutions for Bathing Needs AHM Installations are specialists in providing bathroom and kitchens that have a unique difference. The firm, based in lincoln and newark, specializes in creating rooms to facilitate independent living... Being able to live independently is a vital part of dignity in later life. That’s why Lincoln and Newark based AHM Installations has spend over 25 years perfecting the design of rooms to facilitate those with mobility problems. The firm’s specialism means that AHM Installations are well-placed to provide advice with unprecedented expertise and product knowledge. But moreover, its team of in-house
fitters and specialized tradespeople provide a trustworthy service that facilitate the same peace-of-mind during the design and installation process as you’ll experience after the creation of each new room. In addition to complete kitchens and bathrooms, the firm can also provide heating solutions, and can install stairlifts for mobility over different floors. AHM Installation have more than a few ideas for making life easy, whether you’re looking to configure a kitchen or bathroom. For more information on AHM Installation’s bespoke kitchens and bathrooms, call 01522 500288 or 01636 821443 or see www.ahminstallations.co.uk.
Simple Bathroom Design For Those With Dementia According to Dementia UK 311,730 people with dementia are living in care homes, 57.9% in residential care homes and 42.1% in nursing homes. Dementia causes a variety of issues for those with the condition, including memory loss, ‘fuzzy’ thoughts, disorientation, struggling to follow conversations or instructions and mood and personality changes. High surveillance is needed in the bathroom in particular, however it is possible to create ‘dementia-friendly bathrooms’, using a personcentric approach to their design. Here are the major dementia challenges that can be overcome with good design: 1) Preventing falls Avoid sharp edges. Remove the bath and install a level access shower. Also consider installing underfloor heating, so there are no radiators to fall against. 2) Memory loss Include flood-proof plugs in the basins and opt for showers such as AKW’s iShower range that have an auto shut-off function. 3) Scalding protection Include thermostatically controlled
taps and showers and minimise exposed pipework. Use only low surface temperature radiators and towel rails. 4) Floor colour A change in floor colour can be seen as a step up or down for someone with dementia, so consistent flooring shades are crucial. 5) Retro memory Incorporate traditionally designed fixtures and fittings, such as cross-headed taps and a conventional toilet flush to help those with better longer-term memories. 6) Mirror confusion Reflections can be disorientating, so include a roller blind above the sink, so the mirror can be covered when necessary. 7) Visual confusion Contrasting colours can differentiate a grab bar from a wall and the toilet seat from the pan. Once installed such dementiafriendly bathrooms ensure maximum safety and comfort, promoting superior quality of life and dignity. Telephone 01905 823298
DELABIE Launches New Threaded Shower Head Filter DelAbIe has extended its range of bIofIl terminal filters with a new single use anti-bacterial shower head which attaches directly to the shower hose. As with all the bIofIl filters, this shower head secures the water quality at the point-ofuse, protecting the user against waterborne infection. This new shower head has a threaded tail which screws directly into any flexible hose, without the need for a push-fit connector. Available in both sterile and non-sterile versions, it complements the existing range of BIOFIL antibacterial shower heads, cartridges and spout filters (the only ones available on the market). The spouts are also available in sterile and non-sterile versions and
can be fitted to all DELABIE’s mixers with removable BIOCLIP spouts. All DELABIE’s filters have a maximum lifespan of 62 days. They have been subjected to the bacterial retention test in accordance with ASTM F838, and have a sterilising grade of 0.1μm absolute-rated. They will also withstand chemical and thermal shocks. Fully WRAS approved, DELABIE’s new anti-bacterial BIOFIL shower head filters provide peace of mind if bacterial analysis identifies an outbreak. Featuring innovative, hollow-fibre membrane technology to micro-filter the water, the BIOFIL filters accommodate increased volumes of water. Although compact, they have a large filtration surface with better resistance to clogging. Call 01491 824449 or visit www.delabie.co.uk
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ACCESSIBLE BATHING What is the True Value of Power Assisted Baths in Care Homes? WHEN A Nursing Home owner specifies a power assisted bath for their care or residential home, they must carefully examine the pros & cons involved in that decision. If the products perform well for the Home, then everyone concerned from owners, staff and patients are happy with the investment, the choice of product and he or she has the confidence to specify the product on future projects. If the product is unreliable, or the after sales service is poor, then that can be irritating and create more work for all involved in the bathing process. The “true” value of a power assisted bath therefore Is not just the initial cost of the product, it is also the peace of mind and security in the knowledge that the you have specified the right product from a reliable company with a proven track record of good
service. What to look for when choosing your power assisted bath. As most reputable manufacturers use the same type of electronics and lifting components, the big differences are found in the service levels and reliability of the product. If you suffers a product breakdown it can be at best a major inconvenience, but remember, how manufacturers perform for on service call-outs can reflect upon your business. So, when choosing a power assisted bath, look at the company and its experience in the industry. Are they making realistic claims about there product that they can’t back up? Ask them what the first response period is once notified of a breakdown. Checkout their service call-out charges? Do they offer extended warranty or service agreements? A power assisted bath is classed as Class one Medical Device and the manufacture should be registered
with the M.H.R.A. Also check the CE mark. Depending on the processes used, any CE mark displayed should conform to Medical Directive EEC 93/42 (as amended) for as long as we remain in the EU. Being classed as simply lifting equipment is insufficient for a Class One Medical Device. The other equally important thing is the quality of production. This is where experience counts. If you can’t visit the factory, make sure that you have seen the bath and assessed the baths build quality. Ask them to bring a product to your locality so you can test it for yourself. The Assisted Bathing Company, although a new company is owned and operated by Ray Metcalf and Dennis Goodes, with 35 years in specialist bath manufacturing. The SilverSurfer range of power assisted baths are built to exacting standards to offer our clients the confidence to “fit & forget”. To find out more or request a brochure call us now on 01590 647 479 www.assistedbathing.com or see the advert on page 24.
NURSE CALL ALARMS Sharing Services, Robotics And More - Technology Provides Many Answers For Adult Social Care Adult social care in the UK gets a bad press. It’s chronically underfunded as a service, and we’re all living for much longer. but as local authorities ponder over a long term solution to many of its current challenges, it’s clear that an alternative approach to accessing, managing and delivering care is needed if the nation’s future care needs are to be met. We recently conducted a piece of independent market research, surveying the views of 2,000 people – a mix of those who receive care, family and friends that provide care and people with an interest in what care should be like for them in the future. Unsurprisingly the overriding findings from the research showed that people want a better way for their care needs to be met, with 72% of adult care recipients and 78% of people caring for others believing that there’s a better way of delivering care to adults and the elderly. Interestingly, the research pointed to the use of technology as being ‘a better way’ to deliver care, with over three quarters of people (76%) prepared to trial the use of technologies to access and manage their care.
The research showed that the majority of respondents were keen to embrace technology to help them in a variety of ways. 88% of respondents were interested in the use of technology to help them remain independent; 87% believe it has the potential to keep them safe; an equal number think it will help them to keep control of their own care; while 84% would like it to help them stay informed; and 82% think it might just be the answer to allowing them to remain at home for longer. What’s more, to really test the appetite for innovation in care, we asked whether our respondents were opposed to the idea of robotics being involved in their care if it meant an improvement to their quality of life and were open to it being used to assist them physically: • Improving safety e.g. detecting hazards (61%) • Helping with mobility (60%) • Assisting with lifting and moving (59%). As ambitious and futuristic as those questions might be, it’s clear that both those being cared for and those doing the caring are willing to try new ways or methods for achieving the best outcomes for themselves or their family members. However, the research also showed that less than a quarter (23%) of those receiving care feel as though they know enough about the types of services on offer to make informed decisions about their care choices in the future. It also highlighted that many people are confused by how
much their current care actually costs, with a staggering 71% of care recipients admitting they had little or no idea about this. In addition to supporting people in their home, technology could provide the answer to help councils too. With 87% of respondents believing technology can help them to keep control of their own care, councils have a real opportunity to create and facilitate a care system built around the person. Using technology to support bringing people, communities and providers closer together in the way care is managed, paid for and provided. Technology can also keep care recipients and their carers better informed on the social care and community-based care and support options available to them. A recent report from SOCITM found that half of councils fail to provide good online service to support adult social care. Technology also provides the perfect platform for sharing services with others to reap multiple benefits. For example, if a care recipient regularly attends a local lunch club and pays for a taxi service to get there and back, by sharing details of this service online with other local people who are also interested in attending, but haven’t because they can’t get there, may be able to take advantage
Medpage Limited MeDPAGe lIMITeD have manufactured quality affordable caring technologies for over 30 years. We specialise in providing bespoke design and development solutions for patient care. We were challenged recently to develop an alarm solution for a wandering resident in a care home on a limited budget. The alarm was to operate independently from the house nurse call system and required to
By Tony Pilkington, managing director, Younifi of the lift share. Technology has the means to unite isolated people and increase their overall wellbeing rather than solely meet their care needs. The research showed that very few people are currently sharing services, overall just 3% of cared for people and 5% of carers claim to already be doing so. While in contrast, 59% of cared for and 67% of carers are open to the idea or would definitely consider it to meet a number of agendas including: cost savings, sharing advice, sharing skills and other social benefits. Technology has so much to offer the adult social care market, but it is yet to be implemented in a consistent way to help more people access, manage and deliver a variety of care and support options. Today, the vast majority of us use online banking, do our monthly food shop via supermarket websites and many even arrange doctor appointments or order prescriptions digitally, so why not use it more widely for adult social care? Technology has a key role to play and the possibilities are significant and rewards could mean better outcomes for those in need of care, carers and councils alike.
send notifications to the carer mobile phone with time and dated incident reports. This we did with 100% success. The alarm is now a mainstream product sold nationally. Reassurance and confidence in a supplier is paramount to a successful business relationship, especially where healthcare is concerned. You can rest assured that when you buy and use our products you are connected with a company with backbone and a passion to offer care technologies that deliver performance and quality. Visit our website for further information about our products www.medpage-ltd.com or Telephone 01536 264869 to request our new catalogue. See the advert on page 2 for
Quartz Partner With Leading Nurse Call Provider To Deliver New Build Hospital quartz electrical and Mechanical Services limited provide electrical and mechanical services to industrial, commercial and residential customers throughout the UK, which frequently involves the design and build of large scale hospital projects for the public and private sector. In 2016 the company was commissioned by Tolent Construction Limited to facilitate the design and build of a new hospital in Teesside, which joins their client’s network of 36 private hospitals across the UK. The brief for Tees Valley Hospital included a 19-bed patient ward, three medical theatre’s, x-ray and endoscopy departments, and two stage recovery areas, with medical gas services where required. The project required Quartz to design, install and test all of the mechanical and electrical services within the hospital to ensure they comply with Healthcare Technical Memorandum (HTM) guidelines, as well as the client’s specific requirements. This included the supply and installation of a Nurse Call system, for which Quartz released a tender. NURSE CALL Gavin Kendall, Electrical Operations Director for Quartz, said: “After receiving quotations from a number of leading Nurse Call providers we decided to move forward with Aid Call. The wireless offer and the adaptability of the system were, in my opinion, the best solution for the project.” Aid Call’s Touchsafe Pro system does not rely on cables or stationary wiring points, making it infinitely expandable and allowing for complete flexibility and mobility.
The wireless configuration allows the system to adapt to the ever changing priorities and demands of the healthcare sector, which is reassuring at a time of increased pressure on resources and environments. Gavin commented: “After sending our enquiry to Aid Call, Quartz liaised with their Senior Business Development Manager, Stuart Barclay, to discuss the requirements of the system and its operation. From this initial stage, we felt comfortable that the proposal put forward by their team was the best solution for the project. “We received good support from Aid Call during the design process, and this enabled us to produce complete comprehensive layout drawings and literature to present to our client. The offer of the Nurse Call system was then agreed and approved by the client.” INSTALLATION Aid Call and Quartz Mechanical and Electrical Services Limited began working in partnership on the installation of the Nurse Call system at Tees Valley Hospital in July 2017. Gavin explained: “Aid Call was quick to assist with all our requests throughout the installation process at the Teesside site. We carried out first and second fix, testing and commissioning works together, all of which were completed within the required timescales to allow us to meet the project completion date.” ADAPTABILITY Gavin added: “Aid Call also assisted later in the project, as the client required additional items to be added to the Nurse Call system. The adaptability of the wireless system provided by Aid Call really proved its value at this point.” Additional panels, call points and assistive devices can be added to Aid Call’s Touchsafe Pro system at any time during installation, and once the system is operational. The Nurse Call provider offers an extensive range of assistive technology such as fall detectors which facilitate individual patient requirements.
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NURSE CALL ALARMS Southern Care Maintenance Ltd With so much equipment now requiring routine testing and servicing, it is now increasingly difficult to have all the paperwork, inspection certificates, loleR certificates etc up-to date and readily available when needed. It is so easy for these to become lost, or filed away in the wrong place. 18 months ago, SCM, Southern Care Maintenance Ltd introduced a new online and secure customer portal mySCM which has been providing a real benefit to their customers. This provides free of charge to all customers who have a service contract, a central repository available 24/7 holding all this informa-
Lotus Care Technology The nurseAlert pressure mat has been one of the most successful floor pressure mats due to it being non slip and carpeted which makes it feel very natural under a residents foot. Lotus Care Technology Ltd have many other fall saving devices that can give you peace of mind whilst
tion together in one place. Copies of job sheets, certificates and invoices can easily be retrieved and printed out again should the originals go missing providing peace of mind. SCM have two divisions which between them cover a huge range of equipment and systems for both supply and servicing, from Hoists, Fire Alarm systems and Nurse call. They operate through the south-east, including, Kent, East and West Sussex, Surrey, Essex and South London postcodes. For more information follow the link to mySCM from www.southerncare.co.uk . You can also use the Live Chat there or ring 01580 890089 or see the advert on the facing page. caring for this at risk of falls. Having many years of experience in fitting and maintaining Nurse Call Systems helps the guys at Lotus Care Technology understand that every home is different and has different needs. They can specify not only the best system for the enviromental factors in the home but also take into consideration the best products that will make your carers and nurses jobs that little bit easier. For a site consultation or friendly advice call them free on 0800 8499 121 or local 01822 613258.
Nurse Call Systems from 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. Take the ongoing cost out of your operation with our unique return to base service exchange policy and low cost of ownership along with flexible finance options. 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
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TECHNOLOGY & SOFTWARE Giving the Finger to Poor Punctuality fUSIon SUPPlIeS a truly comprehensive Time and Attendance package with an intuitive, secure and instantly accessible database resulting in accountability and consistency whilst providing informed planning for managers and staff. Our biometric Time and Attendance device populates timesheets, verifies hours worked to shift and exports to your payroll software, thereby improving punctuality and efficiency at the same time connecting people to the information they need as they need it, reducing errors and improving compliance. You can use a combination of clocking options to suit the way your care business works. Using a physical characteristic rather than simply using a swipe card or PIN, ensures the employee is actually present. This avoids issues such as “buddy punching”, a term used to describe when other employees clock in and out for one another. The software also provides valuable absence, rota and training information to provide managers with real-time staffing information and reporting with ease.
Real time dashboards and reports can be viewed 24/7 by HR, operations and finance teams. See immediately who’s clocked in or out, hours worked, sick or on holiday. Fusion integrates management systems and business processes to increase profitability. Developed by our team of software innovators Fusion software is a reliable and flexible business tool. The system integrates into your daily working life to replace and streamline many of your laborious and time consuming tasks. We use state-of-the-art web based technology with an easy to operate modular software system to enable you to manage the increasing demands to provide huge amounts of management data with total security via SSC and IP checking. Fusion Care Solutions are a market leader in the provision of cloud/web based software including time & attendance, service user/resident billing and care plans enabling providers to meet their goals and obligations by managing systems, processes and care with transparency, best practice and high standards. Contact Fusion Care Solutions Ltd. 01133 979 555 or email: dave.healey@fusion4care.com
All Your Data Protection Needs – Covered The GDPR deadline is looming, but compliance need not be a daunting task. ZURI, the mobile, web-based care management solution developed by Care Software Solutions, has got all your GDPR compliance needs covered. The EU General Data Protection Regulation becomes active on the 25th of May 2018, and contains requirements on how businesses process and protect personal information. In the health care industry, protecting sensitive information is nothing new, what is new is that GDPR requires that the organisation must be able to describe how keeping this sensitive information safe is intended before doing so and show how it will remain compliant through policies, procedures and guidelines. This is where Zuri comes in. The key points in the GDPR 2018: 1) Individual Rights 2) Subject Access Request (SAR) 3) Data Breaches Zuri® takes data protection very seriously and in this vein, this is how Zuri can help your business comply:
INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS Under the new GDPR, the person you hold data for has the following rights: - The right to be informed - The right of access - The right to rectification - The right to erasure - The right to data portability - The right to object Zuri® complies with all of the above by giving access to the record held as required, from anywhere at any time. This allows the
indidivual to be informed on the data held about them as well as rectify them if necessary or object to some of the data being held. Should an individual request that his data held in Zuri® be deleted, they can then make a request and this will be processed. Additionally, if an individual would like the data held to be handed over to be imported across to a different system, this can be provided in various different formats upon request.
SUBJECT ACCESS REQUEST (SAR) A SARs request that is made directly to Zuri® in writing, will be responded to within 40 days as per the GDPR requirements with no fee if the request is reasonable as per the regulations. Zuri will only supply data after all security conditions have been met so as to safeguard your business and your client’s sensitive data.
DATA BREACHES Zuri® has been designed from the ground-up to be ultra secure. Data is hosted on secure servers, databases are secured and most importantly, data records are encrypted. Zuri has password rules to make sure the passwords used by users are sufficiently secure, two-factor authentication to prevent someone else from accessing a user’s profile with their password, the option to change the password on regular basis, and fingerprint authentication on smartphones and tablets to ensure only your approved users are accessing their profiles. For more details, please visit www.zuri.care, or Email: info@zuri.care Call: 0800 210 0094 or see the avert on the facing page for details.
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TECHNOLOGY & SOFTWARE A Complete Solution for Care Homes & Retirement Living WITH A proven 30 year history as experts in catering software solutions within the healthcare market, Datasym’s product suite offers a complete end to end solution from point of sale through to resident meal ordering which is currently be in rolled out to all McCarthy & Stone sites. Our solution is designed to offer residents freedom to order their own food with multiple prices for residents and visitors, up to a week in advance using their own account allocated to their room. The products are user friendly and can be tailored to the residents needs such as images for recipes and with the additional benefit of providing dietary/nutritional and allergen information. The solution can interface with internal finance
systems along with loyalty schemes and can produce automated billing at the end of the month for residents. Datasym’s solution offers the resident the ability to order food 7 days in advance via a central console. The resident also has the ability to cancel meals allowing more flexibility. The products provide consistency of cost to ensure profit margin/cost neutral is maintained. Benefits: • Increased Resident Satisfaction • Reduces Waste & Lowers Food Costs • Promotes Nutrition and Allergen awareness and encourages informed menu choices • Access to Feature-rich Reporting Please contact us on 0844 870 9206 or sales@datasym.co.uk for more information.
Improve Your Quality and Quantity of Care Records by Recording Care Electronically Mobile Care Monitoring (MCM) is an intelligent mobile solution for evidencing care interactions, electronic care planning and reporting from Person Centred Software. MCM reduces paperwork and gives carers more time to care. Staff delivering care have at least an hour more per shift to spend with residents compared with maintaining handwritten paper records. by saving carers’ time on documentation, MCM also improves care quality and the care cycle overall. Bradbury House in Beaconsfield wanted to improve their quality of care and for their care records to reflect their quality of care. They moved from recording care on paper to Mobile Care Monitoring in 2017. Care staff use mobile handheld devices to capture all the elements of a resident’s care quickly and efficiently using the MCM Care App that feeds into a management reporting system. Andrew Cantelo, the deputy manager at Bradbury House, has seen many benefits to using the system. He says, ‘Care records are now accurate and up-to-date; the quantity and quality of care records has improved dramatically. Care staff and managers have live information at their fingertips and they are confident and equipped with information to make decisions to improve quality of care.’
TO ADVERTISE IN PLEASE CALL OUR SALES TEAM ON
01202 552333
E & S Home Care At e & S Home care, we are specialists in providing mobile hardware solutions including airtime to the healthcare sector. In our search to find a company to partner with we found I Care Health, one of the leading software companies for the health care sector. Their software is second to none for domiciliary care, and working with ourselves we have been able to complete the package by including a hardware solution which is designed for your sector. We are able to
Mobile Care Monitoring ensures that information is known and visible for everyone involved in care. The MCM Care App is an icon-driven user interface, which makes the system intuitive for care staff to record more care. Staff can easily personalise care notes for each resident and scenario, without relying on default statements. This ensures that staff spend less time on documentation but capture a far greater amount of personalised information. Managers can easily look back at information from any time through the reporting and monitoring function without having to go hunting for data within the system. By making information available and accessible, care providers can ensure that they provide the best quality care to residents. Mobile Care Monitoring supports CQC inspections, including the new technology KLOEs, and help providers to be recognised for innovative, transparent and personcentred care. Of 600 care homes using Mobile Care Monitoring, 5% of care homes are rated outstanding by CQC, compared to 2% nationally. Person Centred Software’s philosophy is person-centred; providing benefits to everyone involved in care by delivering exceptional tools. See the advert on page 20 or contact us for a demonstration of Mobile Care Monitoring on 01483 604108 or www.personcentredsoftware.com split the costs down into smaller monthly and more manageable amounts but give you access to everything from day one. Perhaps as important with our help we will provide the hardware fully setup, with hard cases, extra screen fronts, car chargers etc. We know what it takes time wise to set up, run and manage your hardware and we are experts at helping you do that as painlessly as possible For further information Tel: 01270 536 918 or visit www.eandshomecare.co.uk
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TECHNOLOGY & SOFTWARE Workforce Scheduling Solutions Now With Face ID Workforce Scheduling Solutions has joined forces with Reliant Care Services (RCS) to deliver Time & Attendance systems worldwide, USA, europe & Australia, using the latest face Recognition technology. We has been in the business of Time Management for over 20 years, and has a vast experience in software development. We developed “Face Recognition” as an alternative to card, fingerprint, and key fob systems ensure that each member of staff can only book themselves on and off duty. “Face ID is not expensive and we have many customers using this technology very successfully. It has the advantage of not requiring any interaction by the staff, no cards that can be lost and their face is discreetly recorded each time, so no mistakes!!” DutyHours™ and TimeCap™ are easy to use and will dramatically reduce time and costs to produce staff payroll. It is suitable for a single home or for organisations that have multiple homes and centralized payroll.
Last minute changes to employee schedules are handled fast and efficiently and it will dramatically reduce pay queries. Staff simply clock in/out with their unique PIN and they can look up their time sheets showing work done or work planned in the future. We have introduced the concept of “Check Calls” in which employees are required to make regular calls through the night and weekends. During a recent CQC inspection at one of our customers, this feature impressed the inspector as being visual evidence of the actual employee working. The system creates an electronic timesheet of which job, where, when, which department and accurately calculates and controls pay hours including Bank Holidays, Sickness and other absence. It will identify allowances such as overtime, weekend and night shift working and export the hours for your payroll or for your accountant. Call Workforce Group on 03333 444 562 for more information and a demonstration of the system.
How Giving Your Team The Freedom To Learn Could Help Recruitment And Retention There’s a skills and recruitment crisis that’s hitting social care hard. of course, this isn’t news to anyone. Every care provider is looking at ways to attract more staff and to keep the ones they have - to keep them motivated in hard times. The best businesses know that to keep a workforce engaged, happy and productive you have to let them grow - professionally and personally. These things matter more than just pay in the long term. In the care sector, we have a requirement to keep our people trained to minimum standards. Given the turnover of staff and tight budgets, it’s understandable that many management teams can barely keep on top of mandatory training and have little resource to invest in more personal professional development. The result is often bland training videos that do little to inspire let alone educate. So, how can you use learning to motivate, inspire and
retain your team without breaking the budget? GIVE THEM OWNERSHIP Put your learners in control of their education. Let them own their professional development and invest in courses that interest them. They’ll reward you with a more skilled workforce in the long term. GIVE THEM CHOICE You won’t learn if you’re being forced to do something you find dull. Give your learners a choice of different courses that meet the requirement, but are delivered in learning styles to suit them. REWARD THEM Some people will always be more willing learners than others - its human nature. Reward everyone on completing their mandatory education, and when they learn something new. Sam Easen is the Founder & CEO of Qintil, a lifelong learning platform that empowers people to learn with a single place to find, manage and share their education and skills. Qintil includes a powerful Learning Management tool for employers and a course store with over 2,300 courses. Reader enquiries - Tel: 0333 5771 484 or visit www.qintil.com/care18
ELIMINATE STRESS WITH
DutyHours ™ and TimeCap ™
Control Costs Staff Wages
DutyHours Staff Time & Attendance ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
TimeCap is GDPR Compliant. Holiday, sickness and other absence recorded. Booking on with Face ID - accurate and fast. NOW WITH Agency staff proof of attendance. FACE ID! Eliminate paper Time Sheets. ACCURATE Reduce payroll errors. AND FAST Night time & Weekend compliance “Check Calls”. Electronic Visitor Book to automatically record visit details.
SAVING YOU MONEY AND FREEING UP YOUR RESOURCES Contact us on Tel - 03333 444 562 or www.wfsoftware.co.uk
49 Station Road, Polegate, East Sussex, BN26 6EA
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FURNITURE & FITTINGS Renray Healthcare Christopher Guy Interiors Alpha Furniture Renray Healthcare has been producing high quality furniture for over 50 years and is one of the UK’s largest and leading suppliers to the healthcare sector. Whether you require a fast efficient delivery of quality furniture or a full room installation and fitting service, we have the experience and resources to handle your contract. We manufacture and assemble our products in our own purpose built factories in Cheshire and Europe to British Standards.
Hence we are able to ensure your furniture is produced to the highest quality, working with you to plan and meet your projects time schedule and budget. We understand you are purchasing furniture that is fit for purpose, stylish and will continue to perform well into the future, which is why we design and build our furniture with you in mind. Contact Details Telephone: +44 (0)1606 593456 Email: info@renrayhealthcare.com Website: www.renrayhealthcare.com See the advert on page 3 for details.
ture. SPECTACULAR CLEARANCE OFFER. Up to 950 chairs available with up to 100 clearance fabrics variations of your choice. Queen Anne clearance deals 500 available £119 + VAT Jemma Clearance Deals 350 available £124.99 + VAT Florence clearance deals 100 available We are constantly expanding in the £139.99 + VAT field of nursing home furniture, resiNowhere else in the dential care home furniture and specountry can these chairs cial needs furniture. be bought at this price. Free delivery We have one of the best ranges of on orders of 10 or more chairs. exclusive contract fabrics and are Competitive prices keep proud of our quality and the excellent Christopher Guy Interiors ahead of value of our products. all their competitors and our turnkey We deliver throughout the country packages cannot be beaten for price, and always put the customer first quality and value for money. and endeavour to meet their requests. Reader enquiries - Tel: 01274 We constantly have special offers on 660123 or visit on clearance fabric and vinyl furniwww.christopherguyinteriors.com
Christopher Guy Interiors is one of the largest independent suppliers of nursing home furniture, residential home furniture and dementia care furniture in the country today. We are a family run business and the owners have been involved in the manufacture of furniture for over 40 years.
Alpha Furniture provides high quality bedroom, lounge and dining furniture for care and residential homes with a selection of highly customisable products to suit the many differing needs of residents, including for those suffering with dementia, elderly and infirm, and challenging behaviour. Alpha Furniture prides itself on delivering an exceptionally high level of service, including site visits, at an affordable price. The Oxford dementia range of bedroom furniture is especially popular and very well designed to help manage the side-effects of dementia and alleviate anxiety. Seating is carefully selected from various manufacturers for the top level of quality, with integral rear legs wherever possible for a strong and durable chair. Similarly, bedroom furniture is designed to last with solid backs to all units, from a bedside table to a double-door wardrobe. Whether it be a complete new build project or simply replacing the furniture in a bedroom or two, Alpha Furniture are delighted to be of service regardless of the size of your enquiry. All products meet the necessary requirements, including Crib 5 rated fabric, in many cases stain resistant and waterproof, and 5 year guarantee. Contact us today either by phone on 01494 670 600, or email to sales@alpha-furniture.co.uk.
Polyflor Flooring Brings Style And Safety To Extra Care Apartments A variety of Polysafe safety flooring and expona luxury vinyl tiles from commercial vinyl flooring specialist Polyflor were recently used to complete the construction of needham House in Devizes, Wiltshire. needham House is a housing development of extra care apartments which allow older people to live independently in their own homes with on-site care and support. Over 2000m² of Polyflor vinyl flooring was installed by Bristol based contractors English County Contracts Ltd in the 47 self-contained apartments and communal areas. The £9 million Needham House project was designed by DKA architects in Bath and funded by Wiltshire Council, The Homes and Communities Agency and the Department of Health. Expona Commercial PUR luxury vinyl tiles in the Light Classic Oak design were selected for the building entrance and lobby areas, the dining hall, staircases, circulation areas and corridors between the apartments. The dining hall is a communal space used as a restaurant by residents, as well as acting as a venue for social activities and events. The Expona Commercial collection features wood, stone and abstract effects which are ideal for interior spaces in housing, healthcare and other commercial sectors where there is likely to be a high level of foot traffic. Polysafe Wood fx PUR safety flooring in Classic Oak was installed inside each of the apartments to provide sustainable wet slip resistance in the fully fitted kitchens. Also used in activity rooms and
treatment rooms on site, Polysafe Wood fx is a hard wearing sheet vinyl flooring which combines the authentic reproduction of wood with virtually invisible aggregates to provide traction for underfoot safety without compromising the high clarity look of the floor. Another safety flooring product, Polysafe Verona PUR in the Café Noir shade, was used to create safe working environments for staff in the kitchen and servery areas attached to the dining hall, store rooms, cleaner’s cupboards and staff bathrooms. The Polysafe Verona range features virtually invisible slip resistant particles and complementary tonal chips, offering the high clarity look of a smooth vinyl floor but with the performance of a safety floor. The Polysafe Wood fx and Polysafe Verona safety flooring ranges are fully HSE Compliant and classified as low slip potential, achieving 36+ on the Pendulum Wet Test and meeting the 50,000 cycles abrasion test which assures slip resistance for the guaranteed life of the product. Flooring samples for al of these ranges can be ordered free of charge on the Polyflor website or by calling the Polyflor Samples Direct Hotline on 0161 767 2551. Polyflor flooring contains recycled material and is 100% recyclable via the Recofloor vinyl take back scheme. Further details of Polyflor’s extensive range of resilient vinyl flooring are available from Polyflor Ltd, Radcliffe New Road, Whitefield, Manchester, M45 7NR. Tel: 0161 767 1111. Fax: 0161 767 1128. Website: www.polyflor.com Email: info@polyflor.com
C & S Seating C & S Seating are proud to be the national supplier of 24 hour postural management and control products for over 25 years. Initially developed by the Company founders and a consultant specialist physiotherapist, using on-going feedback from healthcare professionals we now have a wide selection of positioning equipment available. We assemble and supply 9 different sizes of T-Rolls and Log Rolls (ranging from paediatric to adult) in a machine washable wipe-clean Titex or Soft Knit covering as standard. Our Knee supports and width adjustable APS systems
are also available in 2 sizes. Our new popular Soft Knit range of covers in a choice of 5 vibrant colours provide a softer alternative that can be fitted easily over our standard waterproof rolls. Ask our friendly sales team about our inflatable TRolls that are designed for short term use and ideal for holidays and aqua therapy aid. The inflatables also prove a valuable tool for Physio’s and OT’s during the assessment process. All fabrics meet the UK Flammability standards and carry a CE mark. We are also ISO 9001 regulated. It is recommended you seek professional advice to select the correct product depending on your needs. Contact us on 01424 853331 or visit us at www.cands-seating.co.uk to download a brochure, pricelist or order form, request an individualised quotation, speak to an advisor or to place an order.
Dunham-Bush LST Radiators Deliver Safety And Warmth To Luxury Care Home TWo HUnDReD and twenty three Dunhambush System low Surface Temperature radiators fitted with SAv/Danfoss PT 40 flow and pressure monitoring thermostatic valves have been installed at Manor Grange luxury care home in Corstorphine, edinburgh. Manor Grange focuses on caring for people suffering from dementia from the age of 65 years upwards and provides support for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Mr James Culbertson, Director of The Keenan Consultancy based in Edinburgh, who undertook the design of the heating system at the home said: “We were tasked with providing a system design for a care home with eighty three luxury bedrooms. Safety is of paramount importance in buildings such as care homes, hospitals and nurseries, where occupants are deemed at risk and may be vulnerable to accidental scalding from heat emitters’’. NHS Estate Health Guidance ‘Note Safe Hot Water Temperatures 1998’ recommends that heating devices should have a maximum surface temperature of 43°C when operating under design conditions. This recom-
mendation includes radiator grilles. Dunham-Bush System LST radiators fully comply with these recommendations and in addition, the DunhamBush LST radiator’s innovative design provides the installer with a quick and simple installation process and the end user with a cosmetically desirable product with easy access for maintenance. Manor Grange is a luxury care home located in the leafy suburbs of Edinburgh, surrounded by beautiful gardens and overlooking Carrick Knowe Golf Club. The ethos at Manor Grange is that its residents should live an enriched and independent life in a supportive and caring environment. Mr James Webb the care home manager said: “This approach is more than simply meeting care needs, it’s about caring for the health, well being and interests of the resident as a whole, working closely with both residents and their families to create a detailed and bespoke care plan”. This all encompassing approach includes high standards of cuisine to meet specific requirements and preferences. For further information please visit www.dunham-bush.co.uk
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FURNITURE & FITTINGS Bridgman - Inspired Living Euroservice Trolley Manufacturers Established in 1977, Bridgman has supplied quality outdoor furniture to the care industry for over 40 years. As a business with family values Bridgman puts their customers at the heart of everything they do, offering the advice that`s right for you, every step of the way. Whether its dining or lounging furniture you are looking for, Bridgman have an unrivalled collection of high quality Rattan, premium grade Teak ,modern Aluminium or stylish Resin to suit any size of location and budget, all designed with style and comfort in mind. With constant innovation and unique British designed collections, Bridgman remains the leading name in commercial outdoor furniture using the world`s finest craftsmen and highest quality materials. Unique Fully Waterproof Cushions On a selection of ranges, Bridgman are able to offer fully waterproof and virtually stain proof cushions that are ideal for commercial use. These cush-
ions can remain outside during the Spring, Summer and Autumn months – great for the unpredictable British weather. Before the fabric is woven the yarn is coated in Teflon and sealed giving the fabric its stain resistant properties. This enables the cushions to repel almost any stain. The cushions are then back coated with a waterproof membrane to prevent any water ever reaching the cushion foam. – making them the only full waterproof cushions on the market. Holding vast stocks in the U.K. means that Bridgman quality outdoor furniture is normally available for delivery within 5 working days and can be with you quicker if required. We look forward to welcoming you to the Bridgman stand 8051 at The Dementia Care & Nursing Home Expo 2018 or for more information call our service professionals on 020 8804 7474 www.bridgman.co.uk
Snug Positioning Pillows – Improving Wellbeing of Vulnerable Patients CARInG foR different health needs, whilst keeping patients safe and comfortable are the priorities of doctors, nurses and carers. Safety, comfort and a stimulating environment speed up recoveries, enhance convalescence and contribute to greater quality of life during illness. Snug Positioning Pillows are uniquely shaped cushions that secure patients’ stable and comfortable positioning in beds and armchairs. Designed to improve lives of chronically ill, frail and disabled with little strength and compromised mobility, Snug Positioning Pillows redistribute external pressure on patients’ body, helping to prevent pressure related bed sores, painful ulcerations and skin breakdowns. Furthermore, Snug Positioning Pillows enhance interaction and improve communication between
patients and their carers, helping the carers to address patients’ needs more effectively. Designed for adults and children and perfect for hospitals, care homes and home care, Snug Positioning Pillows help people in a coma, victims of apallic syndrome, dementia sufferers, visually impaired and immobile people, hemiplegics, people at risk of pressure ulcers, frail elderly, terminally ill and more. Comfortable, practical, durable, washable, flame retardant and made in several designs for different patients’ needs, Snug Positioning Pillows improve standards of care, thus greatly improving lives and wellbeing of the most vulnerable adults and children. Supplied by Win Health Medical Ltd - 01835 864866 www.win-health.com or see the advert on page 7.
3kw Fan Heaters Join The Electronic 7-Day Timer Range The WMH3e Chelsea and He6137e flowzone fan heaters are the latest addition to Consort Claudgen’s electronic 7-day Timer range. Both heaters have a digital control panel with easy-toread display and four large control buttons with audible and tactile feedback. They are robust to suit demanding environments and are quiet in operation. These heaters offer 6 heating periods per day, 7 days a week and have an optional open/close window detection fea-
ture which reacts intelligently to a sudden temperature change in the area or room. They are also easy to operate and can set comfort and setback temperatures which helps reduces the overall energy consumption. The Electronic 7-day Timer range also includes low surface temperature heaters which are designed to suit environments with vulnerable people such as children and elderly residents. For more details, visit www.consortepl.com or contact Sales at 01646 692172.
With over 35 years of experience in the sale and manufacture of wooden trolleys for the catering trade, euroservice trolley manufacturers have now acquired a worldwide reputation and still offer an extensive /comprehensive range of top quality wooden trolleys manufactured in the UK.
Top quality is a priority in the production of all of our products and Euroservice are specialists in the manufacture of sturdy and beautiful looking trolleys which will grace any environment from the small privately owned restaurant to the splendid 3 to 5 star hotels, resorts and Residential homes. Thanks to a careful marketing strategy and recommendations, the UK manufactured Euroservice range of trolleys have become the first choice for trolleys in many catering establishments. Reliable and appealing trolleys are always needed in catering establishments and Euroservice trolleys are sure to contribute to the smooth running of any operation and will enhance the level of serv-
ice through their sheer visual appeal. The fast growing range of UK manufactured Euroservice trolleys is now well known in the catering and nursing care industry in the UK and exported to many other countries including Australia, South Africa, the Middle East , the Caribbean , Scandinavia and other European countries. The increasingly popular bespoke service enables you to design your own trolley with the added bonus of our expert advice, if needed. However, if your needs are more immediate we can provide standard models in record time. Standard virtually off the shelf models include the mini bar trolley, the sweet trolley, the cheese trolley, the drinks trolley, the flambé trolley, waiters station and dumbwaiters as well as room service wooden trays. Euroservice’s excellence in the manufacture of wooden trolleys is backed by a personal, efficient and friendly service second to none. We are always busy researching the needs of the market and launch new ranges according to market demands. Whatever your needs you can be assured that Euroservice can cater for them and we look forward to your call. Freephone: 0800 917 7943 www.euroservice-uk.com sales@euroservice-uk.com
Freephone: 0800 917 7943 www.euroservice-uk.com sales@euroservice-uk.com
PM200
QZ2
PO 300
B007
B09
WM6
B39
BZ 006
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LAUNDRY SOLUTIONS 5 Reasons Why You Should Choose LaundryTec Chester based laundryTec since its foundation in early 2016 has become one of Alliance Internationals major UK distributers. founded by Jeremy Hartigan, the team of industry professionals with the backing of the Alliance lavamac brand and supported by its service partner PDS laundry based in nuneaton. They supply a significant number of the UK’s leading health care operators with equipment, installation and after sale support. The LaundryTec designs offer not only washing, drying and ironing equipment but a full range of handling, distribution, folding and identification systems, to create a fully functioning laundry complete with all items necessary for efficient operation. Every LaundryTec machine includes full installation options, including the removal and disposal of an existing machine. A training program and a minimum of 24
Forbes Receives Best Customer Service Award at the IER Awards 2018
The IER AWARDS bring together the very best of the electrical retailing sector to celebrate the successes of the past twelve months, and Forbes was delighted to clinch the Best Customer Services Award. The award went to Forbes Rentals, the consumer side of our business, but as we are a combined operation in terms of administration, account management, engineering and customer service teams, Forbes Professional is delighted to share in this success. The customer focus that we
drive pervades all aspects of our business, and is at the very centre of our company vision. Our consumer customer base was where our business began in 1926, and we will always deliver the same level of attention and dedication to those customers as we do to our ever-expanding commercial client portfolio. Our rental model is about building long term relationships as opposed to conducting one off transactions and consequently we champion a service-led culture throughout the business. We are partnered with leading manufacturers of laundry and audio-visual equipment and ensure that our service matches the product quality. This award is testament to our team of dedicated employees who continue to embody our company ethos at every point of the service delivery. For further information Telephone 0345 070 2335 or www.forbes-professional.co.uk
months part and labour warranty. The environment is at the forefront of every operator’s mind. Standard specification on a Lavamac machine includes functions that automatically weigh and control the energy input into the machine and store the data in the machines memory. Our LS range of electric heat pump dryers require no ventilation or gas services and operates at 3kw per hour. 5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CHOOSE LAUNDRYTEC 1. Cost 2. Efficiency 3. Service 4. Design 5. Innovation Telephone 0151 317 3127 Web www..laundrytec.con
Professional Laundry Products from Applied Thoughts
Abat.co is the new brand of Applied Thoughts and Applied Business Techniques which together provide a range of net bags, laundry bags, stainless steel laundry trolleys and multitray laundry distribution carts for the care sector. With manufacturing in the UK and China Abat.co has an extensive 17,000 sq ft warehouse in Worcester to service most orders with next day delivery. Net bags and laundry bags are available from stock in a wide range of colours, however they also manufacture to order. Applied Thoughts have been
supplying the trade for 34 years and are the main UK manufacturer and importer of a wide range of commercial quality laundry net bags and laundry bags. The quality materials and sewing used have developed to extremely high specifications, resulting in a durable product which is extensively used by the care sector. Applied Business Techniques have designed complimentary stainless steel carts and trolleys to the same high standards as well as introducing some lower cost non-woven laundry storage bags. Excess stocks of the extremely popular white non-woven laundry bag A2001 has resulted in selling off at the lowest ever price of £1.85 each (for any quantity). The quality stainless steel linen distribution carts provide a very durable solution to clean laundry distribution within the care home and available with a typical 1-2 week delivery time. Stocked products are available for online purchase however to discuss your requirements please call Laura or Richard on 01905 756061.
TO ADVERTISE IN PLEASE CALL OUR SALES TEAM ON
0151 317 3127
www.laundrytec.com
01202 552333
info@laundrytec.com
5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CHOOSE LAUNDRYTEC 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Washer Extractors
Tumble Dryers
Cost Quality Service Design Innovation
Flatwork Ironers
Other Equipment
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DYSPHAGIA & NUTRITION Get Ready for IDDSI in April 2018 By Ayela Spiro, Nutrition Science Manager, British Nutrition Foundation High rates of dysphagia (the medical term for swallowing difficulties) are most noted in older people where related conditions such as stroke and dementia are more common.
framework. It is likely to take months for all products and their labels to be changed over to IDDSI, but it is anticipated that the IDDSI will be fully implemented in the UK by April 2019. It may be prudent to contact the relevant manufacturers about the timing of the introduction of IDDSI compliant products that you use in your local care setting. In order to support your implementation of IDDSI in UK from April 2018, the BDA is producing an implementation as well as a resource pack (http://bit.ly/2CdgEI0). Successful implementation will no doubt require work with the relevant managers and a multidisciplinary team that includes dietitians, Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs), caterers and nurses that can plan and execute implementation. It may also be useful to think of the barriers to easy implementation like the time to train staff and change menus. Why not involve and engage staff early on and consider setting up an IDDSI or Dysphagia champion? The important message is joint working so that you are ready to implement the changes and help minimise risk for your service users with dysphagia.
It is estimated that up to 75% of people in nursing homes may be affected. Dysphagia can markedly affect health and quality of life. Serious complications include increased risk of choking, which can be fatal, pulmonary aspiration (food and fluid going into the lungs) which may lead to chest infections, lung damage and aspiration pneumonia. An individual with dysphagia may be unable to eat sufficient food to maintain weight or unable to drink sufficient fluid to maintain hydration. Providing the correct texture of food and drinks, and accurate communication of information regarding texture, is a key element in reducing the risks associated with dysphagia. It is important to ensure that service users have the most appropriate and safe texture suitable for their swallowing abilities, and are monitored to ensure their diet NEW PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION meets nutrient requirements. In October 2017 the first professional catering qualificaIn response to patient safety concerns and requests for tion for health and social care catering – Level 2 Award in clarity from the catering industry, national food texture Professional Cookery in Health and Social Care – develdescriptors for a dysphagia diet, primarily designed for oped by the National Association of Care Catering food producers, were launched in 2011 by a cross-profes(NACC), Hospital Caterers Association (HCA) and the sional expert group. However more recently, further to awarding body of the Institute of Hospitality (IOH), was consultation, the British Dietetic Association (BDA) and the officially approved on the Ofqual Regulated Qualification Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) Framework. have moved to support implementation of the The qualification is designed for people who cater for International Dysphagia Diet Standardised Initiative patients and residents in a health and social care setting (IDDSI) from April 2018. IDDSI is an international stanand focuses on developing their awareness of diet and dardised framework for people with dysphagia that conappetite issues that may arise in this environment. sists of a continuum of levels from 0 -7 and includes Organisations will be able to apply to become approved texture descriptors and testing methods for both drink centres to offer the qualification from January 2018. thickness and food texture levels. Neel Radia said: “We’re thrilled to be able to announce The BDA and RCSLT moved to adopt IDDSI for a numto NACC, HCA and IOH members, and the wider care secber of reasons. Whilst the current UK descriptors are based tor, that at long last there is a qualification that recognises on expert consensus, the IDDSI framework is based on and supports the specific knowledge and skills needed to actual research evidence and is implemented across the cater for people in health and social care world including the US, Canada Australia, environments. The Level 2 Award in China and Germany. This international use Professional Cookery in Health and Social allows common understanding of texture Care is the result of hard work and a descriptors for healthcare workers from strong, committed collaboration between country to country, and minimises confusion the three associations. so decreasing risk. It also allows standardis“The absence of a health and care cateration of research so that more robust eviing qualification has been a long-term cause dence can be generated to help support for concern and this is a huge step forward people with dysphagia more effectively. for our sector. Our chefs and caterers are Importantly the framework contains levels incredibly talented and knowledgeable and for fluids as well as foods, so safety for both this qualification gives them the official eating and drinking is accounted for. The training and recognition they deserve, and current UK descriptors do not include fluids. as new recruits enter the sector it will Manufacturer’s will be implementing ensure that we can continue to raise stanIDDSI from April 2018, and changes will be (c) The International Dysphagia Diet dards in care catering.” made to labels as well as ensuring the prodStandardisation Initiative 2016 iddsi.org/resources/framework/ uct textures align with the new IDDSI CONTINUED ON FOLLOWING PAGE...
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DYSPHAGIA & NUTRITION CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE... The qualification tackles the important subjects of nutrition and hydration and food modification in health care settings. Learners will study the impact of nutrition and hydration on health and wellbeing, how it relates to population subgroups, and understand the roles of multidisciplinary teams, national standards and guidelines. They will also learn about the effect of dysphagia on patients and how to plan, prepare, cook and finish food for patients with the condition.
DYSPHAGIA IN DEMENTIA PATIENTS Emily Stuart, apetito Dietitian discusses Dysphagia in dementia patients: Nearly 50 million people are currently living with dementia, a number which is expected to increase to 131.5 million by 2050. To help tackle this, it is important to highlight the problems faced by dementia patients and to demonstrate how we can overcome them. Dementia is caused by a number of progressive brain disorders that affect the ability to perform activities of daily living, memory and behaviour. As the illness progresses into the advanced or severe stages, individuals may experience oral deficits which cause dysphagia. Swallowing is a complex process with many stages; any one of which can stop working, causing the swallowing process to become defective. This is becoming a common complaint in dementia patients. Treatment for dysphagia in dementia patients is more difficult than for those without dementia. If left untreated, it can cause serious health problems such as: malnutrition, dehydration and aspiration pneumonia. Here is some advice on how to manage the condition: Triggering the eating process - Mealtimes can become stressful for someone with dysphagia and dementia. The patient may be confused by the food and cutlery, and can worry about choking. For a patient with advanced dementia, finger foods may aid the eating process. This taps into the automatic motor rhythm and gives them the freedom to feed themselves. Another way to trigger the eating process is through alternating between hot and cold food, as this can trigger a swallow. Getting the right nutrients – It can be difficult for dementia patients to receive the correct nutrients, especially with the additional complexities of dysphagia. A patient may become disinterested or agitated by the meal in front of them. In this instance, the meal should be split onto two plates, serving half the meal at a time. This will help the patient to eat the whole meal without having to sit down for an extended period. Another method is to serve five or six small meals throughout the day. If a patient becomes fussy about what food they are eating, a list of food preferences and dislikes could be developed, so they are always given their preferred meals. Enteral feeding– If the patient’s dementia becomes severe, it may be a better option to provide hydration and nutrition
through tube feeding. This will ensure the patient isn’t affected by health risks such as malnourishment and aspiration pneumonia. The decision to go ahead with enteral feeding is complex, so it is important the patient and caregivers are aware of all the risks and benefits involved
CHALLENGES Recognising the challenges care caterers face Vicky Mogford, Marketing Manager for Healthcare at Bidfood says: “At Bidfood, we understand the challenges that care caterers face. With this in mind, we are proud to provide a wide selection of added value support to help caterers serve up great food to all of their residents. Our support ranges from menu development to information on catering for specialist diets, offering more than just products, but advice and support too from experts within the business. As well as our range of over 13,000 products, which includes the best of both own brand and leading foodservice brands, our care customers will find anything they need for service from store cupboard ingredients, frozen and chilled food, non- alcoholic and alcoholic drinks right through to non-food products, including crockery, cooking utensils, cleaning products and catering equipment. To complement our own brand collection, we have a very broad branded supplier base which allows us to offer a substantial range of specialist products to help develop specialist menus around allergies, malnutrition and dysphagia. We have worked hard to pull together our technical document, ‘Catering with Care’, which is aimed at the whole catering team to advise on catering for residents with a range of dietary and cultural requirements. Our teams have produced specific guides to give caterers ideas and support on how best to cater for sufferers of dementia and dysphagia. As well as a suggested four week menu cycle which is also available to our customers with supporting recipes that have been nutritionally analysed with allergen listing, all of which can be accessed via our website. With the introduction of the new IDDSI framework coming into effect from April 2019, we are already looking at working closely with our food development team and our nutritionist to provide support to our customers to smoothly manage the transition over to these new standards. Whilst these are changes on the horizon for our care home customers, we pride ourselves on our support and advice to keep you up to date and well informed.
PREMIER FOODS EXTENDS ITS AWARD-WINNING DYSPHAGIA SOLUTIONS PROGRAMME Premier Foods is proud to introduce the second phase of its Dysphagia Solutions Programme, a guide to creating
nutritious, safe and appetising meals, which helps to ensure dignity in dining with dysphagia. Launched at an exclusive industry event on 21 March, the guide includes a series of creative and inspirational recipe ideas, alongside practical tips and training. Key industry representatives attended the event, including the National Association of Care Catering. Recipes will follow the new International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI), which standardises the framework for texture modified foods. Alongside the new guide, Premier Foods will be working with industry bodies to offer training and workshops to support chefs and caterers, as they transition towards using the new IDDSI framework within their kitchens. This phase follows the successful launch in 2012 of Premier Foods’ Healthcare Solutions Programme, designed to improve the standard of catering for dysphagia sufferers in the healthcare sector. The programme initially focused on diets required for dysphagia, but momentum gathered and solutions were also developed for dementia and diabetes sufferers. The programme has included a mix of practical training along with the Dysphagia Chef of the Year competition – a first for the industry. Mark Taylor, Foodservice Channel Controller at Premier Foods, comments: “Following the launch of the IDDSI in the UK, we wanted to help demystify the new framework and help caterers and chefs begin creating and using recipes suitable for their dysphagia patients and residents. Our programme will build on the previous success of our Healthcare Solutions programme launched in 2012 and will include a mix of practical training, workshops, ongoing advice and support to the industry.”
PUREE MOLDS Robert Malekin at Puree Food Molds we highlights the importance of providing safe and nutritious meals for individuals with dysphagia, and has created their own range of Puree Food Molds to help you provide great tasting and visually appealing puree food easily. Robert says “Dysphagia is a common problem for residents that can result from a range of medical conditions. The challenge for aged care facilities is to ensure patients are served a nutritious, appetising and safe meal. Less obvious, but equally important is the need to provide residents with the opportunity to dine with dignity.” “The traditional solution for supplying meals to residents with dysphagia has been to simply puree a portion of food in the blender and serve. The resultant meal is often shapeless, tasteless and visually unpalatable. The
availability of a range of inexpensive, high quality silicone Puree Food Molds makes improving the presentation of texture modified meals easy and offers the following benefits:” • IMPROVED meal presentation • CUT food wastage • PROMOTE dignity at mealtimes • INCREASE puree meal variety • SAVE preparation time • REDUCE cost of puree meals
HOTMIXHOME The affordable ‘Essential’ in every Caring kitchen flavour is a re-occurring theme when providing safe and nutritious meals, and no care home once patients missing out, or see their chefs struggling when producing therapeutic and texture modified diets, maintaining appetising flavour and colour of fresh ingredients therefore it is vital An essential piece of blending kit suitable for care catering environments is the HotmixHOME is the junior model of the celebrated HotmixPRO range of professional thermal blenders. It offers the most advanced cooking system designed for every kitchen! Equipment specialists Barbel believe that the HotmixHome, with its numerous functions cooking is made simple, safe and hassle free. All you have to do is choose the recipe, set it and enjoy, all the hard work is done for you. Thanks to its diverse functions and to the 398 stored delicious recipes it certainly suits every generation’s taste buds and preferred texture. It maximises flavours and goodness and wastes nothing. • Safe -The 2 litre heavy usage mixing bowl sits within a fully insulated stainless steel casing • Easy to Clean – Dishwasher proof mixing bowl • Self-Sterilising – Temperature range from 25° - 145° • Easy to Use - Operates exactly to programme at a touch of a finger • Efficient -Speed range from 0 -12’500 rpm allows blending, small and large amounts, to just the right texture • Financial Benefits – Precise temperature setting dramatically reduces waste by maximising nutritional values • Speedy Recovery – Vitamin rich, tasty food helps your residents to regain strength and sustain their best health levels HotmixHome is the essential support for every conscientious dietician or cook Limited Space or Limited Budget? HotmixHome will be YOUR answer – just ask!
CONTACTS:
www.pureefoodmolds.com www.nutrition.org.uk www.bidfood.co.uk/care-homes www.apetito.co.uk www.thenacc.co.uk www.premierfoodservice.co.uk
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TRAINING & RECRUITMENT Continued Development of Skills Needed To Improve Dementia Care In Hospitals Dementia awareness training as a single strategy will not improve dementia care in hospitals or outcomes for patients, according to a new study from the University of Hertfordshire last summer, published in the online journal bMJ open.
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The research, funded by the Alzheimer’s Society, reviewed approaches to make hospital environments more dementia friendly. The report found that in addition to dementia awareness training, it is important for senior team members with specific expertise in dementia care to work closely with hospital staff to support the continued development of skills in this area and promote their use among patients. Greater recognition of the changes to staff roles and responsibilities when caring for patients with dementia, and a flexible approach - that can accommodate the known limitations of ward routines - is also necessary to meet the needs of patients with dementia. Changes must be endorsed by senior management, to give staff permission and confidence to adapt practices to provide good dementia care. The report also found that strategies to help staff understand behaviour that challenges them as communication of an unmet need can encourage staff to take action to help reduce distress, as well as enable patients to be more independent. COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW Researchers interviewed key stakeholders and carried out a comprehensive literature review of interventions aimed at improving hospital care for people living with dementia. The report highlights six interconnected concepts which can enable effective dementia care in hospitals: 1. Where behaviour that challenges staff is understood as communication of an unmet need - via training, information about the patient and support from experts in dementia care - staff will feel able to respond to the patient’s needs. 2. Training which promotes understanding and empathy towards people living with dementia helps staff to understand the importance of making changes to care and encourages them to take more time with people living with dementia. 3. Clinical experts who convey to staff the priorities and standards for dementia care which are endorsed by the organisation, can support staff to develop skills in dementia care and help staff feel confident in their ability to adapt care practices. 4. Supporting staff to have confidence to organise care provision around the needs of the patient was linked to responsive, person-centred care. This helped staff to recognise and address unmet needs and distress, thereby improving patient wellbeing. 5. Time constraints and staffing resources limit staff capacity to provide good dementia care. Employing staff to assess cognitive abilities, provide therapeutic activities and supervise social mealtimes can help to meet patients’ psychologi-
cal, emotional and social needs. 6. Building staff confidence to address patient risk in a personcentred way that supports a person’s abilities, choices and independence can improve mobility, reduce patient distress, and increase patient and carer satisfaction UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEXITY OF CARING FOR PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA Melanie Handley, lead author of the report, from the University of Hertfordshire, said: 'There is increasing recognition that hospital staff and services need to understand the complexity of caring for and treating people living with dementia. At any one time, 25% of hospital beds are used by people living with dementia, rising to a higher proportion on some wards. Healthcare outcomes for people living with dementia are variable across the country and are inequitable when compared to outcomes for people without cognitive impairments. 'Our findings suggest that training as a single strategy is not enough to influence staff to adapt the care they provide for people living with dementia, to meet their needs. Rather we have highlighted six propositions which can run alongside one another to help deliver comprehensive care and positive patient outcomes. 'Importantly, managerial endorsement for staff to work flexibly within their role, utilising practices and resources that enable them to get to know the person, will help staff to recognise and address signs of distress and implement best practice in dementia care. 'We also found the need for access to experts in dementia care who can advise and encourage staff to provide good care for people living with dementia. In studies where this was adopted, experts with authority were able to communicate new expectations for standards of care and changes to procedures, validating the priorities for care and legitimising staffs’ adaption of care practices accordingly.' Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research at Alzheimer’s Society, said: 'Sadly we know that dementia care in hospitals in extremely variable. An Alzheimer’s Society investigation in 2016 found that only 2% of people affected by dementia felt, in their experience, that all hospital staff understood the specific needs of people with dementia. While we are actively campaigning to change this, it’s exciting to see that research we are funding is lighting the way for better care in hospitals. 'The findings from this study show that better support from senior colleagues with dementia expertise can help staff to put training into practice and ultimately deliver better outcomes for people with dementia. The next step, and where this will truly make a difference for people affected by dementia, is to get hospitals across the country to commit to providing appropriate dementia training for all staff and senior dementia specialists within hospital trusts. We hope to achieve this through Dementia Action Alliance Dementia-Friendly Hospital Charter, which already has over 100 hospitals signed up.'
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TRAINING & RECRUITMENT Find Your Perfect Candidate With Care First UK Care first UK is a family run, personal and friendly recruitment service for the Healthcare sector. With over 30 years in recruitment and 14 years in healthcare sector, we offer a personal and friendly service to our employers and candidates, available to contact weekdays, weekends and evenings. Care First UK can provide interview days to employers at short notice. Finding perfect healthcare candidates at short notice - right across the UK. • We advertise your Nursing and Care vacancies free of charge.
• We shortlist candidates according to your job description • We pre-screen all candidates and ensure they are suitable for your vacancy, saving you time and money. • We offer affordable fee’s • We offer a rebate scheme to employers, if the applicants leave before two months. • We offer a personal, friendly, caring service, weekdays, weekends and evenings. We can even offer recruitment days held at your location. Contact us today for more details! See the advert on this page.
Creative Learning Solutions - Training Made Easy Over the last two hundred years life expectancy has doubled within the UK, and now around 10 million of the population is aged over 65 years. Even greater population growth has been seen among those aged 85 years and over. Unfortunately, these extra years are not necessarily ‘healthy’, and this has had a detrimental impact on the quality of life for some older people. The elderly are especially vulnerable when it comes to poor food safety, inadequate nutrition and the inclusion of potentially allergenic ingredients included in meals provided. Food saFety Food poisoning can lead to gastroenteritis and dehydration, or potentially even more serious health problems such as septicaemia and kidney failure and can be serious for older people because they have a weaker immune system. NutrieNts For most people, energy requirements decrease with
advancing age. This is due to changes in body composition and partly because people become less active as they get older so getting the right balance of nutrients is essential. allergeNs A number of factors in the elderly contribute to their risk for developing allergic related conditions. These include frailty, coexisting medical problems, memory issues and use of multiple prescribed and non-prescribed medications. There is a potential solution in the form of innovative online Training Programmes, developed by Creative Learning Solutions which allows staff to gain recognised certificates in Food Safety, Food Nutrition and Allergens Awareness without leaving the workplace quickly and effectively to a required standard and at a time which suits them. Call today on 01752 837777 or visit www.cslsolutions.co.uk
Little Islands - Nominated for a Design in Mental Health Award! following the success of their sensory lifeRooms and lifeWalls, little Islands have now developed the lifebyte. This is a fully interactive picture wall and a “bite sized” version of the lifeWall. It has been especially developed to enrich the lives of people living with Dementia by encouraging increased levels of communication and activities. Positive outcomes include reduced feelings of anxiety and isolation, by providing an opportunity for fun, happiness and reminiscence. The LifeByte has recently been nominated for a Design in Mental Health award in the Living Art category, which is very exciting news! Scan the QR code below or visit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5iDQ6AO4Z8 to see it in action. The sensory LifeRoom at Willowbrook Care Home in Birmingham continues to be a great success, with their latest Care Quality Commission report commenting "The sensory room was excellent in design and included life walls to promote and encourage communication”. 2018 is due to be another exciting year with 2 new, innovative products due to be launched at the Health Plus Care show in June. These promise to stimulate the senses and are fully mobile, providing fun and engaging activities anywhere in the home. See the advert on the facing page for details, call 0800 093 8499 or visit www.littleislands.org
Please Please mention mention THE THE CARER CARER when when responding responding to to advertising. advertising.
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TRAINING & RECRUITMENT Geopace Training GeoPACe TRAInInG is the UK’s leading provider of Phlebotomy Training Courses delivering accredited and nationally recognised training to the highest of professional standards. All courses adhere to CHS132 – the National Occupational Standard for Phlebotomy and to Skills for Health guidelines HSC376 as well as following WHO guidelines. Courses are available as classroom,
eLearning or Blended Learning (hybrid) and cover all levels of experience from novice through to experienced phlebotomist. Geopace Training have developed a reputation for excellence in training, delivered to a wide and varied audience of students and organisations including Colleges and Universities, Hospitals, Care Homes and GP Practices as well as individuals. Group training on-site provides a very cost effective method for staff education and CPD. For further details Tel: 01525 713377, Website: www.geopace.com Email: info@geopace.com
Singing Sessions Help Sheffield Residents With Dementia SInGInG and dancing therapy sessions have been taking place at a Sheffield care home to help residents living with dementia. The monthly activities are run by charity Lost Chord at The Laurels and The Limes Care Home, on Manchester Road. They have proven to have a positive effect on those with the degenerative condition, says Helena Muller, who founded the charity. She said: “We’ve been holding musical sessions at The Laurels every month and residents have responded well to us. “We have a positive effect on dementia by using music to stimulate areas of the brain that are still intact. This is particularly important where verbal communication is no longer possible. “We use a tactile approach, gaining eye contact,
holding hands and reaching out. “Music is the key that can unlock the door behind which a frightened and intimidated person hides. Everyone has a piece of music that sparks something within them – and it is lovely to find.” Louise Spooner, home manager at The Laurels Care Home, said: “We have been working with Lost Chord for some time now and we see a huge difference in our residents following one of their sessions. “Dementia is most closely associated with memory loss but music continues to have a powerful effect on those living with the condition. We see an uplift in mood, less aggressive behavior and greater sociability among those who take part.” Lost Chord was founded in 1999 in Rotherham and each year it’s 150 musicians help organise around 1,300 interactive musical session sin 130 care homes, primarily in South Yorkshire.
Care Service Welcomes Dementia Simulator
A liverpool care service for older people last week embarked on a unique training experience to understand life from the perspective of a person living with dementia. Bluebell Park, an Extra Care village for over 55s, provides high quality housing, support, and care services which enable and encourage people to live independently for as long as they wish to and are able to. The service’s specialist care and support is provided by national social care charity, Community Integrated Care. The service welcomed an innovative and thought provoking virtual dementia simulator, provided by Training 2 Care, which took guests through a sensory experience that helped them walk in the shoes of a person living with dementia. The simulator aims to give participants a greater insight and understanding of the condition, and brought together colleagues, family members, housing partners, local
healthcare professionals and commissioners, with the aim of using this to influence how they interact and support a person with dementia. Samantha Brennan, Community Integrated Care’s North West Regional Director, oversaw the project: “The dementia simulator from Training 2 Care was an incredible experience, and one that will change the way we deliver support to people living with dementia. To bring together so many of our stakeholders also proves how committed Community Integrated Care are to delivering outstanding care and support, driving up quality and standards of dementia care. This virtual dementia experience gave all participants a real life perspective of life with dementia and we are now reviewing how we positively interact with people in both our personal and professional lives to make a difference. The feedback has been truly overwhelming – we know that we’ve already made a difference for the people that we support, which is the outcome we wanted!! Mark Adams, Community Integrated Care’s Chief Executive, took part in the simulator. He says: “This was one of the most powerful training exercises I’ve seen throughout my career. It gave us a shift in perspective that we often need to think about how we should support people living with dementia, and will no doubt improve the way we work going forward.” “A huge well done to the team for organising such an innovative and emotional training session.”
CIEH 2018 Edition: Training Solutions Underpinned by over 140 years of expertise CIeH is an awarding body at the forefront of the environmental health profession. on 30 April, following huge successes with our 2017 workbased learning programmes, CIeH are now launching a new 2018 edition for our food Safety and occupational Health & Safety training portfolio. What's more our 2018 edition is as a result of client feedback, we offer a unique and agile approach, with content that is responsive and relevant to your audience. Unrestricted by external regulation we remain a market leader by keeping our products up-to-date. CIEH offers a range of training solutions for your business, in Food Safety, Occupational Health & Safety, HACCP and First Aid at Work encompassing Work-based learning, e-Learning and blended learning. We can deliver off the shelf content or bespoke solutions for your staff compliance training. For further information visit www.cieh.org/training.html, email info@cieh.org or telephone +44 (0)20 7827 5800
Care Homes: distress, insolvency and risk FOR THE PAST decade the UK’s healthcare sector has attracted often unwelcome attention following well publicised scandals such as Winterbourne View/Castlebeck, each of which involves a complex story of political and regulatory influences, funding pressures, the demands of a growing and ageing population, difficulty in recruiting , training and retaining the right type of staff, public scrutiny, increases in operating costs and tension between the need to remain financially viable and the requirement to provide a high quality, compassionate social welfare function.
The comparisons in Figure 1 below of census data from 2001 and 2011 shows that the 85 – 89 age category grew by 22% over the ten year period, whilst the general rate of net population growth was below 10%. The proportion of those aged 60 – 64 increased by a whopping 33% whilst the proportion of those aged over 90 increased by an equally impressive 28%.
authority and NHS funded clients - sustained deflation in fee rates continues to threaten their viability at a time when the sector needs to grow, not shrink. Furthermore, the length of time that elderly people spend in residential care has been increasing whilst the needs of residents have become more complex and more expensive to provide for.
That translated into a real term increase in the UK’s population of over 75’s of 425,000 people between 2001 and 2011, many of whom will eventually suffer from conditions associated with old age requiring expensive medical intervention or complex nursing care.
Notwithstanding demographic and funding pressures, the age of the UK’s care home stock also presents a challenge, with analysis by Christie & Co. suggesting that nearly 40% of open care homes were built before 1990. Older building require more intensive maintenance and capital expenditure to prevent them deteriorating and becoming obsolete or, worse still, posing a danger to their users. Regulatory changes, developments in health and safety legislation and shifts in best practice may compel operators of such homes to reconfigure facilities and, at this point, the associated capital expenditure can begin to place an unsustainable financial burden on the business. The cycle of decline often starts here and the circle soon becomes a vicious one. The other key pressure point for many operators is the costs of staff and the ability to recruit. And now it is not only the living wage that is the cause of the problem but, following recent Employment Tribunal decisions, the need to pay overnight staff for time spent sleeping whilst at work.
In their foreword to the Care Quality Commission Report “The state of health care and adult social care in England 2016/17”, Peter Wyman and Sir David Behan make the stark but accurate comment: “The future of care for older people and the adult care system is one of the greatest unresolved public policy issues of our time”. It is perhaps for these reasons that, for many years, care homes have been a key industry sector for insolvency appointments – a pattern which is unlikely to change in the short to medium term. The manner in which residential care home tend to fail shows great consistency, illustrated by the cycle set out below. Data source: www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011census
Information from the Office for National Statistics summarised in Figure 2 below also illustrates stark regional and gender based differences in life expectancy. At present a boy born and living in Blackpool is predicted, on average, to live a staggering 12 years less than a girl born and living in living in the comparatively wealthy district of Chiltern in Buckinghamshire.
Insolvency practitioners play a central role when called upon to intervene in a failing care facility; not only do we have to understand the financial context of each situation but also the specific risks that have to be assessed, monitored and mitigated. On a macro-level the UK’s ability to provide appropriate public and privately funded health care services is inextricably linked to the dynamics of a population that is not only growing but simultaneously ageing thanks to improvements in diet, medicine and working conditions. By the end of 2016 the proportion of over 65’s had doubled since the early 1960s. Moreover, the proportion of people in the very elderly category (over 85’s) is increasing much faster than average population growth.
If a care facility fails and a formal insolvency process ensues, a rescue strategy will often be predicated on the trade being maintained so a going concern purchaser can be identified. However, there are a number of insurance and legal risks that have to be addressed when considering whether to keep an insolvent care home open. For short terms fixes there are few problems that money cannot solve so the first issue is to identify funding for working and capital expenditure. In most cases this will be provided by secured creditors, motivated by a desire to prevent the complete erosion of the value of assets over which their loans are secured. Client and staff safety is paramount so ensuring the business is compliant with a raft of employee regulation and health and safety legislation is essential. This will typically include gas and electrical safety audits, food hygiene certification, monitoring and prevention of legionella risks, avoidance of trip hazards, fire safety certification, measures to avoid scalding incidents, asbestosis surveys (particularly in older properties), mechanical and engineering surveys, infection control, hoist and manual handling training, controlled substance protocols, EU working time directives and monitoring of potential violent or dangerous residents.
Data Source: www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/lifeexpectancies/bulletins
The implications of these demographic factors in terms of pressure on care services seems clear, providing a fundamental driver of public policy on a national and regional basis. However, the UK is yet to see concomitant changes to the size and shape of service provision on a universal basis. Indeed, if anything, the reverse has been true. Herein lies the crux of the major challenge facing the UK’s care sector: for a significant minority of facilities – in particular those reliant upon local
If any one of these risk areas cannot be adequately mitigated then insurance policy conditions may be compromised, statutory warning notices issued and, for the licensed insolvency practitioner acting as responsible person, prosecutions proceedings issued. In such cases it is simply not appropriate to keep a failed care home trading in order to secure a going concern sale, in which case a controlled wind down will take place as a precursor to a vacant-possession disposal. At this point a different set of risks will arise with a far great focus on the property itself.
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PROFESSIONAL & FINANCE ead
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Reduced commission rates for owners replying through this advertisement Reduced commission rates for RNHA members
Social Care Hit By Another Fee Rise In 2018 news of yet another fee hike by the Care quality Commission (CqC) has many care home managers worried about how they will continue to provide a quality service to their residents. This new fee rise is due to take effect in April 2018 as part of a four year cost recovery agreement with providers, and means that Social Care is the only sector to see their fees rise this year. In an industry that is already struggling to make ends meet, the new fee rates will only add further pressure on care home providers to work within even tighter budget constraints. This is further compounded by the fact that many Local Authorities throughout England are not in a financial position to offer more funding towards the cost of Social Care. In order to keep in line with their Care Act 2014 responsibilities, it is essential that Local Authorities follow the correct procedures in obtaining a realistic cost of care analysis for a care home. This analysis will allow them to gauge the scale of the challenges associated with the fee rise. It will also help them to understand the true costs of care and budget appropriately for their local care providers. However, this is not proving to be an easy task as many Local Authorities are forced to tighten their purse strings even fur-
ther due to a lack of funds. Over the recent years, Social Care has received a lot of negative press with many care homes either failing to provide quality care or going into administration due to financial troubles. However, almost all care home providers have strived hard to maintain high standards in spite of the hurdles before them. There is a real concern that standards within care homes are falling, but surely budget cuts and lack of funding play a big role in contributing towards a depleting service? It is simply not possible to maintain excellent standards of care, when there is no money, and it is unreasonable and unfair to expect care home managers feel positive or motivated when little to no investment is being made to help them. With a population of people who are living longer than ever before, the burden of providing care on the social sector is only set to increase in the coming years. This means that something has to be done in order to keep the services alive and at a standard that is at least acceptable. The question is; if fees continue to rise every year, will the sector be sustainable in the future? If you are a care home owner who believes that your Local Authority has not followed the correct procedures in obtaining your cost of care analysis, please contact our specialist care home solicitors at Aston Brooke Solicitors on 020 3475 4321 or see the advert on page 12.
Nurseplus Importance of Being #CareAware According to the CqC, a survey which polled over 1,000 adults who were responsible for choosing care either for themselves or a loved one over the last three years, highlighted that 70% of people found it more stressful than choosing their child’s nursery or school, or a venue for their wedding. At Nurseplus, we have 50+ branches that can provide care to individuals in care homes and in the community. We are more than aware of the concerns individuals face when choosing a care provider for their loved ones. All of our homecare services are inspected by the CQC, the inde-
pendent regulator of health and social care services in England. Whether you are choosing care at home, or residential care, inspections reports and ratings are available to help you make an informed choice. As well as CQC inspection reports, those looking for care can also visit www.homecare.co.uk, the leading UK homecare review website. Nurseplus Managing Director, Pamela Bruce said “Choosing care for your loved one is one of the most difficult decisions you may ever have to make. Here at Nurseplus, we pride ourselves on the quality of care & staff we provide.” For more information visit www.nurseplusuk.com.
QCS Launches ‘Care Wright Care Practice Essentials’ Solutions Ltd.
As part of their ‘building a Caring World’ philosophy, qCS has launched a free ‘Care Practice essentials’ toolkit, specifically tailored for developing nations in the Commonwealth. The complimentary toolkit is available on both desktop and mobile app and contains the most essential policies, procedures, guidance and a care plan. The announcement was made at the Ageing In Common Conference at Wokefield Park, Reading, UK. QCS has also committed to making the toolkit available to anyone involved in care provision in countries as diverse as Bangladesh, Cameroon, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda. The launch supports the QCS bursary which involved funding 20 delegates from developing nations within the Commonwealth to attend the Ageing in Common Conference. Mat Whittingham, Chief Executive Office of QCS said: ‘It has
long been an objective of QCS to start to offer practical support to the many thousands of people who are providing care to the elderly in developing nations, but who cannot access materials that we benefit from in the UK. We have a series of exciting announcements to support our ‘Building a Caring World’ philosophy over the next 18 months.’ Vic Rayner, Executive Director of the National Care Forum said: ‘This initiative from QCS shows their commitment to building a more connected care community across the globe. They are showing excellent leadership in providing these accessible and valuable resources to delegates attending the conference and freely available to a wider global audience. We look forward to continue to work with them to ensure that the learning and resources from this unique event are widely promoted.’ Care providers in developing countries who want to gain access to the ‘QCS Care Practice Essentials’ toolkit should email essentials@qcs.co.uk. See advert back cover.
Wright Care Solutions (WCS), an award winning Advisory Team, was originally established in 2006, moving to a Limited company in 2012. Our services include: undertaking external audits, mock inspections, Regulation 17 visits, etc., but we also support with increasing occupancy, marketing and commissioning new builds. During the last 18 months there has been an increase in homes engaging us to support with reaching compliance following receipt of an adverse CQC inspection. We have a “hands on” approach and provide action plans and reports, but where needed, roll up our sleeves and support to put things right. Our Advisors are qualified nurses with current PIN numbers and have over 90 years combined experience in the sector. Recent contracts include: • Supporting a care group in the South of England to reach compliance, through audits, action planning and mentoring, • Supporting a Care Home issued with a “Proposal to Cancel Registration” and ‘Inadequate’ CQC rating, to move to ‘Requires Improvement’ and the “Proposal to Cancel Registration” notice removed. • Working with a group of homes by undertaking external auditsa fresh pair of eyes to overview an already ‘Good’ rated service. For a full list of services available and a free quote, please visit our web site: www.wright-care.co.uk Or, call our dedicated enquiry line: 07557 761141 or e-mail: enquiries@wrightcare.co.uk or see the advert on page 8.
Carers and Personal Assistant Insurance from Surewise.com Surewise.com are dedicated to helping and protecting their customers against unexpected events, providing insurance to help them to live life confidently. They also believe in the crucial role carers play in our society and their aim is to protect them with the most suitable insurance cover for the risks they face within their workplace. Carers and Personal Assistant Insurance from Surewise.com covers against a claim in the event of accidental injury, damage to or loss of property, legal expenses and more. As a carer, you’ll deal with many situations on a daily basis, which can pose a risk to both you and the person you are caring for - so cover yourself today and
give yourself the peace of mind that you’re protected at work. If you work as a self-employed carer, they also have a policy to suit you. Covering a variety of circumstances from personal liability to legal expenses, all of their policies aim to protect you against life’s unpredictabilities. All policies are underwritten by SAGIC, The Salvation Army General Insurance Corporation, and have no hidden charges, and interest free monthly payments. Policies start from as little as £4.92 per month and are available in 3 levels of cover from bronze to gold, for the most comprehensive protection. For further information, please see the advert on the facing page.
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