The Carer #42 Autumn 2018

T H E P U B L I C AT I O N F O R N U R S I N G A N D R E S I D E N T I A L C A R E H O M E S

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Say Hello to The Carer's 'Unsung Hero of the Decade' W W W. T H E C A R E R U K . C O M

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AUTUMN 2018

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Nurse Call Bathing Techology Dysphagia Hygiene & Furniture Dementia Property Laundry Awareness Infection and and Care and and and and and Solutions Technology Bathrooms Pages 24-25 Software Management Control Furnishings Training Professional Pages 36-38 Pages 20-25 Pages 21-23

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Pages 42-43

Pages 44-47

CQC Warns Of “Growing Care Injustice”

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) annual assessment of the quality of health and social care in England shows that overall, quality has been largely maintained, and in some cases improved, from last year. This is despite continuing challenges around demand and funding, coupled with significant workforce pressures as all sectors struggle to recruit and retain staff. The efforts of staff, leaders and carers to ensure that people continue to receive good, safe care despite these challenges must be recognised and applauded.

However, it is clear that people’s experience of care varies depending on where they live; and that these experiences are often determined by how well different parts of local systems work together. Some people can easily access good care, while others cannot access the services they need, experience ‘disjointed’ care, or only have access to providers with poor services.

CQC’s reviews of local health and care systems found that ineffective collaboration between local health and care services can result in people not being able to access the care and support services in the community that would avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital, which in turn leads to increased

demand for acute services.

The most visible impact of this is the pressure on emergency departments as demand continues to rise, with July 2018 seeing the highest number of attendances on record. Emergency departments are the core hospital service most likely to be rated requires improvement (41%) or inadequate (7%). A struggling local hospital can be symptomatic of a struggling local health care system. This indicates that – although good and outstanding primary care is more evenly distributed – there are parts of the country where people are less likely to get good care.

Ian Trenholm, Chief Executive of the Care Quality Commission, said: “This year’s State of Care highlights both the resilience and the potential vulnerability of a health and care system where most people receive good care, but where access to this care increasingly depends on where in the country you live and how well your local health system works together. This is not so much a ‘postcode lottery’ as an ‘integration lottery’.

“We’ve seen some examples of providers working together to give people joined-up care based on their individual needs. But until this happens everywhere, individual providers will increasingly struggle to cope with demand – with quality suffering as a result.

“There need to be incentives that bring local health and care leaders together, rather than drive them apart.

That might mean changes to funding that allow health and social care services to pool resources; for example, to invest in technology that improves quality of care.

Like the digital monitoring devices for patients’ clinical observations that have saved thousands of nursing hours, the e-prescribing in oncology that’s helping people directly, and the electronic immediate discharge summaries that have improved patient safety.

“The challenge for Parliament, national and local leaders and providers is to change the way services are funded, the way they work together and how and where people are cared for and supported. The alternative is a future in which care injustice will increase and where some people will be failed by the services that are meant to support them, with their health and quality of life suffering as result.”

McNamara, Director of Policy and Influencing at Independent Age, the older people’s charity, said: “The stark reality is that the lack of a long-term funding solution for social care is letting older people...

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PAGE 2 | THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018

VIEWPOINT According to a study published in the Lancet public health the number of adults aged 85 and over who would require 24-hour care will double to almost half a million in England over the next 20 years. The study also reveals that the number of people living into old age with multiple long-term health conditions will increase, the majority (80%) of those with dementia are also very likely to have two or more other medical conditions.

Editor I think we all know that this issue is a “ticking timebomb”, and one which will put an intolerable burden on future generations unless action is taken.

The study in the Lancet emphasised how important it is that health and social services adapt to the extraordinary needs of an ever-increasing ageing population requiring complex care needs. The report warned that relying on informal carers who currently provide in the region of £57 billion worth of care is not a long-term solution.

Further emphasising the need for not only a long-term solution but a solution which involves the population, the LGA is calling on the Government to lead a national campaign to heighten the profile and reputation of adult social care after the findings of the poll raised concerns about the public’s understanding and preparedness for the costs associated with adult social care.

An article in this issue reveals the findings of a poll taken by the Local Government Association (LGA) which states that the majority of people have not made any plans whatsoever for how they will pay for adult social care in older age. Which is an alarming revelation.

According to reports there will be a £3.5 billion funding gap by 2025 and that is just to maintain the existing standards of care, not taking into account the increase in those requiring care. Councils in England receive almost 2 million new requests for adult social care each year the equivalent of 5000 a day The poll revealed that only 15% of adults surveyed are making plans for how future care costs will be met, with 50% of those surveyed actually admitting that they never even the issue a thought.

The most alarming revelation is that findings of the poll revealed a concerning lack of awareness about these vital services, which would explain why people are not planning for the future, apparently one in four people surveyed believe that adult social care costs are free.

The hard fact is of course they are not somebody somewhere along the line will have to pay for them.

Several years ago I attended a seminar in which a leading dementia Professor spoke very candidly about the complete lack of progress in coming anywhere near to finding a cure. “There is nothing on the horizon” he said “despite any newspaper report”. There were about 200 of us in the room and he estimated that up to 30 people will develop dementia later in life, adding that he knew the name of every person! We all looked around, to which he replied that name is “somebody else” we never think it will happen to us. He also went on to say that to significantly reduce the possibility of developing dementia lifestyle changes at an early age have to be implemented, before the age of 35, after that any change one makes will make no difference. The lesson I took away, and one which I preach is that we really have to change our approach and take responsibility for our future health NOW, in order not to pass an unsustainable burden onto the next generation.

Peter Adams

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CQC Warns Of “Growing Care Injustice” (...Continued from Page 1) ...down, and risks undermining all the progress that has been made so far. It’s completely unacceptable that the care you get is dependent on where you live, and on how closely the health and social care services work together in your area. All older people deserve excellent care, no matter where they live, and that’s why we’re calling for free personal care, which would enable older people to access better quality care earlier, help them stay out of hospital and live independently for longer.”

Jeremy Hughes, Chief Executive at Alzheimer’s Society, commented: “People with dementia are the biggest users of adult social care and yet they experience poorer quality care than everyone else, with more than a fifth of dementia care providers failing CQC inspections – a higher proportion than care providers generally. Families call our Helpline in despair because a loved one with dementia needs support but there is nothing available locally or the only care home they can get into is inadequate.

“In 2016 the CQC warned social care was at a tipping point, and this adds to our evidence that the system has clearly passed that point now, leaving 850,000 people with dementia at the mercy of a potentially unsafe system and putting yet more pressure on the NHS. People with dementia have a right to care, and their postcode should not affect that.”

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the LGA’s

Community Wellbeing Board, said: “This report raises important concerns and highlights the brilliant work across the system to maintain quality of care, something that becomes harder each year as the consequences of pressures build further. It also provides yet more evidence of a system under significant pressure and in desperate need of securing a more long-term and sustainable solution for how, as a country, we pay for social care.

“Over recent years, councils have protected adult social care relative to other services. But the scale of the overall funding picture for local government as a whole means adult social care services still face a £3.5 billion funding gap by 2025, just to maintain existing standards of care. The likely consequences of this are more and more people being unable to get quality and reliable care and support, which enables them to live more fulfilling lives.

“Action is needed, which is why, following government’s decision to delay its green paper on adult social care, the LGA published its own green paper consultation to drive forward the public debate on what sort of care and support we need to improve people’s wellbeing and independence, the need to focus on prevention work, and, crucially, how we fund these vital services.

“The Government must use the Budget and Spending Review to inject desperately needed funding into adult social care and use the green paper to secure the long-term sustainability of the system.”

Local Authorities Receive 5,100 New Requests For Adult Social Care Assistance A Day New figures from NHS Digital show that local authorities received 1.8 million new requests for adult social care support in 2017-18, an increase of 1.6 per cent on 2016-17 and equivalent to 5,100 new requests per day.

These requests were received from 1.3 million people; those aged 65 and over accounted for 71.6 per cent of the requests. Similar to previous years, 77.1 per cent of the requests originated from the community and 20.1 per cent originated from a discharge from hospital.

Other findings in the report include: Gross current expenditure by local authorities on adult social care was £17.9bn in 2017-18, an increase of £0.4bn or 2.3 per cent in cash terms6on 2016-17 (£17.5bn).

9 per cent of total gross current

expenditure (£14.0bn) was spent on long term care (residential, nursing or community care), an increase of £369m or 2.7 per cent on 2016/17 (£13.6bn).

Overall, the number of people receiving long term care provided or arranged by local authorities has decreased each year since 2015-16, down 14,750 (1.7 per cent) to 857,770 in 2017-18. The numbers of 18-64 year olds in receipt of long term support has increased for the second year in a row, up 7,360 (2.6 per cent) to 292,380 since 2015-16, while the numbers of 65 and over in receipt of long term support has fallen for the second year in a row, down 22,110 (3.8 per cent) to 565,385 since 2015-16.

6 per cent of all people receiving long term support are female.

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Also released is the Adult Social Care Deferred Payment Agreementsreport, which provides experimental statistics on the arrangements made with local authorities that enable people to use the value of their homes to help pay for care home costs.

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It’s Time For Social Care To Be Bold When It Comes To Attracting Younger Talent

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It is no secret that there is a recruitment crisis within the social care sector and recent statistics suggest that one million new care workers are needed by 20251 to cope with the ageing population.

Statistics show that currently, 800,000 young people are not employed or in education2, and evidence suggests that by attracting these young people to apply for a role within your care setting, it can bring new, fresh ideas and different perspectives on caring for others as well as helping to plug this gap.

However, there seems to be a stigma around working in care which is preventing young people from applying for roles, this could be due to the lack of awareness and education around the career path available within care homes. This stigma really needs to go!

So, what can you do to attract young people into roles within your care home? Will Shepherd, CEO at Cohesion, provides his top recruitment tips: 1. Create a specific recruitment strategy solely focusing on young people – different aspects of the job attract different groups of people; therefore, recruitment plans should be tailored to various target audiences. Consider careers fairs, social media advertising and customise the recruitment process itself – tailoring your application process to be short and including language that appeals to younger people. Try removing barriers such as ‘minimum requirements’ and instead use ‘values-based techniques’ which better allows the candidates strengths to be recognised.

2. Work closely with schools and colleges – consider approaching local schools and colleges, especially those that teach a health and social care course by offering to share presentations to the students. This can include, talking about the benefits of working in the care sector and the career pathways available in your organisation.

Consider offering work experience, this provides a chance for you to welcome young people into your homes for several hours a week, allowing them to gain a positive experience and a taste for working in the care sector. If they impress, you could offer them a guaranteed interview upon completing their studies. Of course, interaction

with youngsters can start much earlier, with some organisations engaging with those as young as 5years old! A visit to one of your homes, which allows for interaction with residents is a great opportunity that it often over-looked. Occasions such as Harvest Festival, Christmas and Easter are a perfect opportunity.

3. Engage parents and guardians – our experience of delivering early talent recruitment including sizable graduate and apprenticeship programmes has taught us how important it is to engage with parents and guardians. It is clear that parents have one of the greatest influences on their children’s careers – but do they know enough about the sector in order to encourage care as a rewarding career route? When recruiting young people, it is a good idea to create a section on your careers website for parents answering any typical questions they may have.

4. Use case studies on your website and social media – unsurprisingly the internet is an amazing platform to use when trying to gain the interest of young people. Social media sites can be used to advertise and emphasise the benefits of working in care - demonstrating that this career isn’t only for older generations but that there are huge opportunities for young people too. Under 25-year olds who are already working in care can be showcased on your website, through videos, and social media to act as ambassadors and give positive examples of how successful and rewarding working in care can be. Having young employees featured on your website can be a real selling point for future talent.

5. Make the job attractive to young people – highlighting the benefits of working in care is a great way to attract young people. Flexible hours, and the opportunity to earn a good wage are both great starting points. But from our findings, the most important element can be the opportunity of coming away at the end of a shift feeling that you have made a difference to someone’s day.

6. Showcase your employees’ achievements – award schemes targeting your ‘star’ employees can really have an impact. Not only will you identify current young key players in your business now, but you’ll demonstrate that you mean business when it comes to recognising your team’s achievements and saying ‘thank you’ – no matter what their age.

For more information about strategies to engage young talent contact us at: cohesionrecruitment.com.

THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018 | PAGE 5

Say Hello to Tina - The Carer “Unsung Hero of the Decade”!

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the care industry’s leading publication The Carer, we put up a “Unsung Hero of the Decade“ competition, and asked care homes to nominate somebody who often goes that extra mile, working extra hours, extra shifts, covering staff sickness, fundraising, generally putting in that extra time and effort which can sometimes go unrewarded.

We have to say we were overwhelmed with the responses, wonderfully heartwarming and uplifting nominations from every department . It has been one of the hardest jobs of the year, but we were delighted to announce The Carer’s Unsung Hero of the Decade as Mrs Tina Higginson of Sambrook residential care home in Newport, who won a two-night luxury break in a choice of over 300 hotels throughout the UK. We were also delighted to meet with with Sambrook home director Neil Robson who nominated Tina. Neil visited our stand at the care show in Birmingham earlier this month, and gave a very heartwarming detailed account of Tina’s work at the home. Neil said: “Tina is a fabulous mentor for new staff members, a fabulous cook who will step into the kitchen on the odd occasion coupled with phenomenal stamina and is, we consider, the backbone of our organisation”.

Neil added “Tina is a natural carer demonstrating exceptional compassion, kindness and understanding particularly with the end of life situations, I’m delighted to nominate her for this accolade and am humbled by her commitment."

We received many wonderfully inspiring nominations for individual carers, care homes and care institutions, and it has made us very proud to be part of such a magnificent industry, which does not get the recognition it so richly deserves!

We would like to take the opportunity to congratulate all our incredible nominees – all very deserving!

We all found it quite a humbling experience to read of the devotion, commitment, hard work, warmth and affection individuals and teams in care environments have gone to enhance the lives of those they care for.

It was such it a difficult job picking an outright win-

ner, We decided to add on two runners-up with two extra £50 Marks & Spencer vouchers! Chris Warry who is an “integral part of Abbey View Care Home” in Sherborne. Chris has worked at the home since 1997, and is still working in her retirement, even returning to help out after major surgery.

Colten Care’s operations manager Martin Corrigan said “Chris has always been an amazing support to the team by over the years helping the staff through many difficult times. We all consider her to be the mother of the home. Chris is loved by all and I delighted to nominate her”.

And a £50 Marks & Spencer gift voucher went to Thandeka Nkopo (Tandi) who is a RGN at Plas Y Mor Nursing home in Rhyl Denbighshire. Manager Karl Roberts said: “Tandi has fully embraced this role and continues to provide excellent care and support in both her clinical role and as the deputy manager. She is an inspiration to Junior team members and an asset to the company. She supports the home with staff shortages, covers for nurses to have annual leave and often has put aside her personal commitments so that others can have time off work or, so residents can achieve their wellbeing.”

We were so delighted with the feedback from the competition, the wonderfully uplifting and heartwarming nominations, so we have decided to do the same again for Christmas!

Yes, on 21 December we will be drawing another “Unsung Hero”, and the prize again is a luxury two night break for two people.

So please get nominating at

nominate@thecareruk.com

Send us just a short paragraph about your nomination and why you think they deserve an award. It can be anybody from any department, somebody you think has just gone that extra mile and deserves recognition!

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PAGE 6 | THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018

Local Services Face Further £1.3 Billion Matt Hancock to Pump £240m Into Social Care Government Funding Cut In 2019/20 Main government grant funding for local services will be cut by a further £1.3 billion (36 per cent) in 2019/20 despite many councils already struggling to balance their books, facing overspends and having to make in-year budget cuts, the Local Government Association reveals today.

Between 2010 and 2020, councils will have lost 60p out of every £1 the Government had provided for services. Councils have gone to great lengths to ensure the savings they have been forced to make have as little impact as possible on the quality of services provided to their residents. They have embraced efficiency and innovation in a way that is not being replicated anywhere else in the public sector.

However, local government leaders warn the financial viability of some councils is now under threat and many others are increasingly unable to provide dignified care for our elderly and disabled, protect children, boost economic growth, fill potholes, build homes and much more.

Funding pressures and rising demand for services, such as adult and children’s social care and homelessness support, will leave local services in England facing a £3.9 billion funding black hole next year.

The LGA is calling on the Chancellor to use the Autumn Budget to tackle the immediate funding crisis for local government in 2019/20, as well as setting the scene for the forthcoming Spending Review to deliver a sustainable funding settlement for local government.

As part of its Autumn Budget submission, the LGA

has mapped the likely impact of a further year of central government funding cuts and growing demand on the local services provided by an average upper-tier council.

The “Anycouncil” modelling shows residents living in a council area which sits in the mid-range in relation to current funding, levels of deprivation and outlook for economic growth should expect to see key local services further dramatically reduced in 2019/20. Millions of residents are living in areas where their council will have to consider similar measures.

Cllr Richard Watts, Chair of the LGA’s Resources Board, said: "Unprecedented funding pressures and demand for adult and children’s social care and homelessness services is pushing councils to the limit. As a result less money is being spent on the other services that keep our communities running such as libraries, local roads, early intervention and local welfare support.

"Losing a further £1.3 billion of central government funding at this time is going to tip many councils over the edge. Many local authorities will reach the point where they only have the funds to provide statutory responsibilities and it will be our local communities and economies who will suffer the consequences.

"Investing in local government is good for the nation’s prosperity, economic growth and for the health and well-being of our nation. It will boost economic growth, reduce demand for services and save money for the taxpayer and others part of the public sector.”

What a No Deal Brexit Would Mean for Social Care Care England, the largest representative body for independent providers of adult social care, has submitted evidence to the Health and Social Care Select Committee’s inquiry into the impact of a ‘no deal Brexit’ on health and social care.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England says: “The prospect of a No-Deal Brexit only accentuates the fragility within the social care sector. It magnifies potential uncertainties in the recruitment and retention of foreign workers upon which many independent community care providers depend, currently the sector includes 233,000 employees that have foreign nationality. With vacancy rates running at around 90,000 at any one time, this dependency is significantly impor-

tant to the sustainability of the sector – particularly as it is predicted that by 2035 an extra 650,000 social care jobs will be required to keep pace with rising demand”.

“Not withstanding the potential impact of Brexit upon the sustainability of social care, the sector is already at crisis point. Relentless pressures on funding, increases in the level and complexity of need and widespread challenges in the retention and recruitment of the workforce required are compounding at an exponential rate thus endangering the continuity of care of thousands of vulnerable people.

The Government must address the immediate funding gap, estimated at £2.5bn by 2020, alongside putting in place arrangements that secure access to this highly skilled and valued workforce as an integral part of its Brexit negotiations”.

Care England has produced a briefing for its members regarding Brexit. The main focus is the recruitment and retention of foreign workers, including Registered Nurses, with particular reference to areas of the country that may be most at risk; for example in the South East of England 23% of the social care workforce is non-British, with regional unemployment at 3.7% compared with the North East of England which has only a 4% dependency on non-British social care workforce and has an unemployment rate of 4.4%.

Martin Green continues: “In a sector characterised by low pay and negative stereotyping we are worried that a No Deal Brexit would cut off, or restrict, the foreign workers that we need and depend upon”.

The secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock has announced funding for social care totalling £240m.

The money is intended to help reduce delayed transfers of care and will be allocated to councils based on the adult social care relative needs formula.

The sector has responded to this announcement, with many welcoming the funding for social care but saying that it is not a long-term solution.

The Conservatives said the cash boost for councils would allow local authorities to buy more than 71,500 domestic care packages or more than 86,000 so-called “reablement” packages – a short-term form of intervention designed to support a care user’s independence.

However shadow Social Care Minister Barbara Keeley said: “There is a severe crisis in social care caused by eight years of Tory austerity and tinkering at the edges like this is not going to solve it.”

“Labour will rebuild social care services, starting with an extra £8bn across a parliament to start to ease the crisis, to lift care quality and ensure more people get the support they need.”

Ian Hudspeth of the Local Government Association – which acts as the umbrella group for councils – welcomed the “desperately needed” extra funding.

But he warned: “Councils and providers cannot simply turn services on and off as funding ebbs and flows.

“Putting in place the right services and workforce requires forward planning and longer-term contracts.”

The LGA warned earlier this year that adult social care services face a £3.5 billion funding gap by 2025 just to maintain existing standards of care Commenting on the announcement, George McNamara, Director of Policy at Independent Age said, ‘The social care budget has been cut by the equivalent of over £2m a day since 2010, so this announcement simply rolls back cuts over the past four months. This

announcement is a headline-grabbing gesture, but in reality it is woefully inadequate to address the longterm funding crisis in social care. Introducing free personal care for all older people in England is not only the best way to tackle this finding crisis, but it would also mean that many older people would get the care packages they need earlier, avoiding the need to go into hospital.

‘The government needs to face up to its responsibility to millions of older people and their families and put in place provision for free personal care, supported by sustainable funding, that will allow local authorities and providers to put in place a skilled workforce and highquality services that meet demand for care services now and in the future.’

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “The LGA has been at the forefront of efforts to highlight the significant pressures facing adult social care and secure funding for the system. We are pleased that the Government has acted by providing an injection of desperately-needed funding to help tackle winter pressures.

“Councils successfully used extra social care funding from the Government last year to reduce delayed transfer of care days attributable to social care by 37 per cent since July and alleviate some of the pressure on the NHS. This has proved that there cannot be a sustainable NHS without a sustainable social care system."

“However, short-term bailouts are not the answer.

Councils and providers cannot simply turn services on and off as funding ebbs and flows. Putting in place the right services and workforce requires forward planning and longer term contracts. Adult social care services still face a £3.5 billion funding gap by 2025, just to maintain existing standards of care.”

Community Allotment Sends Care Home Residents Back in Time TIME travelling care home residents have taken a journey through the history of the North East – all thanks to a generous allotment project.

Residents living at Queens Meadow Care Home, in Hartlepool, were treated to trip to Beamish Museum by the Waverley Terrace Community Allotment.

The Hartlepool Borough Council backed project gave two residents the opportunity to visit the popular tourist attraction, in Beamish, County Durham.

Irene Kimber and Mavis Wise have been lending their support at the allotment and were given tickets as a thank you.

They were taken to the open air museum by bus alongside carer

Tommy Hall and spent the day visiting the old streets and shops, which provide example of everyday life in urban and rural North East England during the 1820s, 1900s & 1940s.

Irene said: “It was a treat to go to Beamish.”

Mavis added: “We both felt like we had been transported into the past. It brought back lots of memories.”

The pair returned to Queens Meadow Care Home, on Stockton Road, with memorabilia from the museum’s gift shops.

Home manager Julie Armstrong said: “They both thoroughly enjoyed their day out and were talking to the other residents about what they saw and experienced.

“We’d like to say a big thank you to Waverly Terrace Community Allotment for sending our residents to Beamish.

“We’re only too happy to lend our support to the allotment project and the residents love spending time there.”

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THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018 | PAGE 7

Council Squeeze Blocking Progress On Health and Care Integration The Government still lacks effective overall strategy or plan to achieve aim of integrating sectors. It should set out a costed 10-year plan for social care to go with its 10-year plan for the NHS. There is widespread consensus that integration and joint working is the right way forward for the health and social care system to deliver the best and most effective outcomes for people and their families.

Financial pressures and an ageing population have both increased the need for joined-up working, with local authorities reducing real-terms spending on adult social care by 5.3% between 2010-11 and 2016-17, while the number of people in England aged 85 and over rose by 28% between 2006 and 2016.

There are examples across England where integrated working has been successfully applied. But it is a long way from being in place everywhere, with a range of longstanding legal, structural and cultural barriers hindering the pace and scale at which change can happen.

There has been a lot of talk within government over how to support and accelerate the integration of health and social care. In the past 20 years alone, there have been 12 white papers, green papers and consultations, and five independent reviews and consultations.

However, the Government still lacks an effective overall strategy or plan to achieve its long-held aim to integrate these two sectors.

The renaming of a Government department is a sign of intent but with local authorities squeezed (as the Committee made clear in our report on the financial sustainability of local authorities) there is no realistic prospect of progress.

Without this, people risk not getting joined-up, coordinated care that they need and risk getting poorer outcomes.

Public Accounts Committee Chair Meg Hillier MP said, “The time for warm words and wishful thinking is over. If Government is serious about delivering the benefits of integrated health and social care, it must act to make it happen.

"Without this action, the array of outputs over the past two decades – consultations, reviews, Government papers – will never be matched by improved outcomes for service users.

"For this reason we urge Government to set out a costed 10-year plan for social care to go alongside its proposed 10-year plan for the NHS. "Social care has suffered long-term underfunding and it is unacceptable that councils, under considerable financial pressure and facing growing demand for care services, must wait until 2020 for clarity.

"Government must also step up efforts to break down barriers to integration across the country.

"Its departments and agencies need to work together more effectively to support the roll-out of best practice, as well as the leadership necessary to drive change at local level.

"There remains a wide gap in pay and career structure between people who work in the NHS and those in social care, whose workforce suffers from low pay and low esteem.

"It is vital that the Government’s workforce plan addresses these concerns as a positive step towards achieving its aim of integrating health and social care.”

‘Stars’ Shine At Care Providers’ National Awards Ceremony Two outstanding care homes and 11 care sector workers from across the UK have received awards at a national ceremony, that itself is celebrating its 10 year anniversary.

More than 200 people gathered at The Forest of Arden Hotel near Birmingham, a new venue for Shaw healthcare’s annual Star Awards.

The award programme aims to recognise and celebrate the achievements of outstanding staff members from amongst Shaw’s 4,600-strong workforce, based at more than 80 care facilities across the UK. Warmere Court care home in Yapton and Thackley Green care home in Corby won the two care home awards, while individual winners included: • Donna Culley, activity champion

at Burleys Wood care home, Crawley, for the WHK (Wellness, Happiness, Kindness) award; • Rachel Steele, recognised as administrator of the year at Maes-yDderwen care home in Tredegar; • David Thompson, a charge nurse at Surehaven Glasgow, who was named in the clinical excellence category; • Debra Derham, head of workforce development, who was named exceptional leader;

• Leanne Cape, head cook at Maes y dderwen in Tredegar, who picked up the star baker accolade All winners were nominated by colleagues and selected by a panel of Shaw healthcare’s executive team. Care homes and staff who were shortlisted also received recognition.

Jeremy Nixey, chief executive of Shaw healthcare, said: “The Shaw Star Awards is an event that celebrates and acknowledges everything that is great about the care industry; the compassion, the empathy and the camaraderie, but above all else, the ability to make a positive difference to the lives of others. A lot has changed in the sector over the last 10 years, but one constant is the need for great people and Shaw is fortunate to have so many in its ranks.”

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THE CARER

SPRING 2018

THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018 | PAGE 9

1.4% Increase in People Paying For Some Of Their Social Care The proportion of people receiving council funded or managed care, who report that they or their family pay for some of their care and support has risen from 35.3 per cent in 2016/17 to 36.7 per cent in 2017/18, according to figures released by NHS Digital.

Other findings include: • 0 per cent of service users report being extremely or very satisfied with the care and support they receive compared to 2.0 per cent who report being extremely or very dissatisfied • A greater proportion of people in residential or nursing care reported feeling as safe as they want (86.8 per cent and 82.7 per cent respectively),

compared to those in a community setting (63.6 per cent) • Service users with a primary support reason3of learning disabilities report the highest level of feeling of control over their daily lives4 (42.9 per cent) compared to service users with a primary support reason of physical support (29.8 per cent).

The Personal Social Services Adult Social Care Survey, England 2017-18, provides data collected from around 65,000 service users on topics such as their satisfaction with the care and support they receive, social contact, control over their daily lives and feeling safe.

Also out today is Mental Capacity Act 2005, Deprivation of Liberty

Safeguards, England 2017-18, which includes the number of applications for a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard (DoLS), the number completed during the year and the length of time taken to complete applications.

Regional data is available within this report.

There is a new guide to social care available on the NHS website. It contains information to help people understand the options available and to access services, while councils, NHS organisations and care providers can reuse that information on their own websites using the free syndication service.

Hard Night For Care Boss As He Joins Homelessness Charity Sleepout Justin Hutchens, Chief Executive Officer of Darlington headquartered HC-One, the kind care company, took part in Darlington’s CEO Sleepout Challenge on the 18th October, raising vital funds for local homelessness causes.

Justin, who is responsible for more than 19,000 care home beds across the UK, swapped his bedroom comforts for a sleeping bag during his stint on the streets. CEO Sleepout Darlington, which this year is being at Mowden Park RFC, will direct all money raised to charities and causes which work hard to tackle poverty and homelessness in cities across the UK. The funds are ploughed back into the communities where the events are held, which means the money Justin raises will go towards good causes in Darlington, including local charities Changing Lives and First Stop.

Justin, and the whole of HC-One, are delighted to support such worthy local causes, and are looking forward to seeing their contribution make a big difference to their community. Being at the heart of communities they serve is central to HC-One’s ethos and mission,

Justin, who is seeking to raise £2,000, has launched a JustGiving Page and is encouraging anyone who can support him to give generously here: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/justinhutchens HC-One Chief Executive Officer, Justin Hutchens, said: “Coming from an organisation that makes homes for vulnerable older people, I’m honoured to take part in this meaningful opportunity and to experience homelessness in a very personal way.

“The CEO Sleepout is a fantastic initiative that raises vital funds and awareness for an important cause. Homeless is an issue many of us will see every day, but it is only through partnership and building strong community support networks that we will ensure everyone has access to the safe, dry home so many of us take for granted.

“The fight against homelessness and extreme poverty is a crucial one, and I’m proud to be playing my part and supporting the local Darlington community who have been so welcoming and supportive to me as a new resident, and HC-One as an organisation.”

Future Healthcare Joins Forces with ABHI To Showcase the Best of UK Healthtech Future Healthcare 2019, the UK’s largest exhibition and conference showcasing healthcare products and services to an audience of global buyers, has announced a major partnership with the Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI) to showcase the UK’s most innovative healthcare solutions in a dedicated ABHI Pavilion at the next event in London.

Taking place at Olympia London from 18-19 March 2019, Future Healthcare has emerged as an epicentre for more than 4,000 buyers from across the globe. Each year policy makers, practitioners, investors and suppliers gather in London for two days of education, networking and cross border purchasing.

Event Director, Dawn Barclay-Ross commented: “It is a great honour to be working with the ABHI to give ABHI member companies an opportunity to showcase healthcare products and services to an international audience. This partnership provides us all with a key mechanism by which UK suppliers can do business and collaborate with overseas markets from a convenient central London location.”

The ABHI supports the HealthTech community to provide products and services that help people live healthier lives. Representing the HealthTech industry to key stakeholders, such as governments,

healthcare systems and regulators, members include leading multinationals through to small and medium sized enterprises.

Paul Benton of the ABHI added: “Future Healthcare is all about showcasing the products and services that will deliver the care of tomorrow. It is fitting then, that the HealthTech industry is aligned with the show. From device and diagnostic manufactures, through to data-driven, digital enabled products, our diverse sector is tackling the challenges facing the healthcare system. We look forward to showcasing these solutions at what is one of the UK’s foremost exhibitions.”

Future Healthcare UK is expected to host in excess of 4,000 attendees from 65 countries. It is the only exhibition and conference in the UK to showcase products, services, and innovations in sustainable and affordable healthcare solutions across all vertical sectors, and on an international scale.

For further information regarding booking a space on the ABHI pavilion, exhibiting, speaking and sponsorship opportunities at Future Healthcare 2019, visit www.futurehealthcareuk.com, email dawn@futurehealthcareuk.com or call +44 (0) 203 740 4666 and quote code: ABHI2019.

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.

PAGE 10 | THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018

Social Care Bosses Call for Greater Association Puts Members At The Heart Of All It Does Ring-Fenced Funding Led by the care industry’s top conference and exhibitions; The Care Show and Health+Care, social care chiefs launch a petition today, to get government investing more in the sector and to realise the true power of the UK’s social care system. Greater investment in the UK’s social care system could save the NHS millions they say.

The impetus has come from a widespread belief that by giving the ‘unsung heroes’ of the care profession the resources required to deliver world class care to vulnerable adults in a home environment, we can alleviate the burgeoning pressures on NHS resources.

Despite government’s intention to stream an extra £240 million into social care services this winter to help alleviate pressures on the NHS, the event’s organisers believe far more must be done to ring fence future funding to ensure it truly benefits the social care industry. “This latest funding announcement proves that there’s money’s in the pot, but it must be properly invested in preventative services” said Michael Corbett, Care Show’s Event Manager.

“Right now, we’re still dousing the fire, pouring money into healthcare, when we should pull the wood from underneath; giving our social care professionals the resources they need to keep people well and out of hospitals” – Michael Corbett, Care Show’s Event Manager With the aspiration to join forces with the care sector’s leading lights, to drive forward the campaign, Corbett adds: “Whilst our individual voices risk being lost in wider political noise, it is our belief that a united front will place arguments about social care capacity firmly on the agenda for the next general election, for

future spending rounds and beyond” Despite the eagerly awaited £20bn a year budget increase, NHS resources remain overstretched. With greater funding, social care can create a dramatic release on healthcare system pressures and help keep people out of hospitals and managing conditions at home for a better quality of life and wellbeing.

Currently, a staggering 1.4 million over 65’s do not receive the care support they need with essential living activities as the UK faces a social care crisis[1].

Spiralling to £160 million in the past five years alone, public spending cuts on older people’s social care leaves thousands of disabled people and the elderly without the care they need and deserve. Yet, there is indisputable evidence that greater investment in social care can significantly reduce government spend on more costly healthcare in the future.

The impact of slashed social care funds on the NHS is irreputable. A staggering £550 per minute is now spent due to ‘bed blocking’, with staff unable to discharge older people home from hospital safely.

Coupled with increases in the use of A&E services among the older population and triple the number of pensioners waiting 12 hours on a trolley, older people are paying the price.

Whilst the campaign will implicitly call for more funding, it was as much a question of recognition, Corbett said. “We respectfully ask HM government to make much larger annual increases in funding for our social care system to provide the efficient, properly staffed and well-equipped system that we all need and deserve. Together, we can realise the power of care!”

National Care Association remains the most respected and established of the trade bodies due to our strong ethos of putting members at the heart of all that we do. Our reasons for engagement at any level with national associations including CQC is to ensure that our member’s views are heard. The voluntary Board who govern the Association are primarily care providers and specialists in their fields, giving up their time to ensure that the challenges providers face individually are supported by our team in Head Office.

One of our greatest strengths is the ability to respond to members queries within 24 hours with an on-call contact which goes directly though to our Executive Chairman. Our primary aim is to be the support our members need when they need it!

Amongst the many services provided by the Association are preferential rates for services and

Living with Dementias: Enhancing Lives 4 April 2019, 09:00 –18:30 - 28 Portland Place, London W1B 1LY Join the Royal Society for Public Health for an exciting day of presentations, discussions and activities arising from the work of Created Out of Mind, an interdisciplinary research team, funded by The Wellcome Trust, which aims to challenge and inform perceptions and understanding of the dementias.

Created Out of Mind collaborators will share findings, insights and experiences arising from work developed with, and by, people living with dementias. Delegates will

have an opportunity to learn about (and also experience) creative experiments, arts explorations, innovations in health technology and, research findings that have

Why Post Falls Management Is Being Given A Lift As the UK population continues to age, falls will remain an everyday challenge for healthcare professionals. People living with conditions such as dementia, MS, Parkinson’s and arthritis have a high propensity to fall and it is estimated more than 1,000 people a day living in a care home or assisted living facility will fall.

CQC guidelines currently include comprehensive information regarding falls prevention, however, falls still happen and how we react to them is key. Care Homes regularly call on the ambulance service to lift their fallen residents, even though more than 45% are uninjured and do not require transportation onto hospital. Pressurised Ambulance Trusts, charged with

reaching high priority calls within 8 minutes, are routinely put in the position of needing to classify uninjured fallen residents in care homes as low priority.

This means residents are frequently on the floor for up to 4 hours or more while waiting for the ambulance to attend. Concern has been growing across ambulance services, CCGs, Health Boards and care homes as leaving someone on the floor for more than an hour is associated with complications such hypothermia, pressure areas and kidney failure.

(ROSPA 2017). Ultimately, remaining on the floor for more than an hour after a fall is associated with high mortality rates among people aged over 65.

Now Occupational Therapist Kate Sheehan, from The OT Service has developed a post fall management fact sheet, which is designed to

products through our partners, as well as support with toolkits and specialist advice. Members tell us that savings through our partners cover the costs of their individual membership many times over.

National Care Association is a hub for care providers to access all services which will enable you to recruit safely through our DBS service, access support and advice when needed, personalised toolkits to support your service, keep up to date on developments nationally and locally, attend our national and local conferences and seminars, receive discounts on products and services and much, much more…

Being part of an Association like ours only matters when it matters, and when it matters our members know that we will stand with them with help, advice and support.

See the advert on page 17 for details.

improve and support procedure guidelines around falls and empower care homes to lift safely so safeguarding the lives of residents.

Kate Sheehan says, “Using the appropriate lifting equipment in conjunction with advice on when to lift a fallen resident issued by the ambulances service, empowers care homes to lift their residents and improve falls care.”

West Midlands Ambulance Service created an algorithm called ISTUMBLE, which gives care staff clear instructions on what to do before lifting a fallen resident. ISTUMBLE gives carers the confidence to make good decisions around lifting. Dr Sue West-Jones, a consultant in emergency medicine, fully endorses ISTUMBLE saying, “ISTUMBLE represents a genuinely impressive attempt to address morbidity and mortality increases associated with

the potential to enhance the lives of people living with dementias and those that care for them.

This event welcomes practitioners and policy-makers working with people with dementias. It will provide essential knowledge for practitioners, care workers, researchers, commissioners and academic researchers as well as those with an interest in arts and health.

For more information about the event and to book your place please visit www.rsph.org.uk/events

fall. This is a ground-breaking practice and should be encouraged across all elderly care providers.”

Kate continues, “Equipment manufacturer Mangar Health has partnered with CCGs, Ambulance Services and Care Homes on a pilot project to safeguard fallen residents, while reducing the cost of falls to the NHS. Pilot projects work with care homes to combine ISTUMBLE with the objective of improving resident care, while reducing ambulance call outs and unnecessary hospital admissions.

“Pilot projects in Manchester and South Wales are already proving incredibly successful”.

Sophie Wallington, representing North Manchester CCG at The Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust was one of the first to trial the Camel lifting cushion in care homes in the region. Sophie says, ‘it has been extremely well received by all the homes and they all report that the piece of equipment has reduced their calls to 999 for fallers” To order a post fall management fact sheet visit www.mangarhealth.com or email sales@mangarhealth.com for your personal copy.

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How to save money on your energy bills 2. Select the right energy buying strategy

Selecting the appropriate energy buying strategy is largely driven by the level of risk that your business is willing to take as part of the procurement process. For some, the focus will be to drive down the cost of energy, balanced against a greater level of risk. For others, the chief concern will be predictability in their monthly spend.

Rising energy costs have led to a greater drive for energy efficiency to reduce overheads. For care homes, in particular, energy can account for a large proportion of overheads, which means that finding ways to reduce energy expenditure can quickly deliver significant savings. Introduce a five-step programme of energy efficiency changes.

1. Promote energy saving behaviours amongst your staff

Small changes around your care home can add up to savings over time. Switching off lights in unused rooms; turning off appliances, instead of leaving them in standby mode; and not overfilling the kettle may sound inconsequential, but together these nominal changes can deliver some useful savings.

In order to make this truly successful you will need to get your staff on board with your energy saving drive, so that it becomes everyone’s responsibility – and there are innovative ways in which you can encourage your staff to join in. Delivering a training session on ways in which staff can save energy can give them the confidence to make a change. And you can encourage them further through incentives, or create competitions based on reducing consumption, with rewards on offer and the prospect of exposure in staff bulletins and on social media. This, in turn, supports your corporate social responsibility (CSR) agenda.

There are five broad buying options, but whether you can purchase using some of the most flexible options will depend on how much energy you consume. Each option will present a balance between potentially lower rates and a higher level of uncertainty, so you might need to consider whether you are in a position to divert resources if needed, in a worst case scenario.

Questions to consider when choosing which type of contract to select are how much variability you can manage in your monthly spending, and whether you need or want to financially plan more than a year in advance.

Working with experts, like energy brokers, can help to ensure you are looking at the whole market and ensure you are paying the most competitive prices.

3. Only pay for what you need – and what is yours!

This might sound like common sense, but you may be surprised at just how common it is for energy bills to be wrong.

Checking and validating invoices before payment can ensure that any errors are identified and can be quickly rectified ahead of any payment being taken.

Common errors relate to consumption, so by monitoring your consumption, you can ensure that the information on your bill is correct, and you remain within the consumption tolerance of your contract.

Estimated bills can mean that you are paying out money unnecessarily and, whilst you might get it back at some point, it is obviously better to only pay for what you use as you use it.

It may seem obvious, but it is important to track that you are actually receiving your bills. This can avoid a situation where you receive a large catch up bill that you haven’t budgeted for.

A billing error we regularly resolve for care homes relates to VAT. Mostly, care homes are eligible to pay a reduced VAT rate of 5% and are exempt from Climate Change Levy (CCL), and yet too often are charged CCL and 20% VAT.

For small and moderate users, gas bills are more likely to be wrong than electricity, simply because of the way in which meters measure the through put of gas and how that is converted to be a kwh, which is the unit charged by suppliers. It really is worth asking someone in the know to look over your gas bills.

4. Choose environmentally friendly energy

✔ Choosing options environmentally friendly energy options

The Government’s drive to reduce the nation’s The Government’s drive to support reduce the nation’s carbon footprint can also driving downcarbon the footprint can also support cost of your energy bills. driving down the cost of your energy bills.

The ban on new halogen bulbs which was introduced The ban on new2018 halogen bulbs which in September will support lowerwas bills,introduced as halogenin September 2018 will support lower bills, as halogen bulbs use approximately five times the amount of bulbs useasapproximately fiveistimes the amounttoof energy LED bulbs. There no requirement energy bulbs.

There is no requirement to run replaceasallLED your existing halogen bulbs until they replace yourcare existing halogen bulbs until they will run out, soall taking of this in an iterative process out, so taking care of this in an iterative process will see savings stack up in the long run. see savings stack up in the long run.

Meanwhile, we are seeing an increasing number of Meanwhile, are seeing an increasing number care homeswe looking towards the benefits that of care homes looking that biomass biomass boilers cantowards bring asthe an benefits affordable heating boilers can bring as an affordable heating option. option. Although the upfront cost will be higher Although the upfront cost will be higher thankilowatt a than a standard boiler installation, the per standard theand perelectricity kilowatt saving saving ofboiler woodinstallation, fuel over gas may beof wood fuel over gaselectricity and electricity may be significant significant when and gas markets are when electricity and gas markets are high, as they are high, as they are now. now.

5. Use energy audits to identify savings

Working with a commercial energy auditing organisation can be a good first step before any investment in energy efficiency.

An energy audit on your care home can help you understand how and where you are using the most energy. This can help to identify potential energy savings for your business and present you with informed choices on how to reduce your energy consumption and costs.

Call our friendly team of energy experts if you would like an informal discussion on how we can help you on your journey towards smarter business energy: 0333 1234 313.

www.powerdirectltd.com

THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018 | PAGE 13

Call for Urgent Action To End ‘Fragility’ Of Social Care System Care providers are calling for urgent action to end the ‘fragility’ of the social care system which has seen a 20% increase in the number of people living without the care they need.

The Independent Care Group has called on the Government to bring forward its Green Paper on future funding of social care so that more older and vulnerable adults can get care.

Responding to today’s publication of the Care Quality Commission’s State of Care report, the Group’s Chair, Mike Padgham, said: “The talking has gone on long enough, it is time for some meaningful action to address the crisis in social care.

“Today we have the Government’s own inspection body, the Care Quality Commission, talking about the fragility of the adult social care market and warning that unless a funding solution is found, money being pumped into the NHS will be spent treating people with complex conditions who should have been picked up by social care earlier.

“We need an end to the situation where the care you get depends on where you live and action taken to stem the rising number of people who just aren’t getting care at all.

“The harsh reality is that social care has reached – and in many cases – gone beyond tipping point.

1.4m people are living without the care they need, that’s a 20% rise in two years, to one in seven.”

Mr Padgham said the fact that social care providers were managing to maintain standards was down to their ‘superhuman efforts’.

“It is amazing that where you can get access to care, that care is remaining good quality. That is down to the incredible commitment of those delivering care,” he added. “But that is not sustainable and it hides the fact that in many areas you cannot get access to care at all because funding for social care has fallen by £7bn in the past eight years. The CQC itself highlights social care providers closing, ceasing to trade or handing back contracts.

Enough is enough, something has to be done and done quickly.

“We have seen a dozen social care ministers come and go in the past 20 years and have seen 13 documents (reviews, commissions, consultations and Green and White papers) in the past 17 years promise much but come to nothing. This Green Paper has to be different.”

Chubb Helps Protect Elderly & Vulnerable with New Monitoring Contract Chubb Fire & Security Limited’s Community Care business is furthering the safety of elderly and vulnerable residents under the care of the Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership (DGHP) with a new monitoring contract for their sheltered housing properties.

Chubb is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

The monitoring service connects a resident’s warden call and home alarm system with Chubb’s 24-hour alarm receiving centre (ARC). If a resident triggers an alarm, skilled operators at the ARC are able to respond immediately. They have access to the medical notes of each user, and instructions on whom to contact in the event of an emergency.

The system will oversee nearly 270 sheltered properties and includes monitoring of a range of warden call and alarm systems, including third-party technologies.

Jeanette Barnes, Head of Supporting People, DGHP, said mobilisation went very smoothly: “Transferring all contact and medical details, as well as updating all systems to the new monitoring centre was no small job, but it was handled very well by Chubb managers and engineers,”

NACC National Chair to Run London Marathon for St Luke’s Hospice Neel Radia, the national chair of the National Association of Care Catering (NACC) will run the Virgin London Marathon to raise vital funds for St Luke’s Hospice, Harrow & Brent – the NACC’s chosen charity for the forthcoming year and a cause very close to Neel’s heart.

Neel’s marathon effort on Sunday 28 April 2019, is the spearhead of many fundraising activities being undertaken by NACC members across the country, which include bake sales, tea parties, special events and more.

St Luke’s Hospice provides exceptional end-of-life care and comfort to patients and their families at one of the most vulnerable times in their lives, either at the In Patient Unit at the hospice or in their own homes. The services the hospice offers give those at the end of their lives the dignity and support they need to die in a place of their choice.

With all its services offered free of charge, St Luke’s relies on the generosity of the community for over 75% of its funding, with at least £3.5 million needed to be raised each year.

Neel and the NACC are supporting St Luke’s goal to raise £80,000 to enable the team to care for more people in their own homes at the end of their lives, the place where they feel happiest.

Just £75 could fund a session with a physiotherapist to help manage pain Just £40 could fund a complementary therapy session for a patient to improve wellbeing and ease pain Just £22 could fund the cost of running the 24/7 helpline for an hour Neel said: “I’m incredibly proud to be running the Virgin London Marathon for St

Luke’s Hospice – a charity that means so much to me. My family and I have experienced St Luke’s remarkable contribution to the community firsthand. Firstly, six years ago when my dear nan passed away at the hospice after a short illness. And, sadly, we found ourselves there again in May 2018 for the final days of my auntie’s life.

“This is a huge challenge for me. I’m certainly not a runner and I’m also asthmatic!

But, I strongly believe that hospice care is what a compassionate society should provide, and I’m determined to help this fantastic cause. I have six months of hard training ahead and I will accomplish this great personal challenge and give back to the charity that I have the upmost respect for and has helped me and my family so much.

“I’m delighted that St Luke’s is the NACC’s chosen charity and I thank our members for all their support and I look forward to hearing about the fundraising activities taking place across the country.”

To sponsor Neel’s marathon effort please visit www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/neel-radia4londonmarathon2019

she said. “All site visits were timely, and management were very accessible and responsive to queries. Overall communication was excellent and this gives us great confidence for our future business relationship with Chubb.”

Chubb was able to demonstrate in the competitive tender that it could exceed industry standards regarding how quickly calls are answered, as well as delivering cost efficiencies to the housing partnership.

“We were impressed by Chubb’s understanding of dealing with vulnerable people, and in their understanding of the importance of communication,” Barnes said. “When incidents happen overnight, housing managers need to be made aware as soon as possible, and we are confident that Chubb will be able to provide this critical service.”

For more information visit www.chubbcommunitycare.co.uk

PAGE 14 | THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018

Taking Care Of The Care Home System

By Ross Peet, managing partner at ideas agency Yes&Pepper (www.yesandpepper.com)

The care home system is facing one of its biggest crises to date, with growing costs triggered by regulatory changes and employee pay legislation, increased insolvencies leading to less choice for consumers, and recruitment and retention challenges.

Despite soaring demand for social care, more nurses are leaving than joining for the first time in the industry’s history and expensive HR campaigns are failing to justify their costs as the health service still remains understaffed. These issues have led to a branding crisis for the industry which is fuelling people’s anxiety and uncertainty. Social care is a reality we all must deal with, if not for our elderly relatives, then for ourselves a few decades down the line.

Taking a closer look at this situation, this could be regarded as the anatomy of an organisation which isn’t facilitating a context for collaboration and is going out of its way to seclude the parties involved.

To address this complex issue all stakeholders in the industry should come together to simplify its understanding and start building ideas on how to develop a culture of compassionate care. This nurturing process requires inclusivity; listening to all impacted by the situation, be they elderly people and their relatives, care home providers, practitioners, the Government, the media and so on.

To shed some light on this, we took the plunge to hold in-depth conversations with the representatives of the social care arena and singled out seven pain points to which we wouldn’t have had access otherwise.

PAIN POINTS - Funding Funding seems to be perceived as the cornerstone to improving aged social care.

From an employee’s point of view, the Government or private companies don’t fund apprenticeships or training for workers on zero-hour contracts and very few people are willing to pay for training out of their own pocket.

From a patient’s point of view, due to the postcode lottery, which is leaving elderly people facing significant bills based on where they live, some fear that their home can be taken away to compensate for the cost.

- Quality and quantity of care workers Universally there is appreciation and concern that a lack of staff due to poor pay and perception of the role is a significant issue for both the short and long term.

At the same time, the country’s aging population base is widely recognised as a driving factor which will impact care services in the coming years.

Professionals in the sector are also aware that a declining youth population will reduce the potential pool of workers as there are some who take these roles as a first job, alongside older care workers, who have come to the job later in life or stay-at-home mothers who decide to get back into the workforce.

The uncertainty could also be fuelled by Brexit, as care homes rely heavily on migrant labour as well.

While everyone’s in agreement on the points above, views on the quality of staff vary based on personal experience. Those within the industry are typically more critical of the quality of staff given their (lack of) experience and training. On the other hand, recipients of care and their relatives are generally more concerned about staff turning up on time, shorter visits than the scheduled time and the lack of consistency in staff. The industry professionals support these opinions as they are aware that staff are under significant pressure and therefore having to work longer hours and reduce client contact time. Having enough time for their clients is also a key concern for the care workers.

- Taking a personalised, user-centric approach With so many issues and options, how do we know what’s right for our elderly relatives? User choice should be at the heart of the system as currently services are provided based on what’s available rather than what’s suitable for the user.

Additional findings point to the fact that the lack of choice available and limited awareness about what options exist are a key concern for stakeholders and people in management positions within the industry.

When it comes to accessing the support required, the aged and their relatives are often struggling to secure care quickly and are confused by the process due to long assessment times, being passed from pillar to post by local authorities, not knowing what services they’re eligible for etc. The reduction of hours from 50 funded care hours per client to 20 resulted in some people turning from accredited agencies to other options to be able to afford the care needed. This is the point when families start to evaluate the situation actively and consider their options. This then acts as a catalyst to consider residential care options.

- Better support for the community of carers Although caring comes with plenty of emotional stress, the paid carers we spoke to acknowledge that their satisfaction lies in helping people and making them happy. They don’t feel, however, that they have much support or praise from the public sector.

For live-in carers, it’s also a personal matter as their work and life is often lonely and involves living out of

New Report Asks Why Doctors Find It So Hard to Talk to Patients About Dying The Royal College of Physicians (RCP)’s latest report, Talking about dying: How to begin honest conversations about what lies ahead, explores the reasons that doctors and other healthcare professionals find it hard to talk to patients about dying.

Based on conversations with doctors at all levels, patients and carers, and medical organisations, the report reveals the barriers that stand in the way, offers solutions and resources to help, including a ‘mythbusting section’ debunking common but erroneous beliefs. Four English hospitals leading the way in supporting end-of-life care conversations have contributed good practice case studies to the report.

The barriers to talking about dying identified by doctors include: • Culture: Some physicians felt that death could be perceived as a failure and that modern medicine is expected to cure all ailments. However, the evidence from patients and carers is that many people do want to talk about death and planning helps patients feel more empowered about care and decision making.

• Confidence: From medical students to consultants, there were many doctors who felt uncomfortable initiating conversations about the future with patients; medical students and junior doctors had little practice with real patients; training doesn’t prioritise the ‘soft’ skills needed; and diagnostic uncertainty was often an issue.

• Practicalities: confusion over whether hospital doctors or the patient’s GP should be having the conversation; reluctance to begin conversations when the doctor was

not going to be responsible for the patient’s care going forward; workforce pressures; lack of privacy; lack of prioritised clinic or ward time to have the conversations; and the challenges of being sensitive to different cultural and religious beliefs.

One of the major issues identified in the report is that healthcare professionals need to begin conversations about planning for end-of-life care nearer the time that patients are given a terminal diagnosis. The report says that there are multiple opportunities in a patient’s healthcare journey to start honest conversations about future goals and treatments – whether at outpatient appointments, hospital admissions, in social care settings or in the community – as these early conversations allow patients choice and control over the remainder of their lives.

The evidence shows that patients who have had these conversations and have end-of-life care plans put in place have a better experience than those for whom the conversations come in the final days or hours of life when they can seem unexpected to patients and carers.

RCP president Professor Andrew Goddard said: This report is a big step forward in helping patients, relatives and doctors to talk honestly about death and dying.

We must minimise the barriers in our systems and culture that prevent this from happening.

This is not just about palliative care in the final days, but about having a series of conversations much earlier after a terminal diagnosis.

a suitcase. It takes an effort to benefit from their scheduled two-hour breaks and their social lives and mental health tend to suffer because of that.

Unpaid carers, on the other hand, are concerned about the lack of respite and support on public and bank holidays.

- Supporting independent living for longer Everyone agrees that independent living is desirable, as it facilitates interaction with the family and the community and also provides the comfort of familiar surroundings, particularly for people suffering from dementia. While the benefits of independent living are appreciated in principal, there is little awareness that living at home prolongs life, contributes to mental health and is more cost effective than residential care.

- Public education about the social care needs of the over 65s The general public don’t like to think about their future (it’s just too scary) so largely ignore issues facing the care industry or the elderly unless they’re impacted directly by it. Although there’s general knowledge around the social care challenge due to funding and population growth, very few are aware of the specific issues and their complexities or the initiatives and activities aimed at promoting and supporting adult social care.

Another key element is the social care workers’ portrayal by the media, which reflects a poor quality of care and low standards, which comes with a detrimental impact. To readdress the imbalance, a voice should be given to industry ambassadors. This will also alleviate the unnecessary anxiety around this issue, leading to a more open dialogue.

LEARNING PILLS The key to bringing everyone together is effective communication between families, relatives, carers and health care workers to ensure quality services are offered and to enable collaboration to help each other and elevate stress for both the workers and the families.

From an infrastructure point of view, a structural and organisational reform is welcomed to enable a single point of contact to co-ordinate services (including the council, hospital, GP, telehealth, charities, private providers and community groups). There has been limited success to date in integrating the services as everyone has taken siloed pathways.

Once the context is laid out by sourcing points of view from all parties and this signals a need for change, that’s when you know that collaboration is required to define actions and set a clear common vision so that anyone can operate individually under its guiding force. The care system as a whole is very traditional, which slows down the adaptation process; finding a way to innovate could make a great difference.

Years of generating ideas in collaboration with our clients have taught us that innovation requires inspi-

ration from other industries, where views are diametrically opposed. So we had a look at another area which has the power to support people and the world but in which things have been developing exponentially over the past century - the technology sector.

Although for many blockchain might be a concept solely applicable to the science world, this is an excellent example of what can be achieved when a community gets together to solve a problem.

Blockchain’s transformative potential could revolutionise the way our economy and society works – putting trust back at the heart of our exchanges. It implies replacing the power of the institutions we’ve been relying on for centuries with the power of everyone to facilitate opportunity and access. This operates through decentralised mechanisms which have no gatekeepers or hierarchy, but rely on many people coming together under a shared vision to address the issues of the whole system. Recent stats show that nine out of ten agree blockchain is likely to disrupt the banking and financial industry. In savings alone, relying on this new business model, could save banks an estimated $8-12 billion annually. The care industry can benefit from analysing how this network works as its success relies on allowing anyone with an idea to come up with solutions based on everyone’s opinions. As the care home system is currently fractured, it needs its members to be open to ideas and collaboration.

The industry could also take leaf from Walter Isaacson’s book ‘The Innovators’, in which the author suggests that innovation requires teamwork and complexity rather than individual genius. He illustrates this by looking into open-source, self-managing products such as Linux, the most utilised operating system in computing today, representing a $25 billion ecosystem in 2008. This powerful force, utilised in areas such as consumer devices and stock exchanges, has been developed collaboratively by enthusiasts and companies alike that believe in its worth. So much so that Linux is now the single most expensive project the world has undertaken, although everything has been implemented for free.

The Linux Foundation has also looked into the economic value of collaboration and estimates that 500 companies in just the last few years have generated $5 billion in economic value through collaborative projects. This equates to work which would have taken 1,356 developers more than 30 years to replicate.

Isaacson also points out in his book that the best type of leadership has complementary styles and requires a wide range of specialties. (Collective Impact frameworks could be a topic for another day.)

While there is no standard treatment to address all the issues the care industry faces, a collaborative approach could benefit the system by putting all the pieces together as a whole and inviting a larger conversation with all the stakeholders involved. This challenge should be viewed as a great opportunity to drive change in order to improve lives; to make lives better we need to come together and act as one body.

1 https://expandedramblings.com/index.php/blockchain-statistics/ 2 www.linuxfoundation.org/infographic/estimating-the-totaldevelopment-cost-of-linux-foundations-collaborative-projects/

Majority of People Unprepared for Adult Social Care Costs The overwhelming majority of people have not made any plans for how they will pay for adult social care in older age, national public polling by the Local Government Association reveals.

The LGA is calling on the Government to lead a national campaign to heighten the profile and reputation of adult social care after the findings of the poll raised concerns about the public’s understanding and preparedness for the costs associated with adult social care.

Unlike the NHS, which is free at the point of need, social care is means tested and what you contribute to the cost of your care depends on the care setting and your level of assets and savings. Across the UK, 44 per cent of people in care homes pay the full cost of their care themselves, and more than a quarter (26 per cent) pay the full cost of their homecare.

Yet a public poll by BritainThinks, carried out for the LGA and published today, found that only 15 per cent of adults say they are making plans for how they will pay for care they might need in the future while half of English adults (50 per cent) say that they have never thought about how they will pay for care when they get older.

Social care and support is about helping people to live the lives they want to lead. It binds our communities, supports our NHS and makes an essential contribution to our national economy. However, years of significant underfunding of councils, coupled with rising demand and costs for care and support, have combined to push adult social care services to breaking point.

The LGA estimates that adult social care services face a £3.5 billion funding gap by 2025, just to maintain existing standards of care, while latest figures show that councils

in England receive 1.8 million new requests for adult social care a year – the equivalent of over 5,000 a day.

The findings of the poll also reveal a concerning lack of awareness about these vital services, which may partly explain why people aren’t making provision for the cost of their future needs.

Half of English adults (48 per cent) say that they have little to no understanding of what the term ‘social care’ means, compared to just 13 per cent of people in England who said they did know what the term ‘social care’ means and feel that they have a good understanding of what it is. Staggeringly, 5 per cent of people have never heard of the term ‘social care’ at all.

Forty-four per cent of people think that social care is provided by the NHS and 28 per cent think that it is free at the point of access.

Following the Government’s decision to delay its green paper on adult social care, the LGA published its own green paper consultation to drive forward the public debate on what sort of care and support we need to improve people’s wellbeing and independence, the need to focus on prevention work, and, crucially, how we fund these vital services. It will publish interim findings next month.

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “This polling raises real concerns over how prepared people are for their own care needs, or the care of their loved ones.

“Half of the public polled have little or no understanding of what social care means, whilst only 15 per cent of people are making plans to pay for their care in later life, with those from poorer social backgrounds half as likely to have a plan in place compared to those in wealthier social circumstances.

“Over recent years, councils have protected adult social care relative to other services.

But the scale of the overall funding picture for local government as a whole means adult social care services still face a £3.5 billion funding gap by 2025, just to maintain existing standards of care. The likely consequences of this are more and more people being unable to get quality and reliable care and support, which enables them to live more fulfilling lives.

“The LGA is calling on the Government to lead a national campaign to heighten the profile and reputation of adult social care.

“If we are to truly tackle adult social care, we must aspire to social care having a similar ‘national treasure’ status as the NHS, with similar levels of awareness and understanding about what social care is and why it matters.

“With low public awareness of social care and people’s preparedness for how to pay for it, it is more important than ever that the Government get on and publish their green paper, start a massive campaign to raise awareness of what social care is and don’t duck the big issues on funding. We need bold solutions and we need them now.”

THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018 | PAGE 17

Dementia Care Training and the Law For those of us who work alongside people with cognitive difficulties – including those with dementia – a working knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and the confidence to use this knowledge, is essential and empowering.

The Mental Capacity Act is a thread woven through other laws and regulations including the CQC’s fundamental standards, the Care Act 2014 and safeguarding policy. It enables people to plan ahead (Lasting Powers of Attorney and Advance Decisions), and provides a framework to follow when making ‘best interest’ decisions.

This is a practical law and the supporting Code of Practice translates legal ‘blurb’ into useful guidance that all of us working with those who have capacity issues should apply.

The principles set out at the very start of the act are the cornerstone of good practice: 1. The presumption of mental capacity The Code of the Practice states that “..every adult has the right to make their own decisions – unless there is proof that they lack the capacity to make a particular decision when it needs to be made”(p20).

Care records that simply say “Mrs Smith lacks mental capacity” sum up the wrong approach. Mental capacity is time and issue specific and Mrs Smith’s ability to take decisions may depend on the time of day, the type of decision, and the surrounding environment. How would you feel if your capacity was summed up in one short sentence?

2. Take all practical steps to support someone to make a decision Don’t rush to declare that someone lacks capacity. What steps can you take to present the information in a way that supports the individual? This can range from photographs or videos of potential care homes to simply holding up different clothing options. Don’t let a communica-

tion board go to waste (I have seen many of these out of reach of the person who needs to use them), and don’t rush.

3. An unwise decision does not mean that someone lacks capacity Different things matter to different people. You may be concerned that George is walking about without his frame and putting himself at unnecessary risk of falls, but if he has the mental capacity to decide that’s how he wants to walk about, and accepts the risks, that is his choice. You can document this in his care plan and make the environment as safe as possible, but he should be free to walk without his frame if he chooses to.

4. Any act or decision on behalf of someone who lacks capacity should be in their best interests This means weighing up the factors involved in the decision – think of balancing the pros and cons on either side of a set of scales – and arriving at a decision that is in the individual’s best interests, not yours.

The Code of Practice provides a checklist, and the more significant the decision, the more formal the decision making process should be.

5. Before you do an act or make a decision on behalf of someone, is it the least restrictive option?

Imagine for a moment that you are at home: a carer visits and puts a table in front of you whilst you watch TV. Very helpful, you may think, but what if it is intended to stop you getting up and possibly falling over? Is this the least restrictive way of trying to prevent a fall? Is it really in your best interests to be trapped by a table?

Care providers who have embedded these principles in the work of staff members and volunteers see these principles applied thoughtfully for the lasting benefit of service users: treating someone you care for as you yourself would like to be treated and you cannot avoid them. www.qualitysolicitors.com/moore-tibbits See the full feature on pages 42-43.

Brexit and its Impact on the Care Home Sector With Brexit looming large in early 2019, the UK care sector is bracing itself for turbulent times ahead.

It is estimated that around 60,000 care sector workers will be impacted when the UK officially leaves the European Union, which begs the question – what will become of our already ailing and burgeoning care sector?

Ever since the referendum in June 2016, the health and social sector at large has witnessed a significant decrease in applicants from EU countries applying for care jobs in the UK. This is mainly due to the ongoing uncertainty of free movement and long term employment prospects in the UK. Brexit could potentially mean that the UK care industry could end up with a staffing shortfall of 380,000 fewer social care workers by 2026.

This is a startlingly alarming number, especially when you consider how much the industry is struggling already.

The constantly growing care home vacancy rates, as well as an increasingly large aging population will eventually bring the sector to its knees if these positions cannot be filled. It is for this reason that the Government should ease up on hiring skilled workers to allow them quick passage to the UK if their services are sought.

The current crisis has also shed light on the fact that Britain is not producing, or is failing to inspire much of its workforce to join the care sector. Common perceptions of low wages and long hours are definitely not encouraging people to apply for the many vacant positions available.

Therefore, the obvious conclusion is that these roles have to be filled by qualified migrants, regardless of whether they are from the EU or beyond. At this stage in the care home crisis, can the UK afford to take

such a hard stance on the free movement of qualified care staff, or should we apply a softer approach to encourage skilled migrants to help with the growing shortfall?

Perhaps, now is also a good time for the Government to introspect on what it should be doing to encourage British workers to train for careers in the care sector. However, this will not be an easy task, with many people wrongly believing it is a thankless job.

The constant negative media attention has also not helped the public view of the care sector, and maybe there is good reason for this. News of failing care homes and abuse scandals have certainly not helped matters, but there are many, many more stories of great care and compassion that almost always go unmentioned.

Aston Brooke Solicitors specialise in immigration cases, particularly Tier 2 visas and Sponsor Licences for qualified care staff from abroad. If you are a care home owner who is concerned about how Brexit will affect your business, and would like more information about our immigration services, please contact our specialist care home solicitors at Aston Brooke Solicitors on 020 3475 4321.

See the advert on page 44 for details.

PAGE 18 | THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 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!

See the advert on page 33 for further details or call 01629 705110, email: info@barbel.net or visit www.barbel.net

Picking The Right Pressure Care Solutions For Your Care Home

Drinique from Steelite International Drinique drinkware is made from extraordinary Tritan Copolyester, making this collection extremely durable – perfect for care home environments. You can stack them without sticking, wash them without cracking, and even drop them without breaking; no matter the distress they continue to look good.

The Elite range of Drinique Drinkware delivers a sleek design, with the look and feel of glass.

Available in clear and blue, the tumblers are ideal for indoor or outdoor use. Alongside stackable glasses, this unique collection has a carafe too. With an extra thick

Hughes Pro Hughes Pro is a specialist provider of commercial laundry and dishwashing equipment plus manufacturer authorised aftercare.

Laundry experts are on hand to assist with machine selection, offering outright purchase, lease and popular rental options. Detergent auto dosing is also a speciality.

With stocks held in branch, expect high quality competitive installations and swift repairs by enthusiastic fully Miele trained engineers.

wall, every pour is controlled. The base can be unscrewed for thorough cleaning or inserted with fruit or garnish – great for dining or private use.

Caliber is the latest addition to the collection.

Featuring sleek and contemporary glasses that offer great stackability, this range is perfect for places where storage is tight.

All Drinique glasses are BPA free and come with a lifetime edge chip guarantee against cracking, breaking, chipping and crazing.

Visit www.steelite.com for further information.

since 2012, providing services for Miele and their national customers in 14 postcode areas and are now main dealer for Alliance, the world’s favourite commercial laundry products.

All work is fully guaranteed and undertaken by well trained, well equipped engineers to the highest standard. Engineers are proficient in the well-known brands Miele, Amazon, Schulthess, IPSO, ADC, Primus, Huebsch, Electrolux, Maidaid, Hobart and others.

Hughes Pro are holders of multiple contracts and agreements including ESPO framework 24.

Domestic electrical products are also available via sister company Hughes Trade.

Tel: 0800 052 0555 Email: sales@hughespro.co.uk Web: www.hughespro.co.uk See the advert on page 9 for details.

Hughes Pro is one of the fastest growing Miele Professional dealers

Footwear For Residents With Swollen Feet 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.

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.

Cosyfeet’s range includes supportive slippers, leather and fabric shoes and summer sandals. They also have a collection of stretchy shoes that won’t put pressure on swelling, bunions or hammer toes.

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 TRolls 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.

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.

See the advert on page 6 for details.

New Range of Personal & Home Care Products Set to Revolutionise Market Pressure sores are a common problem in Care Home environments, and can seriously affect the quality of life of residents. Thankfully this weighty problem can be solved with the lightest of touches, by knowing and understanding the needs of your residents and ensuring you have the right tools for the job.

The key to keeping on top of pressure care is knowing your residents needs, and ensuring you have the right solutions to their current and potential issues. Having a healthy range of pressure care solutions that can cater for patient needs, from low risk requirements to those at a very high risk of developing pressure sores and often having something that can cater for Bariatric requirements is important in being responsive to your residents needs.

Make sure when purchasing your mattresses, that the organization you bought them from ensures they include detailed instructions, and where needed, provide training on how to operate.

Spearhead Healthcare have a huge range of specially engineered pressure care solutions, as well as everything else a care home could need, and are available to discuss you requirements and help you get the right solutions for your care home.

Call us today on 0345 180 1800 to discuss your requirements, and find out how we can help or visit www.spearheadhealthcare.co.uk or see the advert on page 4.

A NEW RANGE of personal and home care products is set to revolutionise the health and wellbeing industry by providing a touch of luxury for people receiving care whilst offering a practical solution for carers Designed by Aroma Care Solutions, the range is aimed at elderly, sick or disabled people and their carers. It combines nurturing natural ingredients and exquisite aromatherapy to create practical, effective solutions banishing daily indignities such as incontinence or accidents.

Created by experts with backgrounds in aromatherapy and industrial cleaning, Aroma Care Solutions uses long-lasting fragrances, making life easier for the carer and giving a boost to people in their care.

The extensive range is the first of its kind on the market, encompassing both personal care and care around the home.

Its launch comes at a time when the care industry is reaching crisis point with the number of carers set to rise from seven million to over 10 million within the next 12 years .

The Aroma Skincare Solutions range is ethical and gentle, with fragrances to help calm, soothe and uplift spirits.

The premium products include the Hand and Nail Barrier Formula, Nose Guard Aromatic Balm, English Florals Hair and Body Wash, Fresh Green Handwash, English Florals Hand and Body Lotion, Organic Rose Water Spritz and English Florals Hand Sanitiser.

The Aroma Homecare Solutions range comprises ethical, gentle products designed to revive the body and mind while keeping the home clean and protected.

Within the range is the groundbreaking Bio-Enzyme Odour Management Formula, which not only manages but eradicates malodours caused by bodily fluids on textiles, sinks, baths, showers, plug

holes and wet rooms; the Antibacterial Hard Surface Cleaner, which leaves surfaces around the home hygienically clean with an exquisite fragrance; Protective Loo Guard, an antibacterial, freshsmelling liquid leaving the loo thoroughly cleaned; Absorbent Aromatic Granules, which help with the clean up of bodily fluid spills, and Deodorising Powders for Carpets, a floral scented solution.

Aroma Care Solutions CoFounder Quentin Steele commented: “The number of individuals of all ages being cared for in the home is increasingly exponentially and we have identified that there is a real need for a dedicated home and personal care range to support carers in the home. Dignity and discretion are at the very heart of our solutions and our beautiful fragrances are those you would expect in high quality creams and lotions, giving individuals a treat whilst solving a practical problem.”

For further details call 01473 736256 or email info@aromacaresolutions.co.uk.

The full range can be found on www.aromacaresolutions.co.uk

Fleecy Wraps, Bed Jackets, Dressing Gowns & Fleecy Capes With the Autumn weather changing and the colder nights; Adaptawear wanted to let you know that our best-selling Ladies and Men’s Fleecy Wraps, Bed Jackets, Dressing Gowns and Fleecy Capes are all in stock - perfect to keep you warmer on those colder evenings! In a choice of pastel and vibrant colours in variety of styles to suit all needs and tastes.

Fleecy Wrap - this lightweight fleecy wrap is great for keeping the chills off your shoulders and arms when reading in bed, watching TV, or sitting at the computer.

With two large pockets, this fleecy wrap will quickly become a favourite for people who always feel the cold.

Fleecy Cape - warm, double layer fleecy cape with a cosy collar to keep away the chills. The cape is extremely easy to wear as an alternative style of bed-jacket or when sitting for long periods in a chair.

Men’s Fleecy Bed Jacket - warm fleecy bed jacket with easy access sleeves and Velcro easy tab style fastenings.

Luxury Waffle Fleece Bed Jacket - extra warm fleecy bed jacket in a stylish cut. Extremely soft and warm bed jacket without being too heavy.

Ribbon Tie Neck Bed Jacket - pretty lightweight 3/4 sleeve tie neck bed jacket with lace detail.

Luxury Waffle Fleece Dressing Gown - Stylish luxury fleecy dressing gown to keep you warm in bed.

For more information on Adaptawear’s Product Range please visit www.adaptawear.com. Carer readers please quote TC141 for 10% discount off your first order. See the advert on page 7 for details.

Winterhalter’s New Under The Counter ‘Masterpiece’ Class-leading wash results, lower running costs: new undercounter dishwashers and glasswashers Winterhalter has launched new versions of its popular UC undercounter glasswashers and dishwashers with extensive upgrades designed to make them even more energy and water efficient, while delivering the best ever wash results. A new smartphone-style touchpad control panel makes them even easier to use, and offers more functions, while the body has been reengineered to give it the longest possible service life.

Meanwhile the company has also upgraded its Connected Wash technology, making the new UC’s connectivity simpler and more robust.

The UC’s performance is based around a total redesign of the wash arm, including changes to the water channels and jets to optimize the water flow and create an improved washfield. It results in a more effective performance: in tests, the new washfield outperformed two main competitor models with a removal rate of 88%, compared to 38% and 14%.

In terms of running costs, the new washfield makes a significant impact. It reduces rinse water consumption by up to 25%, which in turn reduces energy consumption and chemical consumption. Overall, the result is a reduction in operating costs of up to 22%.

The new touch control panel is intuitive and operation will be familiar to anyone with a smartphone or tablet. The 11.68cm screen offers a high resolution, full colour display and is engineered to be kitchen-proof: fully waterproof and break-resistant, the tempered glass protects the electronics but also responds to light touches – and it can be operated with gloves on.

The screen also offers several extra functions compared to previous models: for example, along with error and alert messages, it will tell operators when it’s time to change the water.

The new UC is available in four sizes, small to extralarge. Glasswashers can process up to 77 racks per hour, dishwashers up to 66. The range is available from dealers with list prices starting from £5,440.

Winterhalter provides a total solution for warewashing, from pre-sales advice to after-sales service, training and maintenance. Alongside its market-leading dish and glasswashers, the company’s range includes utensil washers, advanced water treatment machines, cleaning chemicals and detergents.

For further details, call Winterhalter on 01908 359000, see www.winterhalter.co.uk, or www.winterhalter-scout.biz or email info@winterhalter.co.uk.

PAGE 20 | THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018

ENERGY SOLUTIONS Care, Comfort And Cost: How Your Approach To Energy Can Improve All Three Independent energy consultant Joss Clarke offers guidance to care providers keen to take a proactive approach to their energy use.

When discussing energy solutions, it can be easy to think technology holds the answer. Yet while the advancements and developments made in smart energy mean it is often a worthy and worthwhile investment, there are a number of simple ways to improve energy efficiency regardless of your current infrastructure.

Most energy savings are within the control of staff, so engaging them is often the key to a more energy efficient, comfortable care environment. Establish a clear energy policy and communicate this throughout all levels of staff. A good way to do this is to carry out regular walk rounds with them, during which you look at all parts of the building, including heating, lighting and building fabric, as well as any electrical equipment.

Fill your employees in on how much energy is currently being consumed. Then, when the energy savings programme gathers momentum, tracking progress and reporting back to your staff (highlighting energy savings) can help make results more tangible.

Set targets – it is possible to save 10-15% on energy costs by implementing some common sense, good housekeeping measures, and many organisations could reduce their energy consumption by 10-40%.

However, it is important to be realistic, so start by aiming for 5% savings each year.

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT = ENERGY EFFICIENCY Your aim isn’t just to save money, but to increase overall awareness of energy usage. Help staff to reduce electricity usage by selecting only those lights they need by labelling switches. It also goes without

saying that every employee should be trained to operate equipment and controls correctly. It will help to prevent heating being on due to incorrectly set timers, or thermostats set to maximum under the belief it will speed up the heating process (it doesn’t, it simply results in overheated space).

Knowing when and where heating and lighting is really needed is arguably the biggest challenge you face, but you don’t necessarily need a smart system to do this job for you. In addition to staff on walk rounds, ask your residents to report any rooms or areas they come across that are too hot, cold or draughty. It may well be that simply adjusting your heating in these areas will do the job, but you may find the problem is be the result of maintenance issues.

BETTER BUILDINGS = BETTER BILLS However, by investigating any areas of concern raised by staff or residents, any issues with the building fabric – such as gaps or holes in walls, windows, doors and skylights – can be addressed and repaired immediately, avoiding any escalation leading to more expensive problems down the line. Any accessible loft areas should also be checked to ensure insulation is at an appropriate level and in good condition, replacing it if required. Simple cleaning in less-obvious places can also reap rewards. Ensuring radiators and vents are not obstructed and filters are kept clean enables better circulation of heat and reduces the energy required to meet the heating demand.

Paying close attention to the standard of the building can also have a positive impact on energy usage for lighting. Without regular maintenance, light levels can fall by 30% in just two-to-three years. Natural light should always be prioritised, so be sure to keep windows, skylights and light fittings clean. For times or areas where artificial lighting is necessary, replace old, dim or flickering lamps and keep controls in good working order by ensuring timers are set correctly and that any occupancy sensors are clean.

PREPARE FOR IMPROVEMENTS After all this, you may still conclude an energy saving equipment or a smart system is needed, but before going ahead with installation it is always advisable to ensure your current equipment is working as efficiently as possible. Having your boiler serviced regularly (once

a year for gas-fired boilers, twice a year for oil boilers) could save you as much as 10% on your annual heating costs, and any boilers, hot water tanks, pipes and valves should be insulated to prevent heat escaping.

The relatively minimal investment can usually be recouped within a few months of installation, with additional savings in subsequent years.

Lighting should likewise be upgraded to the most efficient and suitable options. Occupancy sensors mean lights only operate when there is somebody there to require them and can also be used to lower light levels in corridors at night time, which can be an effective cost-saving measure. Sensors like these can achieve savings of up to 30% on lighting costs.

SMART SAVINGS Finally, there are of course smart energy solutions, which can offer you a fully tailored solution to your energy needs. Products like Genius Hub and Hive can allow control of all heating from one central location, such as a staff office or reception. It can remove the need for staff to manually adjust radiators from room to room, avoiding unnecessary heating of empty rooms, and enabling residents’ needs to be met more quickly.

Defining and isolating different areas or zones means comfort can be improved, such as by introducing slight temperature differentials between rooms and hallways to make rooms noticeably warmer by comparison. A fully connected system also enables problems or malfunctions with individual radiators to be easily identified and speedily addressed.

TARIFF TALK The final area for consideration is your tariff. If you have a half-hourly meter, ensure you are on a fullyfixed contract. Sometimes a product can appear to be fully-fixed but excludes some third-party costs or is only fully-fixed up to a certain level and then incurs further costs beyond that. If your establishment does have a half-hourly meter, the data from this should be readily available to you from your supplier. Inspecting this data is a great way to see when energy is being used and is an effective way to identify potential savings. If you do not have a half-hourly meter, check and record monthly gas and electricity meter readings and compare this information with your invoices to check

for accuracy. You should also try not to buy your energy during the winter season, as prices are at a premium during this time and your entire contract is likely to be more expensive because of this.

With so many providers and options available to you, energy procurement can be a bit of a minefield, so you may find it is worth considering partnering with an energy consultant. They can monitor the market to identify the ideal time to buy, liaise with suppliers, advise on contracts, negotiate the best contract for your needs and take the hassle out of your energy procurement. After all, if you’re trying to save on energy, why waste yours?

Safer Heating For SEN School Safe surface temperature specialists, Contour, have recently completed a project with Walton Hall Academy to provide LST safety radiator guards to the school that will protect students from burns and reduce the risk of injuries around their radiators.

Walton Hall is a special educational needs school in Staffordshire. Their previous radiator covers needed to be replaced to allow staff easier access for cleaning and maintenance as students were often pushing small items through the grilles.

With close consultation to their needs, Contour provided 19 DeepClean LST radiator covers with radius edges and bullnose corners, which eliminated the risk of children injuring themselves on sharp edges. The DeepClean design also features pencil proof grilles, which addressed another one of the schools problems.

To read more on this case study visit the Contour website at: https://bit.ly/2IADhqf

THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018 | PAGE 21

ENERGY SOLUTIONS New Fan Convectors From Dunham-Bush, The Smart Choice Dunham-Bush has introduced two new ranges of fan convectors specifically for establishments, where safety, efficiency and siting versatility are key requirements.

The new robust, SL Slimline range of fan convectors are designed to provide a neat and aesthetically pleasing solution, where space is limited, fitting neatly into areas where conventional units prove difficult, if not impossible, to install. They come with either a top air discharge (SLTD) or a front discharge (SLFD), a standard height of 550mm and a range of lengths from 700 to 1500mm. Depth of all models is a standard 170mm. Both models feature extruded aluminium discharge grilles and punched steel bottom entry inlet grilles.

Models have two coil options, with nominal heat outputs ranging from 2.5kW to 9.0kW, based on LTHW 80/70°C, ambient air 18°C. The SL fan convector also has the option of EC motors, which increase the electrical efficiency by over 80% and enable infinitely variable fan speed control, from zero to maximum.

SL fan convectors key features: • Manufactured in the UK • Rugged and durable construction • Lockable access panels • EC motor option • Digital control options • BMS compatible • Easy access filters • Pencil proof grilles • Standard colour RAL 9010 (Bespoke colours and finishes are available) • BS EN ISO quality assurance system The new Smart-Vector has been developed to provide an effective solution for installation in classrooms, particularly when Building Bulletin 101 is a requirement.

Smart-Vector helps to deliver the highest standards of air quality, essential for the wellbeing and productivity of the occupants.

The SmartVector range comprises four models in nominal outputs from

1.4 to 13.6kW and four casing sizes, ranging from 689mm to 1495mm wide.

Nominal outputs are based on LTHW 80/70°C flow and return temperatures and an 18°C ‘air on’ temperature using a WA2 coil.

Alternative operating conditions and coils are available.

Each unit incorporates an infinitely variable fan speed motor, a modulating mixing damper, and a 2-port or 3port control valve, all controlled by 0-10V dc control signals. In addition, each unit has a frost protection override thermostat as standard.

The basic control option comprises a wall-mounted controller, which measures temperature and CO2 concentrations and controls the mixing damper and control valve actuators accordingly. It also controls the fan speed, whether in manual or automatic modes. The controller also has an RS485 communication port to allow it to interface with a BACnet BMS system where required, thus allowing time scheduling, set point changes, interrogation and integration with other H&V plant.

Other BMS protocols and controllers are available upon request and these may include Modbus, fitting ‘free issue’ controllers, leaving air sensors, fan failure monitoring and ‘spring return’ actuators.

Smart-Vector fan convectors key features: • SV19 Floor models - nominal outputs 1.4-13.6kW • SV22 Fixed height duct models - nominal outputs 1.4-13.6kW SV53 Waloutputs 1.4-13.6kW • SV88 Floor models - nominal outputs 1.4-13.6kW Other configurations are available upon request.

• All models are supplied with EC motors reducing electrical consumption by up to 80% when compared to a standard AC motor • Standard colours RAL 9010 30% gloss.

• Special RAL or BS colours are available upon request • BS EN ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management • Made in the UK For further information please visit www.dunham-bush.co.uk, E: info@dunham-bush.co.uk or call 023 9247 7700.

BATHING AND BATHROOMS SilverSurfers Means Silver Service You’ve asked for something different, something better, in the assisted bathing market and that’s exactly what we’re delivering.

At the Assisted Bathing Company, we’ve spoken directly with major players at the forefront of care provision in the community, nursing homes, care homes and residential homes. We know that when it comes to height adjustable baths – the things you most want are reliability and a full back up service. A bath that is out of commission is of no use to anyone – it needs to be back in service immediately. Nearly all of you asked for a central service call centre and regionally based fully trained team of service engineers that were also L.O.L.E.R. qualified.

So, that’s what we’ve done.

Our stylish new SilverSurfer range of assisted baths has been meticulously developed. We have carefully studied which components tend to cause problems and areas of weakness in standard assisted baths and we have designed them out. We believe we have not only the most ergonomic functional baths on the market but also the most reliable available today - all CE certified, WRAS and MHRA compliant.

Not only did you ask for reliability, you also asked for a total one-stop installation and regular servicing to current standard and requirements. So, we have searched for a specialist partner company that can provide a national framework of fully qualified service engineers at a regional level with just one phone call. We

are pleased to announce Beaucare Medical as our nationwide installation and servicing partners; not only that, you can purchase the SilverSurfer range directly through them.

Beaucare Medical has a dedicated team of engineers on call to quickly resolve any mechanical servicing that may be required including L.O.L.E.R. on our extensive range of SilverSurfers baths. They also have a nationwide delivery service should any parts be required.

We set up the Assisted Bathing Company to be totally different in offer, style and our procedures. We believe our product range to be of the highest quality and our business approach completely refreshing – all at a price you’ll hopefully wish to purchase at - everything on a silver platter!

This format did not just appear overnight, it incorporates over 30 years’ experience at the leading edge of assisted bathing in the UK. The result of this extensive expertise is the unique ‘SilverSurfers’ height adjustable bath range and we believe that the silver service they come with makes all the difference.

THE SILVERSURFERS RANGE Every bath is handcrafted in the UK by time served craftsmen using traditional methods to exacting standards and constructed by a specialist team of engineers. The range incorporates the very latest one touch technology making them safe and simple to use. The high quality baths are styled in an Art Deco design with a luxurious finish.

For a brochure or a discussion with Dennis about your specific requirements call 01590 647 479 or visit www.assistedbathing.com

The Icing On The Cake ‘The icing on the cake” is not a typical description of a toilet, but for Beverley Gazy that is how she feels.

The toilet in question is a Closomat Palma Vita shower (wash & dry) toilet. Its installation has transformed Beverley’s ability to undertake this very intimate area of hygiene without relying on her husband to help her.

“It really does the trick, it’s the icing on the cake as far as the adaptations to my home are concerned,” she says.

Beverly, from Shortstown in Bedfordshire, suffers from fibromyalgia, a complex back problem with arthritic damage to the nerve roots, and a shoulder cuff injury. The combination meant she could no longer work, after running three businesses, and was struggling to do many daily living activities without her husband Robert’s help. On top of the pain, the restrictions were affecting her psychologically, with her mood “the lowest it could be”.

With Disabled Facilities Grant funding, and on the recommendation of her Occupational Therapist, Beverley has now had a wetroom created upstairs, a stairlift fitted, and the WC downstairs replaced with

the Palma Vita.

Closomat’s Palma Vita looks like- and can be used as a conventional WC. Its integrated douching and drying functions mean if required the user is automatically cleaned without having to wipe themselves clean.

Uniquely, it can be accessorised- at the outset and retrospectively- to accommodate user’s needs as they change over time. It is also fully compliant.

“I spend most of my time downstairs, so it was the logical place for the Closomat,” explains Beverley. “I am thrilled at the difference it has made to my life. Going to the toilet is such a personal thing, so to me it’s the icing on the cake to be able to go on my own. I love it, and can’t recommend it highly enough.”

The Palma Vita is the only WC of its kind developed specifically for disabled people; it is also the only one manufactured in the UK. Closomat is also unique in giving clients a complete in-house support packagedesign/ specification advice, supply, install, commissioning, and ongoing service & maintenance.

Reader enquiries - Tel: 0161 969 1199; www.clos-o-mat.com; e: info@clos-o-mat.com; www.facebook.com/clos-o-mat

Triton’s New Elina TMV3 Bar Diverter Care Shower With multigenerational living on the rise, Triton Showers has launched the Elina Bar Diverter mixer shower - the first to integrate diverter technology into an inclusive showering option.

Featuring thermostatic, TMV3 accredited temperature control, and an automatic shutdown if either the hot or cold water supplies fail, Triton’s new Elina Bar Diverter has been designed with user safety at the fore.

In a unique move from Triton, diverter technology, which was previously only used on mainstream mixers, has been incorporated into this care shower. The Elina Bar Diverter can, therefore, switch the flow of water between a large diameter fixed shower head and a five-spray pattern handset,

adding luxury and versatility to the bathroom while remaining suitable for all of the family to enjoy.

With a chrome finish, this minimalist shower is the perfect addition to any modern bathroom, however, features such as tamper proof looped lever controls and clear flow and temperature markings are subtly included for added peace of mind. As required by the TMV3 standard, the temperature can be set internally at the desired level for each enduser which is ideal for homes with the elderly or very young. For busy families, the

model is also easy to clean and requires minimal maintenance as the design prevents trapped dirt.

The Elina Bar Diverter is quick to install, with push-fit surface brackets included. A full five year parts and labour guarantee is also provided as standard.

Steve Saunders, Technical Manager at Triton, commented: “The introduction of diverter technology into inclusive showering, through the launch of our Elina Bar Diverter, is really exciting and strikes the perfect balance between style and substance.”

To find out more about Elina bar diverter and the wider range of care showers, visit tritonshowers.co.uk, follow @tritonshowers on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram or ‘like’ TritonShowers on Facebook.

THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018 | PAGE 25

LAUNDRY SOLUTIONS Forbes Professional Delivers a Complete Laundry Solution The provision of laundry and dishwashing equipment involves a lot more than product selection, and it is important to choose a trusted service provider to enable the right procurement and planning decisions. Forbes Professional delivers everything from initial site surveys, CAD design and assistance with plumbing and electrical specifications through to installation, commissioning and user training. We provide a comprehensive end-to-end laundry solution and we advise upon all relevant compliance and logistical requirements.

Established in 1926, we have a solid understanding of healthcare sector requirements and deliver comprehensive commercial laundry solutions to care homes across the UK. For the care sector, domestic laundry equipment does not meet the stringent hygiene standard requirements and it is important to choose the appropriate

commercial machines. Proud partners of Miele and Primus, our commercial washing machines provide both sluice and thermal disinfection to fully comply with CQC and WRAS regulations. To complement our washers, dryers and rotary ironers, we also offer auto-dosing equipment and on-going detergent provision.

Our Complete Care solution gives access to premium commercial laundry without upfront capital expenditure and with the security of our first class engineer response service and no call out or repair costs. All account management, service requirements and detergent orders are handled centrally from our head office as part of a streamlined process that keeps things simple for our clients.

For further details call 0345 070 2335, visit www.forbes-professional.co.uk or see the advert on the opposite page.

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 han-

dling, 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 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.com

Sunrise and Gracewell Reappoint Girbau As Preferred Laundry Partner Sunrise Senior Living and Gracewell Healthcare have reappointed Girbau as their preferred laundry partner for a further three years.

Girbau will provide Sunrise Senior Living and Gracewell Healthcare with their full Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) cover including all labour for one or two prearranged preventative maintenance visits per year, plus a gas safety regime and a reactive pay-as-you-go breakdown cover on laundry equipment across all of Sunrise’s 45 national sites.

The agreement also details three laundry refurbishment projects planned for the first 12 months which will include Girbau’s extensive and complimentary laundry design service covering site surveys, CQC compliant laundry design, full M&E CAD drawings and equipment specification to meet care home capacity

needs. Several care homes in the group have already been upgraded in earlier programmes, typically with at least two Girbau HS-6017 19kg capacity washers, two 55lb capacity Girbau Pro Series II gas dryers as well as a roller iron and steam iron/table. Laundries at the Sunrise homes are in use 12 hours a day, seven days a week, so equipment reliability and service support were important factors in the choice of Girbau.

“Girbau has supported Sunrise for more than 10 years. They give us good maintenance support and customer service with absolutely no fuss. They are very responsive,” said Adam Keens, Director of Facilities at Sunrise Senior Living. “Girbau equipment offers the best balance of equipment reliability and operational efficiency.”

Reader enquiries - Tel: 01462 427780, Web: www.girbau.co.uk, Sales Email: sales.uk@girbau.com

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

0151 317 3127

www.laundrytec.com

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

THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018 | PAGE 27

TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE Person Centred Software Partners with PrivacyTrust to Strengthen Expertise on GDPR and Data Protection Person Centred Software has partnered with PrivacyTrust, specialists in GDPR, to ensure its care home customers receive the very latest and up to date information about keeping on track with GDPR and data protection.

On Wednesday 26th September Person Centred Software hosted the first in a series of joint webinars with PrivacyTrust, entitled ‘GDPR: What’s Next’ for care homes. The online discussion looked at how homes can keep care records secure and compliant, but still accessible for staff to update and read, whenever they need to. A recording of the event is available at www.personcentredsoftware.com/gdpr.

Karen Cheeseman, a GDPR consultant at PrivacyTrust, hosted the webinar, alongside Andrew Coles, product manager at Person Centred Software.

Karen outlined how care homes can review their processes and procedures to develop and build a framework that puts privacy strongly at the forefront of their organisation. She says, “Protecting personal data is vital and GDPR is an opportunity for businesses to add value and build a brand that can uses trust as their differentiator. GDPR is a welcome update to data protection within the UK and Europe.”

Evidencing care and planning person-centred care electronically using Mobile Care Monitoring (MCM) from Person Centred Software, ensures GDPR compliance and enables care homes to provide the best possible care for their residents. With MCM, users are in full con-

trol of information as the data controller. They can control the privacy of care records, whilst MCM processes all the information to helps them to meet the data processing requirements of GDPR. Andrew Coles from Person Centred Software adds, “Technology can really help to maximise the effectiveness of care and make a real difference to people’s lives. Every staff member working in care needs the right tools to support them in their job, and this in turn can help them be recognised for the high quality, person-centred care they provide to residents.”

As organisations that collect personal data, care homes need to comply with GDPR, the European wide legislation that affects how organisations collect, store and use personal data. GDPR is designed to modernise the laws that protect the personal data of individuals. It affects every part of a care home, giving greater rights to the individual and making organisations more accountable.

Call 01483 604108 or visit www.personcentredsoftware.com or see the advert on the facing page for details.

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 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.

Mainteno Is A Complete, Cost-Effective Solution For Facilities and Maintenance Management Whether it’s managing planned maintenance or dealing with fault repairs, Mainteno simplifies the day-to-day maintenance of almost any organisation.

Our award-winning software keeps everyone in the loop and archives all your communication and documentation in one place. For total control of your organisation’s assets, Mainteno also seamlessly incorporates asset management and tracking.

Mainteno streamlines every aspect of the maintenance management process, saving your organisation time and money.

Usability made affordable Mainteno was designed with practicality in mind. The interface is so intuitive that basic operation can be learned in minutes, and you can be a power user in one afternoon.

Elegant usability usually means a hefty price tag. However, our pricing structure means that for small organisations, Mainteno can cost as little as two cups of coffee a month. No set-up fees, no lengthy contracts and a free trial, all mean that the system starts paying for itself straight away.

This what Dr Asif Raja, Bsc MBBS Summercare Managing Director had to say about the system.

Facing significant challenges of ever increasing quality and compliance demands upon time and resources as well considerable economic pressures, Summercare, an award winning provider of residential care and housing related support, sought to upgrade their systems for managing the property and environmental aspects of its service delivery After an extensive period of investigation and research Mainteno was selected as the platform of choice for the entire organisation

based on its ease of use, very short-term contract, quick set up and ongoing support.

The organisation uses our comprehensive software solution to streamline the management of its property and environment. This has achieved greater efficiency for the company.

The Mainteno system was the obvious choice based on it being easy to deploy and operate and with an extensive range of inbuilt processes and reports that meant we could start realising benefits very quickly. We are confident the system will provide us with improved accessibility and communication across the organisation and will improve the efficiency and quality for frontline care services.

Dr Asif Raja, Bsc MBBS Summercare Managing Director Visit www.mainteno.com, email: sales@redro.co.uk or call 01342 825025.

Facilities Maintenance and Management Software Simple to use, easy to maintain and very affordable.

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Reporting tasks and faults Asset tracking and value reporting Invoice management Add multiple images and documents Detailed analytical reporting Dashboard reporting showing live status of all tasks Management of all planned maintenance schedules Compliance testing and inspections Traffic light detailed reporting for audit purpose Audit reporting Direct allocation of work to relevant parties Can be used for help desk Supplier performance management and reporting Warranty and insurance management Can be used on any web enabled device Link tasks to calendar Create check lists for compliance purposes Contractor Quotes and Invoice Management Contractor Login upload function

www.mainteno.com

email: sales@redro.co.uk

PAGE 28 | THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018

TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE Cloud-Based Care Management Solution Set To Revolutionise The Care Industry Shaping the future of care - with a wide range of services, Care Vision offers a spectrum of solutions that will bring all your care home needs under one roof.

Only a care home manager knows just how complex and challenging care management is.

Care Vision has been built on the principle, that simplifying means unifying: the many types of tasks and departments that share space under your one roof should also share one integrated system. From E-mar to food prep, housekeeping, health & safety, HR and family visits.

Care Vision is designed to save time whilst meeting and going beyond CQC requirements.

Rishi Jawaheer has been a director of the Jawa Group for over 12 years. His parents came to the UK from overseas in the 1970s, training as specialist mental health nurses and later working as nursing managers in the NHS. The family’s first dementia care home was established in the 1980s, in SE London.

Consulting with carers, families and professionals

Rishi has created Care Vision. A solution built from the challenges of providing care and recording required information in real situations. Care vision has been designed to meet the complex needs of individuals using the service, from the perspective and skill level of carers. The quality of the record keeping satisfies the regulators.

Care Vision works with providers to create a tailormade solution that suits your service. Care notes can be entered in a few clicks at the point of service.

Using icons and speech to text but also having the ability to easily edit makes this a fantastic tool for a modern-day carer.

By using Care Vision, you can save up to 2-4 hours per week, per resident in staff hours. That means if you have a care home of 20 residents you can save up to 40-80 staff hours per week, 160-320 staff hours per month. That’s equivalent to 1-2 fulltime staff.

To find out more, check out the film on www.carevisioncms.co.uk, call 020 8768 9809 or see the advert on page 12.

Medpage - Affordable Caring Technologies 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 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 details.

Edison Telecom Ltd Edison, who are probably better known for innovating solutions for Private Hospitals and Mental Health Trusts, have recently been helping with more complex problems experienced in care homes.

The most recent being a 20 year old Intercall system which has been upgraded to the latest specifications including the 30 million event logging and, even more importantly, making the system reliable; all without switching the system off other than to swap the power supplies.

Edison have picked up the pieces left by the wireless manufacturers who do not want to support their legacy products and even smaller projects the same manufacturers do not feel

Workforce Scheduling Solutions Ltd Workforce Scheduling Solutions deliver Time & Attendance systems worldwide, using the latest Face Recognition technology.

We have introduced ‘FaceID’ as an alternative to card, fingerprint, and key fob systems to ensure that each member of staff can only book themselves on and off duty.

DutyHoursTM and TimeCapTM are designed to eliminate paper time sheets to improve accuracy, reduce payroll errors and processing time. The software is easy to use and will dramatically reduce the time and costs to produce the staff payroll. Pre plan the hours to keep costs within budgets.

The Electronic Visitor Book will replace paper books which are no longer acceptable and create breaches of GDPR. All visitors are recorded with information of who they are visiting.

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

WITH

DutyHours ™ and TimeCap

They could be used with the latest displays, pagers, call logging and other innovations.

Edison can usually repair or supply additional:

Existing wiring is usually adequate to install a new system.

New wired or wireless systems including falls mitigation, record keeping of 30 million events and other innovations are available. Tell us if you have a requirement that we have not thought of that the traditional suppliers will not entertain.

Edison can also be described as traditional as we started in 1984 and have many blue chip and NHS customers. Unlike some traditional suppliers we listen to our customers and implement their requirements.

Edison Telecom Ltd Unit 20, Belle Vue Enterprise Centre, Ivy Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, GU12 4QW Tel. +441252 330220 Fax +441252 408277 www.edisontelecom.co.uk Company registration no: 1859500, in England.

work planned in the future.

Employees increasingly have access to the Internet through Mobile phone, tablet or Home computer. They can view/download their shifts both past, present and future, send requests for Holiday and receive accepted or rejected messages.

We have introduced the concept of ‘Check Calls’ in which employees are required to make regular calls through the night and weekends which will remove the risks in respect of staff absences when there should be full cover.

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 absences. 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 using the following number for more information and to book a demonstration of the system. +44 (0) 3333 444 562 www.wfsoftware.co.uk

ELIMINATE STRESS

You wouldn’t throw the baby out with the bath water!

Don’t throw all your wireless call points away.

CALL POINTS PAGERS MATS (wired and wireless) PORTABLE INFRA RED OUT OF BED DETECTORS & THE LATEST CENTRAL PANELS PAGING LOGGING Wired and Pre-wired systems

it is worth their while to even quote for.

Supplies of legacy pagers are now finally coming to an end, although Edison still might be able to repair your pagers. Edison have taken on a software/hardware engineer who can produce interfaces so that the existing paging

can be changed to work with paging available from many different suppliers including Edison.

“Falls” is a current topic that Edison have tailored a package for a client so that: The Over door light illuminates outside the room when set; If the User/Patient sleeps peacefully all night, Staff do not have to be on watch.

If the User/Patient exits the bed: The light comes on in the room, helping to prevent falls The lamp flashes outside the room; A pager beeps; The nurse call display shows the origin of the call; The User/Patient receives the care they need as promptly as possible.

Tele 01252 330220 Web www.edisontelecom.co.uk

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THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018 | PAGE 29

TECHNOLOGY AND 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 See the advert on page 27 for further details.

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

Nursecall from KAM Systems KAM Systems Limited have been supplying Nurse Call solutions to the care industry for many years and prides itself in listening to customer needs.

Managing Director Harpal Momi explains, ‘we were being asked by care home managers for a small device that could be set to automatically remind care staff, providing end of life care, to attend to a resident at timed intervals.

We decided that connecting a device to the existing nursecall system would be the best way of alerting staff.’

The Periodic Check Unit

(PCU), when connected to the existing Nursecall unit in the room, will automatically initiate an alarm after the pre-set period interval.

There are seven timed interval settings, from 15 minutes through to 90 minutes. T1 and T2 options are

timed at 2 hours and 4 hours however, these can be customised at time of order.

The PCU accurately keeps time and takes that pressure away from care staff and the nursecall will continue to sound until someone attends. In situations where there isn’t a nursecall unit to connect to, the PCU has the option of being able to send a message to a pager. The PCU is also useful when trying to hydrate a resident and offers a timely reminder to care staff.

For further information please visit www.kamsystems.co.uk

THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018 | PAGE 31

TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE Zuri - Visibility. Flexibility. Accountability. Keyboard Specialists Limited-Your “One Stop Shop” Zuri, the mobile, web-based solution developed by Care Software Solutions, is fast becoming the most comprehensive end-to-end care management solution in the market today.

Unlike most other care management solutions built with rostering and billing as their core product, Zuri was designed and engineered from the ground up to be a dedicated end-toend care management solution, with care planning at its core, whilst still offering rostering, billing, eMAR, and HR for both care homes and homecare agencies, all supported by impenetrable security for client data.

Care management is swiftly moving away from unreliable, inefficient and insecure paperbased records and into the tech age, and it is essential that a software system is secure by design and as an organisation’s data controller, Zuri is processing highly sensitive health data and personal information that needs not only to protect service-users and their carers, but to meet with regulation and compliance requirements. Zuri does this by hosting data on secure servers, and most importantly, all records and databases are end-to-end encrypted.

Secured data is just the beginning of the improvements Zuri can help organisations achieve: • Zuri’s real-time care planning allows for truly accountable person-centred care • The eMar platform helps to eliminate medication missed through human error • Intuitive rostering matches the service-user’s needs to the carer’s skill set and availability, and not the other way around • The messaging and alert functionality means carers and managers can communicate in real-time to solve problems and initiate changes in care requirements simply and quickly • Zuri’s HR and Admin platform enables managers to manage staff records efficiently through automatic updates and alerts on records, saving hours of administration time.

Zuri saves valuable time for organisations, allowing them to get on with what is important: providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led care for their service-users.

For more details, please visit www.zuri.care or see the advert on the facing page.

Keyboard Specialists Limited (KBS) is a dedicated on-line retailer of over 2000 keyboards, mice, trackballs, touchpads, smartcard readers, monitors and OEM products. We aim to provide a one stop shop for all your keyboard and accessory requirements – no matter how big, or how small.

We aim to provide clear, accurate and comprehensively detailed descriptions for all of our keyboards and accessories and make these available to all of our customers via our website, email and over the telephone.

As it becomes easier and more efficient to purchase on-line than on the high street, we hope that our superb range and excellent pricing will save you time and money.

Looking across the more than 130 implementations of digital care planning carried out by Sekoia, the biggest challenge seems to be culture. Why else wouldn’t sane operators head directly towards a digitalised solution?

Maybe spawned by lesser fortunate sto-

See the advert on this page for details.

KBS has the largest medical IT hardware range in the UK

TO ADVERTISE IN THE CARER, PLEASE CALL OUR SALES TEAM ON

Our medical and infection control keyboards are built to the highest standards with cleanliness at the heart of the project. Cross contamination and infection are a major issue in healthcare settings; our vast range of waterproof, fully cleanable and wipe-able keyboards are key to minimising HCAIs. Fully HTM01-05 compliant and NHS approved.

8AT.66 £4+V JK-1068 Whisper Quiet Cherry Keyboard with IP68 Silicon Cover

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Can Digitalisation Help Sex Up The Social Care Sector?

Retaining and attracting care staff remains a key challenge for most providers.

Meanwhile, the digitalisation of social care is still an area with a lot remaining to be seen.

How technology can help bump up a somewhat dated image is not too strange though. In the actual job, not many become nurses or carers to complete hours of paperwork. Some carers even describe shift start as going back in time, leaving their iPhones at check in. To see these replaced by binders and paper forms.

In this line of thinking, workplaces that offer valuable face-to-face time with the residents could see more applicants. Also, how would a proper digital environment influence on their satisfaction? If we are right in assuming that there is a connection, it may not be little.

Culture eats digitalisation for breakfast

We continually monitor and update our prices to ensure you get the lowest prices possible • Discounted rates for large quantities or special offer items • Offer an availability check and next day delivery on many items • We can dispatch most items within 24 hours of an order being placed • View your Order History/Status and previous orders online • Track your items with our courier tracking service • Online shop open 24 hours • Direct delivery to an address of your choice

ries, some seem to think that social care is less tech savvy than other sectors. This is really not the case. Quite the contrary. What needs to be in place, are the right prerequisites. If these are missing any manager or staff member could feel shaky. In any sector.

Saving time whilst improving employee satisfaction Efficiency and optimisation go hand in hand with staffs’ urge to digitalise. In this perspective, freeing up time for actual care work represents a treasure for the care businesses. Like Quinton House Nursing Home in Stratford-upon-Avon, where end of shift documentation has been reduced by 1,5 hours per carer per shift. A massive result achieved “going digital”.

Tel 020 7751 4010 Web www.sekoia-care.co.uk

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THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018 | PAGE 33

DYSPHAGIA AWARENESS & MANAGEMENT

By Ayela Spiro, Nutrition Science Manager, British Nutrition Foundation Dysphagia can markedly affect health and quality of life. As well as increased risk of choking 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. In addition, there may be emotional and psychological problems associated with not being able to eat normally. These include a fear of choking and embarrassment (e.g about drooling) that may prevent the enjoyment of meals and encourage isolation.

Common signs and symptoms of dysphagia include: • Difficult, painful chewing or swallowing • Taking a long time to chew • Controlling food in the mouth • Coughing or choking when eating or drinking • Drooling or food spillage from lips • Bringing food back up, sometimes through the nose • A sensation that food is stuck in throat or chest • Hoarse/wet or nasal voice • Changes in eating habits Other signs can include unintentional weight loss, dry mouth, frequent throat clearing, change in respiration pattern, recurrent chest infections, heartburn and poor oral hygiene.

When these signs or symptoms are noticed, input should be sought from a relevant health professional, in particular speech and language therapists (SLTs), who will be able to carry out a detailed swallowing assessment and recommend a care plan with appropriate food and fluid consistency.

sclerosis for example. Furthermore, the muscles used for swallowing can become weaker with age, so much so that older adults can struggle to eat.

It is little surprise then between 50 and 75 per cent of nursing home residents in the UK are living with dysphagia.

It is precisely for these reasons why time and careful consideration must be taken when planning the nutritional intake of those with dysphagia. The preparation of a nutrition plan for an elderly person is incredibly important at the best of times and when conditions such as dysphagia become a factor, this can become even more important and can present more of a challenge.

MANAGEMENT

Texture modification of food and drinks, and accurate communication of information regarding texture, is a key element in reducing the risks associated with dysphagia.

Teamwork is important, as is education and training.

Speech and language therapists, dietitians, nurses and caterers should work closely to ensure that people have the most appropriate and safe texture suitable for their swallowing abilities (IDDSI texture descriptors), and are monitored to ensure their diet meets nutrient requirements.

Communication between staff in the care home, as well as with residents and their families is vital so that everyone involved in the residents’ care is aware of their needs and safe management. Person-centred care plans and management strategies should be implemented so that service users with dysphagia are ensured effective individualised care. Good management is not just a question of safety, but also of dignity.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD NUTRITION FOR THE OLDER COMMUNITY

While dysphagia can impact anyone, unfortunately, it often strikes those who are older, says Helen Willis, Dietitian at apetito and Wiltshire Farm Foods. Up to 30 per cent of over 65s are living with some form of dysphagia and there are many reasons behind this.

Ultimately, it is this age group which is most likely to suffer from the most common underlying causes of dysphagia; strokes, motor neurone diseases and multiple

For those living with dysphagia, mealtimes can become daunting; an overwhelming experience which can become a burden. With many losing their appetites in later life, only consuming a fraction of what they use to, it is critical to make mealtimes as comfortable and easy as possible. A failure to do so can lead to issues such as malnutrition and dehydration, bringing with it serious health consequences.

Another consideration for those living in care facilities is that dining can potentially offer their only chance for social interaction that day. If this time becomes a challenge and seen as an unenjoyable experience, it can lead to social isolation, occasionally bringing with it damaging psychological effects. It is of paramount importance therefore, that care is taken to ensure dining experiences for those living with conditions such as dysphagia, are as enjoyable as possible. Social interaction, at any age, is crucial to maintaining a sense of wellbeing and is not something that should be taken for granted. It is estimated over 1 million people aged 65 or over have, or are at risk of developing malnutrition, bringing with it an additional cost of over a billion pounds to treat. This, coupled with the rising number of elderly citizens living in the UK, means nutrition has never been more important.

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 35...)

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THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018 | PAGE 35

DYSPHAGIA AWARENESS & MANAGEMENT (...CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33) A critical part of ensuring those suffering from dysphagia continue to eat, is allowing them to continue to eat with dignity. Poorly produced texture modified food can end up simply looking like slop. An inedible plate of food, which neither you, nor they would want to consume. Providing safe, nutritious and appealing texture modified meals is a challenge, but it is of paramount importance.

Retaining nutritional value within these meals is crucial, they must be made subject to strict dietary requirements, as specified by a collection of independent nutrition experts. Outside of specially produced meals, home blending can often be a cheaper alternative. Yet this form of production doesn’t guarantee the level of safety or consistent nutrition required, with the process of home texture modification often leading to diluted meals, stripped of valuable nutrition.

Producing meals which look, as well as taste, like the real thing plays a big role for those with conditions such as dementia, who will often refuse to eat food they don’t recognise. With technology now available to shape pureed food to closely resemble its true form brings dignity back to dining. A right every person should have.

The old cliché of ‘eating with your eyes first’ shouldn’t be overlooked. Maintaining visual appeal, especially when looking to feed someone with eating difficulties is a vital first step.

To reduce risk and ensure that patients are “matched with the right food, award-winning food technology company” Kafoodle provides innovative software solutions to help with the management of care home kitchens and food service operations.

ADVICE WHEN USING THICKENING AGENT NUTILIS CLEAR 175G TIN

Thickeners are used to thicken liquids and foods to various consistencies. They help to slow the transit of foods and fluids to allow more time to co-ordinate the swallowing process safely. In the United Kingdom, Nutricia’s product Nutilis Clear 175g tin has recently undergone changes to the scoop size and usage instructions, to be compliant with the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) framework.

There is a significant difference between the IDDSI thickening descriptors and the previous descriptors. The two standards are not interchangeable and therefore great care needs to be taken to ensure patients are receiving the ‘I_D_D_S_I_’ _version of Nutilis Clear.

Some pharmacies are dispensing the older version of Nutilis Clear, which contains a different scoop and usage instructions, which could lead to a patient safety issue.

This version will not have been sourced from Nutricia

Ltd, UK. The IDDSI compliant version of Nutilis Clear 175g tin can easily be identified by the red sticker on the lid. If you have any queries, please contact: resourcecentre@nutricia.com Meal planning software With Kafoodle’s food management and meal planning software, care providers are able to effortlessly manage ingredients, recipes and meal plans from a centralised dashboard ensuring that delicious, nutritious food is served to your residents that stay within budget and meet every one of their individual dietary needs.

Kafoodle’s meal planning software communicates seamlessly with Kafoodle electronic personalised meal ordering (ePMO) - a digital way to streamline the meal ordering process. Create custom patient profiles which automatically filter the day's meal options to ensure that each resident can only be ordered a meal that suits their personal dietary requirements, condition, medication and preferences. At the touch of a button, staff can place a meal order for a resident, send it down to the kitchen, monitor when food has been delivered and track resident intake of both food and beverages - reducing paper-based processes and saving time.

DYSPHAGIA DIET STANDARDS GUIDE

The new International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) Framework is an essential part of dysphagia management for any hospital or hospice looking to prepare their own meals for dysphagia sufferers, Mark Taylor, Foodservice Customer Controller at Premier Foods, “Dysphagia isn’t a one size fits all condition, and patients require different levels of texture modification, the new IDDSI Framework provides clear and fully defined descriptors which can be used and translated worldwide. To help caterers navigate the new framework, earlier this year, Premier Foods were first to market to develop and launch an International Dysphagia Diet Standards Guide. The guide includes a series of creative and inspirational recipe ideas, alongside practical tips and training which are great for hospitals and hospices who want to prepare their own meals.

We’ve shared our top tips for hospital caterers to ensure they are meeting the needs of these patients with swallowing difficulties. “

The British Nutrition Foundation www.nutrition.org www.kafoodle.com Tel 020 3371 0450 www.apetito.co.uk 01225 560 319 www.premierfoods.co.uk 0800 032 7111 www.nutriciahcp.com www.barbel.net 01629 705110

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PAGE 36 | THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018

HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL 7 Ways to Avoid Catching the Flu Influenza (also known as flu) is a very common infectious disease which spreads easily and can have serious consequences for some people. Most flu infection occurs during the winter months.

Care home residents are extremely vulnerable to flu because: • Residents are often elderly and frail • Residents often have many underlying diseases/health conditions

• Flu spreads rapidly in a closed environment like a care home, due to the close contact between residents and staff Care home staff infected with flu can spread it to colleagues and vulnerable residents even when the staff member has few or no symptoms The Carer spoke to Dr Gero Baiarda, Primary Care Dermatologist & Private GP at GPDQ, the UK’s first doctor-on-demand app who shares his advice.

The days are getting shorter, and there are noticeably more leaves drifting around. As the Stark family motto grimly states, ‘Winter is coming,’ and with it, the promise of the start of the flu season.

For most people who catch a cold, it represents nothing more than a moderate inconvenience necessitating a few days off work feeling dreadful and sipping endless cups of tea and Lemsip.

The flu, on the other hand, is not to be underestimated. It can be dangerous and is not infrequently fatal, especially if you are elderly or have diabetes, heart disease, asthma or indeed any condition that compromises your immune system.

The trick is not to catch flu in the first place. Here are ways you can help yourself, your colleagues and residents to do that.

1) GET YOUR FLU JAB!

This is by far the single most effective course of action you can take to avoid catching flu.

Ideally, you should arrange to have it as soon as you can in the flu season, by which I mean early autumn. But you can have the flu vaccine any time between now into Spring next year.

The annual flu vaccine is designed to protect you against all the influenza strains that are expected to be most prevalent in any particular year. You need to refresh your vaccination every year because the prevalent flu strains are constantly revolving.

Even following vaccination, you may still catch

other flu strains, but the infection is likely to be much less severe than you might have otherwise experienced, and you would be extremely unlucky to develop serious or life-threatening complications.

The flu vaccine is available for free on the NHS to anyone over the age of 65 and all primary school children in England and Wales. In Scotland, it is available on the NHS for all kids between the ages of 2 and 5 who are not yet in school. Additionally, the flu vaccine is accessible on the NHS for pregnant ladies, anybody with a BMI of 40 or over, and anybody with a serious underlying health condition or a compromised immune system.

2) WASH YOUR HANDS

I am asked often by patients how it is that I am in such regular contact with all manner of nasty bugs and yet do not seem to be ill very often. There is no mystery to it…I just wash my hands a lot! In fact, I do so before any contact with a patient or before I consider having a bite to eat or even having a cup of coffee.

Soap, warm water, and thorough rubbing for at least 20 seconds will wash virtually all the bacteria and viruses on your hands down the drain. The soap does not even need to be antibacterial. Normal household soap works just as well.

Rinse your hands once they are clean, and then pat them dry on paper towel which you then discard.

Do this every time you sneeze or cough and especially before meals. Those portable alcohol-based hand sanitisers are also good to have in your pocket when you are out and about and want to grab a sandwich.

3) KEEP YOUR BUGS TO YOURSELF

It’s all too easy to catch the flu. When someone nearby coughs or sneezes, an aerosol cloud of virus-laden droplets is projected up to four feet away where it hangs for some time just waiting to come into contact with your mouth, eyes or nose.

If you need to cough or sneeze, always use a disposable tissue rather than a cloth handkerchief. If you haven’t got one to hand, cough into your sleeve in the crook of your arm. Whichever way you do it, immediately wash your hands in the way I have described or use a sanitiser. By doing so, you are keeping viruses off your hands and therefore other people.

In fact, you can easily pick up flu from touching a surface like the restaurant table where a previous customer before you has been coughing or sneezing. The flu virus can linger on smooth surfaces for as long as 24 hours.

When you touch a contaminated surface and then inadvertently touch your eyes, nose or mouth, you introduce a massive viral load directly into your body.

Consider bringing along disinfectant wipes to clean any surfaces you're about to touch.

Don’t share cups, plates or cutlery, and be sure to wash anything you do use in the dishwasher or sink with hot water and washing up liquid as soon as possible.

Again, antibacterial washing up liquid is not necessary.

Keep your toothbrush away from any communal holder, and make sure anybody who is ill has their own pillow and bedding.

If you have been in an environment where there has been a lot of coughing and sneezing, consider taking a shower as soon as you can and discarding your contaminated clothing as you get home rather than passing any viruses on to your other half and kids, even it means foregoing a cuddle!

4) AVOID CLOSE CONTACT

Try to avoid crowded public places as much as you can. In fact, the top of that list should be your A&E or GP waiting rooms, which are crammed to the brim with the aggressively infectious.

5) WALK MORE, AND WALK FASTER

The benefits of walking are plentiful; in fact, I can’t think of any drawbacks at all. A simple exercise such as brisk walking brings about a quantifiable boost to your immune system, sending your defender white blood cells on a vigorous trek around the body to identify and destroy viruses.

A report from the Ramblers Association and Macmillan Cancer Support found that if everyone in England regularly walked for half an hour a day, it could save 37,000 lives a year. It also cuts the risks of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and has been shown to have protective effects against dementia. We should all do it a lot more.

For those aged over 40, cycling and swimming are both great forms of low-impact exercise that don’t require high fitness levels. You could find a local park route and cycle for 20 – 30 minutes a day or visit your local pool every morning to swim 30 lengths. Whatever it is, you can increase your health and fitness by building a simple workout routine into your life.

A few hours after you have stopped exercising, your immune system returns to its previous less enthusiastic state. For this reason, individuals who exercise 4-5 times a week are less likely to catch the flu.

6) EAT A HEALTHY DIET

Once you have the flu, all I would recommend is bed rest, plenty of fluids, over-the counter paracetamol and ibuprofen, and a balanced, nutritious diet. Eating too little protein can weaken the immune system. I would recommend a diet rich in protein to help avoid the flu, especially fish, eggs, nuts and yoghurt.

Health food shops and chemists offer a multitude of supplements, vitamins, and herbal remedies that claim to help you lessen flu symptoms or avoid them all together.

7) GET ENOUGH SLEEP

Bedtime is when you repair and recharge your body, and getting enough sleep is a good habit to develop to best avoid catching flu in the first place and fight it off most effectively if you do become infected. The average adult needs between 6 and 8 hours of sleep to keep their immunity fighting fit.

Finally…

All of the above should reduce your risk of catching the flu or decrease its severity if you do fall victim to the deadly virus.

However, if you do come down with the flu, look out for your friends, family and colleagues. You are infectious for up to a week after you catch the flu. Stay home until you have fully recovered and your temperature is within normal limits, without the use of paracetamol or ibuprofen for at least 24 hours.

Nobody likes having to take time off, but your workplace and family household will adapt and manage.

However, someone who is suffering from the flu you gave to them, may not manage so well!

HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL Global Leader in Wallcoverings Launches New Infection Control Collection

Muraspec Wallcoverings, one of the world’s leading manufacturers in wallcoverings, has launched a new antimicrobial coating which, when applied to their wallcoverings, creates a surface that guarantees bacteria cannot survive.

Muraspec, a UK manufacturer, has partnered with another UK manufacturer, Addmaster, who have developed their branded Biomaster© biocide for use on a variety of products to aid infection control. Creating wallcoverings with this new antimicrobial coating means that Muraspec can make a significant contribution to improved infection control within healthcare, education and high traffic public environments.

As a care home owner you want to provide the best care for your residents through excellent infection control, but it’s unrealistic to be cleaning every minute of the day.

The beauty of this new coating means that interior walls have antimicrobial protection 24-7 by creating surfaces where bacteria cannot survive.

Biomaster© is incredibly durable, long lasting and highly active. When added, it is dispersed throughout the entire item and becomes an integral part of the product.

So how does it work?

When bacteria come into contact with a Biomaster© protected wallcovering, the silver ions prevent them from growing, producing energy or

replicating, therefore they die. Silver is inorganic and non-leaching which means that, unlike organic antimicrobial agents / technologies, it stays within the item to which it is added.

The controlled release of the active ingredient provides maximum antibacterial protection, 24/7, for the lifetime of the product.

Launched at The Care Show 2018 As infection control is a very high priority within the Care sector, Muraspec launched this new addition to its offering at The Care Show 2018, which took place at the NEC, Birmingham on 17th and 18th October.

Simon Miller, Sales Director at Muraspec said, “The response has been great from the care sector and visitors to the show. We had many enquiries from care home owners about how this can enhance their environments and infection control.

We’re delighted.”

To date the majority of Muraspec wallcoverings have a biocide coating, which protects the products against moulds and fungi. This new

Biomaster© biocide coating actively ensures that harmful bacteria will also not be able to survive on their wallcoverings.

Initially this coating is being applied to Type 2, 20oz. vinyls; woven and non-woven, with the first ‘range’ being the Elan range.

However this coating can be applied to a broader range of products, as a ‘special’.

Muraspec Wallcoverings, with a heritage dating back to the 1850s, has developed a global reputation for innovating throughout its history, and for outstanding product quality, impressive design, and exceptional production and technical support.

This addition to their range will be manufactured at their factory, based in Kent, and applicable to a wide selection of high quality, inspiring designs, which are all fire rated.

Their team of experienced Technical Advisors and Account Managers are always on hand, able to work closely with you to provide a comprehensive solution from inception to the completion of large or small care home projects. As a manufacturer, they pride themselves on their flexibility for production and boast the shortest lead times in the industry.

For more details on their range Call their Customer Service Team on 03705 117118 or email customerservices@muraspec.com and visit the www.muraspec.com

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.

THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018 | PAGE 37

PAGE 38 | THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018

HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL Free Continence Care Factsheet For Care Homes CareZips™ Incontinence Dignity Trousers

Continence care specialist, Cairn Care, has launched a fact sheet on effective continence care management for care homes.

An involuntary loss of urine or faeces, incontinence can come in different forms which can each present their own challenges.

By busting some of the myths around incontinence and explaining an effective approach for tackling it, the fact sheet aims to help care home staff to get a much more accurate understanding of how to support residents with this issue.

Also included in the fact sheet are 10 tips to help care home staff choose the correct incontinence pads for each resident, helping to minimise leakage and discomfort, while also reducing waste due to inappropriate pad usage.

Dr. Peter Binns, Managing Director of Cairn Care says: “According to NHS Choices, between 3 and 6 million people in the UK are estimated to be regularly incontinent, however there is still quite a lot of confusion around the causes of incontinence and how best to manage each resident’s requirements.

“This fact sheet aims to clear up the facts around incontinence, so that you can make informed decisions about continence care for your residents.”

To request your free fact sheet ‘Effective continence care for care homes’ email info@cairncare.co.uk.

CareZips™ adaptive wear trousers preserve the dignity of incontinent people, whilst helping the carers to deliver better standards of care.

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

CareZips™ feature 3 strategically positioned zips, 2 of which run from the waist to the knees on both sides of the body and the 3rd zip from inside of one knee all the way up and down to the inside of the other knee. The 3zip system makes access to the abdomen and crotch during diaper changes fast and easy. There is no need to undress the patient or pull the CareZips™ down.

CareZips™ are unisex and available in 7 sizes for good fit. Made in popular colours, CareZips™ fabric is soft and wrinkle resistant with stretch for extra comfort. Washable and non-iron, the CareZips™ trousers are perfect for wearing every day.

When worn over hip protectors designed for easy diaper changing (i.e. HipSaver QuickChange, HipSaver OpenBottom, HipSaver EasyFit), the CareZips™ improve patients’ dignity and comfort and help to prevent fall-related hip fractures.

CareZips™ Incontinence Dignity Trousers improve lives of the patients as well as their carers!

Available from Win Health Medical Ltd - 01835 864866 www.win-health.com or see the advert on page 7.

®

New Zerolon Barrier Cream

New Zerolon® Barrier Cream from Thornton & Ross Dermatology, is the latest addition to the Zeroderma range.

Zerolon® Barrier Cream is specially formulated to prevent irritation from bodily fluids including urine, faeces and exudate.

Zerolon® Barrier Cream moisturises and protects intact, damaged or inflamed skin and is suitable for use with incontinence pads.

Similar in formulation to leading barrier creams, Zerolon®

Barrier Cream offers cost savings of up to 29% without any compromise on patient care.

Zerolon® Barrier Cream is part of the Zeroderma range of emollients and barrier creams and is listed on the Drug Tariff and Nurse Prescriber’s Formulary.

For further information about Zerolon® Barrier Cream, please contact: zeroderma@thorntonross.com 01484 842217 / www.zeroderma.co.uk

Sky Chemicals (UK) Ltd - Cleaning Products and Hygiene Specialists There are growing concerns over the ability of conventional disinfectants such as chlorine and quaternary based products to keep up with a new generation of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms (MROs) which are resistant to traditional antibiotics and some disinfectants.

This immunity creates the problem where no matter how much cleaning and disinfecting is scheduled, it won’t actually reduce the number of instances of outbreak. This could be incorrectly presumed to be the fault of the cleaning schedules, however, more likely, the problem is with the disinfectant product.

The persistent presence of Clostridium difficile spores, MRSA, Norovirus and other MRO pathogens in residential & care homes calls for a better product to improve the efficiency of the cleaning practice and improves disinfectant processes throughout the industry.

The problem faced cannot be controlled by chlorine products, quaternary ammonium products or other low-

level disinfectants due to the need for a strong oxidising action to destroy persistent pathogens and spores that can stay in the environment for weeks to months, if not correctly sanitised Peracide is a revolutionary, clinically proven in-situ cleaner and disinfectant, with active ingredients which boast strong oxidising properties associated with peracetic acid, with a pleasant fragrance. Peracide is formulated with a unique colour activation system which alerts the user of its efficacy, it is simple to visually see if the product will work.

Peracide has excellent disinfectant properties above chlorine, Quaternary ammonium compounds and hydrogen peroxide. Peracetic acid can kill all known pathogens including spores in both ‘clean’ and ‘dirty’ conditions. It is also safe for both the user and the environment degrading into just water, vinegar and carbon dioxide.

For further details see advert on this page or visit www.skychemicals.co.uk

THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018 | PAGE 39

FURNITURE AND FURNISHINGS Hand Painted Wall Art by Joanna Perry – Professional Mural Artist I hand paint beautiful and durable wall murals in a range of styles, sizes and designs to enhance any care home, residential home, nursing home and other environments dedicated to looking after the elderly and those with Dementia and Alzheimer's.

My hand painted wall art can refresh and transform key areas within your care home to increase sociability, create a relaxed area for visitors, and help residents navigate and locate key corridors and lounges.

Add colour and interest to the walls of your Care Home or Nursing home - with my fabulous hand painted wall murals....

The fantastic advantage to commissioning a hand painted mural scheme for your care home is that it will be bespoke to your organisation, unlike printed mural wallpaper or stickers which not only peel off the wall but will be found in any care home, my murals are designed specifically for your theme, wall space and environment.

Care Home Murals can be hand painted in your care home in many key areas and locations to: • Increase sociability • Increase enjoyment by visitors • Increase job satisfaction by caring staff • To help residents navigate and locate key areas in the

Renray Healthcare 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.

Telephone: +44 (0)1606 593456, Email: info@renrayhealthcare.com, www.renrayhealthcare.com or see the advert on page 3 for details.

care home My Murals are easy to care for and wipe clean and painted in long lasting non-toxic commercial paints, ensuring longevity to the artwork.

Unlike pictures my murals cannot be taken off the walls by residents and do not create a fire risk or block corridors or exits.

Both residents and their families enjoy seeing the art work being created and the finished murals create a wonderful focal point for sharing memories and reminiscing. My bespoke hand painted murals add a unique feel and warmth to any care home giving a sense of space, the outside and nature. I can design any scheme for you from, memory lane shop fronts along a corridor to garden scenes with trees and flowers or vintage reminiscence scenes.

When creating and designing murals for both Care Homes and Hospitals, I not only consider the budget that has to be worked to for the project, but also the main purpose of the artwork.

I offer a free design scheme and quotation so please contact me today to discuss your ideas.

Please visit www.joannaperrymurals.co.uk to see more examples of my work.

Email: info@joannaperrymurals.co.uk T: 01477 500 486 or M: 07940 161918

Hand Painted Wall Art By Joanna Perry – Professional Mural Artist I hand paint beautiful and durable wall murals in a range of styles, sizes and designs to enhance any care home, residential home, nursing home and other environments dedicated to looking after the elderly and those with Dementia and Alzheimer's.

My hand painted wall art can refresh and transform key areas within your care home to increase sociability, create a relaxed area for visitors, and help residents navigate and locate key corridors and lounges.

Both residents and their families enjoy seeing the art work being created and the finished murals create a wonderful focal point for sharing memories and reminiscing.

I offer a free design scheme and quotation so please contact me today to discuss your ideas.

Please visit www.joannaperrymurals.co.uk to see more examples of my work.

Email : info@joannaperrymurals.co.uk T: 01477 500 486 or M: 07940 161918

Freephone: 0800 917 7943 www.euroservice-uk.com sales@euroservice-uk.com

Christopher Guy Interiors Christopher Guy Interiors prides themselves on making the best quality furniture for your care home.

Their Claridge bedroom range is a perfect example of this. The Claridge range gives you everything you need to furnish a room, whilst making the room stylish and modern. With a ten year guarantee on this range you will be glad you chose Christopher Guy Interiors.

With 8 new builds going ahead in 2019 with the claridge range, why not take advantage of this design on your new build.

The Set comprises of a combined

dressing table and wardrobe with draws giving maximum space saving for smaller areas. The matching bedside cabinet has a lockable top draw for personal items to be safe and secure. Within the dressing table you also have the option of a minibar/fridge or a shelved cupboard.

The curtains, pelmets, throwover/duvet, scatter cushions, headboard and bedroom chair are all made to your choice of fabrics giving colour coordination throughout the room.

The contract care bed and mattress are made to last and are waterproof. Christopher Guy Interiors can even provide nursing beds if required.

Every step of the conception of this bedroom set has been meticulously thought out to make sure you are left with the perfect rooms for your care home.

Reader enquiries - Tel: 01274 660123 or visit www.christopherguyinteriors.com

PM200

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PO 300

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black out, dim-out and bedding end uses.

Mau Loa will add to the Skopos print portfolio and be seen on exhibition stands in Autumn and Winter, with samples available from October.

Skopos supply fabric on the roll for contract projects or offer a full-service option with site measure, furnishings make-up and installation.

Skopos is an ISO9001 accredited company and has over 45 years’ specialist experience in the design and manufacture of high-performance FR contract fabrics for the hospitality, cruise, care and leisure sectors.

Tel: 01924 436666 or www.skoposfabrics.com

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Kilworth Flooring & Furnishing Company Ltd contract and commercial flooring across a broad market sector. We offer a vast selection of carpets and carpet tiles, sheet vinyl & safety flooring and specialist design lead flooring products, dealing with the UK’s major manufacturers and wholesalers.

Tropical Prints on FR Fabrics for a Boutique Feel Classic trellis designs, tumbles of exotic flowers and waving palm trees give a clue to the relaxing far-away feel of the new collection launching this Autumn by Skopos.

7 new designs, printed on a choice of base-cloths, offer an uplifting boutique feel to contract interiors.

Inspired by the relaxing pace of Hawaiian life, Mau Loa (meaning ‘forever’) conveys a tranquil, exotic paradise through exquisite illustration, hand painting and mixed media. The collection will be launched on a new FR soft panama weave fabric, with FR options for waterproof upholstery, multi-use velvet and qualities for

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Located centrally in Leicestershire, we are a family run business specializing in contract commercial flooring, furniture and soft furnishings.

We provide a complete and comprehensive service to our customers including bespoke interior design services, the selection and sourcing of the best available products, installation by professional fitters and tradespeople, and ongoing management of assets and installations.

We have successfully grown over the past 10 years, providing flooring, furnishing and facilities services into diverse commercial market sectors. Operating from our Leicestershire Head Office, we service our customer's requirements throughout the UK. Our 5,000sq/ft headquarters incorporates offices, showroom, fabric design studio and substantial warehousing for our Rapid Response services.

Our Flooring Division specialize in

Our fitting teams have a wealth of experience and expertise, with many years in this industry the quality of installation is second to none. Our customer base includes many types of establishment within Healthcare, Education, Hotel & Leisure, Motor Trades and the general commercial market place. It has been challenging and exciting to work with such a diverse group of customers to the successful conclusion of many projects.

INTERIOR DESIGN - The finished article and its impact on the customer and their clients is of extreme importance. With this in mind our experienced design team take an active role, working very closely with our customers to create full designs,

colour schemes, fabric selections and furniture choices to help create the visions that our client imagines.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT - As a project reaches its conclusion the volume of work for a client increases dramatically. We recognise this and our onsite project team are in place to take on the full site management - receiving deliveries, organising full room placement, unpacking boxes and wrapping, disposing of all rubbish and assembling equipment – we will handle this full project management for you and take on these time consuming requirements.

NEW BUILD & REFURBISHMENT - Our services and supply base lend themselves perfectly to the completion of full turnkey new build fit outs or refurbishments, whether in the Healthcare sector, Hotels or smaller projects in Education and Leisure. At Kilworth we are able to assist with furnishing all areas of the building, from Soft Furnishings and Curtains, Cabinet Furniture, Chairs, Seating & Tables through to Linens, Office Furniture & Specialist Equipment.

Telephone: 0116 259 9848 E-mail: info@kilworth.co.uk Web: www.kilworth.co.uk

PAGE 42 | THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018

DEMENTIA CARE AND TRAINING Does high staff turnover make it hard to keep your staff’s training up-to-date?

You can keep staff qualified quickly, easily and cheaply with our wide range of online courses.

• Improve your CQC rating – easy-to-use system to track learners and produce reports

• Stay on budget – a wide range of courses at an affordable price to suit your needs

• Save time – flexible online training that can be done outside of working hours

• Improve levels of care – train staff with up-todate courses written by sector experts

Contact us today to find out how we can transform your training:

www.whitehalltraining.com/care

0207 099 7432

|

enquiries@whitehalltraining.net

Little Islands are excited to introduce our NEW Reminiscence Jolly Trolley • • • • • • • • • • • • •

It’s a fun way to create festivity in any environment Encourages social activity and reminiscence Stimulating videos, sensory lights and music included Promotes eating and drinking by use of appropriate themes Enhances the quality of care your staff can deliver Works well in Palliative Care Touch screen technology for ease of use Wireless PA system inspires participation USB connection provided for easy input of your own media Eye-catching way to promote events and display information in the home Fully mobile, wheels into any room or even outdoors for your Garden Fete Re-experience happy memories day after day Any theme you want, the only limit is your imagination

Introducing The All New Activities and Reminiscence Trolley From Little Islands

As seen at the 2018 Care Show at the NEC, Little Islands are proud to present the brand new Jolly Trolley!

Jolly by name and Jolly by nature, our fantastic activities and reminiscence cart is a great way to enhance the quality of care your staff can deliver. Designed to look traditional in style, it comes complete with music, sensory lights and pictures to match; enabling numerous different themes for triggering happy memories. The Jolly Trolley includes a 27” touchscreen for ease of use and has a full PA system to inspire participation. With plenty of different programmes, including karaoke, quiz’s and reminiscence films, you will never be stuck for activity ideas again. As the Jolly Trolley is battery operated and fully portable, in can be used anywhere in the care home or even outside – weather permitting! If that wasn’t enough, there is also a USB port to use your own media making the Jolly Trolley perfect for person-centred activities.

The Jolly Trolley is perfect for all types

A Big Thank You...

Select Lifestyles was established in 2007 with a small dedicated staff team, with only one service which offered day opportunities for adults with learning, physical and complex care needs and a small office based in Hampstead Birmingham. Looking back it seems like a lifetime ago. We now offer a wider range of services for adults with learning and physical disabilities, complex care needs, mental health and re- enablement through service such as; Day Opportunities, Supported Living, Residential care, Respite services and Domiciliary care across the West Midlands and employ in excess of 300 staff members through a variety of different departments from Support Staff, Admin staff, Maintenance and Development staff, Apprentices and Management team.

Story of Success…

Wayne Phillips a staff member who started in 2007 as a support staff member within the day opportunities service has progressed to a Registered Domiciliary Care Manager within our supported living services and now is a fully accredited Training Manager delivering Free training to all our staff members and providing external courses which include MAPA, Food Hygiene, First Aid, Manual Handling, Mental Health Awareness, Safeguarding, MCA AND DOLS… to name but a few. A Big Thank You goes out to Wayne for his dedication and hard work.

of activities. It includes relaxation films that can be used during a massage, church hymns and reminiscence films and music that range from the 1940’s to the 1970’s. The built in “Happy Birthday” programme is a brilliant way to celebrate a residents birthday and the Christmas programme is sure to make that special time of year even more magical.

As the Jolly Trolley comes complete with a USB connection to add your own media, it can even be used to promote your care home! It’s an eye-catching way to promote events, display information and show your visitors all the great things your residents have been doing.

Using props, interchangeable signs and the built in media, the Jolly Trolley can be instantly transformed into any theme you wish. From afternoon tea to the bakers shop to the seaside, the only limit is your imagination!

See the advert on this page for further details.

Charity Donations

Throughout the years we have proudly supported numerous good causes which include: • Cystic Fibrosis – Several of our staff members completed a series of Wolf Runs raising a total of £500.

• Working towards the 2p Mile for a local charity.

• Brownhills Colts Junior FC - Donated £500 and provided new football kits.

• Select Lifestyles Gala Charity Ball- Raising £15,000 for Cancer Research.

• Local Charities- Each Christmas we collect and donate food, clothing and toys to local churches/charities to distribute to people less fortunate to ourselves.

Employee Benefits

Our aim is to be the best employer within the care sector, Our promise is to continually improve benefits for our employees the benefits we offer currently are: • Competitive Rates of Pay- We are an above minimum wage paying company • Allowances for clothing- A voucher for £120 per year to contribute towards clothing.

• Baby Boxes- Given to all our expectant parents • Quarterly raffle – this gives all staff an opportunity to win £500 • Christmas Hampers- Given to all of our staff members and suppliers.

This level of success would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our staff members and the efficiency of our suppliers.

Thank You!!

See the advert below for details.

At Select Lifestyles, we respect, value and celebrate the unique attributes, characteristics & perspectives that make each person who they are!

All people regardless of ability are entitled to a full and eventful lifestyle Courses available either in house or on site at our training centre in the West Midlands: · Emergency First Aid at Work · Basic Life Support · Paediatric First Aid · Manual Handling · Fire Safety · Safeguarding · Food Safety And many more. For a full list of training we provide please see our website.

Our Training Manager Wayne Phillips has been delivering high quality interactive training since the start of 2011. Prior to this, Wayne was a Registered Domiciliary Care Manager with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for our parent company Select Lifestyles Limited.

COMPETITIVE RATES

0330 333 7484 info@selectlifestyles.co.uk www.selectlifestylestraining.co.uk

THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018 | PAGE 43

DEMENTIA CARE AND TRAINING

Laser Learning Laser Systems and Laser Learning are delighted to announce that their care CPD short courses and care certificate online course are now endorsed by Skills for Care.

To achieve this endorsement, Skills for Care required Laser Systems to demonstrate: • Effective systems to monitor standards and allow for continuous improvement • Programmes respond to individual learner needs • The enrolment process is comprehensive, transparent and supportive • Services provided meet the reasonable needs of learners with good,

secure assessments in place • Programme designers make effective use of appropriate teaching aids and learning resources Laser short courses and care certificate resources are written by industry experts with professional experience in their subject. The dedicated content team ensure course material is accurate, relevant, and up-to-date before it’s edited and formatted to the signature Laser Lesson style.

Each short course begins with a filmed tutorial, and each unit of the care certificate also begins with a filmed tutorial to introduce each new topic. Tutorials are filmed with a professional presenter and further resources include a presentation, reading, good practice example videos, and interactive assessment quizzes.

For more information please visit www.lasersys.co.uk, or contact Laser Systems via email info@lasersys.co.uk or phone 01753 584 112.

Need To Improve Your Rating In Your Next CQC Inspection?

A recent study by the CLG Committee found that 27% of care staff have no dementia training and 24% have administered medication without adequate training. This is a symptom of insufficient training across the care sector. It is not unsurprising then that 1 in 5 care homes in the UK are currently rated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as either “requires improvement” or “inadequate”.

You can ensure that you are not part of this 1 in 5 with Whitehall Training’s online care courses. Our easy to use system lets you track the progress of multiple learners and quickly produce reports, enabling you to

consistently monitor the quality of care that your staff provide.

The flexible nature of our online courses means that training can be done anywhere and at any time, freeing up more time for staff to respond to residents’ needs during work hours.

Our expert written courses cover all the subjects you need, so you can guarantee your staff will be trained to deliver effective care upon completion.

To see how we can transform your training at a competitive price visit www.whitehalltraining.com, phone us on 0207 099 7432 or email enquiries@whitehalltraining.net.

See the advert on the facing page for details.

Innovative Board Game To Tackle Malnutrition Among Older People The University of Hertfordshire is celebrating the first UK Malnutrition Awareness Week, running 1-7 October 2018, with the launch of a new educational board game. The Food in Later Life Game will help people learn more about the causes of malnutrition in older people and the actions they can take to help prevent and manage it.

Malnutrition affects an estimated one in 10 people over the age of 65 in the UK (around 1.3m) and is a major public health issue estimated to have cost £19.6 billion a year in England, around 15% of the total expenditure on health and social care**. The vast majority (over 90%) of older people who are malnourished are living in their own homes where the signs and symptoms of malnutrition often go unnoticed and unrecognised.

Researchers from the University of Hertfordshire’s Centre for Research in Public Health and Community Care (CRIPACC) sought to develop a fun, interactive way for people to engage with findings from their research into food and older people, which was funded by the Food Standards Agency and the Economic and Social Research Council.

Wendy Wills, Director of CRIPACC at the University of Hertfordshire, said: “Sometimes it’s easy to think that the solution to help older people access food is simple – organise ‘meals on wheels’ or do someone’s food shopping for them – but this game, based on our research study, shows that people’s lives are complex and there are costs as well as benefits to making changes to the way people get food as they age.”

The Food in Later Life Game, which has been co-produced with Focus Games who are educational board game specialists, has been officially launched at a Malnutrition Awareness Week event on Wednesday 3 October. The community event, which was attended by Councillor Richard Roberts, from Hertfordshire County Council, had been

Geopace Training Geopace Training has a nationwide reputation for teaching phlebotomy to the highest of standards - students travel from across the country and even internationally to be trained by experienced by Geopace tutors.

Each class lasts two full days and at the end of the course students will have attained a recognised qualification. Students need no prior experience and come from all walks of life. The Introduction to Phlebotomy Course provides a very thorough grounding in both theory and practical elements and teaches up to the point of “live blood draws”.

Geopace instructors are some of the most experienced in the industry and the training programme is constantly updated to keep up with new developments and changes, so students receive the most current information and training available.

The course is very “hands-on”, practicing on artificial arms offering a choice of veins to perform venepuncture. There is also a theory element although there are no exams at the end. Students complete modules as they progress through the course and it’s almost impossible to fail! Once completed the course awards a nationally recognised and accredited certificate in phlebotomy (accredited at Level 3 - advanced).

For more information visit the Geopace Training website at: www.geopace.com

organised by local meals on wheels providers Hertfordshire Independent Living Service; it offered local residents an opportunity for older people to receive a free malnutrition screening test, conducted by the University’s students, and play the board game.

Cllr Roberts, who played the Food in Later Life Game with the game’s co-creators Wendy Wills and Angela Dickinson, said: “This game asks, and answers, questions around the issue of food and older people and helps those working with older people to gain a better understanding of the issue. Ultimately this is the best way of keeping people fit and fed and the game really helps for that.”

The board game helps players understand the challenges faced by older people when buying, cooking or eating food. It also helps them to discuss what individuals and organisations can do to ensure older people have access to a safe and nutritious diet, and are able to continue to enjoy food in later life.

The game has been designed so that it can be used by supermarkets to help train their staff to understand how a few changes in their approach could make it easier for older people to access food. It is also intended to be used by people working in numerous professions, including social care staff working in the community, healthcare staff including community, mental health and practice nurses, and people working in the hospitality and catering industries. Additionally, the game is a training tool for students studying dietetics, social care, nursing or hospitality; community groups, such as meals on wheels or lunch group providers; and volunteers working with older people.

CRIPACC research into food insecurity in older people has previously been used by an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) to explore Hidden Hunger and Malnutrition in the Elderly.

The Food in Later Life Game can be purchased online at: https://shop.focusgames.com/collections/diet-nutrition/products/food-in-later-life

PAGE 46 | THE CARER | AUTUMN 2018

PROPERTY AND PROFESSIONAL EAD

Nursing & Residential Home Specialist Agency Eddie Dribble - the best known name in the private care industry

Valuations undertaken - Nursing and Residential Homes always wanted for sale nationwide

Emanuel A Dribble 26 Arthur Road New Malden Surrey KT3 6LX Tel/Fax 020 8942 0852

Reduced commission rates for owners replying through this advertisement Reduced commission rates for RNHA members

How to Prevent Injury as a Carer in the Workplace Lifting and manual labour is a part of many carers’ day-to-day responsibilities, and with this comes the risk of injury and accident.

Learning how to prevent these injuries and where to recognise the likelihood of them occurring is an essential skill all carers need to learn.

Lifting

An estimated 52% of carers suffer from musculoskeletal injuries, especially back injuries, as a result of assisting the person they care for and carrying out manual tasks as a part of their duties.

To prevent an injury like this, learning how to lift properly is essential: •Plan the lift - know how you are going to lift, where you will place the person (or load), and remove any obstacles before you begin lifting •Bend your knees and squat in preparation to lift, keeping your core braced and your back straight •Keep the person (or load) close to your waist to reduce pressure on your back •Face the person you are lifting to prevent your back from bending too much •Maintain a stable position, ideally with feet slightly apart and one leg

forward •Lift with a smooth motion, pushing with your leg muscles •Don’t bend your back or twist when you lift, as this could cause injury •Know your limits - if you don’t think you can lift someone or something safely on your own, ask for help or use tools to assist you (see below).

Ergonomic Assistance

Staying safe as a carer also means making use of tools that can assist you and the person you care for. These include: •Shower benches and chairs •Grab bars and toilet seat risers •Bed hoists and lifts For all carers, making your safety a priority should be a key concern, Carers Insurance from Surewise.com aims to cover you against the risks you may face as a carer so that you can focus on your work every day with the peace of mind that you’re covered against unexpected incidents and can live life confidently.

For peace of mind contact Surewise insurance on 0800 999 1122 or visit www.surewise.com. See the advert on the facing page for details.

Direct Debit for Care Homes

Successful Care Homes are built on the concept of maximising the efficiency of every part of the business. This is never more important than in the collection of care fees from clients and the method you use to collect regular payments and monthly fees will make a big difference on your time, resources and finances.

Direct Debit guarantees income dates and

improves cash flow. It’s reliable, it’s secure and it puts you in control.

Eazipay has been working with organisations in the Care Home sector for over five years and we’ve developed an enviable reputation for our reliability, responsiveness and the highest levels of customer service.

Whenever you contact Eazipay, you will be

treated with respect and courtesy by staff who are both understanding and committed to giving you the best service we possibly can. We set the customer service bar high and when we feel we have reached it we set it a little higher.

To find out more about how Eazipay can help your Care Home visit: www.eazipay.co.uk

Employment Screening Solution Tailored For The Care Sector The care sector skills shortage has been spoken about for some time.

Employers are finding it increasingly hard to retain the best people.

Coupled with long onboarding times this can cause owners and managers real resourcing problems. With staff turnover in the care sector at approximately 27% there must be a better way.

That’s why at Secure Screening Services we have created a care sector screening package which is both fast and reliable. We have an easy to use online portal which can be used by the employer to register and the candidate to enter required information. We then process the information and complete the required checks. We

Wright Care Solutions Ltd. 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

Global Business Finance Global Business Finance was established over 29 years ago by the firm’s present senior partner, Mark Widdows, and since then has arranged over £1.8bn in loans for healthcare clients.

The firm works exclusively in the care sector providing a very personalised service, as the firm knows every client is individual with individual requirements. Mark and his team spend time getting to know each of their clients in order that they can ensure all needs are met and the loan facility tailored to their client’s individual requirements.

Global offers national coverage and with the support of email, fax, regular telephone conversations and face to face meetings the firm are able to put together a professional and comprehensive bank application. The bank managers that Global work with are all specialist health-

have some of the fastest DBS turnaround times in the UK. Easy to read reports and a fully managed process will allow the candidate start work with you sooner, benefitting both employer and employee. We won’t make you sign a contract and you can pay as you screen.

To learn more about how to register for screening please visit www.securescreeningservices.com/ care-sector-screening Alternatively contact us at 01243 767868 where we will be happy to assist you with the process.

See the advert on the front cover for details. 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 audits- a 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 17. care managers who have extensive knowledge within the sector and fully understand the requirements of the clients that Global introduce.

Mark Widdows, the firm’s senior partner, trained as an accountant before establishing the brokerage in 1989, other key executives are his wife, Sally-Ann, who specialised in nutrition before becoming a registered care home manager and Rupert, his son, who is also a qualified care manager and holds a degree in dementia with the leading Bradford Dementia Studies Group through Bradford University. The family own and run two care homes so fully understand all aspects and issues of care home owners which brings a unique ability to the firm to work with clients and convey their needs to the bank that is lending.

With over £1.8bn in completed care home loans you should strongly consider Global Business Finance to represent you for your next loan application.

Reader Enquiries - Tel: 01242 227172 Email: enquiries@globalbusinessfinance.com