Zest - Summer 2022

For everyone at Voyage Care Summer 2022

Grea tt

rea

tog et

P lus!

Learning t he magic of Makaton

Read more on page 8

Learning for life Nicola’s gaining confidence to lead a more independent life Pages 12 & 13

Exclusive!

Celebrating our first Advanced NAS accreditation!

Page 6

o

d

her

2

Inside 2O 14

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1O

60 seconds with Savannah Carpenter

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Giving back to the community

Kirsty and Joe’s volunteering success

How Savannah went from apprentice to support worker!

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Get ready to nominate!

Who do you want to see on stage at this year’s VEAs?

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Come and try DIY with Clinton

Newsflash Listen to Zest wherever you are! Our more accessible read-along version of Zest can be found on Hive!

hive

Setting up to shoot some hoops!

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A passion for learning

Find out how Kirsty balances work and studying

Our Values

E

Our ETHOS values are a big part of what makes Voyage Care so special!

Some of the stories in this issue really show our values in action.

Can you spot them?

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O

Empowering

Our cover star

T

H

Honest

Outstanding

S

Together

Supportive

This issue’s cover star is Nicola from Dudley Street – she is learning to be more independent!

Take a look at her story on page 12.

Welcome

…to the Summer 2022 edition of Zest! This issue focuses on learning for life.

Learning comes in lots of different forms and this Zest magazine celebrates the inspirational achievements of the people we support and our colleagues. There’s an old phrase that ‘you learn something new every day’ – this issue proves it’s true! Thank you to our wonderful services for sharing their learning stories with us. The Autumn edition will be our environmental special, so if you have something you’d like to share, please contact communications@voyagecare.com.

The response to our new read-along Zest has been fantastic! We’re so pleased you’re enjoying this new, accessible version of the magazine. If you haven’t already, I really recommend listening to the read-along Zest, it’s a fantastic new way to hear all about the amazing stories from our services across Voyage Care.

We’d love to hear what you think about Zest, especially if you have feedback on the new read-along edition. You can get in touch at communications@voyagecare.com.

Happy reading!

Jayne Davey Chief Operating Officer

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Five

from Hive Take a look at what’s been happening on

hive

Our most commented-on story for April was Pawsome therapy sessions with

5

likes and

4

comments!

Remember, commenting is a great way to celebrate your colleagues’ stories!

Our Big March Make toolkit was downloaded 433 times!

We launched Mission Zero!

Captain Planet and his sustainable sidekicks were visited 493 times on Hive!

Energy Educator Energy Educator Waste Warrior Energy Educator Waste Warrior

Waste Warrior Water Wiz

We joined Skills for Care in their #CelebratingSocialCare campaign for April.

384

of you checked out our news stories on Hive.

Fern Hill Court loved reading your stories the most on Hive this month!

rs: Answe

We welcomed lots of people to Hive for the first time this month, in April we saw 1,109 of you join the Hive community!

Hive is a hub of activity!

It’s full of helpful information – take a look today!

hive

Water Wiz

1:B 2: A 3: B 4: C

4

I n t he

m o o r s new services What have our ly? been up to late

Walking like Egyptians!

A day at the museum A clean and happy service… check!

John likes things to be kept shipshape at West Road.

Whether it’s helping to complete tasks like fire safety checks, PPE stock or making sure the door handles are germ-free – John is on hand!

Learning to adapt to new, John tickin g sometimes scary situations his task lis off t! such as COVID-19 can be hard. John’s support team helped to create checklists for him during this time so Making su re the handle he could focus on one thing at s are clean a time, making him feel like one of the team.

Visit Hive to read more about John’s journey!

Get in touch

It was non-stop learning at Carville Road when everyone visited the Hancock Museum in Newcastle. They loved posing for photos with the animal replicas and learning about their history! They saw everything from artefacts and Egyptians to dinosaurs and mammals.

The team said, “We had a fantastic day and learnt so much.”

Have you thought about a trip to your local museum for fun facts and discovery?

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Got some news? Send your story to communications@voyagecare.com for your chance to feature in the next issue!

1: Question s are y tree How man g to plant? helpin Daffodils

1

A: 2,000 B: 3,000 C: 4,000

Captain PLANET’S

Eco round-up

The team celebrating

Two more trophies The Internal Communications team at Group Support have bagged not one, but two awards at the 2022 IoIC Central & North Awards!

"I love seeing eco-friendly ideas from our services. Looking after the environment is fun!"

A greener future

The people we support and the team from Daffodils got in the community spirit as they headed to a local event to help plant 3,000 trees. They got their wellies on and got stuck in.

The team won Best Video and Animation and Best Employee Event, for the second year running. Great work! a One tree at

Did you know? is a An artefact that bject historical o by was made humans.

Makaton magic!

Here’s Martin, one of our Care Trainers signing the theme of this Zest: Learn. Read more from Martin on page 8.

To learn

5

time

After a hard day’s work, they were pleased with their efforts and encourage others interested in helping the environment to give it a go!

Catching every drop Last summer, we challenged you to make your own rain catcher and be more environmentally friendly.

Maeres House accepted the challenge. They created one so that they can save water to reuse in their garden. If you fancy making your own, check out the 2021 summer Activ8!

CHALLENGE

endy Tracey and W catchers with their rain

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A credit (ation) to Voyage Care!

BROCS and Acorns in West Yorkshire have become the first Voyage Care services to achieve ‘Advanced Status’ with the National Autistic Society (NAS) – the highest quality mark you can get! We found out from Service Manager Gail what it takes to achieve it…

Approaching their NAS accreditation renewal, Gail felt the team could push for the advanced status, which involves being observed by the NAS team.

“It was very nerve-racking because we wanted to show

Emma baking for Red Nose Day

Gary playing guitar

exactly why we believe we provide excellent support to people with autism. The team did absolutely amazing though!” shared Gail.

During the observation, the team faced a few challenges but how they reacted became key evidence that the team understand the unique needs of each person they support.

“One of the people we support became anxious because his ear defenders broke, and he could hear loud noises. The team member knew they were being observed but kept the person calm. They understood the situation well and

Meet our

Jacob in the music and sports room

The NAS assessors were able to see clear examples of how the team used their training to keep calm and communicate effectively.

“It was beautiful to see how well they knew the individual they were supporting and used this knowledge to initiate participation and create shared experiences,” said the NAS assessor.

NAS ited accred

pair!

Aqueduct Road and Brookvale Road are the latest services to achieve their National Autistic Society (NAS) accreditations!

Jenny walking by the canal

communicated via walkie talkie to another team member to bring a spare pair of ear defenders all while calming the person down,” Gail told us.

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Only services that deliver the highest quality of support to people with autism are awarded the accreditation, so this is a huge achievement for both teams.

Barry with his Christm as goody bag

“To hear that feedback was an amazing feeling – we are all thrilled to bits!” added Gail.

Read more about the assessment day and how the team involved the people we support on Hive!

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“I don’t think my team realised how much of a difference they make to the people we support’s lives.

A lot of what we needed for the assessment they already did and didn’t think it was a big deal,” shared Danielle, Service Manager of Brookvale Road.

It’s a great achievement for the service, the people we support and the team. Everyone put in a lot of hard work!”

Stuart, Service Manager at Aqueduct Road

Read more from Danielle and Stuart on Hive.

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The magic of M d

Kin

The short story

Makaton is an easy and accessible version of British Sign Language. The signs are similar, but the way they are used is closer to how we talk. ne of Martin, o rs Traine our Care

Care Trainer Martin explains how learning Makaton can help improve the lives of people we support.

There are lots of reasons why people might need Makaton to communicate. It has been adapted to suit the language

and culture of over 40 countries!

Makaton uses a mix of signs, symbols and speech, which is taught across a series of four workshops.

Rabbit

To see how important Makaton can be for the people we support, we spoke to one of our Care Trainers, Martin.

“I began my career as a carer, before training to be a nurse and moving into care training.

See Nicola ! on page 12 Lest support fr er, a person we om Dudle y Street

Very good

Makaton e

Hous

Throughout my journey I have learnt the importance of Makaton and how it can change the lives of the people we support for the better.”

“I worked with a person we support who had dysphagia (swallowing difficulties). The speech and language therapist encouraged them to have a peg feed, but this wasn’t something the person we support wanted.

We held a ‘best interest’ meeting and the person we support asked what being peg fed meant. Using Makaton, we explained it meant ‘food in a tube’ and they signed back ‘I don’t want that, I like eating.

I want to eat.’ This made a huge difference to that person’s wellbeing.”

Find out more about Makaton and Martin's journey on Hive!

“Imagine how many more lives we can improve if we break down those barriers to communication.”

If you want to learn more about Makaton, or start a course, speak to your manager and visit Aspire!

Question 2: tries can How many coun d in?

Makaton be use

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A: 40 B: 60 C: 80

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Did y ou k now The na ? me M akato forme nw creato d by the thr as ee rs merge ’ names bei ng d– Kathy Margaret, and To ny!

It’s incredible to see colleagues start to use Makaton with the people they support.

They’re finding they can have a proper twoway conversation that perhaps they didn’t realise they could do before.”

Martin Speake, Care Trainer

Care Trainer, Martin

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Giving back to comm Tracy and Joe have been finding ways to give back to their communities, and what better way than volunteering?

We caught up with them both to see how their journeys are going...

Charity champion Tracy has been working at local charity shop Sue Ryder for over a year now and she’s been loving her time there!

The team have been supporting Tracy with her journey and encouraging her to get the most from the experience. Everyone is so happy that Tracy loves working at the shop. She enjoys giving back to the community by helping at Sue Ryder on a regular basis.

Tracy hopes to go to the local college and learn about admin, too, but at the moment she is happy volunteering at the charity shop!

I love working at the charity shop and helping other people!”

Tracy, a person we support from Three Sisters

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the

munity

Volunteer work gives people we support a sense of freedom and control within their lives.”

Q What uestion 3: charit Tracy y shop does work f or?

A: Ma cm B: Sue illan C: Ma Ryder rie Cu rie

Peter Kemp, Service Manager at Rivers

'

Joe s on the job!

Joe, who lives at Rivers, has been volunteering at his local hospital for the last four years. Joe wanted to find ways to integrate into the community, so his support team helped him do just that. We found out all about his role as shop assistant in the hospital shop…

patients, doctors and nurses.”

What do you love about it?

“I love helping people. I enjoy talking to the doctors and nurses and making them smile if they are having a tough day.”

That’s lovely! What advice would Working at the hospital sounds so you give to someone wanting to interesting! What does a typical try volunteer work? day at work look like?

“I would tell them how rewarding “I refill the shelves and work on it is! You can meet new people the tills serving customers, such as and it helps keep you busy.”

Get in touch

Have you got a job that you’re passionate about? Let us know what you do and why you love it: communications@voyagecare.com

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12

t x e n ’s t a h W for Nicola?

Learning to live independently can be tricky, but after almost six months of living at Dudley Street, Nicola is taking independence in her stride!

the plants in the garden, Nicola is gaining more independence every day. Her next step?

Becoming a Quality Checker at Voyage Care!

From learning to manage her own medication, to watering

When Operations Manager Stevie came to do a Quality Audit at Dudley Street, Nicola got stuck in to support.

Nicola supported me with my audit and couldn’t wait to share with me that she had been completing interviews for new staff!”

Stevie Baines, Operations Manager

Nicola with her planted memorial rose!

Filling out the Quality Checker application!

The short story Nicola from Dudley Street has been learning how to be more independent. To help her on her journey, she’s applied to become a Quality Checker at Voyage Care!

“I really liked it! I sat down with Stevie at the computer and helped go through her list,” shared Nicola.

It left her inspired, so Service Manager Jeana told her all about the Quality Checker role.

hive

Head to Hive for how Nicola planted her memorial rose and where some of our other services planted theirs.

13 Nicola wa tering plants in the garden !

Nicola and Jeana chatting about the future!

“Nicola showed a real interest in why we do what we do.

She’s able to use tools to communicate with the residents here that can’t communicate.

She’s also nosey and loves asking questions, so she’s the prime candidate to be a Quality Checker!” Jeana told us.

Nicola was really keen to apply.

Jeana printed the application form off Hive and they sat together and filled it in!

Whilst she’s waiting for the next steps in the application process, Nicola is learning to manage money. She’s hoping to put this skill to use by working at a charity shop! But it doesn’t stop there, Nicola is also working on building her confidence to attend college – something we’re sure being a Quality Checker will help with!

“I want to be more independent and be able to do my own things, in my own time and own way!” added Nicola.

Get in touch

Top tips!

Jeana, Service Manager, shares tips on how you can support someone into employment or education!

1

Set some goals, so everyone knows what they are working towards!

2

Sit down and go through the job description together, finding examples of skills they have already that complement it!

3

Take things in small steps, talk to the college about whether a team member can join them for their first class to ease the transition!

Are you learning a new skill or starting employment? Let us know! Email communications@voyagecare.com

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14

seconds with...

Savannah Carpenter Having Savannah in the team has been a joy. We’ve watched her grow in confidence so much.”

Linda Neilson, Service Manager ting Savannah suppor ate Holi!

Ayesha to celebr

18-year-old Savannah joined us as a young apprentice and is now a full-time support worker at Longmore Road. We asked her about her experience…

What did you love about your apprenticeship?

“I love seeing everyone happy.

When you’re coming in and helping people and making a difference, you can see the smiles on everyone’s faces and it just makes you feel better.”

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt on your apprenticeship?

“I have learnt a lot from the ladies that we support here.

One of the ladies is so determined and it inspires me to be more determined in the things that I do.”

What’s special about Longmore Road?

“Longmore Road is my second home. It’s my work home and this is my work family.”

Savannah is looking forward to the futu re

Read more from some of our apprentices on Hive!

hive

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e c i t n e r p p a n A n o i t c a in

Apprentices get to learn on the job and get stuck in!

At Longmore Road, the ladies love doing all sorts of activities with Savannah, from arts and crafts to dancing.

Sonia doing tie-dye with Savannah

One of the residents, Sonia, loves making picture frames with Savannah. In fact, anything crafty puts a smile on her face!

“I learnt how to tie-dye with Savannah! She helped me make a tie-dye tea towel for my foster mum for Christmas, and we tie-dyed a t-shirt to wear, too,” said Sonia.

Savannah makes me happy, she does nice activities with us.”

wing off their The ladies sho shirts new tie-dye t-

Sonia, a person we support at Longmore Road

Visit Hive for Service Manager Linda’s top tips on supporting an apprentice.

hive

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Come and...

try DIY with Clinton Clinton, a person we support at Dove House, has been trying DIY with Maintenance Operative, Mark.

We found out what he’s been learning on the job…

Clinton’s 60th birthday is coming up.

He does lots of sports at the leisure centre and he’d love to have his own basketball hoop at home.

Jelly babies ark! mmm, thanks M

When Mark arrives at the service, Clinton tells him what he’d like to do and helps carry the tools from the van. Then, he shows Mark where he wants the basketball hoop to go.

Right, who ’s doing what?

Safety is important, especially when working with heavy items and sharp tools. Clinton and Mark start planning how they’re going to put the hoop up safely. nd Mark Clinton a rills gd comparin

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Clinton helps Mark by holding the parts and passing them to him. k Clinton and Mar up putting the hoop

Clinton and Mark make the final tweaks and pack up their tools before showing everyone their handiwork.

ladies Game on, e and Sue uli Clinton, J

Taking the too back to the ls van, job done

Clinton finds helping Mark so rewarding, it gives him ownership of his home. We’re a family at Dove House and he sees himself as the man of the house.

Learning DIY means he feels he’s contributing to his household.”

Jayne McMillan, Service Manager at Dove House

They love it!

Now the whole house can enjoy a game of basketball for Clinton’s birthday.

Top tips Top tips for learning something new Look for ideas online or even at the local community centre with your support worker Is there a local college course or some volunteer work to help take your skills to the next level?

Learning something new can feel a little scary… write down three things that you’re excited about to remind you of the fun you’ll have!

Get in touch

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Would you like to share something that you’ve been doing to look after our planet for the next issue of Zest? Email communications@voyagecare.com

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A passion for Kirsty Scaife is a Trainee Nursing Associate.

She’s living her dream career with Voyage Specialist Healthcare (VSH) whilst studying at Teesside University.

work Kirsty’s r smile! he makes

Kirsty joined Voyage Care in 2018 after working in community care for over 11 years. Kirsty started her role as a support worker and soon got promoted to a team leader role where she worked alongside a nurse.

This sparked an interest in nursing and Kirsty was given the opportunity to join the nursing associate higher apprenticeship programme.

“I have been passionate about care all my life and really wanted to pursue the clinical side of the career options presented to me,” said Kirsty.

“I’d written off higher education as I didn’t like school, but VSH management saw potential in me. They supported me to gain

learning functional skills in maths and English, to be able to get into university.”

Kirsty works full time and attends university one day a week. “It’s challenging juggling full-time work with studying, but it’s brilliant to feel like I’m progressing and to be where I’m supposed to be. There’s not a day goes by that I don’t learn something new, which is so rewarding.”

Voyage Care have been absolutely amazing to me and they are always there to guide me. Working for them is the best thing I have ever done.”

Kirsty Scaife, Trainee Nursing Associate “Since starting university and my role at VSH, I have grown professionally and personally.

They’ve made me who I am today.”

Kirsty studying at Teesside University

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Lee Atkinson, Clinical Lead at VSH, said: “VSH allocates an additional day each week to help Kirsty concentrate on her studies to meet deadlines.

We also encourage Kirsty to use her calendar to plan ahead with professional and academic commitments.

Kirsty is still on the programme and is doing really well. She continues to be passionate about her role and the care she provides for the people we support.”

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m o n o t y d a e r t e G The nominations for the 2022 Voyage Excellence Awards open soon!

From 1 – 30 June, you will be able to nominate colleagues and teams who go above and beyond in the name of great care and support. The competition is fierce, so it’s really important to make your nominations stand out. The best entries contain plenty of detail and supporting materials.

This year, the event will be held on Thursday 20 October. We can’t wait to hear all the inspirational stories of our frontline colleagues and celebrate with them on the night! is QR h t n a c S r read ou o t e d co guide handy itting subm before mination your no

Visit vea.awardsplatform.com to nominate!

ce Voyage Excellen Awards 2022

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minate

Q What uestion 4: date w be on ill the VEAs this ye ar?

A: 20 J B: 20 une A C: 20 ugust Octob er

Our celebrity host in 2021

I couldn’t believe it when they called my name. It’s just amazing and the best feeling ever!”

Ruth Bailey, Sade Abayomi winner 2021

Get in touch

Anyone tonight could have been a winner.

You can see how close-knit the teams are and I think any individual win was also seen as a team win which is just wonderful.”

Gethin Jones, VEA Host 2021

The communications team are on hand to answer any of your questions, email us at communications@voyagecare.com

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22

Show

and

tell!

There’s never been a more fun way to help the planet than turning your recycling into animals! In this edition of Show and Tell, Gemma and Clive from Towngate East have been busy creating an octopus and a frog from their toilet roll tubes.

Gemma and Clive with their toilet roll animals

s u p o oct

.. . ake an m o t Learn nding outsta

Things you need: l

P aint

l

T oilet roll tube

l

P en or pencil

l

S cissors

l

M arkers

How to: 1. P aint the outside of the toilet roll tube and leave to dry 2. C ut the bottom of the tube. The cuts should be 3/4 of the way up the tube – these are your tentacles 3. P aint the underside of each tentacle and leave to dry 4. U se a pen or pencil to curl the flaps from the bottom to the top 5. D ecorate however you like with markers!

Everyone had great fun making the eco-friendly crafts!”

Wendy Guest, Registered Manager at Towngate East

Get in touch

Have you done something you’re proud of? Get in touch by emailing communications@voyagecare.com to be featured in the next edition of show and tell!

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23 The winning art

Mimi's a

high achiever Mimi is 11 years old. She’s unique because she was born with a rare type of brain damage that affects less than one in every 100,000 babies. This left Mimi with cerebral palsy and audio neuropathy (a rare type of hearing loss).

Congratulations to West Road, winners of our spring competition!

Growing up, Mimi’s auditory needs meant her speech developed slower than her friends’. She found it hard to communicate with her teachers and struggled to understand during lessons. This made learning quite challenging for Mimi.

But since our Children’s Complex Care team began supporting her in 2021, Mimi has made huge progress. Through specialist one-to-one support, Mimi’s cognition (the process of learning and understanding) and speech has come on leaps and bounds. Her new-found confidence means she now tries things she only dreamt of before.

And because she can focus more on her education, Mimi has become a star student. Almost every day, she comes home with a new certificate and a huge smile on her face!

We asked you to go on a walk, collect things that remind you of spring, and put together your own art.

We love the originality of creating a spring wind chime – the flowers and shells are a beautiful touch.

Well done, West Road!

Star student

Featured reader

Hello, I’m Paul from Gorse Hill and I’m this issue’s featured reader.

I love the fun activities and recipes in Zest. The banana bread from the last

e Paul with th n io it d Spring e of Zest!

And the winner is…

Get in touch

issue was really cool, I’m going to bake my own. I really enjoy seeing what other services are getting up to!

Would you like to be Zest’s next featured reader?

Email communications@voyagecare.com and tell us why you love Zest.

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Introducing Captain Planet's sidekick, Energy Educator.

Have a go at his energysaving bingo below and see how you can help save the environment!

energy-saving bingo Dry your washing outside instead of tumble drying

Energy Educator

Use reusable shopping bags

Waste Warrior

Turn off the lights in rooms you’re not using

Cu t along the dot ted lines

Put on extra layers instead of the heating

Water Wiz Turn off the water when brushing your teeth

Take shorter showers

Do full loads of washing, not half loads

Batch cook some meals rather than cooking each night Only fill the kettle with the amount of water you need

Find out more about Mission Zero on Hive!

Have youor e won a linuse!’? called ‘ho

Have you won a line or called ‘house!’?

We’d love to know how you can help to save the planet, email us with your energy-saving tips at communications@voyagecare.com

hive