Caring uk April 2014

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April 2014

incorporating

no.214 • £4.75

The Number One magazine for the care sector

Speakers and new sponsor announced

By Dominic Musgrave THE stellar line-up of speakers has been revealed for Caring UK’s annual regional conferences.

This year’s events, which have been sponsored by NatWest, have the title Elderly Care: Positive Choices, and the first two events will be held at Rookery Manor in Weston-super-Mare and the Riviera International Conference Centre in Torquay on July 2 and 3 respectively.

In September our conferences move north to the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley and Leeds United FC’s famous Elland Road stadium.

Speakers confirmed include Martin Green from Care England, Sheila Scott from the NCA and Ben Atkinson-Willes, product designer and founder of Active Minds.

They will be joined by Guy Smallman from Coventry University, occupational therapist Heather Manktelow and representatives from the CQC, Skills for Care and sponsor NatWest. Further names will be added in due course.

Neil Garton, head of healthcare for NatWest, said: “NatWest are delighted to sponsor the 2014 Caring UK conference series. Care homes are a key part of the bank’s focus within the healthcare sector.

“Our dedicated healthcare relationship managers are externally accredited by the chartered banker and concentrate solely on the sector.

“This means that they are experienced in the sector and can understand and deal with the opportunities and challenges that owners face on a day to day basis.

“We set out to understand the ambitions of the care home operators, whether that be to improve performance, extend their home or for example grow their business by acquiring additional homes.

“We then look to offer business expertise towards achieving those ambitions.”

Running alongside all of the conferences will be an extensive exhibition, which will showcase all the latest products and technology for your care home.

Group production editor Dominic Musgrave, who will chair the events, added: “I am sure these events will be as successful as those that have gone before, and would urge any care home operators in these areas to attend to listen to these distinguished speakers.”

To find out more and to book your place at these must-attend events turn to pages 15 and 16.

Regional Care Conferences NATIONAL EVENTS ON YOUR DOORSTEP

Conference dates and venues Turn to page 16 to book your place

Barchester retains its place in Times list

Residents at Nightingale House run by care home organisation Nightingale Hammerson were visited by award-winning BBC business editor Robert Peston, who talked about his work. Robert, who is shortly to become the BBC’s economics editor, led an interesting discussion of the history of the financial crisis and the current situation. He expressed optimism for the future, albeit flagging the potential for further problems down the line, particularly in China.

Robert is pictured with Nightingale House resident Sylvia Berman.

NATIONAL care home provider, Barchester Healthcare appears in the Sunday Times 25 Best Big Companies to Work for list 2014 for the sixth time, and is still the only care provider in the listing.

The results were announced at an event hosted by BBC Breakfast presenter Kate Silverton.

The accolade was voted for by Barchester staff, completing anonymous questionnaires distributed at random. The company employs more than 17,000 people and provides personalised care for more than 10,000 people in over 200 locations across the UK. The breakdown of the results showed Barchester 23rd overall, with particularly strong scores in personal growth, where the firm was ranked 12th.

Terry Tucker, director for learning, organisational development and hospitality, said: “Barchester is proud to deliver person-centred care for the people we support and to offer our teams real benefits and career choices in return for their dedication.”

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Leaders condemn underfunding in social care

By Dominic Musgrave LEADING social care spokesmen Mike Padgham and Frank Ursell have called for an end to under-funding after a damning report exposed a ‘catastrophic’ situation for vulnerable older people.

The report, by Age UK, revealed that at least 800,000 older people are going without help as a result of funding cuts.

Age UK research found that the proportion of over-65s getting help either in their own home or a care home had fallen by a third since 2005-6.

Its report, Care in Crisis, reveals that spending on social care services for older people has dropped by £769m since 2010.

Mike, chair of the Independent Care Group (York and North Yorkshire), called the situation ‘unacceptable’.

He added: “Thousands of our most vulnerable people are being denied the vital care that they need to live with independence and dignity and in 2014 in a civilised country, that is unacceptable,” he said.

“The social care sector has argued for more than a decade that care for older and vulnerable people is chronically under-funded but nothing has been done to address the situation.

“Here we have the hard evidence of people going without the care they have a basic human right to have.

“The Government says it wants to give

Mike Padgham older and vulnerable adults independence and dignity, but Age UK’s figures show that that just isn’t happening and unless we see an end to under-funding of social care, the situation can only get worse.”

According to Age UK, last year, under 900,000 over-65s got help - one in 10 people in that group –compared with 15 per cent seven years ago. The number of people over 65 receiving help from social care services has fallen by 335,000 in the past seven years, despite the fact that the number of people in that age group rose by more than a million in that period.

The report also highlights a £3.4billion shortfall in planned expenditure on social care for 2015/16, with the RNHA

saying nursing homes in many parts of the country had experienced significant ‘real terms’ cuts in the fees paid by local authorities towards the care costs of vulnerable older people who qualify for public funding.

Frank, RNHA CEO, added: “Those of us who provide 24-hour care to some of Britain’s frailest older citizens have witnessed at first hand how, despite the government’s hype to the contrary, frontline services have seen budgets cut.

“The reality, as the Age UK has yet again confirmed, is that public expenditure on care for the elderly has been dropping quite markedly while the number of individuals in need of care has been growing.

“In that respect, it’s what you might call a ‘perfect storm’ in which the biggest losers are those least able to stand up to the Government.”

Figures from the RNHA suggest that for the 12 months ahead the vast majority of local authorities have offered either no increase at all in fee levels for publicly funded nursing home places or a belowinflation figure.

Frank concluded: “We in the RNHA have a simple message for the government. Please put your money where your mouth is because, so far, the money isn’t flowing where you said it would. Age UK was right to call its report Crisis in Care 2014 – there certainly is a crisis and it’s mainly of the government’s making.”

www.caring-uk.co.uk Advertising Sales and Marketing Director: Tony Barry Tel: 01226 734605 Email: tb@scriptmedia.co.uk Healthcare Product Manager: Bev Green Tel: 01226 734288 Email: bg@scriptmedia.co.uk National Sales Executive: Danielle Hornby Tel: 01226 734480 Email: danielleh@scriptmedia.co.uk National Sales Executive: Mandy Edwards Tel: 01226 734692 Email: mandye@caring-uk.co.uk

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47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS. Email: info@caring-uk.co.uk

Editorial Group Editor: Judith Halkerston Tel: 01226 734639 jh@scriptmedia.co.uk Group Production Editor: Dominic Musgrave Tel: 01226 734407 dm@scriptmedia.co.uk Studio Manager: Stewart Holt Tel: 01226 734414 sth@scriptmedia.co.uk Database enquiries to: 01226 734695 E-mail: circulation@ scriptmedia.co.uk Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of all content, the publishers do not accept liability for error, printed or otherwise, that may occur.

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A Barnsley care home was turned into a petting zoo for the day as residents welcomed a variety of small animals into the home from nearby Wigfield Farm. Residents at Deangate were joined by rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and even lizards. Following a successful visit from the farm last year, the staff at Deangate were keen to invite them back into the home for a second time, knowing that stroking and holding the animals brought a lot of joy to the nature lovers among the residents. Home manager Christine Robinson said: “We decided to arrange for another small animals visit after having had such a good response from our residents last year. They really loved seeing the animals up close, and were fascinated by the variety of creatures.”

Eight care homes awarded grants to run projects

By Dominic Musgrave EIGHT Welsh care homes and the body representing health and social care providers in Wales are taking part in a programme to promote quality of life and dignity for older residents.

The Burdett Trust for Nursing and Age Cymru Grant Programme is funding them to develop programmes that promote dignity and quality of life.

It decided which organisations received grants, as John Moore, manager of the My Home Life Cymru explained: “The grants were offered to nurses and people working in nursing and residential homes in Wales who could clearly demonstrate their commitment to the My Home Life Cymru principles.

“The My Home Life Cymru principles are ‘maintaining identity, supporting a person centred approach’, ‘creating community’, ‘sharing decision-making’, and ‘managing transitions’. “‘Improving health and healthcare’, ‘supporting good end of life’, ‘keeping workforce fit for purpose’ and ‘promoting a positive culture’, are the

programme’s other principles.

“We're absolutely delighted to have been able to award these nine grants as part of the first round of the Burdett Trust for Nursing and Age Cymru Grant Programme.

“Our long-term aim is to use the lessons that have been learnt by running these dignity projects with other care homes across Wales, to help them deliver the best standards of care that they can.”

Severn View Nursing Home in Chepstow; Hafan Dementia Centre in Ammanford; Baglan Lodge Care Home and Taibach Care Home in Port Talbot are among the grant recipients. Brodawel Resource Centre in Caerphilly; Swansea’s Three Cliffs Care Home; Penylan Residential Home in Cardiff; Llwyndyrys Residential Home in Cardigan and Care Forum Wales got the other grants.

They all received their grants because they were able to demonstrate their commitment to the My Home Life Cymru principles.

Age Cymru’s My Home Life Cymru programme runs the Burdett Trust for Nursing and Age Cymru Grants Programme.

Appeal launched at celebration STAFF and residents at the Clitheroe Care Home again demonstrated their generosity by combining St David’s Day celebrations with the launch of this year’s Marie Curie Cancer Care Daffodil appeal.

By attempting to make the longest daffodil chain and holding a quiz, the worthy charity will benefit while

everyone involved enjoyed a funfilled afternoon.

A spokesperson for the home said: “We would like to say a special thank you to Sainsbury’s Clitheroe for donating the flowers, Lucy Leeming from Marie Curie for her precious time, and Karen and Paul for the home-made cakes and buns.”

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Homecare company celebrates 10 years

By Dominic Musgrave

Residents and staff at Rowden House in Frome held a farewell party for the home’s two activity co-ordinators Denise Warder and Marilyn Howard. Both have worked at the Somerset Care owned facility for a number of years, and have developed strong friendships with both their colleagues and the residents and their families. Throughout the years Denise and Marilyn have organised a number of activities for the residents, from tea parties to trips out and fundraising events.

A GLOUCESTERSHIRE company which was born out of a need for homecare for a family member is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

DoCare, based in Stroud, was the brainchild of Steve and Una Mills, who saw a need for more homecare provision in the county when they were unable to source support for Una’s elderly father.

In 2004 the business consisted of Steve and Una working from their home.

Ten years on, and as well as the headquarters in Stroud, there are six locality offices – in Cheltenham, Cirencester, Dursley, Gloucester, Witney and Yate; the company employs more than 130 staff, and supports more than 300 private and social services referred clients in Bristol, Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire and West Oxfordshire.

Over the decade DoCare has delivered more than 564,000 hours’ support and made nearly a million visits.

“I never imagined 10 years ago that we’d come as far as we have,” said Steve, DoCare’s development director.

“We needed support for my father-inlaw Gilbert, but there was nothing available and the council had a huge waiting list.

DoCare founders Una and Steve Mills with Sue Mothershaw.

“We went out on a limb and set up our own business, but the first year was very difficult, learning everything from scratch and delivering support ourselves.”

Now Steve, Una and their general manager Sue Mothershaw, who has been with DoCare since 2005, are surrounded by a strong, awardwinning team including former national dementia carer of the year Kerry-Ann Lees.

Last year DoCare won two Gloucestershire Business of the Year awards.

Operations director Una said: “Much of the success of DoCare is down to our fantastic team and the dedication they have towards making every day a better day for our clients.

“We plan to celebrate our anniversary with them in the summer and look forward to making this, our 10th year, the best yet.”

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Broadlands’ care team at the award ceremony.

Homes and staff recognised GREENSLEEVES Homes Trust and its staff have been highly commended in several categories in the new Nursing and Residential Care Awards.

The accolades are an initiative to celebrate innovation and compassionate care. The high commendations came in the care home team, person-centred care and care home registered manager categories.

There were celebrations all round at Broadlands, Oulton Broad and Thornbank – Ipswich homes whose teams were highly commended in the care home team category.

Thornbank was also highly commended in the person-centred award.

Thornbank home manager Pat Webb said: “We are elated to have received these two commendations in recognition for the quality of care delivered by our team, as well as recognition in providing the environment to enable our residents to take an active role in their home life.”

Anne Maas, home manager at Broadlands, added: “We are delighted to have been recognised for the quality of care and commitment that our team provides to older people.”

A high commendation was also given to Karen Cooper, home manager at Mount Ephraim House, in the registered manager category.

Arty students get doodling STUDENTS from Framlingham College and Sir Robert Hitcham’s Primary School in Framlingham have been putting pen to paper in celebration of National Doodle Day. The school and college visited Mills Meadow care home in Framlingham across two afternoons to complete a giant doodle for the residents, their relatives and Care UK colleagues to enjoy.

Roz Ingate, activities co-ordinator at

Mills Meadow, said: “The students loved expressing their creativity and imagination, and the residents really enjoy the colour it brings to our day room.

“It is wonderful that the younger members of the community have shared something with the residents here, and we hope to move the giant doodle into our new facilities once the redevelopment of Mills Meadow is complete in September 2015.”

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New group of students welcomed

THE Abbeyfield Kent Society’s Care Academy has welcomed a new group of students.

The new recruits joined the Society’s training staff and executive team at Hempstead House in Sittingbourne to kickstart their training as part of this year’s Care Academy.

The Academy was launched in March 2013 and gives training, development and general support to its own staff and to external students who are attending courses at college on health and social care subjects.

The Academy has already benefited many of its students including Helen Goulding, who is now scheme manager at Watling Court after joining as care team leader.

She said: “I have attended a range of interesting and useful training sessions over the past year and I have learned so much as well as developing my selfconfidence.

“I would like to thank all of the people who have helped me to get to where I am today. I love my job and the people I work with and I wouldn’t swap it for the world.”

Caring Charlie takes reins at Swindon care business A WOMAN who left university to follow a career in care has been appointed the new manager at Bluebird Care Swindon.

Charlie Begbie had just started a degree in social work when she took on a part-time job as a carer and loved the role so much she left university to take it up full-time.

Seven years on, Charlie has now become Bluebird Care Swindon’s manager, running a team of 20 carers and helping to deliver care to more than 50 customers in Swindon and the surrounding area. She has an NVQ level 5 in health and social care and level 7 in management.

“When I started university I wanted to earn a bit of money in my spare time, so became a carer looking after elderly people,” said Charlie, who lives in Swindon. “I loved it so much that I wanted to do it full-time. I am passionate about care, it’s a real vocation. I had thought I wanted to work with children, but in fact it’s older people I want to work with.”

Charlie was quickly promoted from being a carer, to a senior carer, then to a co-ordinator for another Swindon care company. She then moved to a Hungerford care firm, where she was first deputy manager, then promoted to manager, overseeing the setting up of a new branch in Leamington Spa.

Charlie Begbie and Ben Curtis.

The management position at Bluebird Care Swindon has given her an opportunity to work again in her home town.

“I am loving it so far,” she said. “I still enjoy going out and delivering care, as I like to be very hands on and caring is my passion. I love making a difference to those we offer services to, whether that’s to someone who needs minimal support, or nearing the end of their life needing palliative care. I like to be able to support my team, and truly believe they are the

success behind me as a successful manager.”

Bluebird Care Swindon’s managing director Ben Curtis said: “After conducting a rigorous selection process it soon became obvious which candidate stood out in terms of not only their management ability but also their passion for caring for people, a passion that we all share within Bluebird Care Swindon.

“In the short time Charlie has been with us she has identified areas where improvements can be made.”

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Home’s residents drum up an African storm

By Dominic Musgrave RESIDENTS at a care home have been drumming up an African storm.

They enthusiastically whacked traditional Gambian instruments at an African drum workshop at the Penybryn care home, which is part Pendine Park care organisation, in Wrexham, North Wales.

The drum workshop was lead by African culture enthusiast Debbie Whittaker from Chester.

She brought along several handcarved West African drums, called djembes, which are made using the base of a tree trunk and goat skin.

Debbie, who was a youth worker in Cheshire for 20 years, said: “Everyone has been getting into the spirit of it, the staff and the residents. We’ve had a lot of happy smiling faces. The residents were pretty competitive.

“I enjoy doing the workshops it because they’re accessible for everyone. Everyone has fun and a good time, and you’ll learn a bit about another culture.

“It’s about everyone taking part and feeling confident, and getting something out of it. Music and art are things like bridge cultures, and age gaps. It’s really a way of bringing people together.

“These workshops are another way

Debbie Whittaker enjoys the African drum workshop with a resident. to develop people socially, and to give them confidence and self esteem as well because I think sometimes people think that they can’t do something when really this is accessible to everybody.

Pendine Park activities coordinator Gerry Humphries added: “ Everybody has been smiling, laughing, singing

and making lots of noise. I’ve been drumming myself. I have to get involved in it all. This is something a little bit different. It’s very important to have activities like this going on. I think if you asked any of the residents they would tell you that having a change, a variety of activities is important to their everyday life.”

Residents hit the shops to celebrate win CARE home residents from Coleraine hit the shops of Ballymena to celebrate winning a national art competition.

The Amore Care calendar and card competition was launched last year to encourage residents to produce a drawing or picture based on the four seasons – spring, summer, autumn and winter. Residents who live in Bohill care home in Coleraine had their art work included in the company’s 2014 calendar and corporate Christmas card. The residents, who are aged between 75 and 94 were presented with shopping vouchers by mayor Councillor David Harding in recognition of their endeavours. With support from the home’s staff they enjoyed a trip to Ballymena to spend their winnings and enjoy an afternoon tea.

Tracey Henry, home manager, said: “This calendar and Christmas card initiative is a way of recognising the residents’ creative talents.

We were delighted that so many residents from Bohill both took part and were included in the calendar.

“The residents had a wonderful day’s shopping and thoroughly enjoyed choosing new outfits and treating themselves.”

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Carolyn Beecroft with Chris Beckwith who lives at the company’s Staveley Birk Leas Nursing Home.

Group rewards staff’s loyalty BRADFORD based Czajka Care Group has rewarded 40 members of its team who have all spent more than 15 years working for the company.

The firm hosted a party to reward them and say thank you for their hard work and loyalty. Of the 40 employees that attended, over half have been with the firm more than 20 years.

Czajka Care Group currently employs a 550-strong team and operates Staveley Birk Leas Nursing Home, Fairmount Nursing Home and Brookfield Care Home, which are all in Nab Wood near Bradford, as well as Currergate Nursing Home and Beanlands Nursing Home, which are both near Keighley.

The company also offers a range of

purpose-built retirement houses and apartments and runs Czajka Community Care Services, which provides a full range of home support services.

Konrad Czajka, managing director of Czajka Care Group, said: “It’s fantastic to have such a large number of people who are all extremely loyal and dedicated to the company.

Obviously we strive to provide firstclass homes and facilities but care is a people business so it’s vitally important that we recruit and retain the best.

“Our whole company philosophy is built on our people and their honest, skilled and dedicated approach is key to our unrivalled reputation in the industry.”

Wayne Godwin behind the shop counter at Newfield Lodge care home.

‘Tiger’ Wayne opens shop CASTLEFORD Tigers rugby star Wayne Godwin visited Newfield Lodge care home to officially open their new cake shop.

The shop was created by the staff at the home after one of the residents thought that the activity room would make a perfect place to sell cakes.

It includes an authentic counter complete with tables and chairs for people to enjoy a cup of tea and a cake of their choice.

The kitchen team will be

supplying delicious home-made cakes and buns every day for residents to enjoy, and there will also be a selection for sale to relatives and visitors to raise money for the residents’ fund.

Home manager Jennie Wright said: “We are really pleased to have Wayne opening our cake shop. The staff have worked really hard to make it as authentic as possible, and the kitchen team are looking forward to supplying it with delicious home-made cakes.”

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Residents Peggy Bond and Kitty Gallichan with Maria Nica.

Group’s homes support annual Climate Week

By Dominic Musgrave

RESIDENTS at Sanctuary Care homes across the country took part in an array of sustainable arts and crafts activities to support Climate Week.

Climate Week is Britain’s biggest climate change campaign and aims to inspire a new wave of action to create a sustainable future. The week encourages communities to engage in activities to accelerate action on climate change.

Residents at Greenslades Nursing Home in Exeter, The Rosary Nursing Home in Bridgwater, Caton House Residential and Nursing Home in Bletchley, Hawthorn Green Residential and Nursing Home in Stepney and Riverlee Nursing Home in Greenwich were visited by tutors from Phakama, an intergenerational youth arts organisation, as part of an on-going energy efficiency project that the five facilities are taking part in.

Tutors led recycled art workshops in which residents turned trash to treasure, learning how to transform plastic carrier bags into attractive and decorative keepsakes, such as doilies and placemats.

Phidelima Ajao, home manager at Hawthorn Green, said: “We’re delighted that Phakama has delivered these workshops for our residents; they thoroughly enjoyed taking part and

learned a lot on the day.”

The residents at several Sanctuary Care facilities also took part in activity sessions creating entries for Sanctuary Group’s Caring for Climate Art competition, which challenged care homes to get creative and produce a work of art on the topic of ‘Recycled Music’.

Residents at Ivydene Residential and Nursing Home used recycled materials to create musical instruments and an uncanny copy of The Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ album cover.

Amanda Walker, home manager, added: “We are committed to looking for ways to be as energy efficient and environmentally-friendly as possible, so our recycled music art competition activity was a brilliant and fun way for our residents to support Climate Week.”

Meanwhile, residents at Beach Lawns Residential and Nursing Home got creative, making a clock out of sheet music.

The workshops Phakama delivered were funded by the Community Investment Fund at Sanctuary Group, Sanctuary Care’s parent company.

This is just one of the projects across England to benefit from the fund, which offers financial support to groups and organisations to help deliver activities within their community.

Belinda appointed new director THE Good Care Group has appointed Belinda Berkeley as its corporate and strategic development director.

She brings a wealth of experience of working with companies in a variety of sectors and assisting management teams in growing their businesses.

Belinda joins from NBGI Private Equity, where she spent six years in the UK investment team and led the UK healthcare services sector.

Belinda will lead The Good Care

Group’s corporate, services and partnership development strategies, as well as assisting the business’ geographical expansion. Belinda is a qualified chartered accountant and a graduate of psychology.

CEO Fiona Lowry said: “We are delighted to welcome Belinda to our board at such a critical phase in the growth of the business. Belinda’s role will be pivotal to driving our future growth and development.”

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England could face a shortfall of 718,000 care workers by 2025 if current population trends continue, and an unprecedented number of men are needed to bridge the gap, it has been claimed. Dominic Musgrave found out more.

Chief calls for men to defuse care workforce ‘timebomb’ A NEW study published by the International Longevity Centre and care charity Anchor calls for a change in public perception towards care roles.

It adds that immediate action needs to be taken by care providers to recruit more men to meet the care needs of the soaring numbers of older people.

Women currently make up 82 per cent of the care workforce and whereas just 4.2 per cent of working men work in health and social care, nearly one in six women (15.5 per cent) work in the sector.

Additional research conducted by Anchor found that even though 94 per cent of young people agree care is a suitable profession for a man, a quarter of men aged 16 to 25 say they would never consider becoming a carer.

Nearly a third (31 per cent) of young men said that was because they simply didn’t know enough about the job to be able to consider it.

With more than 900,000 young

people still unemployed, the report adds that care providers need to examine factors that will encourage jobseekers to join the care sector: half of 16 to 25 year olds said they would think about a career in care if they knew about development opportunities within the sector and 23 per cent if there were a more positive public perception of the role.

However, the problem is exacerbated because a fifth of parents (19 per cent) – those likely to be impacted by this shortage of carers – would not suggest a career in care to their children, a third stating that their child ‘could do better’.

Jane Ashcroft CBE, chief executive of Anchor, which is creating 1,000 new jobs over the next three years to help meet the demands of the ageing population, said: “We must address this workforce timebomb. The care sector needs to attract a wider range of staff, young and old, and we need more men to consider care as a potential career – particularly as men are living longer.

“Our workforce should reflect the diversity of our customers.

“At Anchor we are creating roles ranging from care assistants through to managerial positions at our new developments.

“We offer extensive training and promotion prospects that we hope will continue to encourage people to consider joining and staying in the care workforce.”

As well as calling for more men into the sector, the report finds that older people could also play a role.

Activities advisor for all of Anchor’s Care homes in Surrey, Asa LehaneJohnson, added: “You learn so much from older people and the job is very rewarding; it’s enabled me to develop personally while also helping older people. Every day is different and I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Three quarters of over 50s said they have never considered a career in care, however 47 per cent would be persuaded into a career in care if they knew they would be supported by training.

Jane Ashcroft

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The Shaw healthcare team collecting the ICM’s in-house collection team award.

Healthcare provider wins finance award CARDIFF-based health and social care provider Shaw Healthcare has won a national finance industry accolade in recognition of the excellence of one of its teams.

Shaw’s income and credit control section was named in-house collection team of the year (Consumer) by the Institute of Credit Management at a prestigious London ceremony.

The team beat off strong competition from finalists Brightside Group, Invocas Group and MBNA to take the top-slot at the ICM British Credit Awards, which are the recognised standard in the credit and collections industry.

Shaw has previously won national awards for its care teams’ achievements in specialist, dementia and over 50s’ care, but this marks the

first time it has entered and won a finance award.

Julia Price, income credit manager at Shaw, said: “It was the first time we’ve entered the ICM awards and it means a lot to us. We have a complex client group, with individuals paying relatively small amounts for the care of their loved ones, alongside organisations commissioning us to provide care on their behalf.

“This accolade is recognition of the hard work and professionalism of every member of the team in building a tremendous relationship with all our clients and maintaining a strong cash flow position, particularly when money is tight for the NHS and local authorities. It is also much needed recognition for a Wales-based company.”

Resident Ivy Popplewell enjoying the PAT-dog session with Bryn and Brian.

Puppy love at Settle care home RESIDENTS at Anley Hall Nursing Home in Settle, North Yorkshire, enjoyed a visit from man’s best friend for a PAT-dog session.

Dog Bryn visited the residents with his owner Brian from the charity and kept them company for the afternoon.

Residents stroked and communicated with Bryn, while Brian told them about caring for him.

Anley Hall Nursing Home is operated by Healthcare Management

Solutions, providing nursing care for up to 47 elderly residents, some of whom have dementia.

Heidi Davies, regional manager, said: “The residents really look forward to Brian and Bryn visiting and especially enjoy the companionship.

“Interaction with Bryn has a very soothing and comforting effect, which is very beneficial for our residents and we are really grateful for the regular visits from Brian and Bryn.”

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Foxburrow Grange in Colchester is one of three finalists in the prestigious national Pinders Healthcare Design Awards. Dominic Musgrave found out more.

Judges present Penny Taylor with the finalist's award at Foxburrow Grange (left) and residents Joyce McMullen and Sheila Cody washing up after breakfast club.

Home is a hub for the community THE two-storey, 66-bed specialist nursing facility, which opened its doors last summer, was designed by architects The Tooley & Foster Partnership, and is fully equipped with the most advanced nursing care facilities available.

On the first floor there is 36 bedrooms for nursing home residents, and they can enjoy the winter gardens and terrace, which help them increase their exposure to natural sunlight to keep bones healthy and strong. The ground floor is divided into two ‘families’ of 15 for residents with dementia, and all rooms have access to secure private gardens.

A key feature of Foxburrow Grange

is the building itself which is designed to bring the outside in. Its two wings wrap its arms around large landscaped gardens, so everyone can enjoy the view. High ceilings, large windows and en-suite rooms which measure 20m2 continue the theme of space and light.

But Foxburrow Grange is more than just a home, it’s a community hub.

With its own internet café, activity, sensory and therapy rooms, mini gym, beauty salon and spa, the home always has a lot to offer residents, friends, relatives and people who live nearby Penny Taylor, chief executive of Outlook Care, the not-for-profit organisation which owns and

manages Foxburrow Grange, said: “We are right at the centre of our local community and actively encourage people living here, who are in need of specialist care and treatment, to use our facilities.

“It is only by operating in this way that we can provide more care and more practical help to the wider community.”

And the hub is working well. Once a week Gill and David De’ath, founding members of Nurture Dogs, run their Waggy Tails After School Club at the home for children with learning disabilities. Children and animals can be natural companions and here they can engage with specially trained dogs to benefit from both physical

and emotional therapy. The residents also enjoy regular visits from Nurture Dogs, which they find stimulating and fun.

Since the closure of Abbott’s Activity Centre last year, the Colchester Carers group has found a new home – once a month they hold their drop-in centre in the community hub at Foxburrow Grange. Allied Health Professionals are also based at the hub, providing specialist physiotherapy and back and neck services.

Occupancy at Foxburrow Grange is currently at 50 per cent and growing, and the recruitment drive to employ nurses and health care assistants is in full swing.

NOT TO BE MISSED BY DECISION MAKERS IN THE CARE INDUSTRY

Elderly Care: Positive Choices Elderly Care: Positive Choices is the theme for Caring UK’s annual regional conferences.

Our stellar line-up of speakers will offer expert advice on a wide variety of topics to enhance the quality of life your residents deserve in their later years, and also make your business stand out from your rivals to potential residents.

Our top industry experts will pass on their knowledge on subjects including food and nutrition, activities and the care home environment itself, giving tips on what you can do to achieve and maintain the highest levels of care.

Our first two conferences will be held at Rookery Manor in Weston-super-Mare and the Riviera International Conference Centre in Torquay on July 2 and 3 respectively. In September our events move north to the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley and Leeds United FC’s famous Elland Road stadium.

Running alongside all of the conferences will be an extensive exhibition, which will showcase all the latest products and technology for your care home.

These really are conferences not to be missed, so to avoid disappointment please complete the booking form to guarantee your place.

For more information contact:

Exhibitor enquiries: Bev Green: 01226 734 288 Delegate enquiries: Lucy Dickinson: 01226 734 695 Refreshments served throughout the event including light lunch. Closes with a grand prize draw. Goody bag and attendance certificate for all delegates attending.

Sponsored by:

HEADLINE SPONSOR

Some of the conference exhibitors:

10th Sept

Leeds United Football Club.

LEEDS

2nd July

Rookery Manor, WESTON-SUPER-MARE.

3rd July

9th Sept

Black Country Living Museum, DUDLEY.

Riviera International Conference Centre.

TORQUAY.

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CARINGNEWS

Provider’s activity coordinators enrolled for a trip to the moon

By Dominic Musgrave NORTH West care provider CLS Care Homes has continued to strengthen and develop its already varied residents’ activity programme by enrolling its activity coordinators on workforce and service development programme, Ladder to the Moon.

The move is part of the organisation’s wider commitment to providing residents with meaningful, engaging activities and a fulfilling quality of life, as well as offering ongoing training and professional development opportunities to employees.

Ladder to the Moon is a UK-based social enterprise charity which works with residential care and housing providers, and commissioners of all sizes.

Its programmes are designed to build the confidence and leadership skills of those with key responsibility for activities, so that they can involve and inspire their colleagues in providing meaningful occupation and quality of life for the people they support.

Lynn Porter, activity coordinator at The Elms care home in Crewe, and Ladder to the Moon attendee, said: “I got a huge amount from the sessions and came away teaming with fresh ideas to add to the already busy activities programme we have here at The

CLS residents enjoying a Strictly Come Dancing inspired day.

Elms. I’ve already got started on a few, which have all gone down a treat with the residents.”

Activity coordinators from across the care organisation’s 26 homes were assisted in their aim to provide meaningful experiences for older people through workshops focused on creative problem solving, imaginative thinking and person-centred care.

Activities involving interactive theatre, music, dance and film, as well as engaging with the local community, were explored to help encourage active, creative and vibrant care environments to flourish.

Robert Black, CLS managing director, added: “At CLS we pride ourselves on providing residents with the high-

est standards of personalised care, and in supporting each individual to continue to lead rich and fulfilling lives.

“Developing activities that are truly varied and stimulating is a key part of this and we are always on the look out for new ideas and ways to improve.

“The Ladder to the Moon philosophy sits perfectly with this vision and we are proud advocates for their drive for better standards of care throughout the sector.”

Ladder to the Moon is a founding member of the National Skills Academy and has been supported by the Department of Health’s Social Enterprise Investment Fund.

Residents enjoy fun afternoon RESIDENTS at Dene Holm residential home in Northfleet enjoyed an afternoon of nostalgia with a variety of fun and games.

Residents started the session with a trip down memory lane, a game in which a brand name was called out and residents would try to guess what it is they sell.

All got involved, shouting out answers and guessing brand products such as Rowntree, Birds, Comet and Lyons.

Home manager Paula Matthews said: “The residents really enjoyed the motivational session, it’s not only fun, it’s great for their mind and gets them thinking too.

“As a society, we believe that mild exercise is incredibly important for older people, the lowimpact session is designed to benefit all residents including those that perhaps can’t move as easily.

The session not only increases residents’ fitness and general wellbeing, it enhances their mood too.”

After the memory game residents got involved with a gentle exercise session, designed for them to do from the comfort of their armchairs.

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CARINGNEWS

Anti-ligature blinds: the rules and regulations

By Byron Brown IN any in-patient environment, the care group responsible for the health and well-being of the patients or residents must carry out risk assessments that will help to reduce or even eliminate any risk or hazard.

Unfortunately, in many health care environments, one of those risks is the self-harm of the patients.

This is most likely in restricted access units, such as prisons, secure hospitals or homes for mental health service users, but shouldn’t be overlooked in any care setting, therapy area or residential home.

The most common method of suicide, whether for in-patients or those in the community, is hanging.

And although it is not something you might consider when looking into safety in a care home for the elderly, it’s vital to remember that many residents may be suffering from deteriorating health, whether mental or physical.

Sadly, this will place some of them firmly in an ‘at risk’ category, so should be considered just as vulnerable to self-harm.

This became painfully clear in September last year, when a pensioner in a London care home managed to end his life using a ligature tied to the door handle of his

bedroom.

The National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England (DoH 2002) have set a standard that any obvious ligature anchor points in a setting where the patient group may attempt self-harm or suicide, must be removed or covered.

There is a general acknowledgment that not all risks can be completely eliminated, as something as innocuous as a bed sheet or shoe lace could be used as means of ligature.

However, the nature of suicide in inpatient settings is usually impulsive and not planned, so the person will likely reach for the first thing to hand.

This means that removing any obvious ligature points could give the person time to reconsider their actions before finding an appropriate means of suicide, thus potentially saving a life.

Every Health Care Trust must have a Ligature Risk Assessment Policy, and take the responsibility of identifying all likely ligature points in order to take steps to reduce or remove these areas of risk.

When judging the level of ligature risk, there are certain criteria that should be assessed to determine the correct precautions: The room designation.

Height of identified ligature risk.

Type of potential risk.

Byron Brown Service accommodated within the rooms/areas.

So, for example, in a bedroom, in a residential mental health unit, the risk would be judged to be high – as its likely in-patients will be left unsupervised for long periods during the night – so all potential ligature risks would need to be removed as a matter of urgency.

Curtain tracks, curtains and window blinds present one of the biggest risks, simply because they are present in almost every room, especially in residential settings where an attempt is made to make rooms more homely and less clinical.

There are a number of solutions that will maintain a homely feel, whilst not presenting a risk to those vulnerable to self-harm.

The most widely installed antiligature systems in hospitals, care facilities and prisons is a magnetic system that utilises discreet, loadrelease brackets.

The system will hold in place any window dressings with powerful short-range magnetic attraction, but as soon as an abnormal load is applied, the force attracting the magnets is overcome, and the system will release.

This system has proven to be highly effective and, as it uses magnets and no mechanical parts, they can be reused again and again.

There are a whole range of antiligature blinds that suit a variety of environments and risks, but to ensure their effectiveness in every situation, they should always be installed by a qualified fitter.

Without the guarantee from a professional installer, you may not be removing the risk adequately, and would therefore not have fulfilled the correct obligations under a risk assessment.

Byron Brown is director of Nichol & Hill, qualified specialists in the installation of anti-ligature blinds for care homes.

New home is opened

by Mayor

Glenn Pickersgill (far left) and Sally Pickersgill (far right) with members of the Oakhouse team.

Domiciliary care owners acquire food franchise HERITAGE Healthcare owners Glenn and Sally Pickersgill have acquired an Oakhouse Food franchise, which delivers quality, value for money meals and groceries across the north.

The new business, which delivers nutritious frozen meals, desserts and groceries throughout Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham, Cleveland, North Yorkshire and East Riding of Yorkshire, complements Heritage Healthcare’s domiciliary care services.

Martine Holborow will oversee the

day-to-day running of the business and further grow the client base of individuals, homecare providers and housing associations within the areas covered.

Glenn said: “Heritage Healthcare currently cares for more than 400 elderly or vulnerable people throughout the region, enabling them to remain living in their own homes.

“We believe Oakhouse Foods is a perfect fit with our existing business.

The award-winning frozen meals are complemented by a wide range of

grocery products.”

“We have employed two new telephone operators and now have a dedicated team working together to deliver a professional and friendly service. We hope to further grow the network of Oakhouse customers and also to provide the service to other companies and organisations that work with people with care needs.

“It is good value, good quality and convenient and takes away all the worry of both shopping, and preparing nutritious hot meals.”

A NEW private luxury care home near Christchurch hosted a launch event followed by a family fun open day to celebrate its multimillion pound development under the ownership and management of the Maria Mallaband Care Group.

Homefield Grange Care Home specialises in the provision of nursing, residential and dementia care within its elegant, modern facilities and was officially unveiled by the Mayor of Christchurch, Honorary Freeman Councillor John Lofts.

Guests at the launch event enjoyed a VIP tour of the care home, with champagne, canapés and entertainment from a violinist.

A member of the RNLI was also in attendance to talk to visitors.

This was followed by an open family day which featured children’s entertainment, games and prizes.

Phil Burgan, founder and CEO of Maria Mallaband Care Group, said: "The open days were a huge success with more than 400 people attending over the course of the events.”

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CARINGNEWS Advertiser’s announcement

Residents form ‘style panel’ for national optical firm OVER 100 HC-One residents in the UK and Ireland stepped into the spotlight when they look part in a nationwide ‘Frame Style Panel’ ran by National home opticians, Visioncall.

Across the seven homes, residents were given the task of selecting this seasons ‘must have’ frames range.

From February 18-28 the elected style panelists went through hundreds of potential frames and selected their favourite styles.

The process gave Visioncall the opportunity to gather feedback, from those who know best, on a variety of factors including comfort, durability and style.

“It has been a great experience”, said Visioncall operations director Jennifer Speirs. “We have learned so much

from our patients and now we can develop our exciting new frame range based on their feedback.”

With all seven style panels completed, the innovation team were able to take the selected styles with them to the Milan optical trade show ‘Mido’ for negotiation with large international optical equipment and frame designers.

The suppliers will now put their creativity to work by redesigning and modifying the styles to suit.

Visioncall’s business development manager Gary Wilson added: “We aim to deliver an exceptional person-centred optical service.

“By involving our patients and customers in the frame selection process, we will be able to offer the

best possible frame range.

“After all, why should we guess what our customers want when we can ask them directly? Our team is thrilled to launch our first set of style panel with the residents from HC-One homes.”

The project, supported by HC-One, was first initiated after consulting a large number of patients and customers across the UK about the aspects of the service they liked.

Here are some of the residents comments on the day: Christine Duncan – Fairview “These are the colours I used to wear in my younger days” Mary McIntosh – Riverside “This is exciting, can I get a pair now?”

John Pirie – Woodside Court

“That was brilliant fun, send me a copy of the pictures.”

Edith (Eddy) Salivone – Greenfield Park “This has been just great, thanks for including me.”

Jeanie ‘Olive’ King – Cradelhall “I love all the sparkles on the frames.”

Graeme Barker – Falstone “Delighted I came along today, you have answered a lot of my questions and put my mind at ease for future eye examinations.”

Jim Chambers – Bramblewood “I’m glad you came. This has been something totally different.”

Look out for the exciting new Visioncall frame range coming soon!

Contact Visioncall, person-centred home optician, on 0191 460 3293 or visit www.visioncall.co.uk

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CARINGNEWS

Home goes digital with management system

By Dominic Musgrave

Caremark (Norwich) care manager Julia Andrew (pictured above) was highly commended in the motivational leadership category at the inaugural Norfolk Care Awards.

Norman Lamb, minister of state for care and support at the Department of Health and MP for North Norfolk, attended the black-tie event at Dunstan Hall in Norwich hosted by TV personality and journalist Helen Lederer. Julia said: “It is always a privilege to be nominated but at the end of the day, it’s always down to the entire team and the hard work everyone has put in over the last while. I was thrilled to get to the top three, and then to be awarded Highly Commended in my category has been fantastic. It makes all the effort worthwhile.”

CARE staff members at The Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society nursing care home in Surrey are embracing the digital era thanks to the introduction of new technology to improve the service it provides to residents.

In a world with ever-changing technology, the care home, specialising in housing retired seafarers and providing dedicated dementia care, has introduced a care planning system by adopting new technology.

Nurses and managers have been equipped with tablets in order to further improve the level of communication between team members and day-to-day note taking.

The electronic messaging system allows staff to contact each other quickly, leading to a more efficient and organised way of working and a better service for the home’s 68 residents. Information regarding care and medication details are also now easier to read than previously when everything was recorded as handwritten notes.

As one of the first care homes in the UK to adopt the new technology, The Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society is among those leading the way in improving interaction between staff

A staff member goes through the care planning system with a resident. and residents’ families, who can now access clear, informative notes about their loved ones.

Care home manager Anne Kasey said: “Introducing the new system has helped our staff tremendously. All entries are automatically named, timed and dated as well as being easy to read, unlike some hand written versions.

“We’re also able to contact staff through an easy to use electronic messaging system. Not only does it

make recording and communicating easier for us, but it benefits residents’ families as clear information is easily accessible.”

Staff members were provided with training to get to grips with the new system, with one-to-one training available for those who needed more assistance.

The initial feedback from both staff and residents has been very positive, with many commenting on its simplicity and ease.

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CARINGNEWS

Chaplains play a key role in sustaining residents’ well-being, new study finds

By Dominic Musgrave CHAPLAINCY services help to restore and sustain hope, well-being and community spirit amongst older people in care homes, a new study has indicated.

The research was commissioned by MHA, the national charity providing accommodation, care and support services to 16,000 older people nationwide, including 5,000 people in care homes. It was conducted by Dr Harriet Mowat, Research Fellow, School of Divinity at Aberdeen University and director of Mowat Research.

Chaplaincy is a key pillar of MHA’s person-centred approach to care and support for older people, which attaches importance to spiritual as well as physical health and wellbeing. The charity is one of the pioneers of chaplaincy within a social care setting and today employs more than 130 chaplains in its care homes and retirement schemes across.

Rev’d Dr Keith Albans, director of chaplaincy and spirituality at MHA, said: “The research endorses the role played by our chaplains in helping older people, with or without a faith, to deal with some of the key challenges that present themselves in old age, ranging from increasing frailty, to

“The chaplain role serves as an embodiment of the caring ethos and values that MHA seeks to nurture in all its staff ...” issues with daily life, family and relationships.

“While many people moving to care homes are glad and relieved to be safe and supported this is often accompanied by a sense of loss and grieving for the way of life they have left behind.

“The research highlighted that one of the key benefits of chaplaincy is helping people to come to terms with this and with some of the other inevitable changes that occur in old age, so they can find pleasure, enjoyment and peace in the present.”

The study suggests that chaplains not only provide a listening presence to share the worries, fears and concerns of residents, but that they also act as catalysts in community-building, bringing the outside world into care homes and forging close links

The study suggests that chaplains can act as catalysts in community-building. with residents, families, staff and volunteers.

“The chaplain role serves as an embodiment of the caring ethos and values that MHA seeks to nurture in all its staff and it is clear that regardless of whether people have a faith or not, the role is valued and appreciat-

ed by residents, staff and relatives,” said the report’s author Dr Harriet Mowat.

Do you agree with the findings of the survey from experiences in your care home? Let Dominic Musgrave know by emailing dm@scriptmedia.co.uk

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CARINGNEWS

Firm fined after resident choked on fish and chips FOUR Seasons Health Care has been ordered to pay £170,000 in fines and costs after a resident choked to death on fish and chips during an entertainment evening at its Chorley premises.

The care provider was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive after an investigation found that Rita Smith should only have been provided with pureed food as she had swallowing difficulties and was at risk of choking.

Preston Crown Court was told that the 75-year-old, who suffered from dementia and motor neuron disease, was admitted into Euxton Park Care Home in November 2010. The home was made aware that she had difficulty swallowing, needed pureed food on a teaspoon and supervision by a carer while eating.

However, only two weeks later, she was given fish and chips in a cone along with other residents while she was at a film and supper evening in the care home on December 1.

When a member of staff began clearing up the meals during the film, she noticed Rita slumped in her chair.

A nurse attempted to resuscitate her but she was later pronounced dead. A post mortem found the primary cause of death was choking.

The HSE investigation into the incident found neither of the staff

“She should never have been given unpureed food, let alone been left by herself to eat it during the film and supper evening.” who organised the film and supper evening had been made aware that she could not eat solid foods.

A specialist assessment carried out at the local hospital, recommending she be supervised at meals and prompted to slow down and swallow twice during each mouthful, had been provided to the care home but was not communicated to staff.

A care plan and risk assessment had also not be completed by Four Seasons for Rita on her arrival at the home, which would have identified the need for a care worker to feed her pureed food during meal times.

It also emerged that a carer at the home had left her alone to eat unpureed Weetabix a few days before the film and supper evening.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Shellie Bee said: “This was a tragic death which could have been

avoided if Four Seasons Health Care had made sure systems were in place to protect residents. As it was, a vulnerable and elderly woman paid the price for their failures.

“Our investigation found there had been an alarming lack of communication with many staff unaware of Miss Smith’s medical needs, despite them being well documented.

“She should never have been given un-pureed food, let alone been left by herself to eat it during the film and supper evening. But her condition meant she did not have the mental capability to refuse the meal or recognise the danger.

“Euxton Park Care Home was made aware of the risk of Miss Smith choking on un-pureed food when she arrived, but failed to act properly and as you would expect on this information. Sadly, she lost her life as a result.”

Four Seasons Health Care (England) Ltd, part of the Four Seasons Health Care group which runs more than 500 care homes and specialist care centres in the UK, pleaded guilty to a single breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

The company, of Groves Road in Douglas, Isle of Man, was fined £125,000 and ordered to £45,000 towards the cost of the prosecution.

Sarah Stephenson

New contract for services HOME Care Solutions has been awarded an initial three-year contract with Peterborough City Council to continue to provide domiciliary care services.

The company will work with people in their own homes, providing services ranging from laundry and shopping to dementia care and palliative care, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

While the contract for the city council’s domiciliary care framework is for three years initially, there is also an option for a two-year extension.

Home Care Solutions MD Sarah Stephenson said: “This is an exciting opportunity for us and we look forward to being able to continue building positive relationships with service users and their families in the county, providing care packages to enable them to live as independent lives as possible in their own homes.”

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Why care homes are putting red tape before residents

By John Kennedy OLDER people are being reduced to a ‘bundle of paperwork’ by a culture of form-filling and box-ticking that benefits nobody.

For the past nine months I have been talking to people working in and with care homes, to try to understand what is wrong and what needs to change. Paperwork is an issue that comes up again and again, whether it’s care staff complaining about the amount they need to complete, or residents and relatives bemoaning that staff seem to spend so much time writing when they should be ‘caring’.

So is excessive paperwork in care homes undermining care for older people? A JRF report published today finds the answer to be ‘yes’.

Firstly, there is a lot of it. The research identifies more than 100 separate items of paperwork that must be completed regularly in care homes.

Secondly, there are questions of efficiency. There’s a lot of duplication and in the care homes I visited, some staff felt that paperwork was

inefficiently designed or implemented. About half of the paperwork produced was used infrequently.

A most startling finding for me is the perception that it is the quality of a care home’s paperwork which drives judgement and values, rather than the care it provides.

Staff feel they’re valued – and often promoted – on their ability to produce paperwork rather than ability to deliver quality care. And some care home managers report spending 20 per cent of their time (one day a week) on paperwork rather than on leadership activities that could improve the quality of care for residents.

Care homes are driven to place greater emphasis on paperwork due to feelings of insecurity and a fear of blame.

Care home quality is perceived to be judged on paperwork rather than on values and vocation. This reduces residents to a ‘bundle of paper and risk’ and staff to defensive office dwellers.

Previous JRF research tells us that what older people with high support

John Kennedy needs value most is the quality of their relationships – the day-to-day interactions, the conversations, the kindnesses.

Just because something is recorded or written up well doesn’t mean it was done well. Paperwork has limited our ability to assess the quality of interactions between staff and residents. Paper offers false assurances in this regard and yet it is these interactions that are of ultimate

value to residents and their relatives.

The report makes several recommendations. For me, the key one is that all the parties, the paperrequesters and the paper-makers work together to minimise the amount and maximise the effectiveness of paper.

This would mean the true mission of the care home – to provide personal, kind, relationship-centred care – has the best chance of success.

I am responsible for a number of care homes and can be just as guilty of requiring paperwork to reassure myself and the board.

In my experience, care homes are very passive – they never say no to any request for another form, another assessment or another policy. Of course we need paperwork, but should it really take up so much time and energy? As part of this year-long care home inquiry I have commissioned a number of pieces of work, which will be published over the coming weeks. I would be very grateful for comments and views.

John Kennedy is director of care services at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Home’s duo win group’s awards TWO Barnsley care workers have received national awards for their work.

Tracy Jowitt and Becky Gomersall have been named manager of the year and activities co-ordinator of the year by their employer Elder Homes.

The pair who work at Epworth House Residential Home, Park

Road, Thurnscoe, were presented with the awards at a ceremony in Nottingham.

Becky said: “It really is a good feeling to have won this award as there are 18 other homes included in the company. racy has done a brilliant job and it has gone from being half full to having a full residency.”

Ian Wilkie with his son Elliot.

Ian heads for ‘The Hill’ in aid of Alzheimer’s HPC director Ian Wilkie is organising a 10k charity run which is raising thousands of pounds in aid of Alzheimer Scotland.

Together with sons Craig and Elliot, nephews Jamie and Grant and other friends, the group will take on the run up and round Edinburgh’s famous extinct volcano Arthur’s Seat.

Ian said: “Our family lost my dad, Alistair, on April 12 last year as a result of complications associated with vascular dementia. We wanted to mark the anniversary in a positive way and so have arranged the challenge for April 12 this year.”

“We are running in aid of Alzheimer Scotland. In addition to undertaking

research, the charity provides invaluable support services and information to people with dementia, their families and friends.

“They provided help to mum throughout dad's illness and we would like to do what we can to raise funds so that they can help others in the same situation.”

Dubbed ‘The Hill’, the event has already raised over £3,500 for the charity.

Ian added “I would like to thank all those who have contributed so far for their extraordinary generosity.

“There is still time to donate and any amount will be gratefully received.”

Whitgift House in Croydon is the first care home in the UK to be presented with the Soil Association’s prestigious Gold Catering Mark Award for its catering service. Catering at the home is provided by the Guildford-based Pride Catering Partnership, who specialise in serving fresh and healthy meals made with local and organic ingredients. The catering team, care staff, residents and guests all packed into the home’s community room to watch the presentation of the award to Pride’s chef manager by the Mayor of Croydon, Councillor Yvette Hopley, at a special ceremony. In order to receive the award, Pride’s menus had to reflect the seasonality and locality of produce.

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CARINGINTERIORS AND FLOORING

Knightsbridge Furniture is up to the challenge A RANGE of furniture designed specifically for use in demanding environments across the mental health sector has been developed by Knightsbridge Furniture and will be presented on the company’s stand (No. 194) at the Design in Mental Health Conference & Exhibition on May 13 and 14.

The Knightsbridge ‘Challenging Behaviour Collection’ has been created to meet demand for the company’s expertise in fitting out hospitals, residential homes, prisons and other facilities accommodating those demonstrating a diverse range of challenging behaviour patterns.

Comprising a portfolio of seating, tables and cabinet units which are designed to be safe, robust and yet still stylish, the collection helps build an effective and practical therapeutic environment, and has evolved from the company’s pioneering

work with healthcare and care professionals, patients and residents.

Included in the collection is a wide selection of upholstered seating with reinforced frames and optional safety weighting: all soft seating comes with anti-tamper and anti-ligature features and an absence of concealment pockets.

The collection’s dining tables and chairs can also be weighted – a feature disguised within chic, contemporary lines – while new dining units with fixed seats in zesty colours are designed to be mounted securely to the floor.

Enquiries: Copies of Knightsbridge Furniture’s ‘Challenging Environments: Furniture with Purpose’ catalogue can be ordered via www.furniturewithpurpose.co.uk or www.knightsbridge-furniture.co.uk

All-round caring flooring solution from Itec Contract Floors ITEC Contract Floors demonstrated how its ranges of safety, acoustic and decorative sheet flooring solutions bring care environments a practical and welcoming floor covering at the Bournemouth Care Show.

The isafe advanced safety flooring collection underlines the importance of providing a safe surface in areas prone to standing water and spillages, but also that this should not be at the sacrifice of aesthetics. With a range of wood decors perfect for adding a feeling of warmth in such areas, the isafe collection also includes tile, mineral and decorative decors.

Visitors could also discover that with Itec Contract Floors it is possible to develop a

flooring specification that delivers on budget and with tailored performance for the areas in question.

Itec also showcased how this ambience can be improved even further with the Invisweld cold seaming technology. Leaving a virtually imperceptible and completely watertight join, Invisiweld enhances the realism of wood and natural-look decors and is unique to Itec Contract Floors. Along with this innovative installation method, Itec floors are equipped with Hyperguard+ PUR that reduces maintenance and resists scuffing.

Enquiries: Contact 00 32 5665 3211 or visit www.itecfloors.co.uk

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Interior trends that meet care homes’ needs INCREASING care and nursing homes are requesting care interiors that truly design consultation and expertise to create a relaxing and engaging interior that in the past would have been more representative of the style you would expect to find in a hotel.

At the heart of considering new interior treatments is the genuine belief that a positive environment provides those within it with a positive experience.

Shackletons, the Yorkshire based care furniture specialists, has been working within care environments for 50 years.

Jason Bloom, national sales manager, said: “Certainly there has been a distinct shift within the care sector regarding furniture. Of course we still have fit for purpose considerations to apply but form is becoming just as important as function as the sector considers the needs and wants of their varying customers.

“The care sector has many forward thinking and dynamic care operators who are certainly nothing like the old stereotyped images many people still have. As the market becomes more competitive and more aware of its customer, the need for appealing and creative interior solutions have become majorly important.

“Cleanability is still a big focus for the sector and we understand this is essential in maintaining a clean and healthy environment, but this doesn’t come at the expense of design. We have spent many years developing a satisfying solution that not only aids carers in their roles but enables residents to live their lives as independently as they can in comfortable and enjoyable surroundings.”

Robust and functional fabrics and design methods are used to meet the needs of the many care providers who demand a product that is a million miles away from the institutionalised look many of us will remember.

Intelligent fabrics and innovative designs are developed to meet the standard feature requirements, such as waterproof membranes, stain

repellent technology and odour control. Design is applied in a way that considers the physical support the end user may need as well as how individuals’ senses will react – what does it look like, how does it feel.

Jason added: “Residents want to socialise, enjoy comfortable surroundings, relax, and be active and independent. The physical and mental ability of residents are always taken into account, we design and manufacture furniture that truly is bespoke without compromising on style, quality and visual appeal.”

In more recent times the company has responded to the growing needs of care operators looking to maintain a better quality of life for residents with dementia. The condition can manifest in many ways, and doesn’t automatically mean an immediate lack of senses. However issues around memory loss and communication can become an issue if a care home doesn’t recognise the need for a dementia friendly environment.

“Having dementia doesn’t mean loss of independence or quality of life; but confusion, disorientation, and frustration can result in a lack of quality of life if residents are not accommodated in a way that promotes and enables a dignified and independent way of life,” said Jason. “Design can help with this. We consult with many operators on this topic. We use colours, choose appropriate fabrics and consider the overall constructed design of our furniture.”

Colours of fabrics help to easily define areas. Colours become cues to help residents distinguish between an activity, dining or living area, and even the toilet. Recognition removes the potential for a resident to become disorientated; it is proven to provide greater independence and a better quality of life.

It is a fact as we face an aging population the demand for quality care services will increase. Design plays a vital role in achieving that quality. A well designed care environment can and does improve the quality of life of residents.

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CARINGHEALTH, FITNESS AND WELLBEING

Ensuring activities are beneficial for your residents

By Harriet Pocock

Julie Gray, manager of Richmond Court, with resident Nora Hutchinson enjoying the lights in the new sensory room.

Residents to benefit from sensory room RESIDENTS at Willington-based Richmond Court, which is owned by operator Bondcare, are benefiting from a new sensory room that has been created in the home.

Previously a communal room that was rarely used, the area has been transformed and designed to stimulate the senses, with lots of different objects for residents to touch, hear and see.

The room includes sensory lights, relaxing and upbeat music and objects with varied textures for the residents to experience.

Richmond Court, which also has Raby Cottage and Binchester Court on site, provides care for 45 residents, including mental health and dementia nursing care and residential or respite care for people with learning difficulties.

Manager Julie Gray said: “The sensory room is proving to be a great addition to our home and a real

success with the residents. It has turned an area that was rarely used into a fantastic and important space where our residents can have a little me-time and can relax or enliven their senses.

“When you see how much the residents are stimulated in the room and how they enjoy encountering lots of different textures, objects and sounds, you realise what an amazing environment it is.

“Ensuring the home is a relaxing and welcoming environment for our residents and providing lots of beneficial and enjoyable activities and experiences is an important part of the care that we offer.”

It has been proven that the sensory and relaxation experiences are beneficial for people with dementia and learning difficulties, with research showing sensory stimulation decreases agitation and restlessness as well as improving sleep.

Home welcomes feline friend ADDISON Court in Accrington has welcomed a new resident who has made an immediate impact on the home.

Princess, a tortoiseshell cat, has moved into the care home from the local RSPCA centre.

To welcome Princess to the Amore Care owned home, staff and residents held a party where the affectionate puss made friends with everyone. The occasion was a joint celebration as CQC inspectors visited the home and verbally confirmed it is compliant with all required standards.

Addison Court home manager Anne-Marie Potter said: “Everyone at Addison Court has welcomed Princess to the home.

“The residents absolutely love her

and she is going to be one spoilt cat.

“Having a pet around the home is definitely beneficial for residents, they enjoy the companionship and animals are known to have a calming and therapeutic effect and give those residents that previously owned a cat the opportunity to interact with the animals and re-kindle fond memories.

“We had a lovely party to celebrate Princess moving in and also to say thank you to our staff whose hard work has led to the home being fully compliant following a recent CQC inspection.”

Addison Court is a purpose-built care home which provides care for up to 48 older people, including those with dementia.

IN CARE we regularly talk about providing ‘activities’ for elderly residents. But what does the word ‘activity’ actually mean?

The Oxford Dictionary states that activity is ‘the quality or state of being active’.

This is a very broad definition which could encompass a wide range of things, so why, when we think of care home activities, do we jump straight to bingo and ball games?

Evidence shows that traditional, organised activities are both popular and beneficial, but providing activities for those in our care can mean so much more. Small daily tasks can easily been turned into activities with a little creativity and thought.

As soon as we stop thinking of activities as meticulously planned sessions and start incorporating them more into everyday life, the possibilities are endless.

Take the afternoon tea, for example.

This daily ritual can be made into a resident activity with just a few simple changes. If you have an able resident who enjoys looking after others, why not ask if they will be your ‘waitress’. Encourage them to ask others whether they would like tea or coffee while you push the trolley and make the drinks – you could even invest in a waitress’ pinny.

Take the time to ask residents if they would like milk and sugar, even if you already know the answer. Bring the cake or biscuit tin to the residents and allow them the time to choose.

There are few occasions where reminiscence cannot be encouraged; during afternoon tea ask the ladies if they used to bake, prompt the sharing of recipes and enquire as to a resident’s favourite cake filling. No doubt this approach will take more time, but in exchange you will be graced with happier, more engaged residents.

Mornings spent sat in the lounge can also easily be made more interesting with a little forward thinking. Before the residents arrive

put out books, magazines, jigsaw puzzles, drawing materials and sensory items. This provides the residents with an engaging, stimulating environment rather than an empty room with the TV on in the background.

Give the residents ‘ownership’ of their surroundings by involving them in the upkeep and running of the home. Asking willing residents to dust, polish cutlery or fold napkins can sometimes be seen as inappropriate, but the positive effect this can have on the residents’ selfworth is outstanding.

This same simple approach can be used to make organised activities extra special. When an entertainer is booked, encourage residents to dress up in their best outfits and jewellery.

During board game afternoons use monopoly money or sweets so people place ‘bets’ on the outcome of the game. If you have one resident who particularly enjoys cooking ask them to lead the cookery session – complete with chef’s hat and apron!

To make every moment as meaningful as possible in a care home, a combined effort is paramount and it is vital that the whole team is on board.

One activities coordinator cannot successfully take on this mammoth task alone – neither should they be expected to. The entire care team has a duty to give residents something to live for rather than simply keeping residents alive.

To encourage a positive start to a resident’s morning, ensure you know what the day has in store for them.

While you are assisting the resident with washing and dressing tell them about the group activity that day, what there is for lunch later and whether they have any visitors coming. All these things may sound starkly obvious, but in a busy care home environment they often get lost in the shuffle. I wonder if perhaps sometimes we get lost organising big, impressive activities (which of course have their place) and forget the healing power of sitting down for a good natter over a nice cup of tea.

New cook book makes preparing delicious dishes easier PREPARING delicious dishes has been made even easier thanks to the new ‘Tasty Recipes’ book from the creators of the Made Easy range at Aimia Foods.

The collection, containing 28 mouth-watering recipes, has been designed to help caterers create tasty nutritional recipes using products from within the Made Easy range; which comprises of drinks, desserts and baking ingredients that are either ready to consume or can be prepared in seconds with the addition of water.

Simple to follow recipes include Strawberry and Ginger Cheesecake, Bread and Butter Pudding and Chocolate Rice Pudding, made with Moosebreak, Milfresh Milk Powder and Chocolate Milkbreak Powder respectively. Every detail has been considered, from portion size to handy tips on how to enhance dishes with extra finishing touches.

Enquiries: For more information about the products available within the Made Easy range or to order your free copy of the ‘Tasty Recipes’ book, contact Aimia Foods on 01942 408600 or visit www.simplymadeeasy.co.uk

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Consumers disappointed with cleanliness and disinfection practices, research finds P&G Professional has revealed the results of a European study into public attitudes and perceptions of cleanliness and disinfection standards in hospitality establishments and care homes in the UK, France and Germany.

The survey revealed that 93 per cent of consumers expect businesses to do more to ensure their premises are germ-free, and over 90 per cent expect business operators to disinfect every day as part of their daily cleaning routine.

Jayne Clark, P&G Professional sales director, UK and Ireland, said: “Daily cleaning of a professional establishment is one thing, but deploying a robust disinfection programme and using the right products to tackle bacteria like salmonella, MRSA or E.coli is quite another.

“The startling results of our survey show operators need to be in tune with their customers’ needs – both in terms of delivering the cleaning and disinfection standards required but also ensuring they create a memorable experience for their guests.

“This is why we urge businesses to take action today by investing in high quality antibacterial solutions to eliminate the spread of germs and viruses and ensure consumers’ expectations are fully met.”

P&G Professional has a range of

high quality antibacterial cleaning solutions to help operators keep up with disinfection standards in bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms and dining rooms.

Products are available in cash and carries as well as via distributors, and include Fairy Professional Antibacterial Washing up Liquid, Ariel

Professional Antibacterial Laundry Powder, Flash Professional Multi-surface and Glass Cleaner, as well as the new range of easy-to-use, colour coded products from P&G Professional only available direct from distributors.

The survey also revealed that consumers are cautious about cleaning

and disinfection standards when eating out.

Over 40 per cent of people confessed to wiping their cutlery or crockery before they begin to eat in a restaurant, and 20 per cent of 18-34 year olds said they take their own bed linen or towels when staying in a hotel, guest house, hostel or B&B.

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Kevin’s on the move ... with his toilet A MAN is so impressed with his toilet that he even took it with him when he moved house.

Thalidomide sufferer Kevin Donnellon has moved from a flat to a bungalow in Bundellsands, Crosby, to give him and his young family more space.

Whereas most people, when they move, leave bathroom fittings behind, Kevin insisted one item that had to move too: his Clos-o-Mat automatic (wash and dry) shower toilet.

“The bungalow will be a forever home, for me, my fiancee Angela and our daughter Daisy – and my Clos-o-Mat. I just couldn’t be without it,” he said. “It gives me so much independence and dignity. I have stunted arms so would not be able to clean myself after toileting. The Clos-o-Mat does all that for me.

The Clos-o-Mat looks like, and can be used as, a conventional WC, and has in-built douching and drying. Simply retaining pressure on the flush pad triggers simultaneous flushing and warm water washing, followed by warm air drying.

Enquiries: Call 0161 969 1199 or visit www.clos-o-mat.com

Armstrong appoints new sales manager

Properly treat your home’s textiles INFECTION control is a key concern for care home laundries, as it has been proven time and again that textiles can be a source of cross contamination, making the laundry a key focus area.

PHS Laundryserv is one of the UK’s leading providers of commercial laundry equipment with a wealth of experience in supplying laundries which have infection control requirements.

Laundryserv offer both thermal and

chemical disinfection solutions, that satisfy the CFPP 01-04 guidelines.

Our energy efficient and easy-to-use range of FX washers provide thermal disinfection cycles on all capacity machines from seven to 32kg, so no matter how large your loads, you can be sure they are being properly treated. We also offer a complete range of barrier washers, which offer the ultimate in infection control by creating a physical barrier between the soiled and clean laundry areas.

ARMSTRONG Commercial Laundry Systems has appointed Simon Rawle as territory manager with special responsibility for the care sector – underlining the company’s commitment to this market.

Simon joined the Armstrong team at the end of November, replacing Bruce Herring, who retired after 23 years with the company.

He was previously in the wooden flooring business, and prior to that with NatWest Bank for many years. Simon is married with three grown-up children and lives in Lambourn.

He said: “Location obviously played a part in my decision to join Armstrong, but mainly I was attracted by the fact that it is a family run company, and its ethos and values reflected my own. It demonstrates integrity in its dealings with customers and that is clearly a reason for its excellent customer retention. The fact that my predecessor stayed with them for 23 years speaks volumes.”

Enquiries: Call 01635 33881, visit www.armstrong-laundry.co.uk or email info@armstrong-laundry.co.uk

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HYGIENE freshwater dishwasher ensures hygienically clean crockery and cutlery MIELE Professional has launched the next generation in professional dishwashers, with a freshwater system that is designed specifically for hygienically clean results.

The HYGIENE dishwasher guarantees perfectly clean crockery and cutlery for the care industries and hospitals, ensuring that the risk of infection in these high-risk environments is kept at bay.

The tried-and-tested freshwater system for commercial dishwashers ensures safe results: fresh water is introduced during each wash phase and during the rinsing process.

The temperature of the water in the main wash is a high 60°C, while the final rinse takes place at 83°C held for five minutes.

The design of the machine also helps users to keep their working environment clean and free from the

threat of superbugs.

The smooth and crevice-free operating console – a stainless-steel surface without any push buttons – is simple to clean, and there are 13 different programmes available to choose from.

This console also doubles up as a handle to open and close the door.

User convenience also comes from several innovations which are exclusive to Miele Professional.

Before the start of a programme, the machine is automatically closed by the AutoClose feature, and the new steam condenser guarantees a room micro-climate by reducing the amount of hot, moisture-laden air released from the machine once the washing cycle is complete.

This means that even when the AutoOpen function opens the door, only a limited amount of steam is

released, allowing even plastic items of crockery to dry.

The washed load cools down fast, allowing the machine to be unloaded and reloaded quickly.

Les Marshall, sales and marketing director at Miele Professional, said: “Dishwashers with thermal disinfection and speed cycles have long been a focus for Miele Professional and they all have proven results.

“Our new HYGIENE dishwasher is our next generation in dishwashing and is an exciting development for the care and hospital sector.

“With the ever increasing threat of superbugs and mega viruses, facilities managers in these environments need to be extremely careful about what equipment they choose.

“With the HYGIENE dishwasher, you can be certain that everything you put in to be cleaned will be ther-

mally disinfected at a high heat and ready for safe re-use.”

The HYGIENE dishwasher also features a new and patented salt container with a capacity of 2kg.

This tank is located in the door and is no longer tucked away below the cabinet.

This makes refilling the salt container simple: it can be done without having to bend or stoop and without having to remove the lower basket either, which may well be heavy and fully loaded.

The HYGIENE machines not only receive top marks for safety, hygiene and user convenience, but also for speed and economy as well.

The 'Super Short' programme is finished in just five minutes and requires only 0.25 kWh of electricity in the process – 17 per cent less than on the previous model range.

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Dennis to drive growth of Appollo INDUSTRY guru Dennis Goodes is to join the Astracast team at their Bradford HQ to drive growth for the Appollo assisted bathing brand.

Dennis has been in the bathroom industry since 1976 ,and in specialist bathing for 30 years.

He started his career with Royal Doulton and subsequently worked at Shires.

He moved into specialist bathing in 1984 and sold his first Appollo bath in 1985 working as a specialist distribu-

tor. In 1988 he became a regional manager for Appollo and ultimately national sales manager.

In 2000 he joined the Premier Care Group to build a specialist bathing division for their Gainsborough Baths brand. From a zero start he built Gainsborough to be the UK’s strongest brand name in the assisted bathing market today. He became a main board director in 2004 and opened up Gainsborough outlets in Japan, USA and Europe.

Girbau UK shows visitors how to meet CQC requirements GIRBAU UK’s stand (W140) at the Bournemouth Care Show is dedicated to showing visitors how best to meet CQC requirements for infection control in care and nursing home on-premise laundries.

The stand itself has been designed as a laundry, complete with demarcated clean and dirty areas and all the required equipment for safe handling, processing and disinfection of laundry.

Girbau laundry consultants will be on hand throughout the event to advise on all aspects of laundry design and operation in order to meet the latest CFPP-01-04 requirements for laundry decontamination.

Visitors can also learn about Girbau UK’s Complete Laundry Care package, offering the latest energy efficient washers, dryers and ironers with a fixed monthly rental that includes all service and maintenance. Under the terms of the unique pay no rental guarantee, Girbau will pay a whole month’s rental if it is ever unable to attend a service call in the promised time.

“Girbau has over 50 years’ experience in helping customers to design and operate laundries,” said managing director Peter Marsh. “Our philosophy is not only to provide high quality, reliable and energy efficient laundry equipment, but also to share our knowledge of laundry best practice from laundry design through to operator training.”

Optimising home hygiene

Girbau is the only company in the UK to manufacture, install and maintain laundry equipment.

Enquiries: For more information visit www.girbau.co.uk

AS the world’s largest manufacturer of cleaning equipment, Kärcher has both the products and the knowhow to provide tailored cleaning solutions for a wide range of healthcare environments.

Improving hygiene and cleaning efficiency is made simple with Kärcher.

Light and easily manoeuvrable machines like the CV 38/2 negotiate furniture with ease whether in cramped environments such as residents’ bedrooms or large communal rooms and corridors.

Scrubber driers safely and hygienically clean indoor floors, while our sweeper range keeps outdoor pathways and car parks safe and slip free.

Perfect for hard surfaces in kitchens and bathrooms, the DE 4002 steam cleaner kills many types of harmful bacteria, is no bigger than a vacuum cleaner and can also be used to rejuvenate upholstery and curtains.

Kärcher provides free on-site consultations and a variety of finance options to ensure its customers get the right product on terms to suit their budgets.

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Hazelwell Lodge adds two new wetrooms with Impey’s help HAZELWELL Lodge in Ilminster, a specialist home for people with dementia, and the 2013 winner of the Somerset Care Focus Outstanding Care Home award, has enhanced its services by adding two new healthcare wetrooms.

Manager Claire Kingdon wanted to build two wetrooms at the home – larger than the en-suite bathrooms or wetrooms attached to the majority of residents’ bedrooms – which could be used by all residents, some of whom have mobility issues.

Hazelwell Lodge Care Home wanted to create two level access wetrooms that would offer more space and independence to residents with special needs and disabilities, at the same time as opening up more choice as to whether they would prefer a bath or a shower.

Impey Showers worked with wetroom design and installation firm Wetroom Solutions – run by experienced Impey accredited fitter, Stuart Gold, to fit the two communal wetrooms.

A follow-up project also saw an ensuite bathroom attached to a resident’s room upgraded to an Impey wetroom.

The project builds on a six-year relationship between Hazelwell Lodge and Stuart, who is an advocate

of Impey Showers’ products and uses them routinely in his work.

Stuart worked with Claire to design a wetroom which would suit her residents’ needs and also assist care staff in their work. This is because a resident taking a shower in a wetroom requires less assistance than someone being hoisted in and out of a bath.

Elements required included: Level floor access.

Grab rails.

Shower seat.

Colour coding to help people with dementia in recognising and understanding certain facilities.

The fitting of the wetrooms had to be carried out in the sensitive environment of the home, without causing distress and disturbance to residents.

The design of the wetrooms also needed to consider the health and safety of the care home staff in terms of moving and handling people in their care.

Claire said the new wetrooms were making a positive difference to the lives of residents.

She added: “We wanted to create a showering space where our residents felt safe, which promoted their dignity, aided their independence and offered them more choice.

Hazelwell Lodge owner Chris Ochoa, manager Claire Kingdon and Stuart Gold, who fitted the wetrooms.

“The two large wet rooms, which can be used by all our residents, have achieved all this whilst working to meet the distinct needs of those living with dementia.

“The feedback from residents has been very good. There is also a therapeutic benefit to the water of a shower and we are getting more requests for showers now. Having this

facility makes it much easier and safer to offer this.”

Impey Showers’ products used in the project included: Aqua-Dec EasyFit wetroom floor tray.

Maxi Grip Plus and colour coded grab rails.

Shower with automatic safety temperature stop gauge.

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CARINGHYGIENE, CLEANING AND LAUNDRY

Luke Rutterford, technical manager at Rentokil Specialist Hygiene, discusses why care homes should outsource hygiene and waste management services.

Taking the hassle out of care home hygiene CARE homes across the UK are rightly scrutinised to ensure their service standards are up to scratch.

However recent findings from NHS watchdog, the Care Quality Commission, suggest that over 4,000 UK care homes have no real leadership in place. With budgets cut and staff resources stretched, it is easy to see how hygiene standards can sometimes slip. But care home environments have strict legislations surrounding the levels of hygiene, and therefore may be better served by outsourcing deep cleaning tasks to a trained professional.

The pressures imposed on care homes by shrinking budgets and stretched resources could feel like an intolerable burden. Care home managers should consider easing the pressure on their staff by employing trained professionals to undertake some of the more unpleasant jobs within a care home. Juggling front line services and back room duties can cause hygiene levels to slip, causing grime and bacteria to build up that can go unseen by staff. Bodily fluids such as blood, urine and vomit, which are a common occurrence in

care homes, can seep into porous materials and not be visible to the untrained eye. This makes clean-up extremely difficult and the risk of exposure to infectious organisms much greater.

A professional specialist hygiene company can work around staff and residents to clean and decontaminate the premises in a safe and legal way.

There can be a tendency for staff to rush through the cleaning of a room in order to get it back into service and this could mean that some vital areas are missed altogether.

The benefit of using external, specially-trained professionals are that they have experience of a broader range of different establishments and cleaning challenges. They can offer alternative ways of achieving the highest standard of hygiene possible, whilst minimising disruption to operational activities within a care home.

Another area staff should not have to deal with is waste management.

Care homes can produce a large amount of waste each week, which can often contain hazardous materials such as needles and syringes.

These materials require an efficient

collection and disposal service to ensure they are taken offsite promptly and disposed of in a responsible manner. It’s important to remember that when it comes to hazardous and infectious waste, the cradle-to-grave rule applies.

This means the producer of waste will always be held responsible for the safe and legal disposal of it, even after it has been passed onto the waste carrier collecting it. This is why it’s important to work with comprehensively-trained waste disposal experts who will safely and securely dispose of waste and advise on the correct products which comply with both the UK and EU legislation.

The inevitable onset of the Norovirus (which can shut down a care home in 24 hours) and other infectious diseases just around the corner, managers need to make sure they have systems and processes in place to manage and limit possible outbreaks.

At such crucial times, employing a professional service to extensively deep clean and decontaminate premises in safe, legal and discreet way is vital.

50 years in healthcare

HAIGH is delighted to be celebrating 50 years in healthcare this year – 50 years since the first bedpan macerator came off their production line and went into one of the UK’s leading hospitals.

Now, half a century later, the Haigh range is regarded as one of the most reliable, efficient and high performance range of macerators available.

With care homes increasingly recognising the benefits of the single use system, Haigh has a range of macerators to suit all requirements.

Through choosing dispose over wash, benefits are far reaching: Infection control – new product every time.

Financial – uses 90 per cent less energy than washers and 50 per cent less than alternatives.

Nursing – no washing so more time for residents.

Environmental – reduced energy and water consumption, no chemicals and use of sustainable pulp items.

The alternative to expensive yellow bag collections is the Haigh Incomaster. With hands free auto start technology, it disposes of all leading manufacturers pads.

Quiet, easy to install and maintain, it is fast, efficient and easy to use.

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The clock is ticking: act now

By Dominic Musgrave ACT now because the clock is ticking – is the warning to employers in the care sector – from The Pensions Regulator.

The regulator has stressed that preparations to automatically enrol staff into a work based pension scheme should not be left to the last minute and that a step by step approach will work best.

Under changes to pension laws, more than five thousand of the country’s largest employers have already automatically enrolled more than two-and-a-half million workers.

By now more than 25,000 medium sized employers should have their plans underway to meet their new duties..

Executive director of automatic

enrolment at The Pensions Regulator, Charles Counsell, said: “The clock is ticking and employers should act now. Leaving preparations too late can lead to non compliance and this can come at a cost.

“Automatically enrolling workers will go much more smoothly for employers who plan ahead and take a step by step approach. Starting preparations in good time means any challenges can be dealt with in a timely and unhurried way.”

The first step for an employer is to find out their staging date. The staging date is set in law and is when an employer’s automatic enrolment duties are switched on.

Once they know their staging date, employers should use the regulator’s timeline planner showing what needs to be done and when. Both the stag-

ing date tool and the timeline planner are available on the regulator’s website www.thepensionregulator. gov.uk Medium sized employers, those with around 150 and 249 workers, are due to stage before August this year.

Employers with April or May staging dates should by now have both a pension and software provider in place. The Pensions Regulator, which is responsible for ensuring employers meet their statutory duty to automatically enrol eligible workers, says employers should have a pensions and software provider in place six months before their staging date.

Employers should also decide if they need outside help. With thousands of employers needing to make similar arrangements it makes sense to act now and plan ahead.

Charles Counsell

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CARINGCOMMERCE

10 risks care homes need to manage DAVID Waters, managing director of Care Home Insurance Services, provides the top 10 risks facing care homes along with practical advice on how to mitigate them: 1. Employers’ liability – remove the risk of injury to staff.

The risk of staff injuries can be minimised by training and making sure everyone is fully conversant with the tasks they have to perform. It is also vital to encourage staff to be alert to risks and inform others about them. A prime example is that of aggressive residents; if all staff members are aware of the potential dangers steps can be taken to avoid anyone coming to harm.

2. Buildings – implement a planned maintenance programme.

In order to mitigate the risk of damage to the structure of buildings it’s crucial to implement a planned maintenance programme as all aspects of a building deteriorate over time. Storm damage is a regular cause of claims; be aware that insurers can check on weather conditions on a postcode basis over hourly intervals via the meteorological office.

3. Regulatory issues – demonstrate compliance and safety of your residents.

It is imperative that care home owners mitigate any risk of losing their CQC registration. The care regulators throughout the UK, especially CQC in England, have

become much more rigorous and are increasing the frequency of audits conducted relating to a care home’s methodology, working practices and documentation. This is something which cannot readily be insured.

Establish a system for evidencing your compliance and safety of your residents or risk losing your registration.

4. Liability to others – put common sense into practice.

Whether this be the medication you provide to your residents or a visitor slipping over, these are all risks which should be managed by common sense. Where there is a mopped floor area, use the yellow warning signs.

Always have two staff involved in dispensing to make sure the right meds are dispensed to the right people at the right time.

5. Contents – ensure contents are insured ‘new for old’.

Everything in your care home should be insured on a new for old basis, so if the carpet is damaged by a spillage, it will be replaced with a new carpet.

To minimise the damage to your contents there are many steps you can take, including electrical testing (PAT testing), storing valuable items safely and making sure the kitchen, especially, is well maintained and cleaned to avoid build-up of combustible materials.

6. Claims of theft – reduce risk of claims

against employees.

The legal view now seems to be that the employer is responsible when a resident makes a claim for money or belongings being stolen or allegedly stolen by an employee. This makes it vital that robust measures are in place requiring all your staff to advise you of any ‘gifts’ they may receive from residents and to make sure you also know if any personal sensitive information, such as PIN numbers, are divulged. It would be prudent to rotate your staff in their caring duties for each resident as a matter of course.

7. Business interruption – manage ongoing risks.

This is the Cinderella of the insurance world, one of the most important aspects of any care home’s insurance programme and what maintains your income following insured damage.

The only way to prepare for business interruption is to manage the risks to your buildings and contents, so mitigating the likelihood of the damage which could impact the normal running of your business.

8. Employment practices – get up to speed on employment law.

Make sure your contract of employment is up to date and reflects the current legal position. Whenever there is a risk of having to take disciplinary action with any employee, take advice – most care home insurance policies include a

legal advisory service, so use it. Save yourself the hassle of having to attend and respond to an employment tribunal, if possible.

9. Water – minimise the risk of water damage.

Make sure your roof is inspected and maintained at least twice annually, we’d recommend once in October, before the onset of winter, and once again in February/March time. Think about using cut off (push down) taps to get around the risk of resident leaving taps on, have your water pipes checked every three to five years and ask your plumber to make sure there is no evident risk of leaks.

As flood levels increase across the UK, there will be an ever greater need to consider how the risks presented by water can be managed and minimised.

10. Vehicles – check care worker are covered.

All too often the risks presented by motor vehicles are not considered by care homes, but when a good Samaritan, often a care worker, offers to take a resident into town – are they insured? In insurance terms, this would probably constitute ‘business use’ and in some cases may not be covered. When helping a resident into a minibus, is it safe to do so? Should there be a hoist fitted to the tail of the vehicle or are you expecting your staff to take the risk of lifting your less mobile residents?

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DEMENTIA SPONSORED BY

www.active-minds.co.uk

Hubs created to share expertise

John Hoskinson, CEO of Milestones Trust, Louise Chambers, head of eldercare at Milestones Trust, Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of Bristol, Faruk Choudhury and Caroline Williamson, chef at Humphry Repton House with the award.

Home is city’s first to win award for its food quality

By Dominic Musgrave A DEMENTIA nursing home has become the first in Bristol to achieve the Soil Association’s Bronze Catering Mark for the high quality of its food.

Humphry Repton House, run by Bristol charity Milestones Trust, was presented with the award certificate at a ceremony attended by The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of Bristol, Councillor Faruk Choudhury.

The home gained the Catering Mark as a result of changing its menus to ensure that 75 per cent of meals on the premises are freshly prepared, and that food contains seasonal ingredients and is free from undesirable additives or transfats, to meet the Soil Association’s criteria.

Milestones Trust plans to achieve the award for all of its 50 care homes, before working towards silver and gold catering marks. This is part of the charity’s campaign to revolutionise the quality of food served to people in its care homes and inspire the same in other care homes across Britain.

The Trust has launched an innovative ‘Focus on Food’ campaign which involves a training programme for staff who prepare food in its care homes.

At the end of the course students will gain a recognised qualification from local cookery school Square Food Foundation, whose founder Barny Haughton is working in partnership with the Trust to develop the training course.

Naina Mandleker, director of business development, said: “We want to transform how people think about food in care homes. We plan to be the trailblazers in creating a holistic, nutritious, sustainable food culture in the care industry.”

The Trust is also looking at how it can improve its residents’ nutritional health, and has received funding from South Gloucestershire Council for a nutritionist to review and improve the menus at its care homes.

In another development, it is working in partnership with social enterprise organisation Growing Support to create vegetable gardens at its homes.

HUBS to share knowledge and expertise in dementia care have been created at homes operated by the Springhill Care Group.

The Dementia Forums have been established at Springhill Care Home in Accrington and Riversway Nursing Home in Bristol, to allow the families and friends of residents who are cared for by the homes’ dementia services to come together and share their experiences.

The forums will also be used to bring together experts in dementia care and other fields – such as law and finances – who can share their knowledge.

Theresa Swan, general manager of Springhill Care Home, said: “We are committed to supporting not just our residents, but also their friends and families.

“We have found this particularly important when it comes to dementia care, as the journey our residents and their loved ones take can be particularly challenging.

“This forum is designed to be a welcoming and confidential setting for people to unburden themselves and share experiences of their dementia journey.

Theresa Swan “There is so much that we can achieve through this forum, and we hope to invite people with specialist knowledge to join us on occasion, to offer advice on topics ranging from finances to powers of attorney.

“We have a host of specialist information under our roof and we’re committed to sharing our experiences to help raise the standard of care wherever possible.”

Double celebration for Alan ALAN Howells, clinical lead at Community Integrated Care’s specialist dementia care service EachStep Blackley collected two awards at the Laing Buisson Independent Specialist Care Awards.

Alan received both the Training and Dissemination of Good Practice Award, recognising his mentoring and development of colleagues, as well as the Outstanding Contribution Award, celebrating his successful 30year career in the care sector.

The ceremony took place at the London Lancaster Hotel, and was presented by politician, Rt Hon

Michael Portillo.

Alan said: “I have had a long and incredibly rewarding career in the social care sector, and it was a humbling experience to have this recognised with two prestigious awards.

“Collecting both of these honours was a truly unforgettable moment. I would like to thank all of my colleagues and friends, who have supported and inspired me throughout my career.”

Alan joined CIC in 1988, with the aim of supporting people to move from institutional hospitals to more independent lives in the community.

Home opens for business A £1.7M nursing home near Shipley has opened for business this month, following the successful completion of a 14-month building project by QSP Construction.

The Glen Nursing Home in Baildon, which will operate as a specialist dementia care home, includes 56 single en-suite bedrooms and state-ofthe-art facilities such as reminiscence pods, a sensory room, cinema and hairdressing salon.

The Glen is the latest in a series of regional building projects won by Bingley based QSP Construction and was built for The Glen Nursing Home Ltd whose owners – The Holt family – also own and operate Kingston Nursing Home in Roundhay, Leeds.

Director Daniel Holt said: “The Glen was designed specifically for people with dementia. We wanted a purposebuilt modern facility to serve the people of Baildon.”

Bexley Mayor Councillor Sharon Massey unveiled a plaque to officially open a new care home in Bexleyheath. Spoof waiters provided some entertainment at the Churchgate Healthcare operated The Maples, while students from Crook Log Primary School won a competition to name the home’s various units. Pupils received £100 plus book vouchers from the home after naming the units after flowers – Poppy, Daisy, Sunflower and Rose.

The new facility provides residential, nursing and dementia care.

Bexley Mayor Councillor Sharon Massey is pictured officially opening The Maples with some of the staff.

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QUALITY IN CARESPONSORED BY

www.requiredsystems.com

Care village appoints manager ahead of summer opening

By Dominic Musgrave

The Abacare team: Peter Angelides (managing director), Ken Roberts, (finance director), Ellis Wyn Jones (sales and marketing director and Bill Taplin (business development executive).

Company to create 150 jobs ABACARE Care Agency Ltd has been awarded a significant contract to supply care in North Powys that will mean jobs for an additional 150 employees.

The Bangor-based organisation already has more than 260 trained staff and operates a professional care management team committed to providing high quality care to individuals in their own homes.

Peter Angelides, managing director at Abacare, said: “We’ve been operating at a very high standard for a number of years in Wales and have a good team of highly trained staff, but this

new contract means we are now looking to recruit a further 150 staff to add to our existing valued and highly motivated team.

“We are really looking forward to extending our excellent provision of care to the service users of Powys Council. We were excited to be part of the tendering process, which we felt was very thorough and robust in order to protect the quality of the service Powys Council was looking to provide.”

Abacare was recently awarded an Investors in People accolade for its staff training and development.

Two Wimbledon care homes care to share GLEN Mason from the Department of Health accompanied Chinese researchers around two Barchester care homes in Wimbledon to support a project they are involved with to help improve the care system in the country.

Staff from Queens Court and Wimbledon Beaumont were happy to help the guests understand more about how personalised care for older people is delivered in high-quality environments in the UK and also discussed the need for meaningful activity to promote individuals’ wellbeing.

Dr Yung, who is based in Hong Kong, and Jiahui Zhang, who works at the Development Research Center of the State Council, P. R. of China, said they were impressed with what they heard and saw.

Dr Terry Tucker, director of learning and development, said: “We were

more than happy to speak to our overseas visitors about the type of demand and care services that we experience throughout our care homes in the UK. “China has a huge population that is split over a vast area and has different challenges to those we face in the UK. However, we do have common ground and are happy to share our knowledge, especially when it comes to improving the understanding about individuals living with dementia and the quality of care we deliver through first-class training.”

The Chinese researchers are gathering information about the history of the care system in different countries, including Sweden, US, Japan, Italy and the UK. They also shared information of how the care system is developing in their country.

Helping you comply with CQC outcomes IT IS not just CQC that require services in the care sector to be able to evidence compliance.

Your bank and local authorities placing service users are becoming more demanding. The two major failures in CQC inspections are poor record keeping and drug administration. Required Systems Ltd has all the quality systems you need to be compliant, incorporating all the forth-

coming changes from CQC. To find out more call 01236 782477 or visit www.requiredsystems.com

JANINE Curwell has been appointed general manager for Belong Warrington, ahead of the opening of the state-of-the-art care village in the summer.

Janine moves from her previous role as general manager at Belong Macclesfield, a post she had held since May 2010. During her time there she developed a reputation for harnessing the individual skills of staff to develop a village that stands out in the community as providing the very best of care.

Tracy Paine, operations director at Belong, said: “Belong villages are designed to offer more than just exceptional housing and care for their residents, they also provide a range of activities at the heart of the community.

“For something as important as the opening of Belong Warrington we needed a manager that consistently goes the extra mile to put the needs of the customer first, and to give the leadership necessary to deliver outstanding levels of dementia care, independence and choice to Belong customers in Warrington.

“Janine possesses all of these qualities and more, and I'm confident that she will create a thriving community.”

Janine, who lives in Northwich and has strong ties to the local area, has worked in the field of social work since qualifying as a mature student in 1993. She previously worked for CLS Care Services from 1998 to 2000, during which time she managed a CLS care home in Nantwich.

Janine has been instrumental in the success of Belong Macclesfield, which recently won an international Excellence in Ageing Services Award

Janine Curwell for its ‘Independence through Exercise programme. This exercise programme will be offered in Belong Warrington alongside other specially designed features, such as a dementia garden that won a silver medal at the RHS Flower Show in Tatton Park last year.

Speaking of her appointment, she said: "We provide such a wide range of services at Belong villages, from independent living apartments and specialist nursing and dementia care in private households down to the village facilities open to members of the public, such as the hair and beauty salon and the bistro.

“I'll need a great team in Belong Warrington to help me offer the level of choice, independence and activity that Belong is known for, and I can't wait to start putting that team together. The village will create around 100 jobs in the local area, and we have already began recruiting for some of these positions.”

Provider launches new call monitoring system A NORTH east homecare provider has launched a new, efficient electronic call monitoring system aimed at maintaining its efficient service it offers to its clients across North Yorkshire and Cleveland.

Caremark (Redcar & Cleveland) has installed a computer and telephonebased system which will track all the movements of its carers in real time as they make their calls to all their clients, ensuring calls are on time and never missed.

This state-of-the-art monitoring system will assist care workers in the delivery of their service as it alerts the office if there is a problem and the care worker cannot make the call for any reason e.g. traffic delays, illness or an accident.

Times of arrival and departure from

a client’s home are recorded by staff calling a freephone number when they arrive at a person’s home and entering a unique PIN number.

This information is then captured via the main computer at the office.

Commenting on the introduction of this new system, Charles Folkes, managing director of Caremark (Redcar & Cleveland), said: “Due to the rapid growth of the business we now have over 140 carers delivering care to a range of client groups, ranging from the elderly and inform through to people with severe learning disabilities and mental health problems. The call monitoring alerts system will further help us to develop the quality of the service we deliver as it records staff visits to our customers’ homes in real time.”

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CARINGPRODUCT NEWS

Sutton Oaks gets iConnect helps care firm a glowing report improve communication CANTERBURY Care’s Sutton Oaks Care Centre has been praised following an inspection by the regulator.

The care home in Macclesfield was previously handed a warning notice following a poor compliance report from the CQC in 2013, but, after a lot of hard work by members of staff, has turned it around and is now meeting the standards set by the regulator, including: Care and welfare of people who use services.

Safeguarding people who use services from abuse.

Requirements relating to workers.

Supporting workers.

Assessing and monitoring the quality of service.

Records.

Liz Hamilton, home manager,

said: “I am extremely pleased with the result of our most recent CQC inspection and all the positive comments that it included. Hearing the excellent reviews and comments from our residents is always very rewarding.

“We were very disappointed with our previous CQC report, but it is fantastic now that we are fully compliant and the result is testament to the dedication and hard work of the members of staff at Sutton Oaks.

“We will not rest on our laurels, but will continue to meet all standards set by the CQC in order to make this a homely, safe and comfortable environment for our residents to live in.”

Sutton Oaks Care Centre provides residential, nursing and dementia care for up to 55 elderly residents.

and halve admin costs PREMIER Care Dorset has reduced administration costs by half and significantly improved staff communication after implementing iConnect, a mobile monitoring solution provided by Advanced Health & Care.

Advanced also provided mobile handsets and airtime to Premier, which went live with iConnect late last year. Dorset County Council’s contract team became aware of Premier’s successful use of the software and recently visited with the organisation to see how iConnect is both driving down costs and benefiting service users.

Premier Care Dorset employs 75 staff and provides care to 220 people within a 20-mile radius of its head office in Ferndown. Care workers are using the mobile solution in conjunction with Advanced’s rostering application Staffplan to communicate schedules, appointments and client information to their field-based colleagues. iConnect enables Premier’s office based team to send real-time task lists and data to care worker colleagues via their mobile phones and records actual arrival and departure times at clients’ homes using near-field communication technology. Care workers can log-in to iConnect to view their roster and access information about a client or appointment. Office based staff can also send updates to care workers

electronically to their mobile devices, as and when the need arises. Overall, Premier is using the solution to manage an average of 2,000 bookings per week.

Cliff de Jong, company secretary, Premier Care Dorset, said: “Traditionally we have communicated rostering information to staff by post and via text messages and this has been both time consuming and expensive. It very quickly became clear that iConnect would enable us to reduce time and expenditure related to communications.

“Advanced’s software has already enabled us to reduce costs related to post, paper, toner cartridges and texting by 50 per cent which will save us thousands of pounds each year.

We are saving time too. We have managed to reduce the time it takes to collate and manage timesheet information from three days a week to just one. As a result, we now have more time to focus on other activities.”

The mobile monitoring solution is also enabling the company to capture and analyse the amount of time care workers spend with clients and has improved client information security.

Premier has additionally improved lone worker safety by configuring iConnect to raise alarms if a care worker is late leaving a booking, thus giving staff assurance that a colleague will provide support in difficult situations.

Esplanade added to portfolio

Badgemaster has launched a new, user-friendly, fully interactive online design facility, enabling customers to design their own name badges and create their own designs instantly, on screen. The new and innovative website makes all the professional skills, experience and resources used by badge designers available to everyone with internet access. Via a user-friendly, step-by-step programme, it allows users to explore different looks for their new badge, and to instantly create their chosen options without any of the delays or costs involved in the need to use a designer. Once happy with their chosen design, users can send it electronically straight to Badgemaster to receive a noobligation quotation by return.

SAFEHANDS Holidays now has two hotels – both of which are situated in two outstanding seaside resorts.

Our hotels boast spectacular panoramic views of the sea and miles of golden sand. Safehands acquired The New Mayfair Hotel Blackpool in 2011 and has embarked upon improving and refurbishing the facilities to the highest standards, enabling us to provide first class service and facilities for all our guests. In 2014 we secured yet another hotel in Llandudno named The Esplanade. This hotel will

undergo a huge amount of specialised building work to ensure people with many different types of disability can enjoy what Llandudno has to offer. Many of our hotel rooms come equipped with full en-suite wet-rooms, overhead tracking hoists and electric profiling beds. A wide range of specialist services are available while staying at The New Mayfair Hotel or The Esplanade Hotel. These include comprehensive care packages, free equipment hire and experienced chefs to cater for any dietary requirements.

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CARINGPRODUCT NEWS

Is it time to switch lenders?

CHANDLER & Co has been finance specialists in the healthcare sector since 1995 and has completed loans in excess of £2billion nationwide.

Our bespoke finance packages cover all aspects of funding for: Acquisition, refinance, development, expansion and financial restructuring.

Terms include: Monthly repayments as low as £4,361.31 (per £1m borrowed).

75 per cent loan to value.

No arrangement fees.

25-year loan commitment.

Chandler & Co’s status as an independent healthcare specialist means we have strong links with a comprehensive range of lenders. The combined experience of the partners including

financial, management and care home ownership offers first-hand knowledge and expertise in the healthcare sector.

Interest rates 1.75% over bank base.

Variable rates available.

100 per cent finance including development loans. Make an informed decision using a FREE financial review with Chandler & Co. Enquiries: Call 01622 817484, email info@chandlerandco.co.uk or visit www.chandlerandco.co.uk

Lucia Cata, Laura Sibley, Jess Warr, Sarah Hiscock, Kristy Stanniford and Sophie Carter from Abbey View, who cycled to Weymouth to raise money for Parkinson's UK.

Record £28,000 raised by charity champions Beaucare’s CareClean™ range BEAUCARE has launched CareClean™, a specialised NHS and care home chemical cleaning range.

These products have been specifically formulated for medical environments. The range includes a number of concentrates providing dilution cost savings, without compromising on quality.

Careclean™ is a selection of triggers, concentrates and five-litre refills, encompassing all

the essentials for your daily cleaning regimes, from multi-surface cleaners, polishes and degreasers.

Beaucare® Medical Ltd, established 21 years, is the UK’s premier supplier of hygiene, medical supplies and equipment to individual care homes, care home groups, hospitals and NHS Trusts.

Enquiries: Call 01423 878899, email sales@beaucare.com or visit www.beaucare.com

Simple solutions SINCE 1982, Colne (Lancs) based, Richards Residential Supplies have concentrated upon supplying simple solutions to common nursing home problems.

The new WACMAT® adheres strongly to this tradition.

With its ultra absorbent cotton pile and 100 per cent waterproof backing, the remarkable WACMAT® is an ideal accessory where spills may occur.

Used as a commode mat, in bedrooms or bathrooms, the WACMAT® ensures full carpet protection. Then, after use, simply machine wash and tumble dry!

It’s that simple...

The WACMAT® will then be clean and odour-free, ready to perform time and time again. Alternatively the flat-laying WACMAT® can be used as an entrance mat, saving you hundreds of pounds in rental costs alone.

Enquiries: Telephone 0800 074 3749.

A BUSY year of charity events involving residents and staff at homes run by South Coast operator Colten Care has raised more than £28,000 for good causes.

The amount is a record for the family-owned company and compares with £17,000 raised in 2012.

Residents in each of the provider’s 19 homes are encouraged to nominate a main charity to help every year, leaving scope for other organisations to be supported too.

Activities organisers, social carers and other team members then enable residents to contribute directly in meaningful ways such as making arts and crafts to sell at fundraising fetes and suggesting ideas for sponsored quizzes.

The home that raised the most money – Abbey View in Sherborne – helped its main charity Parkinson’s UK, as well as the RNLI, Macmillan Cancer Support, St Margaret’s

Somerset Hospice, the Philippines Appeal and the annual Remembrance Day Poppy Appeal.

Abbey View raised a total of £3,045 overall during 2013. One of its events was a sponsored cycle ride for Parkinson’s UK where 15 members of staff rode from Sherborne to Weymouth, a distance of 27.7 miles, with five residents following in a minibus to cheer them on.

Colten Care activities manager Karen Burdon, who heads the provider’s 37-strong team, said: “We have encouraged our team members to think outside the box when it comes to fundraising.

“It is the residents’ choice who to raise money for each year and together they are coming up with some great ideas.

“Putting a charity focus into our activity programme is a lovely way of building links with other community organisations.”

Claim VAT back on your home even if you are not VAT registered IT is true, care providers can reclaim VAT worth about £3,000 per bed for any residents who stayed in your home between 1993 and 2002 paid for by the local authority.

You don’t have to be VAT registered to make a claim. We can usually find the information required with minimal disruption to your business.

How is this possible? Well in 2002 a care provider called Kingscrest challenged the view held by HMRC and won. There is no cost to you unless we are successful.

Typical claims: 50 beds – £240,000; 40 beds – £170,000; 287 beds – £1.25m.

And the best part is that you get the money in your bank account before you pay us. Don’t forget the tax repayment is free of tax – it is extra profit.

Enquiries: Call 01233 640985 and ask for Howard to find out more.

Medpage Limited T/A Easylink UK is launching a cost effective incontinence alarm solution, the EnuSens. This new product uses a machine washable and tumble dry safe cotton sensor that can be used on a bed, chair or wheelchair and even in a pillow to detect vomit or excessive perspiration. The monitor can be connected directly to a nurse call system, or used with a radio pager or five-channel portable alarm receiver with volume control.

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If you’ve got a story for the next issue, email Dominic Musgrave on dm@scriptmedia.co.uk

The big screen visited Robertsons Nursing Home near Godalming courtesy of Ben Benson. Residents enjoyed an afternoon at the cinema watching White Christmas while eating popcorn. The event was so popular that it is set to become a regular on the home’s calendar.

Residents host panto for community RESIDENTS at Marlin Lodge in Luton hosted a pantomime for family, friends and the local community.

The event was the culmination of 30 days of practicing by 15 of the home’s residents, and was attended by more

Accountancy

Transport

Signs

than 150 people.

Marlin Lodge service manager Netra Pandiyan said: “I wanted people to feel that they are part of the community and to create a bond, they proved it possible.”

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