The Carer #43 Winter 2019

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

Wayne is The Carer Unsung Hero!

W W W. T H E C A R E R U K . C O M

INSIDE

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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WINTER 2019

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Editor's Viewpoint

Energy Solutions

Page 2

Technology Products & Software & Services

Pages 25-27

Pages 28-31

Pages 32

Food and Nutrition Pages 32-35

Issue 43

Hygiene & Infection Control Pages 36-37

Laundry Solutions

Furniture & Flooring

Pages 38-39

Pages 40-42

See Page 5

Dementia Professionals and Care and Training Insurance Page 43

Pages 44-47

Government Must Act Now to Keep EU Care Staff Coming to Work in the UK

The government must keep the country open to EU carers following Britain’s withdrawal from the EU to avoid a worsening of the social care crisis, Age UK has warned.

The already fragile social care workforce will receive a further body blow under any Brexit scenario and older people in the South could be especially badly hit, the charity has said, and is urging the Government to put measures in place now to allow EU nationals to continue to come to the UK to work as paid care staff, whatever happens with 'Brexit'.

With around 110,000 job vacancies in care in England, more than 3 in 10 staff leaving each year, and 104,000 care jobs and rising held by EU nationals, the Charity is calling on the Government to take action so that older people and their families can still be confi-

dent of getting the care they rely on in future.

Age UK is arguing that care workers should not be covered by the new rule recommended by the Government's Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) that 'low skilled EU workers' should no longer have preferential access to the UK labour market after a UK withdrawal from the EU. The Charity says that care workers are low paid, not low skilled.

In addition, the Charity fears that care is in no fit state to withstand the systemic shock that such a move would represent. EU nationals who work in social care are concentrated in particular areas of the country, with the highest proportion in London where 1 in 7 are from the EU and significant numbers also to be found in the South West and South East, the Home Counties, Midlands and Manchester.

'Live in care' is growing in popularity in the UK because most older people would like to stay in their own homes for as long as possible, and significant numbers of live in carers are from the EU, as well as from other countries further afield. The Charity has raised concerns over the impact of Brexit on live in carers who travel in and out of the country on a regular basis from other parts of the EU, rotating with one or more others. Any disruption to travel after a disorderly UK withdrawal would hit such arrangements very hard, causing big and immediate problems for older people.

But more broadly, in the longer term, if care workers based in the EU are no longer able to work as live in carers in the UK live in care companies will find it hard to meet rising demand, the Charity fears.

(Continued on page 3...)

PAGE 2 | THE CARER | WINTER 2019

VIEWPOINT Welcome to the Winter 2019 issue of The Carer. I would take this opportunity to wish you all a very slightly belated happy New Year!

I would also take this opportunity to thank our wonderful readers for their heart warming and uplifting nominations for our “Christmas Unsung Hero” Award.

As explained on our website we celebrated our 10th anniversary last year and wanted to celebrate Editor the event with an unsung hero of the decade competition. We were inundated again with so many heart warming and uplifting nominations so much so that we repeated the award for Christmas.

In an industry where people, particularly mainstream media are quick to criticise and find fault, it was inspiring for all of us here at The Carer to read of such dedication, generosity, hard work, enthusiasm, and pride from people working in the industry, not only in their jobs in the care sector generally.

Once again it was almost impossible to pick an outright winner, so we tagged on to runner-up prizes, please see page 5 for further details.

The big story is of course Brexit, at the time of writing this we are about 60 days away from leaving the European Union, unless of course between writing this and you reading it there has been an extension.

Frankly nothing would surprise me!

The biggest issue facing the sector and our withdrawal from the European Union is clearly staffing.

Our front-page leads with a story with Age UK urging the government to act to keep care workers for the EU. The United Kingdom’s ability to exercise control over migration and preventing the free movement of labour has been one of the key tenets of Brexit , and once an Immigration Bill is introduced, we will essentially see the end of 47 years of free movement of people between Europe and the UK, and the establishing of a new migration system which will restrict the influx of lower paid/lower skilled workers The elephant in the room is that both the health and social care sectors have been facing staff shortages for years. Skills for Care estimates that the social care sector has a vacancy rate of 6.6% and an overall turnover rate of 27.8% (equating to around 350,000 people leaving their job each year).

The figures released by Age UK are pretty worrying, around 110,000 job vacancies in care in England alone, more than 3 in 10 staff leaving each year, and 104,000 care jobs and rising held by EU nationals, so restricting EU workers in the care sector looks set to have a devastating impact.

Alarm bells were ringing last year when analysis by think tank Global Future revealed that a ‘no deal’ Brexit would threaten the freedom of movement of vital low-skilled EU health workers. Peter Starkings, director of Global Future, said in a newspaper interview: “Ministers have got to stop treating social care as an afterthought and get serious about ensuring our loved ones are properly cared for. Without action our care sector faces a staffing shortfall of almost 400,000 by 2026.That must not be allowed to happen.”

We hope in the coming months to have industry comment and advice from training and recruitment specialists, as well as immigration law advisers on how best residential and nursing care homes can help minimise staffing problems. If you haven’t already signed up for our digital newsletter visit www.thecareruk.com

Peter Adams

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Government Must Act Now to Keep EU Care Staff Coming to Work in the UK (...Continued from page 1) The Charity has written to the Home Secretary about these concerns, urging the Government to exempt care workers from the new rules that will otherwise exclude EU nationals from coming here to work. It has not yet received a reply. The Charity notes however that the Government has already made a partial exemption from the same rules for fruit pickers.

Recent research shows that 130,000 new workers are needed each year just for the social care workforce to stand still. Meanwhile, the numbers of 65+s in England are projected to increase from 10 million in 2017 to 14.5 million in 2035, a rise of 44%. Around 650,000 extra jobs will be needed in adult care by 2035 to match this increased demand. Furthermore, the average age of the adult care workforce is 43 years old, with 320,000 workers aged over 55 Significant numbers of care staff are therefore likely to retire in the next decade, making a situation that is already difficult even worse. These numbers demonstrate just how fragile the social care workforce has become - it is in no position to withstand the loss of good, willing care workers, from wherever they may come.

According to the Government's 'EU Settlement Scheme: statement of intent' the rights of EU citizens living in the UK will not change until after 31st December 2020. However, anecdotal reports from care companies suggest that some EU nationals are already

going home because they no longer feel welcome. In any event, whether EU nationals already in the UK decide to stay or not, turning off the supply of EU care workers in future is potentially a much bigger threat.

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said: "The social care workforce is already struggling but if after a UK withdrawal we shut the door on staff from the EU we'll make a bad situation even worse. Live in care and social care in London and across the South of England seem especially threatened because EU nationals are concentrated here; there's no way these people can be quickly or easily replaced, and social care is losing staff as it is.

"Care work is low paid, not low skilled, so it is quite wrong that it is being caught by the new rules proposed by the Migration Advisory Committee. The Government should recognise this and allow EU nationals to continue to come and work as paid carers.

"The Government has granted a partial exemption from the new rules for fruit pickers and Age UK believes it should remove care workers from this proposed post Brexit regime altogether. Does the Government really think that being able to eat home grown Granny Smiths is more important than ensuring that 'Grannies and Grandpas' up and down the country can get the care they need? If Ministers do not budge on their current plans this will be the implication. They should do the right thing and allow EU nationals to continue to work in the care sector."

Care Cap May Cost Up To £3.6bn by 2035 Research Reveals A lifetime cap on care costs of £35,000 would cost up to £3.6bn by 2035, according to research into reforming long-term care for older people.

In 2011, the Dilnot Commission recommended a £35,000 cap on the amount an individual must pay for their own care costs during their lifetime, and research published by the University of East Anglia, the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Pensions Policy Institute have estimated that this would cost £3.6bn by 2035.

It also found that rolling out a minimum level of social care to all older people with high needs and limited resources would cost a similar amount.

‘How best to reform the system of financing social care has proved a challenge for successive governments,’ said associate professorial research fellow Raphael Wittenberg, from the personal social services research unit at the London School of Economics and

Political Science.

‘There are difficult trade-offs to address. How far should additional resources be focused on relaxing the means test to help people with substantial care needs who because of the means test currently fund their own care?

‘And how far should they be focused on people with limited resources who currently do not receive publicly funded care because their needs are not assessed as sufficiently substantial to meet the eligibility criteria?

‘In order to inform decisions we have examined in detail the likely impacts of a range of potential reforms.’

The report reveals that alleviating the means test would permit those who fund their own care with their savings or incomes to receive publicly funded care.

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PAGE 4 | THE CARER | WINTER 2019

Grieve Pushes for CCTV in All Care Homes - Legal Comment

By Jonathan Wheeler - Managing Partner, Bolt Burdon Kemp

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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.

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Dominic Grieve MP is promoting a new law to make it compulsory to have CCTV cameras in care homes. He is hoping to secure a debate in Parliament in September, so it could be one of the first things MP’s deal with when they return from their summer recess.

One of the ills that such a measure is trying to remedy is the upturn in reports of abuse of vulnerable residents. It is felt that CCTV could provide evidence of abuse and lead to criminal and professional sanctions for those ‘bad apples’ who commit such sickening acts of cruelty on some of our most vulnerable citizens.

I accept that the vast majority of care workers are dedicated, well meaning and caring individuals, working in an appallingly under-funded sector, and facing challenges from those they are caring for every day. But like all professions (including mine) there are ‘bad apples’ who abuse their position.

Abuse cases are notoriously difficult to prosecute due to a lack of decent evidence to convince a jury.

More often than not when residents are abused in a care setting, it happens behind closed doors and without witnesses. Even if the abused resident is able to communicate effectively and report abuse, it is often their word against the care worker, and the resident is likely to be said to be confused, and an unreliable witness when it comes to such things.

I dealt with a very sad case involving a young man with profound difficulties, who was unable to communicate. He was cared for at home by his parents, but they required additional professional support. My client’s parents thought that something was wrong as their son’s behaviour changed for the worse but they couldn’t put their finger on it. The male care worker from the agency was really nice. Mum had a brother who was an IT whizz, and they set up secret cameras around their home. It turned out that when the parents were out this nice care worker from the

agency was physically and psychologically torturing (there is no other word for it) their son. The CCTV swung it, the care worker was convicted, and the agency agreed a financial settlement which paid for the psychological rehabilitation needed for my client to get over his ordeal.

In my view Dominic Grieve’s proposals are a nobrainer. Having CCTV in care homes will afford the vulnerable a degree of protection which will surely be a comfort to their relatives and loved ones. It could also protect care workers: where a resident is injured by accident, CCTV footage of the event will ensure that the finger of suspicion is not pointed at them. It would also protect workers from malicious allegations, and as such I would hope that this would be welcomed across the aboard.

The care home owners (who will have to foot the bill no doubt) may be the least easily persuaded, but again they have a legal liability for the actions of their employees, and if CCTV roots out a bad apple, or maybe exonerates an innocent worker, then so much the better for them too.

CCTV is becoming an important tool in the personal fight against crime - the use of dash cams in cars for example is on the rise to evidence what actually happened, and exonerate the innocent driver from a ‘cash for crash’ scam or false allegation. It is in this spirit that CCTV in care homes should be embraced.

Grieve’s measures only go so far. Under his current proposals, the law would only extend to CCTV in public places, so corridors and other communal areas but not it seems in bedrooms and bathrooms.

It is however in such settings that abuse occurs.

What is wrong with patients (if they can), or their loved ones, consenting to having CCTV in these areas too? And for that matter the care workers themselves, consenting to being filmed while they work? It would protect everyone.

Our priority as a society must be rooting out the bad apples and ensuring that our vulnerable folk are cared for with dignity and respect. Dominic Grieve’s campaign is a welcome step on the road towards that aim.

THE CARER | WINTER 2019 | PAGE 5

Four in Five Older People at Risk of Struggle to Find Social Care Just one in five local areas in the UK report having enough older people’s care to meet demand, new research from Coram Family and Childcare reveals, leaving over 4.3 million people aged 75 or over living in areas without enough care.

Coram Family and Childcare Trust’s third annual Older People’s Care Survey – sponsored by Legal & General – found significant regional variation: no local authorities in Inner London or Northern Ireland reported having enough care to meet demand in their area, while almost half (44 per cent) did in the East Midlands and the North East. 34 per cent of local authorities expect the situation to get worse in the next year, compared with only 1 per cent who expect it to get better.

Older people who need care at home will struggle to find it, with only half of local authorities (51 per cent) reporting enough in their area. Those with more severe care needs, such as dementia, face even tougher odds of finding suitable care, with just 42 per cent of areas having enough specialist nursing care to meet local demand.

People who pay for their own care are likely to struggle with high costs and information black spots: Older people paying for their own care face prices which are 13 per cent higher than those paid by local authorities for residential care.

Even if they only pay the same price as local authorities, at nearly £17 an hour, it will take just one year and one month for self-funders using 21 hours of support a week to spend £20,000 of savings on average UK home care fees.

One in five (19 per cent) did not have enough information to say whether there was enough social care in their area to meet demand.

Megan Jarvie, Head of Coram Family and Childcare, said: "High quality care for older people can help to improve their wellbeing and stay well for longer. But the gaps in care that we have found are likely to cause stress and hardship for older people and their families.

Fixing our care system is an opportunity to support older people and their families to lead happier, healthier lives and to reduce the strain on the NHS." Chris Knight, Managing Director of Legal & General’s Retail Retirement Division, said: "We’re all part of the ageing society and this brings both opportunities and challenges – that is why it is important to support the government and the NHS to deliver a better long-term care system. At the moment there is too much confusion about how people find the right long-term care and how much people have to pay from their own pocket. We want to see a system of long-term care that is predictable and fair."

And the Winner is...Wayne Philips!

The Carer is delighted to announce the winner of our Christmas “Unsung Hero” competition. The Christmas competition was a follow-on from our hugely successful “unsung hero of the decade” competition which we ran last summer to celebrate our 10th anniversary. The competition was a huge success, we received numerous and most amazingly uplifting nominations from all departments, demonstrating the truly high-level of commitment, dedication and hard work from people within the industry Wayne Philips of Select Lifestyles, was our worthy winner. Select lifestyles provide care for adults living with learning difficulties in the West Midlands. Wayne is described by his peers as being “the backbone”, going above and beyond all that comes naturally to him providing support not only to the residents in care but also to his colleagues.

Wayne is renowned for his mentoring of new staff, giving up his own time covering days off, sickness, getting involved in many fundraising activities helping raise £15,000 for cancer research in 2017, and we were absolutely delighted to award Wayne The Carer “unsung hero for Christmas 2018”.

Once again it was very difficult for our team here to pick an outright winner, so once again we aadded two runners-up prizes of £50 each in Marks and Spencer’s gift vouchers.

And, it gives us great pleasure to recognise the hard work Linda Smailes who works at Careys Lodge Care Home in Bucks as an activities organiser. 73 year old Linda is known for her enthusiasm and boundless energy organising Christmas bazaars, summer fêtes, dances and functions as well as trips out, and Linda is a keen gardener who along with the residents keeps the care home gardens in pristine condition.

Our second runner-up is Shaun Bate who is head chef at Penhurst Gardens Care Home in Oxfordshire.

Aside from his kitchen duties as head chef, which include a keen attention to nutrition and dietary requirements, Shaun also acts as a mentor and role model to his team, and also takes part in many extracurricular activities and is well known for his weekly general knowledge quiz. Shaun prepares an age UK memory Café and an in-house bistro at the home which is open to the general public which gives the home and residents the opportunity to engage with the local community.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who put forward nominations we had a wonderful response and it was very difficult indeed to pick an outright winner. It does make us very proud and very humble to be involved in some way in such a magnificent caring profession!

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THE CARER | WINTER 2019 | PAGE 7

VODG Warns Against Rushing Mental Capacity Laws The government must resolve confusing and troubling aspects of its mental capacity law reform if it wants to strengthen people’s human rights, a disability services group has said.

The Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) which represents charities providing services for disabled people issued the warning ahead of the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill reaching the House of Commons committee stage earlier this month.

The draft legislation for England and Wales seeks to replace the current system known as ‘Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards’ (DoLs). It aims to change the legal safeguards for people who lack capacity to consent to their care or treatment.

The changes are vital to strengthen and streamline an under-funded system, but the draft legislation in its current form is complicated and difficult for providers to deliver.

Amendments in the House of Lords have allayed some fears about but significant concerns remain.

Concerns include: • A lack of consultation by government among care providers, families and people using services (there is as yet no response to a freedom of information request about details of the consultation process) • The lack of any easy read or accessible version of the draft Bill

• A lack of any draft code of practice to ensure clarity and consistency in the new system • Doubts over how the new system will be regulated and what independent oversight will be introduced • Doubts over the wording and complicated language used in the statutory definition of ‘deprivation of liberty’ • The need for an impact assessment relating to the new responsibilities created by the bill, such as staff training and implementation (MPs have previously called for an costed impact assessment.)

Analysis of the impact of legislative reform is vital, given the government’s statement that the changes will save an estimated £200m a year.

Dr Rhidian Hughes, VODG chief executive, said: “Throughout the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill’s progress through parliament, we have raised concerns about the government’s reluctance to work alongside the care sector and the people it supports. Such a vital piece of reform demands rigorous scrutiny by and meaningful involvement from all those who will be affected by it. Our pleas have so far been ignored and the draft legislation remains confusing and inconsistent. In its latest incarnation, the Bill not only presents social care providers with an overly complex framework in which to operate, but it fails to protect the rights of people who need support but may lack mental capacity.”

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Care Home ‘NRICHes’ Meals for Residents A West Sussex care home has received a prestigious gold award for its innovative approach to residents’ nutrition.

Staff at Elizabeth House, in Bognor Regis, took part in the Nutrition Resources in Care Homes (NRICH) programme, a method of ensuring that care home residents are supported to maintain a healthy diet. Run

by Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the programme also teaches staff to identify and tackle malnutrition.

Ahead of its participation, each of the home’s individual care plans for its residents were audited with a focus on screening for malnutrition using the malnutrition universal screening tool (MUST). In addition, staff were encouraged to adopt a ‘food first’ approach – ensuring that malnutrition could be treated as quickly as possible – as well as learning of the importance

of a pleasant and supportive mealtime environment and the appropriate prescribing of oral nutritional supplements.

Following a special programme of training in communication skills, malnutrition screening and NRICH catering throughout the summer, staff were asked to implement what they had learnt over a twomonth period, before being reviewed against pre-set action plan targets.

Awarding the home a gold certificate, the review pointed to sev-

eral areas of success, describing the home’s menu as “varied and nourishing,” and highlighting the good practice of staff when one-to-one feeding was provided.

Home manager at the Shaw healthcare-run home, Marian Drake, said: “We are delighted with the positive feedback and have already begun work on the ongoing recommendations provided by the report. We recently purchased a smoothie maker – and will soon have another – will which enable us to make more nourishing drinks, especially for high risk residents.

“The gold accolade is testament to the hard work of the staff at Elizabeth House and their commitment to ensuring that our residents are provided with the very best care, which includes meals that are nutritious and suited to their individual needs.”

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THE CARER

SPRING 2018

THE CARER | WINTER 2019 | PAGE 9

Government Unveils £3.5bn Healthcare Funding Boost Primary and community care will receive a £3.5bn real-terms increase in funding by 2023/24 as part of the government’s long-term plan for the NHS, prime minister Theresa May has said.

Ms May also announced two initiatives: new community-based 24/7 rapid response teams including GPs, nurses and physiotherapists, to care for those who would be better treated at home than in hospital; and a national programme where healthcare professionals, including pharmacists and GPs, are assigned to care homes, and can offer emergency care during out of hours The new investment in primary and community healthcare will build on the ‘existing NHS budget for these services’ and forms ‘a key part of the long-term plan for the NHS,’ according to the prime minister’s statement.

‘The new approach we’re setting out today will mean more people can leave hospital quicker, or avoid being admitted in the first place – which is better for patients and better for the health service,’ she said.

Ms May also claimed that the new funding boost was as a direct result of withdrawing from the European Union.

She said: ‘Leaving the EU means taking back control of our money as we will no longer be sending vast sums to Brussels.

This helps our public finances and means we have more money to spend on domestic priorities like our NHS. And we’ve been able to fully fund this historic commitment without raising taxes.’

In June, the Government announced the NHS would recieve a £20.5bn funding boost that would be spent according to a long-term plan for the NHS – the full details of which have yet to be revealed.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said: ‘Every patient deserves to receive care tailored to their needs. Yet too often our hospitals become the only place to turn for older people, often to the detriment of their health – but no longer.

‘The Prime Minister and I are determined to ensure more people are able to receive care in their communities or at home, taking the pressure of our hard working NHS staff.

‘This additional funding of £3.5 billion a year by 2023/24 demonstrates our commitment to primary and community healthcare, capable of relieving the burden on our hospitals over the coming years and revolutionising the way high-quality care is delivered for our most vulnerable patients.’

Matthew Winn, chair of the Community Network, which has been established by NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, said: “The increase in funding of primary care medical services and community health services is a hugely welcome step forward.

“The largest numbers of patients receive their care and support in these services and therefore the new funding for them is vital.

“It will also ensure that all local areas across England can now implement robust models of integrated care. This will ensure that local residents will receive care that no longer is disjointed and supports them to live well in their own homes.

“Working together, primary and community health services will make large changes in supporting local residents, especially frail people, that reduces the number of times people are admitted to acute hospitals and allows them to stay well as they get older.”

UK Care Home Industry in Crisis Says Research Care home occupancy rates are at the highest levels ever recorded after a sixth consecutive year of increase and combined with another year of a net loss in the number of homes and beds, with 267 homes and 6,028 beds lost by the middle of 2018 already, the UK care home industry is facing an unprecedented crisis in the face of an ever expanding ageing population in desperate need of their services, according to the latest research by leading global property adviser Knight Frank.

The social care funding predicament continues to impact many local authority funded homes with almost 7,000 beds deregistered in this market in the last 12 months. The UK’s ageing population remains an unrelenting source of demand for the care home sector with occupancy rates hitting a high of 89.4%. At the same time, average fees outstripped inflation for the fifth consecutive year as operators looked to limit the impact of rising staff costs and generate the additional income required to invest in and improve the quality of care they provide.

Julian Evans, Head of Healthcare at Knight Frank, said: “The care home industry desperately needs new facilities to be developed and built otherwise we are going to see a crisis in care in the next few years. Investors are out there but developers need to build as the lack of available stock is the biggest barrier as opposed to a lack of investor appetite. The primary care and acute hospital care markets continue to gain interest from specialist property investors looking to capitalise on the inherent need for such assets across the UK − as expressed in the NHS five-year forward view. Much like other healthcare asset classes, long-term income streams and secure

yields below five per cent continue to look favourable in the uncertain economic environment.

“We estimate that we require in excess of £15 billion to upgrade existing beds in order to future-proof and that approximately 6,500 care homes are at risk of closure over the next 5 years, which equates to 140,000 beds.

“Due to the scarcity of stock and a continuing ageing population driving demand, the investment appetite for care homes remain strong and there are opportunities for both investors and developers across the entire UK.” Evidence suggests that the care homes that are closing are due to a range of factors including the continued impact of the National Living Wage that has further affected an already constrained labour market and ongoing staffing challenges including an acute shortage of qualified nurses.

In addition, many buildings are not fit for purpose whilst there is insufficient funding available for reinvestment into existing care homes, combined with building material inflation costs which has served to restrain new care home development.

PAGE 10 | THE CARER | WINTER 2019

THE CARER | WINTER 2019 | PAGE 11

Get Set for Care Home Open Day 2019 Care England, National Activity Providers Association (NAPA) and National Care Forum (NCF) have announced that they are working together to support Care Home Open Day 2019.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England says: “We have learned so much from the previous seven years of Care Home Open Day and 2019 is well on its way to being a fantastic celebration marking the importance of the arts in care”.

Care Home Open Day 2019 will take place on Friday 28 June 2019. Care homes are encouraged to throw open their doors and participate. The Care Home Open Day website has been refreshed and is now a one stop shop for all those participants wanting to make the best of the day. www.carehomeopenday.org.uk is now remarkably user

friendly, easy to register and search, up to date, and an expedient tool for promoting the innovative programme in your care home.

Sylvie Silver, Executive Director of NAPA, says: “Care Homes are often creative places and Care Home Open day offers an opportunity for those who live and work in care homes to show off their talents. The creative arts play a key role in encouraging self expression, sharing emotions and reminding everyone that many residents have talents that come to the fore when given the right environment to flourish. We would also like to see community based arts groups visiting the homes on the Open Day to share their skills and experiences too”. www.carehomeopenday.org.uk also includes new pages with tips and key resources. It has a suite of informative docu-

ments signposting the positive role of arts in mental and physical health with particular reference to dementia. There are case studies of previous programme which will help other participants make the most of the day.

Vic Rayner, Executive Director, NCF says: “Care homes play such a central role in local communities. They provide excellent care for community members, employment and volunteering opportunities for local people, excellent space for local organisations to meet and gather, offer vital support for local carers and so much more. In short they are often a community’s best kept secret – and we want Care Home Open Day 2019 to change that! We want everyone to understand just what an excellent resource their local care home is, and to come and join in the celebrations.”

Vulnerable People Dying Each Day Waiting for Social Care Age UK research has revealed that 32,115 sick and vulnerable people died while awaiting social care in 2017/18, equating to approximately 90 each day.The research also revealed that the number of beds for the elderly care has fallen by 8,000 in three years, a fall of 2%.

Furthermore, the number of pensioners receiving social care, which is funded by local authorities, fell by more than 18 per cent in the past three years, regardless of an increased demand.

The figures highlight the certainty of the social care crisis with record numbers missing out on potentially life-saving help with tasks such as getting out of bed, eating, washing, wound care, taking medicine and dressing.

Age UK research found that between 2009/10 and 2016/17, average social care spending per adult fell by 13 per cent, from £439 to £379.

Caroline Abraham’s, Charity Director at Age UK said: “It’s very sad that so many older people died before they received the social care they had asked for and it makes you wonder what their quality of life

The Ultimate Door Closer For Care Homes Critically designed to support and maintain the integral passive fire protection within a care home - Exidor’s Guardian door closer is the only electromagnetic closer in the market specifically designed to meet the needs of residential care facilities.

Exidor are a proud UK manufacturer based in Cannock, Staffordshire, specialising in the care home market. Already UK market leaders in emergency escape hardware and electromagnetic closers, Exidor are experts in their field of fire door closers as well as escape systems.

Exidor’s Guardian electromagnetic door closer is an innovative advancement from traditional swing free closers and has been designed to take into consideration the specific needs of the Care Home environment.

It has two unique features aimed to improve both the physical safety of residents and staff as well as the pas-

was like if they were struggling without the help they needed as they approached the end of their lives.”

Research revealed that people trapped in hospital cost the NHS £289m a year, equivalent to £550 a minute.

Age UK found that average social care spending per adult fell by 13% between 2009/10 and 2016/17 from £439 to £379, with around 400,000 fewer older people receiving care as a result of tightening eligibility criteria.

Analysis of CQC figures showed a 6% drop in the number of care homes in England since 2014.

Shadow social care minister Barbara Keeley said: “This is the grim and horrifying extent of the social care crisis: vulnerable people are dying needlessly while waiting for care.“People in need of care need action now.There is less money for social care – that means fewer packages, despite ever-growing demand.”

“While Tory ministers delay a funding solution to this crisis by shelving publication of their unnecessary Green Paper, more vulnerable people will die waiting for vital care.” sive fire safety of the care facility itself.

Anti-Slam Finger Protection: The swing free mode of a closer can allow a door to slam shut. Whether this is accidental, deliberate or just caused by a draught, it poses a real risk to frail residents and care home workers alike. The Guardian closer has been specifically developed with an anti-slam function which controls and slows the motion of the door.

Drift Resistance: Unbalanced doors naturally swing open or closed, or doors can swing with a draught. This can result in residents wedging doors open and invalidating them as fire doors. Exidor's Guardian closer offers a low level control on the door, which stops it from drifting from its open position, at the same time as allowing it to operate freely to the user. As they are linked to the fire alarm system, they only close when you need them to.

Please contact Exidor for further information or details of a local distributor, or visit www.exidor.co.uk or call 01543 578661 or see the advert on page 22.

Toon Army Elderly Tour St James’ Park on International Men’s Day A VIP tour around Newcastle United’s 52,000-seater stadium was enjoyed by Tyneside care home residents for International Men’s Day. Elderly fans living at Waverley Lodge Care Home, in Lemington, near Newcastle, were invited to tour the stadium by the Newcastle United Foundation.

The Foundation’s National Citizenship Service coordinator, Jack Lennie, arranged for the residents to see the changing rooms, club museum, stands and other facilities.

Lifelong fan Jackie Ryan

was one of those who visited the stadium, remembering many of the old players on pictures in the museum. He said: “I used to go to watch the matches every weekend with my dad. They were good times.”

Fellow resident Alex Dawson was a season ticket holder. He said: “I never missed a match. I’m a big fan.

Part of the Toon Army.”

Another resident, Tommy Moody said: “I had an amazing time. I’ve been to many games, but I have never seen the stadium like this. I liked the changing room the best.”

PAGE 12 | THE CARER | WINTER 2019

Night Time Postural Supports ‘Have Major Health Benefits’ SIMPLE supports designed to make sure older people with complex health problems sleep in better positions can make huge differences to their health and quality of life, researchers have found.

Melanie Stephens, Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing, and Carol Bartley, Lecturer in Occupational Therapy from the University of Salford, conducted the first study of its kind when they worked with residents of a care home to see what difference was made by using night time positioning equipment – devices which help people sleep in safer postures.

People with complex health needs such as Parkinson’s, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and dementia often lie in one position for long periods.

This can lead to serious problems with breathing, digestion and blood circulation. In extreme cases it can even lead to death.

Positioning equipment, such as specially adapted cushions and supports, is often used to make sure people remain in a comfortable and safe position while they sleep rather than rolling into postures that could do them harm.

But while studies have been carried out examining how effective the equipment is on children, this is the first time

researchers have looked into the effect it has on adults.

The pair recruited residents and members of staff at a Four Seasons Healthcare Nursing and Residential home and introduced pieces of equipment made by Simple Stuff Works, before spending 12 weeks measuring a range of factors evaluating the effects this had on their health and well-being.

The residents were aged 51-89 and had suffered from a wide range of conditions including dementia, asthma and advanced Parkinson’s, while some were amputees and many experienced depression.

The pair found there were improvements to how the participants slept, as well as how depressed they felt and how much pain they were experiencing, while their risk of choking decreased.

Many of the participants had better food and fluid intake while half of them put on weight throughout the programme – critical with people suffering a deteriorating condition – and in some cases the medication they were taking was reduced or even stopped.

The pair are now calling for more research to be carried out into the effects of the equipment on a wider group including younger adults.

The Restaurant “That Makes Mistakes” - Dispelling the Dementia Myths A month-long social experiment conducted by Channel 4 following a restaurant in Bristol staffed entirely by people living with dementia is has taken place and due to be shown in March.

Entitled “The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes” the documentary hopes to help take away some of the stigma associated with the brain condition which is now regarded as the nation’s biggest killer.

Inspired by a pop-up diner in Japan, TV chiefs hope the show will change the perceptions of both viewers and employers about dementia as a host of celebrities and members of the public put the newly-trained staff to the test in the high pressure catering industry. For one month, The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes took over what is usually The Kitchen, with Josh Eggleton of the Pony & Trap, Salt & Malt and Root overseeing operations and the results being broadcast in a five-part series on Channel 4 in March 2019.

Dementia has reached epidemic proportions and is now the nation’s biggest killer. Via a ground-breaking new series supported by The Alzheimer’s Society, Channel 4 now plans to open the eyes of policy makers and employers on a quest to destigmatise dementia.

Having spent the month prior learning the

Landmark Guide to Primary And Social Care Integration Launched The National Association of Primary Care (NAPC) and Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) have launched a joint publication on how adult social care and primary care can work more closely together through the primary care home (PCH) model, an established primary care network.

At a time when the health and social care community await both the new NHS 10-year plan and a green paper on social care, Primary care home and social care: working together leads the way in highlighting the opportunities for a more joined up approach to enhance support for those in the greatest need, enabling them to live as healthily and independently as possible.

Based on evidence and experience from across England, the guide examines barriers and challenges for integration and provides a toolkit for addressing the most common difficulties. It describes opportunities for collaboration and integration at the level of the individual patient, the local population and the wider system.

Designed to strengthen relationships between pri-

mary care and social care, the guide recommends the importance of establishing forums and teams which allow primary and social care to develop relationships at a local level, along with work at a wider level to minimise financial disincentives and challenges around conflicting boundary lines between local authorities and primary care populations.

It highlights examples of areas where primary care and social care have overcome obstacles and successfully started to integrate services with local communities benefitting from this approach.

Professor James Kingsland, NAPC President said: “There is growing evidence that closer working relationships between primary care and social care can improve the support we are able to provide patients; enhance the working lives of our health and social care professionals and eliminate costly duplication and inefficiency. Our primary care home model has integration at its heart and those with local government as partners are seeing the real benefits of the alliance.”

tricks of the trade, the documentary followed the journey of the contributors in a sometimes poignant, sometimes funny but overall a feel good and surprising series, as they are put to work in one of the most high pressure and tough working environments there is.

The number of people with dementia in the UK is forecast to increase to over 1 million by 2025 and this isn’t just a disease that affects the elderly – over 40,000 people with dementia are under the age of 65. With so many still of working age, staggeringly only a fifth of them have continued to work post their diagnosis: A team of experts oversaw the ambitious project that could potentially change how businesses recruit, employ and retain staff who find themselves living with dementia.

One woman who is working at the restaurant, Jacqui, was a lawyer before her condition was confirmed. “I certainly don’t want to be out of work,” she explained to BBC Radio Bristol. I want to be able to work. I’ve got to have a purpose in my life. This mean a lot to me.”

The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes was co-commissioned by Channel 4’s Head of Entertainment, Ed Havard who said, “Stand Up To Cancer has grown into a hugely successful Channel 4 brand that shines a light on the millions in this country battling cancer, and the

ambition with The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes is no different – to challenge and change attitudes to dementia through an original and innovative series.”

Celebrity diner Hugh Bonneville was a little apprehensive when he arrived at his table at The Station in Silver Street, Bristol said: “There was a little caution, but if I has not been told these people had a dementia diagnosis I would not have known the difference.I have been in some fancy-pants restaurants in my time and the food here was genuinely delicious, and the camaraderie was brilliant.”

Channel 4’s Head of Features and Formats Sarah Lazenby added, “A dementia diagnosis doesn’t, and shouldn’t mean the end of a career. This poignant and timely project aims to open the eyes of employers to the importance of keeping those who live with dementia in work by boosting their confidence and independence.”

Creative Director for CPL Productions, Murray Boland said, “We are thrilled to be working with Channel 4 on another groundbreaking series which we hope will make a significant contribution to the national conversation about living and working with dementia.”

MFC Mementoes Help Residents with Dementia Reminisce THE BORO Foundation has been sending out memorabilia boxes to care homes to help residents with dementia reminisce.

The boxes containing old programmes, tickets and photos, among other items from past Middlesbrough FC games, have been the centre of activities run at the homes.

Mandale House Care Home, on Acklam Road, in Thornaby, was one of those benefitting from the scheme. The home works closely with the Middlesbrough FC Foundation’s National Citizenship Service (NCS), offering teenage volunteers opportunities to work with elderly residents.

Kelly Daley, the Foundation’s NCS lead, said: “The club has delivered a number of dementia tours at the Riverside Stadium and the feedback was overwhelming.

“All participants really enjoyed it and it had a positive impact upon all of them.

“As a result, we thought it would be an idea to take the tour to the care homes that we work alongside across a number of our projects.”

Kelly and her colleague Claire Streeter delivered two memory boxes to Mandale House Care Home, alongside a cake for residents and staff.

Two of the home’s residents and Boro fans, Billy James and Ted Leckenby, also received shirts from the 2017/18 season.

Billy said: “I love my Boro shirt.”

Kelly added: “From my viewpoint, I think with the personal experience of Alzheimer’s within my family, I have witnessed the heart-breaking effects it can have on the families as well as the patients. From them not remembering who you are through to not even being able to hold a conversation anymore. The most heart-breaking thing for me is the fact that, in the early stages of the diagnosis, you witness them trying to find the words but can see in their eyes the struggle it’s proving to be.

“I think the ideas behind the memory boxes allow families and patients to engage in a conversation that can be lost and it provides a little joy when patients do recognise memorabilia. So I think they’re a fantastic idea and something that we are happy to support.”

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 Call 01484 842217 / www.zeroderma.co.uk

THE LEGACY LETTER CO. - New Company Preserves Final Messages For Future Generations In a UK first, a new business now enables customers to ensure their stories, words and thoughts are protected for generations to come.

The Legacy Letter Co., which launched in November, is the only UK website that allows users to compose, and if necessary update, a personalised letter that will be securely stored and physically delivered to loved ones in the event of their passing.

Bringing the art of letter writing to the 21st century, the company was launched following poignant research which revealed that over 75% of people surveyed were worried that a loved one will pass and things will remain unsaid, not allowing them to find out more about their life. So why not bring that in to our control?

The unique and simple-to-use

website has been designed to cater for customers of all ages, to create and update a letter as often as needed, ensuring they have control over the legacy they leave.

Once written, the letter is securely stored and in the event of the person’s passing, is printed and delivered in a wax sealed box to the intended recipients, maintaining the traditional nature of receiving a tangible letter.

Will Gilburt, founder of The Legacy Letter Co. comments; “Everyone is familiar with a Will to distribute material objects in the event of a passing. We recognised a real gap in the market for a more personal offering, allowing people to preserve something far more

valuable: words.

“We have heard too many stories of people passing unexpectedly, leaving no message for their loved ones, or of letters being written but never found. Our company offers a direct solution to these unfortunate circumstances, ensuring that they need never arise.

“We cannot guarantee when our last words will be but now, we can allow people to control what they will be. Comfort your loved ones in times of grief, offer guidance for their key life moments, retell family histories or funny stories to preserve their memory – or even just pass on a favourite family recipe (or share a secret one!). Everybody has their own reason for writing to a special someone.

“Whatever the words, the process of letter writing and receival can bring peace and completeness to both the author and the recipient at a very challenging time.”

For more information visit www.thelegacyletterco.com; Prices start from £19.95.

Three reasons to engage with an energy broker Switching to an energy broker

Regularly comparing energy tariffs and deals can ensure you’re making the most of your energy spend by getting the best rates, but it’s time consuming, and when you are busy with the business of caring it might seem easier to leave it until your only option is your current supplier.

There are many reasons to engage with an energy broker to help you get the best package, here are three that we often hear from customers:

1

Energy brokers take the time to get to know your business and energy usage to provide expert, tailored procurement advice

A good broker will take the time to understand how your business is using energy, including how your choice of contract may be impacted by any future development, changes and growth within the business.

The huge variety of contracts available on the market can make the presentation of the future costs of your energy difficult to compare. However, a broker can assess the level of risk a business is willing to take and their key buying drivers, in order to identify the most applicable contracts and present them in a standardised format, allowing for a clear comparison.

And brokers will also monitor the market to review price trends, helping you to assess whether it is prudent to secure prices early, or to hold out for the market to drop, all while managing the process to ensure you don’t end up paying high out of contract rates.

2

Energy brokers can provide value added services throughout the lifecycle of your contract

Bill validating services can ensure that you are only paying what you should, and mean that energy brokers will spend the time needed to liaise with suppliers and distributors to resolve any issues, freeing up your time to run your business.

From inaccurate usage data, to incorrect VAT rates being applied, there are many ways in which an energy bill can be wrong. Energy brokers are able to quickly put right any mistakes, and, where this results in a refund or credit, return the money to customers in full.

In addition, brokers will often deal with site issues, such as meter replacements or supply upgrades, as well as offering consumption reduction advice through the provision of audits.

3

Energy brokers can leverage the power of group buying

Energy brokers can allow you to take advantage of collective buying through mechanisms like Power Direct Ltd’s buying basket, which is designed to help businesses achieve the best available energy tariff, whilst giving budget certainty.

An energy ‘buying basket’ is when a collective of businesses group together to purchase their energy. Businesses that combine their purchasing power in this way usually achieve lower prices, because suppliers are competing for the overall business of the group’s collective energy consumption.

The Power Direct Ltd basket is suitable for any business that wants to benefit from fully fixed and inclusive prices for a two-year contract. Call today for more information about whether your business might benefit from joining the June and July electricity and gas baskets.

Amba Care Homes Group owns and operates an established group of care homes offering high quality accommodation with residential and nursing support in the South East of England. The group made the move towards an energy broker more than five years ago when they partnered with Power Direct Ltd for a more competitive renewal price.

Rajan Madlani, Director of Amba Care Homes Group, is confident in the benefits of working with an energy broker: “The time we have saved by working with Power Direct Ltd over the years is invaluable. Our dedicated Account Manager is a calm, friendly and reassuring voice at the end of the phone, and I have complete trust in the team because I know that they will always do what is best for my business.”

During this time, we have resolved more than 50 issues, resulting in a considerable amount of time that we’ve saved the care home staff for investing into running their homes.

As part of our bill validation service, we have uncovered many instances where homes within the group have been billed at 20% VAT, despite their eligibility for the lower 5% VAT. Although this is common, costs can stack up if the issue is left unresolved, especially because this will mean that Climate Change Levy (CCL) will also have been added.

During the time we have served Amba Care Homes, we have also identified issues with the incorrect rates being applied and incorrect meter reads. In each case, our expert knowledge and strong stakeholder relationships delivered quick and efficient resolutions, and positive outcomes for the group.

We can help at any time, even if it is just to confirm your exact contract end date. We can then set a reminder to contact you before your contract approaches its termination deadline, so that you don’t get rolled over into a new contract at significantly higher rates. At that time, you will be in a position to consider other suppliers and we can search the market to find you the most competitive rates available.

Contact one of our energy experts if you would like an informal discussion about how we can help you on your journey towards lower energy bills:

0333 1234 313 info@powerdirectltd.com www.powerdirectltd.com

THE CARER | WINTER 2019 | PAGE 15

Millions Underestimating the True Cost Of Care Care Sector Announces Major South Millions of people in England seriously underestimate the cost of paying for a nursing home place, on average by £12,000 a year, leaving some at risk of suffering financial problems or struggling to access good quality care in later life, according to research from Which?

When people were asked to estimate the cost of a private nursing-home place in their region, 55% came up with a figure that fell short of the average cost. One in ten even underestimated the true cost by an enormous £737 a week, or £39,000 a year, running the risk of serious financial problems in later life, or a lower likelihood of receiving good-quality care.

Londoners had the most unrealistic expectations overall, underestimating the cost of a nursing home place by an average of £540 a week – the equivalent of £28,080 a year.

Average private fees paid to care homes in England 2017-2018 • London: £1,275 (£66,300) • South East: £1,007 (£52,364) • East of England: £927 (£48,204) • South West: £892 (£46,384) • East Midlands: £795 (£41,340) • West Midlands: £791 (£41,132) • North West: £747 (£38,844) • Yorkshire & Humberside: £744 (£38,688) • North East: £714 per week (£37,128 per year) (Source: Which?)

Which? managing director of public markets, Alex Hayman, said: “Many people are seriously underestimating the costs of care in later life, meaning they could struggle to find high-quality care for themselves or a loved one, or even face financial difficulties.

“The care system can be confusing and daunting and must often be navigated at a time of great stress for older people and their families. That’s why it’s vital that people have access to tools and resources to help them plan for the future.”

Responding to the research, Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “This research is yet another example of the need to raise the awareness of social care

and the cost of care with the public, which is why the LGA is calling on the Government to lead a national campaign to heighten the profile and reputation of adult social care.

“Our recent polling shows half of people have little or no understanding of what social care means. Only 15 per cent of people polled said they are making plans to pay for their care in later life, so it is no wonder people underestimate the cost.

“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.”

When Which? asked people to estimate the cost of a private nursing-home place in their region, 55% came up with a figure that fell short of the average cost. One in ten even underestimated the true cost by a whopping £737 a week, or £39,000 a year, running the risk of serious financial problems in later life, or a lower likelihood of receiving good-quality care.

Londoners have the most unrealistic expectations, underestimating the cost of a nursing-home place by an average of £540 a week – that’s £28,101 a year. People in the East Midlands were the nearest to reality, with a £74 shortfall compared with the real figure. This still amounts of an annual shortfall of £3,848. Which? Managing Director of Public Markets Alex Hayman said: ‘Many people are seriously underestimating the costs of care in later life, meaning they could struggle to find high-quality care for themselves or a loved one, or even face financial difficulties. ‘The care system can be confusing and daunting, and must often be navigated at a time of great stress for older people and their families. That’s why it’s vital that people have access to tools and resources to help them plan for the future.’

Care Home Workshops to Tackle Taboo Around Sex and Dementia Alzheimer’s Society has developed a workshop to help care homes break the taboo around the sex and intimacy needs of people with dementia, launched at the UK Dementia Congress in Brighton.

Research revealed that the needs and rights of people in care homes are often overlooked when it comes to sex and intimacy, so we have worked with care professionals, people affected by dementia and other sector experts to create ‘Lift the Lid’ – a workshop in a box based on three creative activities to challenge perceptions and behaviours.

Feedback from care home staff was that some hadn’t considered residents’ sex and intimacy needs before, while others didn’t know how to broach the subject or lacked clear guidance on it, and many had concerns about the consequences of in-themoment situations.

With evidence suggesting care home

staff wanted to get this right but didn’t know where to start, ‘Lift the Lid’ was designed to help them agree shared values and actions to take.

Colin Capper, Head of Research Development at Alzheimer’s Society, said: "Sex and intimacy in the context of a care home raises countless questions that many people don’t know how to answer or don’t even want to think about – and when you consider that 70% of people in care homes are living with dementia, the conversation gets even more complicated.

"Many see this as a taboo topic, but we believe care home staff are best placed to tackle this challenge and make a real difference to the lives and loves of people with dementia. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution but ‘Lift the Lid’ is a flexible tool to help care home staff talk through the issues in a creative and constructive way.

"Dementia research isn’t all about finding

a cure; we’re also investing in vital care research and innovative projects like ‘Lift the Lid’, because we owe it to the 850,000 people in the UK currently living with dementia to understand the condition better so that they can live better.’

‘Lift the Lid’ was developed with input from the care sector and tested in 10 homes run by Bupa, Four Seasons Health Care, Berkley Care Group and the Orders of St Johns Care Trust.

A care team leader who tested the workshop said: "This approach normalises a conversation that is needed but kept hidden, and gives staff understanding and confidence. This should be about dignified care and ‘Lift the Lid’ will help us to provide that."

Care homes are able to order a workshop in a box by calling 0300 124 0900 or visiting Alzheimer's Society Online Shop.

West Industry Event

The West Country’s first care sector innovation show in a decade will be launched in Devon in March.

The Innovative Care Exhibition 2019 will showcase many of the hundreds of fast-emerging technologies now available across the sector, from computerised care management systems to apps and robots.

Launched by the Care Network Group, the event is being held at Westpoint, near Exeter, on Wednesday March 13, and will be a chance for South West care organisations to discover and discuss technological aids and solutions for their organisation, as well as forge newbusiness relations with suppliers and other potential partners.

Launched by the Devon-based Care Network Group, the initiative is part of their work to raise the profile and improve support and shared learning across the region’s care sector.

Co-founder Kat Green said: “With the South West having one of the country’s largest older populations, it’s vital that our care sector is at the forefront of innovation. The Innovative Care Exhibition is designed to help achieve that. With over 100 exhibitors expected, it will give local care providers a fantastic opportunity to learn first-hand about some of the technology-backed approaches starting to transform the sector.

“It’s great to be bringing national and regional players together. Care managers and providers, business owners and suppliers will be able to connect, learn from each other and see the latest developments and technologies that could be relevant to their business.”

There will be a range of talks at the show from key figures including Bridgett Warr, CEO of the United Kingdom Homecare Association, Nadra Ahmed OBE, Chairman of the National Care Association and Neil Eastwood, author of ‘Saving Social Care’. A programme of workshops and demonstrations from the likes of everyLife Technology, Smooth Digital and Plymouth University, will also be running.

The Innovative Care Exhibition is on Wednesday March 13, 2019 at Westpoint in Exeter, from 9.30-4.30pm. Tickets for the event are free but need to be booked at www.careexhibition.co.uk. The event has some remaining exhibitor opportunities, with discounts available for small business owners and start-ups.

New Anti-Choking Device Saves 11 Lives In 9 Months and Could Save 50 More This Year After their anti-choking device was first used to save someone’s life in April, the company behind Dechoker have today confirmed they prevented 11 (eleven) choking deaths in the adult care sector last year.

With 3 of these incidents occurring in the weeks leading up to Christmas, the team behind the simple device are confident they can half the 100 recorded choking deaths that occur in care homes every year.

CEO, Matt Oakley announced in the Autumn the company’s goal to save 100 lives by 2022 and speaking about the figures, he is confident this is achievable.

“In terms of the impact Dechoker has had on the people it has helped and the growth of the company, it has been a fantastic first 12 months for Dechoker.” He said. “And with the number of Dechoker

devices rolling out with clients over the next couple of months I anticipate we will move from saving 1 life every month, to 1 every week," he added.

The company also revealed that the most common food to cause a person to choke was potato, followed by meat. And in all but two of the incidents where Dechoker was called upon the resident was sitting down.

“For many years the sector has struggled to respond to a choking emergency, largely due to the complex needs of the people in their care,” continued Matt. “This has been realised in the way that care providers have been quick to see the benefit of Dechoker, the results of which speak for themselves.”

Call 0330 223 1320, visit www.dechokeruk.com or email info@dechokeruk.com See the advert on page 19.

PAGE 16 | THE CARER | WINTER 2019

THE CARER | WINTER 2019 | PAGE 17

84% Would Not “Trust Robots to Provide Social Care” There is a growing trend of jobs, currently occupied by people, becoming either partially or fully automated in the future. Unsurprisingly the public are skeptical about moving towards an automated job future, especially within the care sector, a new Randstad poll has revealed, that people aren’t comfortable with the introduction of automation. A staggering 84% admitted they wouldn’t trust a robot to help provide health or social care.

Care workers report skills shortages and an aging population as their biggest restraints within the industry but how can investment and development into automation help? The Randstad ‘robots and carers’ campaign looks to investigate how automation and robotics will affect the care industry.

Poole hospital is a great example of how robotics can assist with care, which may help close the disconnect between a potential solution and public perception. By completing menial tasks, the robot allows nurses to spend more time on delivering vital care.

Research by the IPPR progressive policy think tank shows that investment in care-bots and increased job automation could help the NHS free up workers time, particularly on the frontline, worth the equivalent of 12.5 billion a year.

Victoria Short, Managing Director of Randstad Public Services, has stated that: “Many may feel uneasy about the introduction of robots into care; in fact our poll suggests exactly that. It is however important to remember that the nation has a duty of care when it comes to its own care workforce. Whilst our carers find their job rewarding, they’re also feeling the burden of the workload during a skills shortage.

Robots can take the strain off care workers, but let’s be clear that it should never take the jobs that require the irreplaceable human interaction and touch. The human connection is the most important and powerful part, but with the aid of technology we can become more efficient in reaching our full potential, and in this case, a better focus on care for all.”

High Spirits as Lounge Is Transformed Into Pub Residents of a care home in Cornwall have been raising a glass after their lounge was transformed into their very own pub.

Cornwall Care’s Trevarna care home in St Austell has opened The Shamrock Inn with help from St Austell Brewery and Cornwall Signs.

The pub, complete with a set of pumps from the brewery, is based in the corner of the home’s lounge and has been recycled from an old kitchen. Although the pumps don’t contain alcohol, residents can still enjoy a drink and are free to stand behind the bar and have a go.

Natalie Boyden, Trevarna’s Activities Organiser, said: “We have recently added a gentleman’s wing to Trevarna and a lot of our

chaps really miss going out to the pub for a pint in the evening. Most of the residents have dementia, so they can’t really go out into the community on their own, so we wanted to bring the community to them.

“It’s been so well received, it’s incredible really. It really helps with social skills and brings back a lot of memories for our residents as they share a drink in the comfort of the home.”

St Austell Brewery Property Director Adam Luck said: “The pub has long been the focal point of local communities, especially here in Cornwall, as a place where people can come and relax amongst friends. We were delighted to do our bit to make it as real as possible.”

The Definitive Event For Health And Care Provision In The UK Health + Care offers you the full 360 degree view of the Health and Care sectors and provides a unique opportunity to contribute to the long-term future of an integrated service.

This event focuses on more than just the industry challenges and will arm you with strategies, products and services to help you be in the best position to take advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead.

This is your opportunity to build relationships between residential care providers, nursing homes, domiciliary care providers, NHS, local government, the voluntary sector and suppliers.

Key reasons you must attend: • Achieve more positive outcomes and increase the quality of the care you provide.

• Develop an agile care service able to adapt to and make the most of change, whether it be policy or market-based.

• Enhance the services you provide through new innovations and technologies showcased at the UK's largest integrated health and care event.

• Drive business efficiency and growth with lessons learnt in case studies and panel discussions by industry leaders and successful care business operators.

• Network with over 5,550 senior professionals from CCG's, Local Authorities, Trusts and GP Federations who have new pools of funding you will want to access.

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PAGE 18 | THE CARER | WINTER 2019

Consumer Law Advice Sets Out Obligations for Care Homes The CMA is providing advice so care homes understand their responsibilities under consumer law.

The advice has been published as part of the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) ongoing consumer protection work into residential care homes and nursing homes for older people (over 65s).

It follows the CMA’s examination of the sector last year, which found that some residents are at risk of being treated unfairly and recommended urgent action to reform the sector.

The CMA has also published an open letter to care homes, reminding them of their responsibilities under consumer law and urging them to review the advice immediately. Care homes may need to make changes to their contract terms and business practices as a result.

Working with its partners, such as Trading Standards, the CMA will be conducting a review in 12 months’ time to assess how well care homes are complying with consumer law. It may take further action before then if it finds care homes are treating residents and their families unfairly and breaking the law.

CMA Chief Executive, Andrea Coscelli said: It’s vital that care homes treat residents and their families fairly, which is why we have issued advice to all homes across the UK to help them understand what they should and should not be doing under consumer law.

We’ve already taken action against some providers who charged compulsory upfront fees or continued to charge for extended periods after a resident’s death.

We’ll continue to monitor how well care homes are complying and won’t hesitate to take action again if we find evidence that providers have broken consumer law.

The advice sets out what care homes across the UK need to do to ensure they are treating their residents fairly, including: • What upfront information they should give to potential residents, their families or other representatives and when (through websites, over the phone and when people visit) to help them make informed choices. This includes giving an indication of the weekly fees charged to self-funders and highlighting any especially important or surprising terms and conditions that will apply (such as any requirement for residents to prove they can pay for their own care for a minimum period of time) • How to make sure contract terms and the way residents and their representatives are treated is fair • How to handle complaints fairly and ensure their complaints procedure is easy to find and use The CMA has also published a short guide for care homes to accompany the full advice, as well as a short guide for residents and their families that explains their rights under consumer law.

Adults with Learning Disabilities - Costs Could Increase by Almost £2bn The costs of caring for adults with learning disabilities is projected to increase by almost £2bn by 2025 – with England’s largest councils warning that unless these ‘enormous’ costs are recognised, the ‘long-term’ survival of councils is at risk.

The County Councils Network (CCN) has released analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. The figures show that the extra costs, fuelled by a rise in the number of adults with severe learning disabilities requiring care and an increase in the cost of supporting them, will see annual costs rising from £4.8bn in 2015 to £6.7bn in 2025 collectively for all 152 councils with care responsibilities.

The analysis shows that ‘spending need’ – which takes into account projected demand and the higher costs of delivering services – for adults with learning disabilities could rise by almost 38% by 2025. The number of adults requiring care is projected to rise by over 7,600 by 2025. Because of the nature of care for these individuals, they come at a high cost for local authorities.

Opening CCN Annual Conference 2018, the network’s chairman Cllr Paul Carter told over 200 delegates that the funding announced for councils in last year's Budget has provided a short-term ‘lifeline’ for local authorities and will praise the government’s intervention.

However, looking ahead he will say that ministers must recognise these ‘enormous’ extra care costs to ‘ensure the long-term

survival of councils’.

To help meet these extra costs, he will call on the government to consider investing one-fifth of the NHS £20bn ‘birthday windfall’ into social care and community care to address these demand-led financial pressures.

Launching the CCN’s Spending Review campaign, A Fair Future for Counties, the Network argues that any new funding for local government must be distributed to councils fairly to account for rising costs, such as learning disabilities.

The figures released by the CCN show a large variation in costs across the country.

County local authorities will bear the brunt of these additional costs; with costs rising by £918m in the 36 county authorities by 2025, which is half of all additional costs. This compares to £313m in London and £350m in other urban metropolitan areas and cities.

CCN argues that these additional costs are outside of councils’ control, and as a result they will have to cut other highly valued services or introduce new or increased charges for other services to make up the shortfall if no extra resource is made available to councils from 2020 onwards.

Providing care for adults with severe learning disabilities is a legal requirement.

Due the nature of their circumstances, their costs largely fall onto the local authority, unlike ‘self-funders’ in other social care services who have a certain amount of assets and personal wealth.

County leaders are concerned that with the focus on adult social care, the mounting pressures in learning disabilities will fall under the radar in next year’s Spending Review.

Around 1.5m people in the UK have a learning disability, and of this number 350,000 people have a severe learning disability.

Learning disabilities within adult social care accounts for 10.5% of all local government expenditure in England.

Cllr Carter, who is also leader of Kent County Council, told delegates at the CCN Annual Conference 2018: “Individuals with severe learning disabilities are thankfully living longer and have a much-improved quality life, due to great advances in medical science. However, they understandably have little if any personal wealth or assets, and therefore escalating costs fall directly on our councils.

“The government’s recent announcements have provided us with a lifeline for this year, but to ensure the long-term survival of councils these enormous extra costs must be recognised and the situation rectified in the Spending Review.

“As part of a funding and integration package with the NHS, I believe that this should mean at least 20% of the NHS’ £20bn ‘birthday present’ should invested directly by councils in community-based care to meet growing demand in areas such as learning disabilities.

Exchange Programme for Hospice and Care Home AN EXCHANGE programme of staff is taking place between a hospice and a care home.

A nurse and a nursing assistant from Rosebridge Court care home in Wigan each spent a week working alongside the nursing and medical teams on the Inpatient Unit at Wigan and Leigh Hospice in Greater Manchester to learn more about palliative and end of life care.

As part of the exchange programme of staff a nurse and a healthcare assistant from the hospice’s inpatient unit will go to work at Rosebridge Court for a week each in the New Year.

The programme was initiated by Debbie Dempsey, Manager of the Hospice In Your Care Home team at the hospice. The team had already been working with Rosebridge Court for two years as part of their work to support local care homes to both improve the care they deliver to residents at the end of life and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.

Debbie said: “There haven’t been many instances as far as I’m aware of an exchange programme of this sort taking place between a hospice and a care home. However, this was something both Rosebridge and ourselves were keen to try. Our aim is to try and raise awareness of the barriers to delivering end-oflife care in diverse settings. The care home staff have experienced how we do it here and will take back learnings to implement in their care home. In return our staff will be exposed to the challenges that the care home staff face and learn from them in return.

“Rosebridge Court has specialist mental health and dementia units so spending time there will give our staff the opportunity to learn more about caring for patients at the end of life who also have mental health problems.”

Staff Nurse Jamie Duncan-Noke, 31, from Rosebridge Court spent a week with the IPU team from October 8th-14. Jamie works on a generalised mental health unit for adults aged 18-65 which currently has 22 residents. He said: “I work on a specialist mental health unit and I thought it would be a really interesting opportunity to see an alternative place of care, particularly given what the hospice offers to the community.

“While I’ve been at the hospice I have helped with re-positioning a syringe driver and learnt more about the controlled drugs used in palliative care. I feel quite humbled that I have had this opportunity and it makes me want to develop my knowledge more in palliative care and the principles and practices behind it.

“This experience has made me think differently. When someone on my unit does have palliative care needs I’ll feel more prepared for it professionally and personally. Now I feel more comfortable and confident to be able to support individuals approaching the end of life.”

Tess Morales, 50, works as a Nursing Assistant on the dementia unit at Rosebridge Court. She spent a week in October (15th-19th) shadowing Healthcare Assistant Dawn Harrison on the Inpatient Unit.

Tess said: “I have been at Rosebridge for about 12 years so when I heard about this programme I thought it would be a great experience and an opportunity to learn more about end-of-life care.

“I’ve enjoyed spending time with patients and I’ve seen how the nursing staff speak to families and patients about their wishes. That way of communicating with people who are at the end of their life, the respect shown and the importance of understanding their wishes, is something I will take back with me.”

The next national conference ‘Living and Dying Well in a Care Home’ takes place on March 13th, 2019 at Leigh Sports Village, Greater Manchester. For further information and bookings see ww.wlh.org.uk or telephone 01942 525566.

THE CARER | WINTER 2019 | PAGE 19

THE CARER | WINTER 2019 | PAGE 21

More of The Same Is Not an Option for Health and Adult Social Care A new report published by a coalition of organisations sets out a refreshed commitment to transforming health, care and wellbeing services to improve people’s health and care.

‘Shifting the Centre of Gravity: Making place-based, person-centred health and care a reality’ is being launched by the Local Government Association, NHS Clinical Commissioners, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, the Association of Directors of Public Health, the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers.

The report builds on the 2016 publication, ‘Stepping up to the place’, which stressed the importance of place-based, person-centred care delivering the outcomes that are important to people.

It highlighted the importance of care that is centred on each individual’s specific needs – and achieving this through a system where organisations and communities work together in a coordinated way on shared objectives and ambitions. This place-based integration should improve the health and wellbeing outcomes of their communities.

Care centred on the individual is a success story of integration because it is increasingly used as the basis for good practice across health, care and wellbeing.

The new report brings together the key elements of a successful integrated health and care system, and looks to identify how local systems can achieve the important shift towards place-based care. The health and care system is under pressure from an ever growing burden of ill health, frailty, and long term conditions. It is hoped that this report will help to set out a vision for a community-based preventative service which supports people to stay healthy and independent for as long as possible.

It recommends that the focus of transformation should be on: Delivering care focused on the individual in or close to their homes with a focus on self-care and community engagement, so that people can lead healthier, more independent and fulfilled lives.

A population health focus, preventing poor health and reducing health inequalities by mobilising all the assets of organisations across a place to help people lead healthier, happier lives with less need to access health and care services.

These elements form the basis of a national vision for transformation, which is outlined as: • Every individual who uses a health or care service is able to say it was delivered in the right place and in a timely, joined-up way which respected

their dignity.

• Organisations working together to turn the tide of poor health so individuals, and communities become healthier, health inequalities are reduced and there is less demand on health and care services.

• Making a success of integration through creating a collaborative culture among organisations involved in health, care and wellbeing.

• Leaders working effectively across health and care to drive transformation.

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “This report sends a clear message that when it comes to how health and adult social care is delivered, more of the same is not an option. We are fully committed to working together to transform health, care and wellbeing services to improve people’s health and care outcomes.

“The examples in this report show what can be achieved by organisations and staff from local government, the NHS, the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, and service user and carer groups working together to improve health and deliver person-centred care.

“It sets out our refreshed, shared vision and the actions that will help local systems to progress their work on system-wide transformation.”

Braintree Care Homes Give the Gift of Water CRELLING HARNESSES LTD

The caring team at The New Deanery and St Mary’s Court care homes in Braintree gave a Christmas gift of clean water to a community in Africa by investing in a programme provided by the Africa Trust.

The homes have installed water coolers from AquAid, with a donation of £20 per year for each of the six coolers going to the Trust, a charity which installs fresh water wells in villages and schools.

A well sponsored by the Braintree care homes has just been completed to provide safe drinking water for a community in Zimbabwe.

Julia Clinton, CEO of Sonnet Care Homes, which runs the two Braintree homes, said: “Our staff and residents are pleased to have been able to support this life-saving charity. In the UK we take clean drinking water for granted and we are thrilled to see the photo of the well we sponsored which will much such a difference to the lives of people who are much less fortunate.”

Fern Shaw from AquAid Africa explained: “Through the contributions made by Sonnet Care Homes, an ‘Elephant Pump’ – a modified version of a water pump based on an age-old Chinese rope pulley system – has been built on their behalf in Zimbabwe.

“The pump is built by an experienced member of the Africa Trust in conjunction with local people from the community who are then taught how it works and how to repair it using local materials and parts.

“One pump supplies water for upwards of 300 people and due to the pump design and construction will continue to supply the community it serves for decades.

“Through this initiative, AquAid has donated more than £6 million to the Africa Trust, resulting in the supply of safe drinking water to more than two million people. It is thanks to the invaluable support we receive from customers such as Sonnet Care Homes.”

Future Healthcare Returns To London In 2019 Organised in association with UKIHMA - a strategic partner of Healthcare UK, a UK government trade promotion organisation jointly funded by the Department for International Trade, the Department of Health and NHS England.

Future Healthcare is the UK’s only exhibition and conference showcasing healthcare products and services to a global audience.

Taking place at Olympia London from 18-19 March 2019, Future Healthcare gathers more than 4,000 buyers from 65 countries for two days of education, networking and cross border purchasing.

Exhibition of 350 brands

From healthcare providers and training

establishments to equipment and product suppliers and technology experts, visitors can expect to see the very latest products and services.

Also featuring; Thrive Wearables Zone – a showcase of the latest advancements in wearable technology and Health Tech Theatre, hosting a series of 10-minute presentations from pioneers of exciting innovations.

World-class conference

Over 60 expert speakers will take to the stage over two days to address the central theme of ‘embracing innovation in healthcare delivery.’ Sessions will address the impact of Brexit on the current healthcare landscape; helping SMEs access and work with the NHS;

how to scale up innovation.

The 2019 line up of speakers includes: Rt. Hon Lord Drayson, Former Minister of Science, UK Parliament; Helen Shaw, Head of Healthcare, Samsung Health UK & Ireland; Sam Shah, Director for Digital Development, NHS England and Professor Roland Schlesinger, Chief Medical Officer, Lancor Scientific.

For further information on registering, conference programme or exhibiting at Future Healthcare 2019, visit www.futurehealthcareuk.com. The exhibition is free of charge for pre-registered visitors, while there is a charge for conference attendance.

See the advert on page 18 for information.

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Over the years we have designed a large range from simple belts to full harnesses for use on all aspects of special needs equipment including: • • • • •

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PAGE 22 | THE CARER | WINTER 2019

HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL

THE CARER | WINTER 2019 | PAGE 23

CQC To Review the Use Restrictive Interventions Care Village Hits the Right Note with Opera Workshops

The CQC has announced it will review and make recommendations about the use of restrictive interventions in settings that provide inpatient and residential care for people with mental health problems, a learning disability and/or autism.

The review has been commissioned by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, and the CQC will take forward this work and will report on its interim findings in May 2019, with a full report by March 2020.

In its findings the CQC says it has encountered the use of physical restraint, prolonged seclusion and segregation in wards for people of all ages with a learning disability and/or autism and in secure and rehabilitation mental health wards. The review will consider whether and how seclusion and segregation are used in registered social care services for people with a learning disability and/or autism. This will include residential services for young people with very complex needs – such as a severe learning disability and physical health needs – and secure children’s homes. This aspect of the review will be undertaken in partnership with Ofsted.

Dr Paul Lelliott, Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (lead for men-

tal health), said: “There is understandable public concern about the use of restraint, prolonged seclusion and segregation for people with mental health problems, a learning disability or autism. It is vital that services minimise the use of all forms of restrictive practice and that providers and commissioners work together to find alternative, and less restrictive, care arrangements for people who are currently subject to seclusion or segregation. Failure to do this has the potential to amount to inhuman and degrading treatment of some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

“We welcome the Secretary of State’s commission for CQC to undertake a thematic review of this important issue. The review will examine the range of factors that lead to people being subject to restraint, prolonged seclusion or segregation, and will assess the extent to which services follow best practice in minimising the need to use force. The experience and perspective of the people affected by these practices, either as a patient or as a carer, will be central to this work. It is vital that society protects the rights, welfare and safety of children and adults with a mental illness, learning disability or autism and that they receive the safe, high quality care that they deserve.”

Technicolour Dressing Gowns To Keep Elderly Warm This Winter JOSEPH’S technicolour dressing gowns were knitted by care home residents in Saltburn-by-the-Sea. Residents at Hazelgrove Court Care Home, on Randolph Street, created the gowns for elderly people to keep warm this winter in their own homes.

They were taking part in a Knit for Peace UK initiative, which encourages knitters to produce items for those in need.

The care home residents chose to make dressing gowns by knitting six by six inch squares and then attaching them together to create the finished piece.

The gowns take 114 squares to produce, as well as a knitted belt to match.

The residents described the finished gowns as “Joseph’s coat of many colours”, according to Hazelgrove Court Care Home manager Tina Temple.

She said: “It’s really important for us to continue to involve residents in activities that help the wider community.

“They all love to knit and were very impressed in the finished dressing gown.”

The home’s activities coordinator, Sharon Lewis, found out about Knit for Peace UK when she was looking for a community project to involve the residents in.

There are many keen knitters living at the home, so the residents were pleased to get involved with the initiative.

Resident Joyce Baxtrum said: “We’ve been doing this for weeks and I’m really proud of myself. The dressing gowns look great.

After trying on one of the gowns, fellow resident Joyce Tibbertt said: “It’s so warm. I don’t want to take it off.”

Sharon Lewis added: “It’s lovely to do something for the community and that will make a difference in someone’s life.”

Leading The Way To Sustainability

The Carer recently covered the frightful topic of the NHS being revealed to be heavily unsustainable by NHS Chief Executive Niall Dickson.

With the positivity of the promised long-term plan, the reveal that there are still spending gaps and forgotten areas of funding shows that there is still a long way to go to make the whole service completely sustainable.

Through providing a platform for the development of a sustainable social care business model, the Dementia, Care & Nursing Home Expo is the UK’s most dynamic social care event dedicated to inspiring business growth & a sustainable social care model. In the face of funding gaps and staffing issues all whilst pushing to meet industry requirements, the social care sector has set out many good steps in the strive for sustainability. These will all be on full display at the event come the 26th and

27th March, where the spotlight is shined on the very forefront of the growing and essential industry.

There are clear areas where spending gaps need to be filled, the strain placed upon the NHS A&E services and unnecessary GP visits by the care sector can be avoided for the most part. Alison Murray from the Care Quality Commission will be leading a seminar at the Dementia, Care & Nursing Home Expo to discuss this exact point, as she guides visitors through the Beyond Barriers Report done by the CQC. This report detailed a services user’s journey from health to care and will provide incredible insight into how the care sector can aid the health service by providing personalised care for individuals to ensure the best quality of care is always given.

This seminar is bolstered by the potential to peruse cutting edge products and services currently available on the market. Having the chance to get specialist mattresses that can combat avoidable pressure injuries is just one example of the small steps care homes and home care businesses can take to begin alleviating pressure from other branches of the service. Linet, Apex Medical and Ateliers Du Haut-Forez are three such companies that will be on hand to discuss how their products can offset avoidable issues and injuries.

As well as pressure being removed from areas of the NHS, the issue of finding and

retaining super star carers is a real challenge for not just care homes, but also home care service providers. This is one issue that sees a great amount of strain placed upon the entire health service, and in order to ease the pain of this growing issue, the Dementia, Care & Nursing Home Expo will allow for complimentary training in the way of masterclasses to provide hands on opportunities to learn about engaging staff and making sure to keep them in position. This will be the chance to consolidate information gathered from seminars like Karolina Gerlich from the National Association of Care and Support Workers as she discusses the support that needs to be in place for social care professionals to feel worth in their job role.

With the benefit of having a stronger, more reliable workforce, the domino effect of better and personalised care is clear. By being able to promote a sustainable social care industry will allow for a shining example within the national health service for other sectors to follow and strive for. The Dementia, Care & Nursing Home Expo will provide a large platform to promote the industry towards sustainable business growth.

Tickets for the Dementia, Care & Nursing Home Expo are free and readily available from carehomeexpo.co.uk, where you will be able to see everything confirmed for the event. The Dementia, Care & Nursing Home Expo takes place on the 26th and 27th March at the NEC, Birmingham.

See the advert on page 6 for details.

Deerhurst Care Home Delivering Highest Standard Of ‘Butterfly’ Dementia Care For the sixth year running Brunelcare’s Deerhurst care home has been recognised by Dementia Care Matter’s Butterfly Accreditation scheme; and has been rated as a ‘Level 1’ Butterfly Home, the highest rating, for the third year running.

Lesley Hobbs, Manager of Deerhurst care home says: “We are incredibly proud of achieving this recognition and I feel that it emphasises one very important thing about our care – that we can offer a great family life for everyone connected to us.”

Ingrid and Anna Skeels, daughters of someone being cared for at Deerhurst, when asked how they feel about the home and its team, said: “We were so nervous about moving Dad into a dementia care home, but we needn’t have worried with Deerhurst care home.

Everyday the care home team gives our Dad interest, activity, friendliness, connection,

warmth and, more importantly, understanding of who he is.

As well as wonderful physical care.

In fact we are so happy because this has become his ‘home’ in the true sense of the word for the next stage in his life.”

David Sheard, Founder of Dementia Care Matters, comments: “The Dementia Care Matters Level 1 rating is very rare as there are only 17 Level 1 homes across the five countries we are now working in.”

Peter Bewert CEO, Dementia Care Matters commends Deerhurst for its unwavering commitment to quality of life in dementia care, stating: “Maintaining momentum matters in dementia care. Achieving sustainability is important for those who have already been working incredibly hard to improve people’s quality of life and Deerhurst has consistently demonstrated over six years that it is sustaining this.”

New Friendships Forged as Primary School Visits Local Care Home Inspired by Channel 4’s ‘Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds’, Stocks Hall Care Home in Mawdesley, Lancashire recently welcomed children from a nearby Primary School for a fun filled morning.

Stocks Hall Mawdesley Home were approached by Eccleston Primary School who arranged for their Reception children to spend the morning to join the home’s Activities Team with a focus on developing good intergenerational relationships and increasing active participation of residents in a range of new activities.

Two visits have now taken place in which the children and residents are forming positive relationships.

Home Manager, Faye Cooper said “Visits such as these can help positively impact the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of residents at the Home.

The groups’ interaction was heart-warming to see and the faces of our ladies and gentlemen lit up

when the children arrived. They chatted, laughed, helped each other with activities and shared stories together.”

Two more visits have been arranged, one of which the residents will be visiting the school to spend time with the children in their own setting.

Deputy Headteacher of Eccleston Primary School, Kate Cranage said “What a rewarding experience it has been for our pupils to meet and build relationships with some of the older members of the community. The children have grown in confidence throughout the project whilst strengthening their social and emotional skills too. It was wonderful to see how they all interacted and supported each other, with beaming smiles throughout! The positives to be gained from work like this really are incredible and benefit all parties involved.”

Residents at care village Belong Morris Feinmann in Didsbury were treated to a series of opera workshops from SoundUp Arts, a community music service in association with the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), whose aim is to engage, enrich and entertain people, including those living with dementia, through the power of music.

The weekly workshops saw RNCM opera students, who are currently working on a production of Puccini’s comic masterpiece ‘Gianni Schicchi’, engage with residents through multi-sensory activities to explore themes and share the joys of opera. Weekly sing-a-longs and handlings of costumes, props and instruments were led by the performers to explore sensory and cognitive responses, which had very positive results among participants.

One 88-year-old resident, Pearl Gruber, was especially full of praise: “I have loved opera all my life, and listening to the live performances by such a talented group of musicians fills me with joy. How wonderful to have had this opportunity here at our village!” Another resident, 94-year-old Doris Angel, shared Pearl’s enthusiasm: “The singers were absolutely mesmerising; everyone in the room was smiling”.

Angela Luckett, experience coordinator at Belong Morris Feinmann, said: “Having SoundUp here has really proved the power of music in stirring emotional and physical responses in our residents. Whether they’re up dancing or tapping their feet from where they’re sitting, the whole group is connected through the music. A big thank you must go to Lucy and the team for sharing their talents with us.”

War Veteran Awarded Unclaimed Medal – 73 Years Later On the 9th November, the Queen’s Own Yeomanry (QOY) Army Reserve based in York, paid a very special visit to St John’s House Care Home in Kirk Hammerton. to meet a very special gentlemen, Sgt William Joynson at the ripe old age of 92. The purpose of this visit was to present Sgt Joynson with a ‘War Medal 1939-1945’ which he never claimed, until now – 73 years after!

Sgt ‘Bill’ Joynson originally started life as a farmer, but when the call came, like many of his friends he knew he had to ‘do his bit’. He started training with the Kings Own Scottish Borderers before being shipped off to join the 2nd Battalion The Durham Light Infantry (DLI). Whilst serving with the DLI, Bill had the amazing opportunity to serve abroad and work with the War Crimes Court in Malaysia, where his job was to collect and escort prisoners to their trials. Bill was also part of the advance party that arrived prior to the liberation of the infamous ‘Changi Jail’ with vivid memories of the gallows and execution yards.

“I remember standing outside with the Japanese stood on one side of the street, all in a line just with bayonets ready. We were stood facing them on the other side, hoping all would go smoothly. It was certainly a tense and nervous time.”

Bill served with the DLI for only a short period of time but manged to reach the rank of Sgt, a far cry from his humble farming days, but he never claimed his war medal, until recently when the Queen’s Own Yeomanry became involved.

After a visit to the barracks on a day out from the care home, Sgt Bill was chatting to LCpl Stephen Dixon (QOY), about his time in the DLI and when asked about his medals he mentioned he had never received any. LCpl Dixon then set about enquiring with the Ministry of Defence Medal Office to see if Bill was eligible, and submitted the paper work. A few weeks later, the medal arrived in the post!

“I am so very proud of this medal, it does bring back a lot of memories good and bad. But I am very proud!”

PAGE 24 | THE CARER | WINTER 2019

The Alzheimer’s Show Government Must Make Case for Increased Tax To Rescue Adult Social Care 2019, Olympia London The UK’s leading event for dementia is on 7-8 June 2019 at Olympia London.

The two-day conference and exhibition is designed to provide help, resources, information and advice, as well as showcasing the latest and best products and services.

Featuring a wide range of expert speakers across three theatres, daily question time sessions, Q&A’s, practical activity workshops, professional advice clinics, interactive dementia experiences and a wide range of dementia and care exhibitors, The Alzheimer’s Show is an unmissable event for those working in the care and health sector wanting a better understanding of dementia, the challenges it can bring as well as providing access to information, new ideas and practical tools to help those living with dementia.

For further information and to book tickets visit www.alzheimersshow.co.uk.

Tickets cost £15 online, £20 on the door.

Hallmark Care Homes Raise £140,000 for Alzheimer’s Research UK and Care Workers Charity Hallmark Care Homes Chair and Chair of Care England, Avnish Goyal, recently presented cheques worth a combined £144,804 to The Care Workers Charity and Alzheimer’s Research UK, following a successful fundraising ball in September.

The presentation took place at The Dorchester Hotel in Mayfair, London, last Thursday at the annual Caring Times Christmas lunch, hosted by Editor in Chief of Caring Times, Dr Richard Hawkins.

CEO of the Care Workers Charity, Richard Muncaster and Director at Alzheimer’s Research UK, Tim Parry, also attended the event to receive the cheques on behalf of the charities.

The ball held in association with Care England, was attended by over 250 people and featured a silent auction with many prizes and pledges donated by the care sector. This included a generous donation of £20,000 from a guest who wished to remain anonymous. Hallmark Care Homes agreed to match fund the pledges on the night with a further £50,000.

Avnish Goyal said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been able to present these two worthy charities with over £140,000.

“It has been a pleasure to support The Care Workers Charity and Alzheimer’s Research UK this year. We hope this money will go towards making breakthroughs in dementia research and ensuring no care worker

faces financial hardship alone.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our main sponsor Care Tech Foundation and the many other guests who supported us on the night of the ball by purchasing tables, taking part in the auction and making pledges.

It is because of your support this donation has been possible.”

Director at Alzheimer’s Research UK, Tim Parry said: “We are enormously grateful for Hallmark Care Homes’ support over the last year. As well as the hugely successful Care Sector Ball, we’ve been blown away by the enthusiasm of employees at Hallmark Care Homes to get behind Alzheimer’s Research UK – which highlights how important our cause is to them. Thanks to this support, Alzheimer’s Research UK will be able to make breakthroughs possible in dementia research that will change lives.”

CEO at The Care Workers Charity, Richard Muncaster said: “This is a fantastic amount of money to be raised, but it is more than just a large figure. It means, most importantly, that we can support over 200 care workers who find themselves in a crisis.”

The Care Sector Ball committee has committed to raising £250,000 for the Care Workers Charity and The Alzheimer’s Society at their next Care Sector Ball on 28th September 2019.

Quality Assurance In The Bathroom Innovation and engineering excellence are being showcased with the latest WC innovation.

The Closomat Asana shower toilet unites British and Swiss innovation and engineering excellence to bring to market what is claimed to be the most aspirational in “smart” WCs. The Asana’s ceramic pan is produced in the first sanitaryware factory to be opened in the past 25 years within the porcelain heartland of The Potteries (in Fenton, Stoke on Trent).

Each bowl is finished to achieve the engineered precision and exacting tolerances required for optimum performance. The flush technology has been developed in the UK’s industrial heartland, the Black Country. The douche mechanism is hand-machined from solid billet in Switzerland.

“The whole ethos behind Asana was to develop a toilet that was aspirational, as well as functional in terms of enabling people to be independent, at least with their toilet needs,” explains Mark Sadler, Closomat Sales Director.

“Just because someone may need help to use the WC (now or in the future) does not mean they have to ‘make do’ with a product that looks institutional, and/or is of inferior quality. The Closomat Asana is desirable from bottom up: it is stylish, delivers the best wash and dry performance available, and is built to last a lifetime, compliant with all current requirements.

“We use the toilet on average eight times a day- probably more than any other fixture in the home. It therefore needs to cope with that degree of usage, year in year out.”

The Asana wall-hung WC- like all Closomat shower toilets- looks like, and can be used as a conventional WC; with integrated douche and drying technology, the user is hygienically, consistently washed and dried after ‘going’, without the need to manually clean

with toilet paper.

The Closomat Asana features a choice of wash options -including rotating, pulsing, temperature variation- that the company says deliver the best cleaning performance available in shower toilets. Closomat further maintains its drying performance is the most effective on the market.

Asana further incorporates design features that deliver optimum comfort and performance for the user, developed from Closomat’s decades of manufacturing and supplying toilets to help people optimise independence and hygiene however young, old, able they are. Features include a 90degree angle between hidden cistern and pan to ensure the user is sat correctly and safely, and a 90 degree spray angle so the douche cleans as effectively and efficiently as possible, and an elongated seat opening to address gender considerations.

Closomat is the UK’s leading supplier of enabling toileting technology, to help anyone- young, old, able or disabled- to achieve dignified and effective cleanliness after toileting. The company offers a complete project management service, from design/ specification through installation, commissioning and future service & maintenance.

Details of the Closomat’s assistive technology toilet care offerings can be found on Closomat’s website www.clos-o-mat.com or call 0161 969 1199..

The Government must make the case for national tax rises – including to either Income Tax and/or National Insurance – to secure the long-term future of adult social care services, council leaders have said.

At the National Children and Adult Services Conference which starts in Manchester today, the Local Government Association is publishing its response to its social care green paper consultation, setting out findings, implications and recommendations. The LGA launched the consultation on the future of adult social care and how to fund it in the summer following a further government delay to its own.

The LGA received more than 540 submissions to the consultation from across the general public, people who use services, councils and countless other interested and significant organisations.

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.

Over this time, the response from different governments has been piecemeal and incremental handouts to try and stave off the worst consequences of underfunding. In parallel, efforts to fundamentally resolve the question of long-term funding for care and support have repeatedly failed. The LGA is now calling on the Government to abandon this short-term incrementalism and make the case for national tax rises so that current and future generations can be confident they will have the care and support they need to live the life they want to lead.

Over recent years, councils have protected adult social care relative to other services. The Government has provided helpful extra funding to tackle some of the immediate pressures facing these vital 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.

This is leading to an ever more fragile provider market, growing unmet and under-met need, further strain on informal carers, less investment in prevention, and continued pressure on an already-overstretched workforce.

The LGA’s green paper started a debate across the country about how to fund the care we want to see in all our communities for adults of all ages and how our wider care and health system can be better geared towards supporting and improving people’s wellbeing.

The final report summarises the range of responses, including an overwhelming recognition of the importance of adult social care in its own right and an equally strong consensus that the system is unsustainable in its current form and underfunding is having serious consequences across the board. The report also puts forward a number of recommendations that the Government should focus on in its own green paper, including:

• Urgently injecting genuinely new national investment to address the social care funding gap that builds to £3.56 billion by 2024/25. This must include additional investment to that announced in the 2018 Budget to help address serious provider market stability concerns in 2019/20.

• Making the case for national tax rises, such as increases in Income Tax and/or National Insurance.

• Reversing the cuts of £600 million to the public health budget between 2015 and 2020.

• Prioritising investment in prevention, community and primary health services for the £20.5 billion additional expenditure for the NHS. • Launching a national campaign to raise awareness of what adult social care and support is, why it matters in its own right and what it could and should be with the right funding and investment.

Polling by Britain Thinks, commissioned by the LGA as part of its green paper, found that support for an increase in National Insurance was the most popular with the public of the options put forward with 56 per cent of people in favour, while only 18 per cent opposed the measure.

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “Work to find a long-term funding solution for adult social care has been kicked into the long grass by successive governments for the past two decades and has brought these vital services to breaking point.

“That is why the LGA took action and launched its own adult social care green paper to start the desperately-needed debate around the future of care. The responses we have had make it clear beyond doubt that there is universal agreement that the current situation is unsustainable and is failing people on a daily basis.

“People have a right to live the life they want to lead and high quality adult social care and support plays an essential role in this. It is also vital to society. It strengthens communities, reduces pressures on the NHS, supports around 1.5 million jobs and contributes as much as £46 billion to the UK economy.

“The Government must use its upcoming green paper to make a serious case for national tax rises including either increases to Income Tax and/or National Insurance to provide long term sustainability for the vital social care services that are central to helping people to live fulfilling, independent lives.

“Now is the time for answers. And every day that is spent further defining the problem and consulting on changes that only really tinker at the edges of the debate, is another day in which people’s lives are not being lived to the full.

“The Government needs to be bold in the solutions it puts forward but it is incumbent upon politicians of all colours to cooperate and be part of a wider movement for change in the national interest.”

Latest Sleep in Shifts Guidance 'Does Not Go Far Enough' Following months of campaigning and nearly six months after the Court of Appeal judgement the Government has revised its guidance on sleep in payments. The announcement follows a cross-sector letter signed by care, health and education organisations urging the government to clarify how sleep-ins should be remunerated.

The guidance reflects the law in paying for sleep in work as determined by the Court of Appeal’s judgment in the joined cases of Mencap v Tomlinson-Blake and Shannon v Rampersad. The guidance clarifies that the Court of Appeal overturned a previous decision which would have resulted in sleep in staff being paid the national minimum wage while asleep.

But today’s guidance does not help anyone nor go far enough says VODG (the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group) which has been calling on government to resolve these issues since 2014. The official guidance notes that further court judgements may again change the circumstances under which the national minimum wage is paid. Unison have already lodged an appeal creating renewed uncertainty for employers

over retrospective and ongoing costs. The Government is therefore sitting on its hands and doing nothing until this potential legal action concludes. Effectively this imposes a state of uncertainty probably until 2020.

Steve Scown, VODG chair said: “Government has the opportunity to use a statutory instrument to legislate once and for so all parties are clear on what the rate of pay should be for sleep in shifts. As things stand this type of work is totally unregulated.

That leaves staff, commissioners and employers in limbo. We are already seeing hard pressed local authorities introducing cuts to previously agreed rates of pay for sleep-ins. It is inevitable that without government action we will see a postcode lottery of pay rates for overnight support.”

It is clear that in the absence of government action commissioners and providers will move in ad hoc ways in relation to the provision of a vital night time support. Just last week VODG highlighted how one local authority has stepped forward and proposed reducing pay for sleep in work to around £4 per hour (once tax and national insurance contributions have been accounted for).

The ongoing lack of clarity not only affectpeople have a right to livepeople have a right care provider organisations but also individuals using personal budgets or direct payments to employ and manage support staff.

VODG is calling on government to: • Act decisively and introduce through a statutory instrument regulatory clarity on pay rates for sleep-in shifts.

• Work with providers and local government on a sustainable funding solution that will ensure care workers are valued and fairly paid.

• Provide clarity on its controversial Social Care Compliance Scheme (SCCS) in the light of new guidance.

• Confirm that the current legal position means employers will not face potential HMRC retrospective action to recover underpayment of national minimum wage for sleep in work – now or in the future.

• Work with organisations to produce information so that people who use services and their families, the workforce, employers and commissioners understand how sleep-in shifts should be remunerated.

Improving Dementia Care Saves Thousands of Pounds in Care Homes Improving staff training in care homes and reducing reliance on harmful medications saves thousands of pounds per year, as well as improving quality of life and reducing agitation in dementia, new research has demonstrated.

A team jointly led by the University of Exeter, King’s College London and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust examined the cost effectiveness of a study of 549 care home residents with clinically significant agitation in dementia across 69 care homes.

The research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research and published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. It compared residents receiving usual treatment to those receiving treatment under the Wellbeing and Health for people with Dementia (WHELD) training programme. The team analysed outcomes on health and social care costs, agitation and quality of life. In each area, WHELD performed better than current treatment, saving up to £4,000 per care home over the nine month study – or up to £2,000 once the cost of delivering WHELD was taken into account. The savings were made in a reduction in emergency and routine hospital admissions and in less contact with GPs, in part because of reduced agitation.

The programme found that the WHELD programme cost £660 per resident to achieve significant improvements in their quality of life.

When first approved for use in the UK, commonly used cholinesterase inhibitor drugs cost around £35,000 to achieve similar measures of improvement. The programme cost around £1,400 per resident to significantly improve agitation. Drugs that are prescribed for this purpose are known to increase harms to people with dementia.

Senior author, Clive Ballard, Professor of Age-Related Diseases at the University of Exeter Medical School, said: “People with dementia living in care homes are among the most vulnerable in our society. We now know we have a programme that provides huge value in improving their quality of life and reducing agitation – and now crucially, we know this saves money. Our research has previously shown that only four of 170 carer training manuals available on the market were based on evidence that they work. We must roll this out to benefit those in need.”

Corresponding author, Renee Romeo, Senior Lecturer in Health Economics at King’s College London, said: “As a person’s dementia progresses they will need more intensive care and support and often residential care is seen as the best option by those who care for them. Our research can assist commissioning decisions around care and treatment options in these settings. By providing the evidence, that effective and affordable care responses following consultation around individual preferences do exist. The failure to recognise and introduce such interventions in not only ethically questionable but very costly.”

The WHELD programme involved training two carer “champions” from each home to deliver person-centred care, which involves individuals in the decisions that affect them. Previous research has found that the average care home resident engages in just two minutes of social interaction in a six hour period. WHELD increased this to ten minutes of activity, focussed around the interests of the resident. It also included GP training to reduce prescribing antipsychotics, known to significantly increase the risk of stroke and death in people with dementia.

Alzheimer’s Society policy director Sally Copley said: “As 70 per cent of people in care homes have dementia, it is essential that staff working there have the right training to provide good quality dementia care.

“This study supports what we know from our own research: that training is crucial to provide this kind of specialist care, and has huge benefits for people with dementia in care homes and for the wider system, and that anti-psychotics are often overused and sometimes harmful – an area we have campaigned on for many years. With many care homes on the brink of collapse and the NHS under pressure, cost-efficient initiatives like WHELD could make all the difference.

“But specialist training costs money, so without Government investment in social care to allow innovative solutions like WHELD to be put in practice, it won’t be possible to provide this for everyone who needs it. I urge Matt Hancock to take bold steps in the forthcoming Green Paper and commit to the sustainable social care funding that people with dementia have already waited too long for.”

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Heating & Lighting Energy Consumption is the second biggest expense for care homes next to staffing costs. Unfortunately, much of it is wasted through old inefficient heating and lighting systems.

By designing our own unique approach to energy management, Refresh Energy have combined energy contracts with energy reduction. When you renew your energy contracts using Refresh Energy, we will supply and install energy efficient equipment within your premises, without you, the business, having to find the cash.

By introducing our new Energy Efficiency Service Agreements, we can assist our clients in reducing their energy consumption, carbon footprint and overall energy spend in one simple step.

Who are Refresh Energy? ✓ An Energy Management Service, established in 2015 ✓ Our vision: to proactively change the energy management & procurement industry for the greater good ✓ Our goal: to support businesses with reducing their costs & carbon emissions ✓ Our team: have strong utilities backgrounds & expertise: we are innovators & sector disruptors ✓ Proven track record with reducing costs & carbon footprint working with UK businesses, charities, local authorities & homeowners

Why choose Refresh Energy? ✓ Guaranteed to reduce your energy consumption & costs ✓ Zero capital outlay on energy saving equipment & devices ✓ Free energy saving impartial advice & FREE energy Audit ✓ Improve your company's carbon footprint ✓ We provide exceptional customer service via a dedicated account manager ✓ Free servicing for all equipment for the duration of the agreement

How Refresh Energy works with you ✓ The energy brokerage industry generates large commissions, we simply use these commissions to supply & install energy efficient equipment & maintain it for the duration of our agreement ✓ We conduct a free on-site audit (at one or multiple business sites) to identify what lighting, heating and/or renewable systems you currently have ✓ We evaluate your current systems for consumption, optimization of costs & emissions ✓ Based on your current electric & gas usages, we liaise with UK energy providers to determine available funding for project rollout ✓ We present an energy services proposal, with a full report detailing the equipment we would supply & install at NO COST including a service agreement for the duration of the term, we also highlight the full savings you will make ✓ Once approved, a date is arranged for the installation of the new energy efficient system

To book your free energy Audit & begin reducing your costs & carbon footprint, get in touch today:

0191 605 3780 • info@refreshenergy.co.uk • www.refreshenergy.co.uk

PAGE 26 | THE CARER | WINTER 2019

ENERGY SOLUTIONS Energy Efficiency in Care Homes: Why Should We Care?

"In total, the UK’s healthcare sector spends more than £400 million per year on energy Unfortunately, a significant proportion of this is wasted, meaning that money is being wasted too.”

– Carbon Trust

Why implement energy efficiency for care homes?

• Energy efficiency tactics can be incorporated into multiple aspects of the businesses, reducing both costs and environmental impact.

• Energy-intensive care homes stand to make long-term savings by reducing energy consumption.

• Effective energy management leads to a safer and more comfortable environment for care home residents.

How to implement energy efficiency in care homes Care homes across the UK have the potential to save on energy bills using consumption reduction techniques, and appropriate contract and energy management advice.

Shea Karssing, Writer for Independent Consultancy Smarter Business, Discusses the Importance of Energy Efficiency of Care Home Operators.

Energy efficiency in care homes should be a key consideration for managers and owners. Because care home residents are generally older or ill and feel the cold, the temperature of these facilities tends to be kept quite high. Another reason that care homes are such high energy users is that they are essentially 24hour facilities, with residents there and using gas and electricity for most of the day and night.

Did you know? In the UK, there are more people over the age of 60 than there are people under the age of 18.

An ageing population means an increased demand for care homes.

And managers of care home are faced with increasing pressure to look after the safety and well-being of their residents in a cost-effective way.

The age of the population is increasing, along with rising energy costs. This is why energy efficiency in care homes can save a lot of energy and a lot of money.

Heating systems Did you know? Heating is typically responsible for 70% of a care home’s energy bills.

• Care home facilities often have large boilers servicing the property.

Maintenance of the boiler is key to energy-efficient heating. You may also need to look at replacing an old boiler.

• Install Low-H2O radiators – these use less water to produce the same amount of heat.

• Instead of electric heaters, warm your facility using central heating.

This has a dramatic effect on the amount of greenhouse gases your facility emits.

• Reduce the temperature of your heating – even bringing the temperature down by one degree can save energy significantly.

Insulation • With high heat demands, care homes should have effective insulation in walls, roofs and other cavities to retain the heat.

• Keep your insulation well-maintained and topped up regularly.

• Close windows to prevent heat from escaping, especially at night-time.

Did you know? If you leave a window open overnight, this wastes as much as a small car would use to drive 35 miles!

Water Did you know? Water heating is responsible for 12% of a care home’s energy consumption.

• Tighten up all the taps in your care home facility, as a single dripping tap wastes thousands of litres per year.

• Encourage residents to shower instead of bath, as bathing uses less water.

• Install water-efficient showerheads.

Lighting • Install motion sensors that switch lights off automatically when a room is unoccupied.

• Like hotels, care homes can also make use of smart key cards that turn off lights and other non-essential devices when a resident is not in their room.

• Switch to LED light bulbs, which use far less energy than halogen bulbs and also last a lot longer.

Renewable solutions for care homes Installing solar panels can work well for care homes, which generally have a large surface area for the placement of panels. Care homes on large plots of land can also look into getting wind turbines.

Aside from reducing dependency on the energy grid, another benefit is that your care home can take advantage of energy-efficiency incentive schemes. Such schemes may pay you for your renewable energy generation.

Investing in renewable energy technologies now will protect the long-term welfare of the care home facility and its residents. Capital expenditure now means savings into the future. You may also be surprised to learn that implementing renewable solutions is more affordable than you think, and the costs can be funded in part by various government green funding initiatives.

Energy efficiency in care homes: where to start Although energy and other costs in care homes are spiralling, implementing energy efficiency in care homes can help ease financial burdens.

The easiest – and most cost-effective – way to reduce your care home’s energy costs is to get in touch with the energy experts at Smarter Business. We can help you recognise if you are paying your current energy supplier too much, help you switch suppliers and advise on short- and long-term energy efficiencies.

www.smarterbusiness.co.uk

Three reasons to engage with an energy broker...

Find out more by reading the full article on page 13

0333 1234 313 info@powerdirectltd.com www.powerdirectltd.com

THE CARER | WINTER 2019 | PAGE 27

HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL

PAGE 28 | THE CARER | WINTER 2019

TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE 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

What Can We Expect In The Care Home Industry In 2019?

By Jonathan Papworth, CEO of Person Centred Software

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.

Predications of what will happen in the care home industry in 2019, from Person Centred Software co-founder and director, Jonathan Papworth.

Jonathan speaks about how funding may be affected by Brexit, the importance of improving efficiencies rather than reducing care quality, and how important technology is to support care homes, now more than ever.

With uncertainty over much of the economy due to Brexit, the care industry presents a far more predictable environment. That’s because people will always need care no matter what our relationship with our

European cousins might bring.

IMPROVING QUALITY WITH TECHNOLOGY

FUNDING COULD GO EITHER WAY

We are increasingly seeing care providers recognise that electronic systems lead to better quality of care, which leads to better outcomes and therefore reduces the overall cost of care. There are many examples of time and costs being saved through technology, and as the percentage of care providers using technology increases so it is becoming the new norm to reject unwieldy paper-based processes.

We are confident of doubling the number of care homes using our Mobile Care Monitoring (MCM) system through 2019, which will mean we are getting close to 20% of all care homes in the UK using our evidence of care system. We also expect to integrate with other technologies at an increasing rate as savvy care providers demand that the different systems they use can interact with each other.

Book a demo today and see how MCM can benefit your care home 01483 604108 hello@personcentredsoftware.com www.personcentredsoftware.com

However, there is one problem – that of attracting and retaining staff. With the pound at a lower exchange rate it’s far more difficult to attract overseas workers, and this will lead to an upward pressure on staff costs, and consequently a squeeze on profits for care providers. The end of austerity might allow for increased funding from public bodies, but there could be a reduction in private funding if the economy continues to decline. So funding pressures won’t get much easier in 2019, and might well get worse.

There are only two options open to resolve the financial pressure care providers are under, one is palatable, which is improved efficiencies; the other is not palatable, which is reduced quality of care.

With Andrea Sutcliffe leaving her position as chief inspector for social care, there is a risk of CQC being less able to maintain its drive to improve standard of care. Hopefully this will not be the outcome, and there are many options to increase efficiency, not least through the judicious use of technology.

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 pro-

vides 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

THE CARER | WINTER 2019 | PAGE 31

TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE How Flexible Is Your Nurse Call System? Medpage - Affordable Caring Technologies

Fitting a nurse call system can often be disruptive, time consuming and expensive; but not with Aid Call’s wireless system.

Aid Call utilise wireless technology because there is no need to install cables to any of the call points and the impact is minimal, which is reassuring at a time of increased pressure on resources and environments.

Wireless systems also have lower installation and operating costs over a traditional hard-wired system, as well as being quicker and easier to install.

Wireless configuration offers complete flexibility and mobility, which makes our system infinitely changeable and expandable, allowing for the constant ability to deal with ever changing priorities and demands.

Our system is safe, reliable and cost-effective. It can be designed to suit individual requirements and needs and adapted to work within your budget. It also has a variety of features which can help to maximise staff efficiency and improve the overall quality of care offered to your clients and patients.

Touchsafe Pro Display Panel The Display Panel conveys a mass of important information at a glance. This includes call type, call location, patient name, nurse identity and call response time. Varying colour displays and alarm tones correspond to different call types to help staff to easily identify priority lev-

els. Reminder calls can be programmed to occur at preset intervals to assist with timed medication and nightly checks. Additionally, a brief patient medical history can be called upon, as can a site map.

All calls will display on the panel. In the event of multiple calls, automatic system triage will display the calls in order of urgency. On multiple-panel systems the panels can be set up with zones so only calls from specific areas are displayed on the panel located within that area.

However, when cardiac or emergency calls are received the system can be programmed to display these on all panels irrespective of zone. The panels may also be configured to operate differently during the day and night to account for changing staff levels.

Now with touchscreen capabilities, your nurse call system can be operated with ease. Antimicrobial additives prevent the growth of harmful micro-organisms on all of our devices and these are guaranteed for the lifetime of the product.

The display panels link with our peripheral and telecare devices. These include our audio visual indicators (AVI’s) to sign post a call to staff on duty, radio pagers to alert staff no matter where they are and our call logging software which tracks and stores all call data for your records.

Visit www.aidcall.co.uk or see the adverts on pages 1 & 10 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 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

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

Don’t throw all your wireless call points away.

They could be used with the latest touch-screen displays, call logging, pagers & other innovations.

Edison can usually repair or supply additional:

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 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.

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.

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

Why should care homes should move from paper to electronic time sheets The industry is under considerable financial pressures. An efficient electronic booking on/off system that will schedule, provide budgets, calculate hours worked, overtime and absence such as sickness and holiday entitlement will save Time and Money.

How is time and money saved by doing things electronically?

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

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

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

There are many systems on the market - Why facial recognition is important and how it works Some systems use Staff tokens, which can be lost

or left at home, thus requiring management involvement in the booking on/off procedure. Fingerprint systems can be beaten and Social media is awash with ways to copy fingerprints. Face recognition combined with a staff PIN is simple to use and manage using touch screen technology and web cams.

Staff see their image displayed immediately when booking on or off and confirms their identity visually.

It provides the best deterrent available as it builds a greater 'image knowledge’ of each employee, a picture is worth a thousand words. Eliminates 'buddy punching' where employees can book colleagues on/off duty using someone’s tokens, swipe card or even fingerprint.

The end of the manual visitors’ book and GDPR GDPR covers the way in which organisations use and manage Visitor Books in particular "Visitor books should NOT show the current visitor the names of those that have previously visited". An electronic Visitor Book removes these risks by allowing visitors to record their arrival and departure without other visitor details being visible.

How is data protected?

With the correct security setup computer systems provide more data protection than paper-based records which can be easily removed or stolen.

GDPR covers all data including paper records and therefore the chances of infringing the rules and incurring fines is greater with paper.

Telephone 03333 444562 or visit www.wfsoftware.co.uk

PAGE 32 | THE CARER | WINTER 2019

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Footwear For Residents With Swollen Feet

Do you have residents with swollen feet who can’t find slippers or shoes to fit? Cosyfeet can help. Our comfy footwear for men and women is much wider, deeper and roomier than anything on the high street. It adjusts to fit a range of swelling as well as bunions, problem toes, bandaging and orthotics.

For the ultimate in comfort this spring, we recommend our stretchy Elastane shoes. They stretch to fit misshapen feet without putting pressure on painful swelling, bunions or hammer toes. They’re water-resistant, so they’re ideal for outdoor wear, but lightweight enough to wear as a house shoe. Team them with our extra roomy socks or hosiery, which fit swollen feet and

legs with ease. We also have diabetic-friendly socks which won’t rub or irritate vulnerable feet.

Cosyfeet is recommended by over 11,000 healthcare professionals. We are also recognised by the Healthy Footwear Guide, a collaboration between UK footwear brands and foot health professionals.

Our ‘No Quibble Money Back Guarantee’ and free UK returns means that our customers can order with confidence. We 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 11.

CLH Healthcare Launches Touch Screen Digital Interactive Table As we move into 2019 CLH Healthcare will again be attending a number of exhibitions to display our state of the art 40” Touch Screen Digital Interactive Table.

Have you seen this exceptional product yet? If not, please give us a call – we will happily come and demonstrate it to you. Whilst there are alternatives on the market, the feedback we have is that once you have seen ours there are no alternatives!

So what is so special about this portable table-turned-tablet?

Firstly, its versatility & manoeuvrability. It has mains and battery power so can be moved wherever you want both within the Home or outdoors, with no trailing leads.

It has a variety of uses – the screen can be used flat as a table (particularly helpful for group activities and table based games) but also its angle and height is fully adjustable, making it ideal for quizzes, memory games, films, staff training and much more. It can also be used for sensory apps, with light and sound, particularly relevant for those living with dementia.

Secondly, it is completely adaptable to your needs, allowing you to download and install hundreds of relevant apps free of charge, where some other options are far more restricted.

If you would like to learn more, or book a demo please call us on 01392 823233 and check out our CLH website at clhgroup.co.uk or see page 17.

Adaptawear Adds NEW Stock & Colours to Petal Back Open Back The Adaptawear’s Petal Back Nightwear is a unique range of open back clothing, which is dignified, comfortable and attractive and allows for ease of dressing for the wearer and nurse/carer, thus reducing stress and pain for all concerned.

The unique Petal Back design with generous shoulder to shoulder overlaps and slides up the arms then over the head and folds at the back for complete dignity. It provides nightwear for ladies and gentlemen without using buttons, studs or fastenings.

• Ladies Petal Back Nightie: pretty, soft ladies open back nightie with substantial overlap at the back for dignity and

opens for easy dressing. Choice of 2 colours (pink or blue – new colours) in either short or long sleeve in sizes 8 – 22.

• Men’s Petal Back Nightshirt: soft, comfortable men’s open back night shirt with substantial overlap at the back for dignity and opens for easy dressing. Choice of 4 colours (navy, light blue, petrol or red) in either short or long sleeve in sizes Small – X Large.

All Petal Back Nightie’s and Nightshirt’s Priced: £30.00 ex VAT 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 page 7 for details.

Oxford® Switch - NEW for 2019!

Designed to help a person with reduced mobility, stand from a seated position and facilitate their transfer to another surface, the Switch actively encourages the user to participate in the standing process, engaging core muscle groups while improving strength and function. As a secondary function, the Switch can also be utilised to help reposition a patient who has slouched or slipped forward in a chair.

With an impressive safe working load of 180kg (28st), the Switch maintains a very

compact footprint and can be wheeled and stored with ease. For added convenience, the Switch quickly separates into two components for effortless transportation, for example in the boot of a car.

As a complimentary accessory, the Oxford Patient handling Belt is available separately. Offered in a choice of sizes, it provides added reassurance and support when standing and during transfer. It also provides a means for care staff to assist the user in rising from a seated position.

This Oxford Switch is available now. For more information, please contact Joerns Healthcare on 0844 811 1156, send an email to info@joerns.co.uk or visit our website at www.joerns.co.uk. See page 14.

The MOWOOT for Life Free from Constipation The MOWOOT is a ground-breaking non-invasive and non-pharmacological solution to chronic constipation.

Developed by a team of doctors and other healthcare professionals at the Institute Guttman, the neurological rehabilitation centre in Barcelona, the MOWOOT performs gentle abdominal massage that speeds up intestinal transit in people experiencing chronic constipation.

Clinically proven, safe and effective, easy to use, relaxing and side-effects free, the MOWOOT Abdominal Massage Therapy System combats constipation, allowing the sufferers to enjoy the freedom of a healthy life.

Easy to use and comfortable, the MOWOOT treats and manages chronic constipation in people with spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease patients and when constipation is caused by drugs and pharmacological interventions. The

Grahame Gardner Ltd Working in a care and nursing home setting demands a uniform that’s reliable, comfortable and capable of working as hard as your valued staff do.

With more than 100 years’ experience working in the healthcare industry, Grahame Gardner Ltd understands this need and is proud to offer one of the largest ranges of high-quality uniforms in the UK. From head to toe, our range contains everything your staff many need – from tunics and scrubs, to trousers and shoes. No matter how tough the demands

MOWOOT also helps people combat idiopathic chronic constipation, such as suffered by menopausal and postmenopausal women and the elderly people. In clinical studies the MOWOOT was found to increase evacuation frequency, soften stools, improve regularity, reduce gasses and bloating and relieve abdominal discomfort.

Just 10 – 20 minutes per day of relaxing abdominal massage therapy with the MOWOOT produces improvements with significant results experienced in just a few days after the first treatment. Regular application ensures positive health benefits and better quality of life.

The MOWOOT – the effective solution to chronic constipation and the way to healthier life!

Supplied by Win Health Medical Ltd 01835 864866 - www.win-health.com See the advert on page 9 for details.

of the job are, our hard-wearing uniforms are up to the challenge, providing your team and your patients with that all-important extra peace of mind. Choose from our extensive colour palette to create uniforms that represent your company’s identity, and make employees feel proud to be a vital part of them whenever they put their uniform on.

Grahame Gardner are currently running an incredible offer for Care and Nursing Homes who can benefit from an exclusive 40% off their staff uniforms. Visit www.grahamegardner.co.uk/cnh40 for more information about our exclusive discount see the advert on page 4, or call 0116 255 6326 or email sales@grahamegardner.co.uk.

FOOD AND NUTRITION Making sure older people have nutritious food and drinks is fundamental to good care. As people age, their requirements change, but a good diet and keeping active can help prevent potential health problems and play a key part in ageing well.

Meals and snacks are an important part of anyone’s day, but this is particularly true in residential/nursing care environments, where they create a familiar structure to the day and provide an opportunity for social interaction as well as nutritious, enjoyable food.

Equally, some residents will have specific health and nutritional needs. The Carer spoke with leading industry professionals and suppliers for their comment on Nutrition & Hydration: Sophie Murray, is Head of Nutrition and Hydration for Sunrise Senior Living: Nutrition, Hydration and dignity in dining continue to headlines whilst we still miss fundamental gaps in delivering a fully rounded service in care homes. In recent years there have been many advances in menu planning in the care industry and we have seen CQC guidance improving to see that we provide a range of choice, variety and nutritious meals to our residents who live in care facilities. With some sites, we have seen close working with food suppliers to provide the food and the equipment cutlery and crockery to enable us to offer the right food and drink. It is common now to see hydration station and snack stations in care facilities. In my view the area that remains a gap is to share these practices in order to make them norms and to have efficiently run dining rooms or restaurants in care facilities with the right environment fully considered to provide a dining experience as opposed to a task orientated process three times a day with, at best, a plate distribution service via untrained care staff who deliver dining too. We still seem to have a gap in the ability to cater therapeutic diets to a level and standard that considers people’s true preferences and full variety of choice too as Chefs remain untrained and resources and equipment remains lacking. So what does the dignity in dying look like?

Let’s start with what good looks like in a dining room? Here is one example of a well laid table which is appealing and which may encourage a resident to

want to be seated at that table to enjoy their meal The attitude with service needs to consider how to offer personalised choice and the approach needs to match it. A menu reminds and offers choice and if it is accompanied by using visual plates to help those especially who may need a memory prompt then it can help towards dignity and helping a person feel valued.

At this stage in dining condiments really play a part. Not A well laid table in a preserving gravy or absence of dining room offering of sauces can affect enjoyment and taste. For some having no salt on potatoes would ruin their enjoyment and others having gravy on meat only is important. Using it as an opportunity to interact and at the same time asking about their wellbeing can make a person feel valued. Use gravy boats either through a carer pouring on the right area or the mddle of the table is great.

Identifying a key staff member, perhaps a nutrition champions will help role modelling.

If a care staff member was put in the role and shadowed a waiter in a restaurant for a couple of shifts they can see Simple hydration personal touch and the differstation ence it makes.

Eventually by building practice a dining model or manual can be formed however simple or complex with tips and training tools for maintaining consistency.

Feedback cards daily can be more useful than surveys in asking or observing what has been really enjoyed s the menu can be shaped for residents. It is not possible for a menu to please 100% of the people 100% of the time so an alternative menu is also crucial and usually has simple choices such as omelette, sandwich and jacket potato but it can extend to offer more substanA display of snacks tial choices and more choices through the day for those who require therapeutic diets. It may be bought in from reputable food suppliers and some homes may use a pre-order to ensure food is ready for the meal and not served after.

There is much debate in some sites as to whether carers should join in and dine with residents but in my experience it really does enhance the experience IF THEY INTERACT and can increase food consumption and thus reduce the risk of malnutrition and increase quality of life.

Mealtimes are truly is the one time of day which can be A menu a contact touch point to see how somebody is feeling as it is not a clinical related task and can enable some wonderful one-to-one conversations yet too often people concentrate on it being a plate distribution service and clear away as soon as possible, forgetting to look at a person’s face and have a brief conversation at each point in the meal. Many staff will themselves dine out in restaurants or cafés or bistros so they will know what makes a conducive environment yet can take it for granted.

Another big no-no would be when catering is run to suit the catering or care staff such as scheduling in a time for lunch or dinner which simply doesn’t suit the residents just so the care staff catering staff can fit in with their shifts.

Every dining room should have a document at the point of service which identifies all of those requiring a therapeutic or special diet which includes people who have a MUST score due to the risk of malnutrition or those who have a food allergy all those who require a texture modified meal. Keep an eye on choice and accuracy for them and respond to poor consumption using the tips above.

• Identifying dining hosts/ waiters who are well trained • Make the environment a lovely place to be and not just functional • Include snacks and hydration stations through the day in the provision • Make menu planning an important part of each meal by using comments cards or a comments book • Use taster days to help form the menu • Produce a dining model or manual with a vision of what good looks like • Train Chefs and Cooks as well as care staff to have a people first approach • Ensure safety with therapeutic diets by using a record at the point of service

Lastly does it increase cost? NO if it is planned and designed well – it increases care quality and experience and can REDUCE costs

Why Manage Malnutrition in Care Homes?

Dr Abbie Cawood Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton: Malnutrition is a significant public health problem in the UK and is estimated to cost more than £23 billion each year around 15% of the total expenditure on health and social care.

Malnutrition has many adverse effects if unidentified and untreated including increased infections, complications and greater use of health care resources. In the UK 35% of individuals recently admitted to care homes are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition according to the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (‘MUST’) www.bapen.org.uk/screening-and-must/ must-calculator).

NICE CG32 recommends screening for malnutrition in care homes and when individuals are identified as malnourished or at risk of malnutrition to commence on oral nutrition support which includes food fortification strategies, dietary advice, altered meal patterns and oral nutritional supplements (ONS).

NICE has designated implementing CG32 (screening and management of malnutrition) to have high impact to produce savings (£71800 per 100,000 population).

Research in care homes has specifically demonstrated the benefit of managing malnutrition with readymade ONS in addition to diet.

A large clinical trial in 104 elderly malnourished care home residents, randomised to receive dietary advice or ONS (Fortisip Range) for a 12-week period, has shown that ONS compared to dietary advice significantly increases nutrient intakes (energy, protein, micronutrients) and significantly improves quality of life. Cost analysis of this clinical trial demonstrates that readymade ONS are cost effective relative to dietary advice, with the ICER (£10961) falling well below the cost effectiveness threshold .

Similarly a practical project to implement the multiprofessionally endorsed Managing Adult Malnutrition in the Community pathway (www.malnutritionpathway.com) into care homes using standardised nutrition care plans based on malnutrition risk (low risk rescreen, medium risk food fortification, high risk food fortification and readymade ONS) has also shown benefits including reducing health care use with overall cost savings. Effective management of malnutrition especially the use of multi nutrient readymade ONS alongside the diet in care homes can not only improve quality of life but is also a cost-effective solution.

(Continued on page 35....)

THE CARER | WINTER 2019 | PAGE 35

FOOD AND NUTRITION (Continued from page 32...)

Are Oral Nutritional Supplements for Dementia Helpful?

Ayela Spiro Nutrition Science Manager, British Nutrition Foundation: In mixed patient groups oral nutritional supplements (ONS), sometimes referred to as sip feeds, have been shown to be effective in improving weight. But do we know whether this is true specifically in people with dementia and should particular consideration be given to people with dementia when prescribed supplements?

Clearly, ONS can only be effective if consumed, and although short-term compliance in people with dementia has been reported to be satisfactory, figures as low as 8.5% have been reported in longer-term trials. In addition, the high dropout rates in some ONS studies, which may have introduced considerable bias, have led to some questioning of the effectiveness of ONS for people with dementia at risk of, or with, malnutrition.

It is important to consider why the person with dementia may be losing weight. If the reason is related to their lack of ability to feed themselves, then providing additional ONS without supporting their eating and drinking abilities is unlikely to lead to an increased intake. This reinforces the need to not only screen for risk of malnutrition, but to adequately assess individual nutrition needs, including the assistance required with eating as part of the prescription decision. There is also some evidence suggesting that people with dementia and with a low Body Mass Index (BMI) may eat less when prescribed ONS, and may therefore, decrease overall food intake and continue to lose weight. It is also worth noting that people with dementia who have a low BMI are more likely to have later stage dementia and are also more likely to have reduced mealtime abilities. Monitoring is important. One way of monitoring that has been shown to be useful is a two-day trial of ONS alongside a detailed recording of oral food intake.

For someone living with dementia where mealtimes will be one of their few opportunities for social interactions, a decrease in food intake is unwanted from both a nutritional and quality-of-life aspect. Fundamentally ONS should be a supplement to the diet and not become a meal replacement. Providing assistance with eating and drinking can be seen as a labour-intensive, caring task and be problematic in instances of inade-

quate staffing levels. ONS may be helpful, but strategies to improve mealtime abilities and eating environments to promote food intake should not be ignored when they are prescribed.

Better food, better care, better bottom line’

Imagine a commercial kitchen where the chef doesn’t know the cost per portion of her recipes. She has no measure of recipe yields, scale up or portion sizes. The value of over production or food wastage is unknown, as is the cost of the food order placed. Add in the risk of a no-deal Brexit and the costs of labour and production could rise significantly.

The reality is the care industry must find smarter ways to manage growing costs, while maintaining quality care and catering services.

The future of care home catering

SoupedUp Catering software is rapidly changing the most labour intensive and costly parts of running a care home business. Catering operations can be streamlined by digitising menu planning and costing.

Critical resident dietary requirements and preferences can also be shared between clinical, care and catering teams instantly, on tablet or mobile.

With new IDDSI standards set to launch in April, SoupedUp’s latest online training platform offers a convenient and cost effective way to train care home staff in best practice and industry specific catering topics, without ever leaving the kitchen!

www.soupedup.com www.nutriciahcp.com www.tmethermometers.com www.sunriseseniorliving.com www.nutrition.org.uk www.southampton.ac.uk

PAGE 36 | THE CARER | WINTER 2019

HYGIENE AND INFECTION CONTROL 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 MultidrugResistant 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.

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 visit www.skychemicals.co.uk

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.

A Great Solution to Cleaning Up Accidents The Urine Off brand introduces a welcome solution to a common care home and nursing problem. Often accidents are cleaned up by quickly grabbing the nearest thing, resulting in reels of soggy paper towel or mountains of dirty bathroom towels that are messy and inconvenient to deal with afterwards.

A common practice is to press down on the towels with the sole of your shoe which in turn spreads the contamination throughout the building when you walk away! Now you can use Zorb it Up Absorbent Sheets!

Impregnated with Zorb it Up technology, which turns liquid to gel, the sheets absorb incredible amounts of fluid including urine, vomit and diarrhoea. Simply lay the sheet over the mess and press down to

To To place place your your recruitment recruitment advertising advertising call call our our sales sales team team on on

01202 552333

or or email email sales@ sales@ thecareruk.com thecareruk.com

ensure contact, leave until the liquid has been absorbed then pick up easily and hygienically.

The sheets have a plastic film backing which provides a sanitary barrier, ensuring that the soles of your shoes or your hands never come in contact with the contamination Zorb it Up is also available in a powder form which solidifies liquids into gel.

For information on Zorb it Up and other products in the Urine Off range contact Bio-Fresh Environmental Tel: 01903 876310 email: sales@bio-freshenvironmental.co.uk or visit the website www.urine-off.co.uk

THE CARER | WINTER 2019 | PAGE 37

HYGIENE AND INFECTION CONTROL Maintain Winter Wellness With Good Hand Hygiene This winter, GOJO, THE INVENTORS OF PURELL™, is advocating a ‘Total Solution’ approach to hand hygiene, in an effort to boost winter wellness and lessen the impact of seasonal viruses. This approach involves a combination of specialist formulations, innovative dispensers and compliant hand hygiene behaviour, helping to keep both people and places healthy.

Good hand hygiene is one of the most effective measures to prevent the spread of infection; and is particularly pertinent at this time of year, when viral illnesses tend to increase.

Highly contagious infections such as the common cold, influenza, and norovirus peak during the winter months. Such viruses are transmitted through contact with others via the hands and surfaces, yet hundreds of studies have shown that good hand hygiene can break this chain of infection, helping to prevent the spread of germs and reduce the chances of getting sick in the first place.

The PURELL SOLUTION™ from GOJO, combines scientific expertise, effective formulations and state-of-the-art technology to promote hygienic and compliant hand hygiene behaviour. Working in partnership with FM and healthcare managers, GOJO can help implement effective hand and surface hygiene regimes. This

includes supplying innovative dispensers and fully virucidal formulas with short contact times, as well as offering practical support, best practice training and awareness-raising signage and leaflets to influence hygienic behaviour. The solution also offers PURELL SMARTLINK™ technology, consisting of two mobile smart apps that measure hand hygiene compliance and monitor dispenser health.

Chris Wakefield, Vice President, European Marketing & Product Development, GOJO Industries-Europe Ltd comments, ‘As a founder member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Private Organizations for Patient Safety group, GOJO is a strong advocate of the ‘total solution’ approach to making hand hygiene second nature to everyone. This simple act can make a huge difference to health, not only ensuring personal wellbeing during the colder months, but also offering business benefits. After all, a healthier workforce will offer greater productivity, and businesses will lose fewer days to sickness.’

For a tailored, effective, total solution for your setting, or for more information on the benefits of partnering with GOJO, please call +44 (0)1908 588444, email infouk@GOJO.com or visit www.GOJO.com

All Your Waste Issues Handled by Jalkin Have you truly considered how human waste can impact the efficient running your site, from start to finish? At Jalkin we are delighted to be launching an end to end proposition specifically tailored for the care environment, focusing particularly on immobile and incontinent residents, waste handling, cleaning protocols and processes, associated infection control management right through to drainage, treatment and disposal, where you pass the responsibility for your waste on to a third party.

Whether that is the Environment Agency, your local Water Company or a Waste removal organisation, the Jalkin team bring relevant experience.

This end-to-end approach has been successfully trialled with tangible metrics focused on the cleanliness of the resident’s

and staff environment as well as fundamentally reducing related day to day costs.

We have put this package together based on closely listening to the needs of our customers and have been pleasantly surprised by the response to date. Addressing the whole human waste path from start to finish not only brings typically unseen economical efficiencies but also supports our customers to addresses many of the environmental and compliance issues that are more and more stringent, particularly with the introduction of the 2020 drainage and discharge requirements that require prompt attention across the country.

Call 01989 763131 or visit www.jalkin.co.uk for details.

There's something in the water HC Rapid25 is the latest innovation from Clearwater, designed to detect Legionella in just 25 minutes.

There are various measures for controlling the Legionella risk and protecting staff, residents and visitors in and around your premises from the fatal impact of Legionnaire’s disease. But Legionella can be hard to detect. Even when you think you have the correct measures in place, Legionella could be thriving in your water system.

Reducing exposure with rapid detection

Regular water testing will determine the level of risk in your water system. Typically, this takes 10-12 days which leaves plenty of opportunity for contamination to occur. This is why Clearwater has developed HC Rapid25, the world’s fastest Legionella testing kit which detects Legionella in just 25 minutes.

Quick, simple and easy to use

HC Rapid25 is the world’s only genuine field test, providing rapid results at the sample point. Following simple instructions, your staff will be able to test for Legionella with no specialist training required.

Manage the risk and stay on top of compliance with HC Rapid 25, the world’s fastest Legionella testing kit from Clearwater.

Order online today at shop.clearwater.eu.com/products

Clearwater Group Limited | 08000 937936 | 1 Archipelago, Lyon Way, Frimley, GU16 7ER

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

THE CARER | WINTER 2019 | PAGE 39

LAUNDRY SOLUTIONS 5 Reasons Why You Should Choose LaundryTec Chester based LaundryTec since its foundation in early 2016 has become one of Alliance Internationals major UK distributers.

Founded by Jeremy Hartigan, the team of industry professionals with the backing of the Alliance Lavamac brand and supported by its service partner PDS Laundry based in Nuneaton. They supply a significant number of the UK’s leading health care operators with equipment, installation and after sale support.

The LaundryTec designs offer not only washing, drying and ironing equipment but a full range of 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

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 of machines and parts held in branch, expect high quality competitive installations and swift repairs by enthusiastic fully Miele trained engineers.

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

Hughes Pro is one of the largest Miele Professional dealers, 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 including Speed Queen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

All of our laundry equipment is available for rent, lease or purchase with maintenance. Our complete Care solution gives access to premium products without upfront capital outlay and with no repair or replacement bills for the life of the contract.

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

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

PAGE 40 | THE CARER | WINTER 2019

FURNITURE AND FLOORING Unlock the Beauty of your Care Home, with the Care Interiors team at Spearhead The Care Interiors team at Spearhead are the experts in Care Home design. We offer a bespoke end to end service, focusing on delivering a blend of functionality, practicality, comfort and style to your Care Home.

Care Homes are increasingly taking a bespoke approach to design, looking to ensure that what is produced makes working in a Care Environment as easy as possible, while still ensuring that the end result is something your residents are proud to call ‘home’.

Renray Healthcare

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

PM200

QZ2

B09

B39

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.

Euroservice Trolley Manufacturers With over 35 years of experience in the sale and manufacture of wooden trolleys for the catering trade, Euroservice trolley manufacturers have now acquired a worldwide reputation and still offer an extensive /comprehensive range of top quality wooden trolleys manufactured in the UK. Top quality is a priority in the production of all of our products and Euroservice are specialists in the manufacture of sturdy and beautiful looking trolleys which will grace any environment from the small privately owned restaurant to the splendid 3 to 5 star hotels, resorts and Residential homes.

Euroservice’s excellence in the manufacture of wooden trolleys is backed by a personal, efficient and friendly service second to none. We are always busy researching the needs of the market and launch new ranges according to market demands.

Whatever your needs you can be assured that Euroservice can cater for them and we look forward to your call.

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

Polysafe QuickLay PO 300

B007

WM6

BZ 006

With Care Home specific showrooms in Stafford and Kilmarnock, we are pleased to be able to offer our customers the ability to come and experience what we can do, as well as try out the Care Home specific furniture, fixtures and fittings (all the way down to properly treated fire resistant curtains and compliant anti slip flooring) Call us today on 0345 180 1800 to discuss your requirements, and find out how we can help or visit www.spearheadhealthcare.com

Polysafe QuickLay is a loose lay safety flooring designed for adhesive free installation.Polysafe QuickLay can be laid over a variety of existing subfloors including new concrete substrates of upto 97% RH. The collection is suitable for heavy commercial and residential environements in need of a quick turnaround and where sustainable slip resistance is a priority.

Polysafe QuickLay collection features a contemporary tonal colour bank of 12 shades with a decoration in a selection of tonal hues optimised for specification within dementia friendly design schemes.

Additionally the Polysafe QuickLay collection features enhanced sustainable slip resistance of 45+ (slider 96).

Polysafe QuickLay features the exclusive Polysafe PUR reinforcement for optimum appearance retention & superior cleaning benefits.

See the advert on page 41 or visit www.polyflor.co.uk

PAGE 42 | THE CARER | WINTER 2019

FURNITURE AND FLOORING Reducing The Risk Of Falls With Good Flooring Choices

Alternative Positioning Support (APS) The Alternative Positioning Support (APS) is recommended for use where more control of the abducted lower limbs is required than can be provided by the T Roll or Log Roll, or for reasons when the T roll is not appropriate or acceptable, for example with limited abduction.

How The APS Is Assembled Widths can be adjusted as required, using removable pads (above).

Adjustment If greater control of abduction is required, the additional pads provided with the pommel may be used to decrease the width between the side supports effectively increasing alignment of the lower limbs.

**The APS is a unique product, designed and produced solely by C&S Seating Ltd.** Available in 2 sizes (small or large). Full dimensions available in our full colour 16 page brochure or website at

www.cands-seating.co.uk info@cands-seating.co.uk | 01424 853331

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

Care home residents are three times more likely to fall than their community dwelling peers and ten times more likely to sustain a significant injury as a result . By thinking about the flooring in high-risk areas, such as the bathroom, falls can be minimised. Here Stuart Reynolds, Head of Product and Marketing at AKW, explains key things to include.

Ensure the flooring meets anti-slip standards – accessible bathroom flooring should conforms to both HSE and International standards and have high barefoot and footwear slip resistance. If possible, choose flooring such as AKW’s new anti-slip vinyl flooring, which has a PTV (Pendulum Test Value) that exceeds wet room requirement standards, providing complete peace of mind for end users and care home managers.

Avoid changes in floor colour that can create confusion – a person with dementia or visual impairment may assume that the colour change from flooring to a shower

tray means there is a step up or down and fall. To avoid this, ensure that the wet room is finished using safety flooring in a single colour and doesn’t incorporate large speckles. The large speckles can be misinterpreted as pieces of dust or dirt that a person with dementia will try and pick up and potentially fall over whilst doing so.

Avoid patterns on the flooring - Avoid the use of shiny flooring, as this can be perceived as being wet. Also choose a floor colour that is uniform and doesn’t contain a pattern or raised dimples, as these can be mistaken for dirt by someone with dementia and can lead to an increased fall risk.

AKW’s new anti-slip vinyl flooring range meets all of these risk requirements.

Available in six colourways, the design of this durable safety flooring has been developed considering the risk of falls factors such as slip resistance, visual contrast and texture.

For more information visit: www.akw-ltd.co.uk

Tropical Prints on FR Fabrics for a Boutique Feel Classic trellis designs, tumbles of stery, multi-use velvet and qualities exotic flowers and waving palm for black out, dim-out and bedding trees give a clue to the relaxing farend uses. away feel of the new collection Mau Loa will add to the Skopos 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 uphol-

C & S Seating C & S Seating are proud to be the national supplier of 24 hour postural management and control products for over 25 years.

Initially developed by the Company founders and a consultant specialist physiotherapist, using on-going feedback from healthcare professionals we now have a wide selection of positioning equipment available.

We assemble and supply 9 different sizes of T-Rolls and Log Rolls (ranging from paediatric to adult) in a machine washable wipe-clean Titex or Soft Knit covering as standard. Our Knee supports and width adjustable

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 fullservice 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

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.

DEMENTIA CARE & TRAINING The Paterson Group Launches Key New Division: Paterson Training, to Kick-Off 2019

The Paterson Group has been offering highend training solutions to its workers and clients for over 20 years. The launch of Paterson Training follows an extremely positive year for The Paterson Group in 2018, having undergone a Management Buy-Out in July, followed by the successful relocation and expansion of the Milton Keynes branch in November.

The introduction of Paterson Training as a stand-alone division within the Group will reinforce the already strong focus on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) throughout Paterson Recruitment and Paterson Health & Social Care’s diverse sectors.

The Paterson Group is experienced in delivering a variety of courses including; First Aid,

Basic Life Support, Fire Safety and Manual Handling, as well as more specialist sessions: Administration of Medication, Infection Control and Care Planning to name a few. Launching Paterson Training will enable the provision of a broader range of courses, as well as bespoke offerings to suit specific organisations and environments nationwide. Many of Paterson Training’s courses are CPD accredited, meaning they contribute to the Continuing Professional Development obligations of learners within applicable sectors.

Paterson Training’s up-to-date, highly effective courses will ensure that learners have the ability and knowledge to carry out their duties to the highest standard. Whether working through Paterson Recruitment or Paterson Health & Social Care as an agency worker, or directly employed in industry, the business believes that all staff should have the opportunity to progress in their careers and be supported in the process of upskilling by their workplace.

Paterson Training has a team of expert inhouse trainers with the professional and practical knowledge and experience to lead informative sessions on a variety of clinical and non-clinical subjects. Demand for further training and development grows year-on-year and

the company strives to adapt to evolving market needs and legislation to fulfil this requirement with an ever-growing range of courses.

The Paterson Group’s Managing Director, Tracey Campbell, says, “The Launch of Paterson Training is a venture we’re extremely proud of as a business, and the success of it to date can only mean exciting things for the future.”

About The Paterson Group

Founded in 1972, The Paterson Group was established with a clear vision: to provide professional, friendly and reliable recruitment services for both candidates and clients.

The Group, encompassing Paterson Health & Social Care, Paterson Recruitment and Paterson Training, places high-quality candidates in various sectors. The company also works in loyal partnership with many blue-chip companies, offering sought-after temporary and permanent positions.

The Paterson Group prides itself on growing links with education locally, and strives to not only place candidates, but to also support their career aspirations through training.

The Paterson Group is an accredited member of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC).

Visit www.paterson-healthcare.co.uk

Combatting Loneliness with Home Care Companionship Services Loneliness can affect anyone in our communities. We’re recognising more than ever, that some elderly people may be experiencing too many lonely days. The Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness states ‘one in three people aged 75 and over say feelings of loneliness are out of their control.’ The Alzheimer’s Society reports 38% of people living with dementia said that they had lost friends after their diagnosis. For elderly people who have developed a medical condition or living with dementia, loneliness can impact on their overall well-being.

It’s great to see that many home-care companies are now providing companionship sessions for people in their own homes. To help carers enrich social care, Gillian Hesketh of Happy Days Dementia Workshop & Design has developed a range of traditional games with conver-

sation prompts and life story tools to encourage meaningful conversations.

Here are Gillian’s top pointers to help care providers engage with clients: • Find out about the individual - the person’s life story interests - likes and dislikes.

• Make a list of interesting topics and favourite pastimes - adjust activities to suit.

• It’s not necessary to win or complete games and tasks - the act of engaging is often enough to prompt meaningful conversations.

For more information or FREE 10 Pointers for Carers List, contact Gillian Hesketh gillian@dementiaworkshop.co.uk or shop online at www.dementiaworkshop.co.uk

A New Approach To Person-Centred Care The new Jolly Trolley from Little Islands is a portable, interactive entertainment cart that brings fun and festivity anywhere inside and outside of a care home environment. 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. It can be taken into a resident’s room for those who are unable to get out of bed but don’t want to miss out. There is also a USB port to use your own media making the Jolly Trolley perfect for per-

son-centred activities. This offers a great opportunity to deliver a personalised and meaningful activity. It has been very well received by all who see it, just take a look at what some of our happy customers are saying!

“We were so pleased with our first Jolly Trolley purchase that we bought three more! Now all homes in our group have them” – Jeanne Davies, Director, L&M Healthcare.

“The Jolly Trolley is quite simply the best money we have ever spent on resident enrichment!” - Donna Burkhill, Activities Manager, St John’s House.

To find out more or to book a FREE demonstration, please contact Little Islands on 0800 093 8499 or email info@littleislands.org

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

PAGE 46 | THE CARER | WINTER 2019

PROFESSIONALS AND INSURANCE Engagement in Care! Carers and Personal Assistant Insurance from Surewise.com The Care organisations have been under great pressure in recent years, from facing the uncertainty that goes with Brexit to a variety of NHS cuts, hoping to weather the storm awaiting better times.

A key issue has always been recruitment and retention of staff. With cashflow being squeezed to the extreme, making significant financial awards to staff can become an intolerable expense.

Whilst there is some light at the end of the tunnel, the key questions remain: How to I attract the right staff; and Once I have recruited them, how do I ensure they stay?

A changing industry has brought a change in the mindset of the workforce, which Care organisations need to recognise and adapt to, by evolving their brand image and employee engagement.

Key issues behind recruitment include the perceived unattractiveness of the industry, unsociable hours and low pay.

The truth is that such issues cannot be tackled overnight or even eliminated solely through investment. The only way to evolve is to show potential candidates why your Organisation is worth working for, demonstrating an attractive culture and a focus on engaging staff and developing them.

Whilst it might still be true that for a lot of workers, the priority is still to earn money to survive, an increased number of employees value their development and

EAD

true employer engagement just as much.

Implementing positive performance management is a good starting point, by holding regular review meetings with staff that go beyond simply ticking boxes, showing your employees that you are vested in their progress.

Providing quality training, which can be cost-effective and online, provides certified training that expands your team’s skillset and develops your people.

Finally giving access to “out of the box” benefits can be a great driver for engagement. The advantage of this over traditional “bonus” payments is that longer term benefits are constantly visible to the employee, providing a sense of belonging. Ideas include team building days, social meals, or discount clubs providing money off shopping, travel and everyday expenses.

The incoming President of the Healthcare People Management Association (HPMA), Dean Royles, identified the key issue – a sector filled with high quality and skilled personnel, but undervalued financially. If those providing the care are struggling and feeling disengaged, what hope do the recipients of the care service really have?

Evolving is the key to bringing back quality candidates to a thriving industry.

If you wish to know more or need some direction on these areas, contact us at the Policy Company – we would be more than happy to assist you!

See the advert on page 44 or call us on 0203 011 4070 or email enquiries@thepolicycompany.co.uk. For more information about us, visitwww.thepolicylibrary.co.uk.

Zameer Nazarali Managing Director and Employment Lawyer

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

Surewise.com are dedicated to helping and protecting their customers against unexpected events, providing insurance to help them to live life confidently.

They also believe in the crucial role carers play in our society and their aim is to protect them with the most suitable insurance cover for the risks they face within their workplace.

Carers and Personal Assistant Insurance from Surewise.com covers against a claim in the event of accidental injury, damage to or loss of

property, legal expenses and more.

As a carer, you’ll deal with many situations on a daily basis, which can pose a risk to both you and the person you are caring for - so cover yourself today and give yourself the peace of mind that you’re protected at work.

If you work as a self-employed carer, they also have a policy to suit you. Covering a variety of circumstances from personal liability to legal expenses, all of their policies aim to protect you against life’s unpredictabilities.

All policies are underwritten by SAGIC, The Salvation Army General Insurance Corporation, and have no hidden charges, and interest free monthly payments.

Policies start from as little as £4.92 per month and are available in 3 levels of cover from bronze to gold, for the most comprehensive protection.

For further information, please see the advert on the inside back cover.

Leading the Charge for Positivity in Insurance Insurance, overall, has a poor reputation.

Whether people perceive that they pay large premiums and get nothing back from them, or that greedy insurers do their best to avoid claims or minimise payments wherever possible. I would suggest that this reputation is well deserved when it comes to insurance providers in the social care sector. Insurance premium have been high in comparison to other sectors, cover has not been generous and providers have not been known to be generous or fast in their insurance settlements.

So why is this? There are many reasons, but the overarching one is a lack of understanding from the insurance market. This lack of understanding has led to a lack of support for the sector. As we all know a lack of competition does not drive forward innovation and drive down costs. The industry is growing at a phenomenal rate and yet the market has not been responding.

So how to bring about change? The only way for the industry to shift is for experts to influence from the inside. When I joined the industry 20 years ago my background was as a carer. To this day I am an advocate for this individual and arrange care for family members. I soon merged my interests of insurance and social care and specialised in helping care providers with their insurance needs. I then discovered the lack of choice and product. Since then I have dedicat-

ed my career to influencing change for the benefit of my clients – launching more competitive insurance schemes, introducing innovative covers and bringing new insurers to the sector. Whilst I am proud of my achievements, there is still much more to do and I need the help of the sector to do it.

So what can you do to help influence change in the market? There are a few things that people in the care sector can do to improve the market. Examples include: • Reward the right providers – there are well known insurance providers that offer insurance that doesn’t meet all of the needs of providers. I often hear providers say that they would meet the shortfall themselves in the event of a claim. This goes against the whole idea of purchasing insurance and is not rewarding the insurers doing the right job (and therefore motivating their long term involvement).

• Share your ideas and frustrations – innovation most often comes from those that are disappointed in the products on the market not meeting their needs. Without you sharing your ideas on improvements we can never • Talk to your colleagues – had a good experience with insurance?

Tell someone else about it! Recommend the best. Let’s lead the charge for positivity in the market and drive change together.

Glenn Trafford is a Risk Manager with InsureWithCare, a specialist provider of insurance and risk management solutions to care providers.

See the advert on page 45 for further details.

5 Tax Entitlements Healthcare Workers Could Be Missing Out On Healthcare workers including nurses, ambulance staff, dentists and pharmacists to name but a few – represent a group of employees who are eligible to claim extra tax relief for certain expenses they pay as part of their job.

Here’s a simple guide to what tax relief you could be missing out on: 1. Professional memberships Many workers in the healthcare sector must pay registration fees to a regulatory body to do their job and these payments are tax deductible.

If you’re a member of a professional body like NMC, HCPC or RCN for example and pay the subscription fees yourself, you can make a claim…worth 20 percent to a basic rate taxpayer.

If you have not claimed previously, you may be able to make a claim for the last four years.

HMRC usually make any adjustments needed

through your tax code for the current tax year and they will also apply any tax relief to your pay going forward, so you typically only need to claim once.

2. Uniform maintenance If you wear a compulsory uniform at work or during off-site visits, you could be due a oneoff rebate for the upkeep. This can be backdated to the last four tax years and received as a single payment, while any future claims will be paid in wages.

Uniform allowances in healthcare are generally higher than in other sectors as HMRC recognises the need to use a hot wash to stop the spread of germs. It only takes a couple of minutes online to check what you could be entitled to using an online calculator.

3. Mileage allowance For those healthcare workers making off-site visits or travelling to temporary places of work, a tax rebate could be due.

If you use your own vehicle to travel to different locations for work and receive less than the standard 45p per mile from your employer

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

By Tony Mills, Director, Online Tax Rebates in expenses, you can claim tax relief on the difference. Be sure to keep any travel or fuel receipts to make an expense claim via your employer first and foremost.

4. WAT scheme If you’re an NHS employee who took part in the Widening Access Training scheme after 1999 you could be entitled to make a claim because national insurance and income tax shouldn’t have been taken from your wages.

However, there is a lack of definitive guidance on who can claim this back. It’s worth asking HMRC but claims have a high rejection rate and some claimants have had to return their refunds, so exercise caution.

5. Finally, stay safe…

Don’t fall victim to fraudsters who are sending fake emails and text messages promising tax rebates.

Never hand out any personal or payment details to companies you haven’t approached personally before or to HMRC who will only ever contact you via post or your employer.

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 healthcare managers who have extensive knowledge within the sector and fully understand the requirements of the clients that Global introduce.

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