Caring UK March 2014

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March 2014

incorporating

no.214 • £4.75

The Number One magazine for the care sector

Inspectorate will highlight poor services

By Dominic Musgrave SCOTLAND’S social care watchdog, the Care Inspectorate, has announced a drive to better inform people about poorly performing care services, and highlight those which demonstrate leading-edge practice.

The body, which inspects and regulates some 14,000 nurseries, care homes and other vital care services, says those that fall below adequate standards and don’t improve sufficiently fast will be highlighted on the Care Inspectorate website as well as those who regularly excel.

Every care service in Scotland is regularly inspected by the Care Inspectorate, mostly unannounced, and is graded across quality themes on a scale from one (unsatisfactory) to six (excellent).

Where services cause concerns, the watchdog inspects much more frequently, to ensure people are protected.

The Care Inspectorate also has legal powers to enforce change, and close a particular service where necessary.

Care Inspectorate chief executive Annette Bruton said the regulator also wish to flag up really good practice where services are leading

the way towards higher standards for everyone.

She added: “Almost everyone in Scotland will use a care service at some point, and the vast majority perform well.

“Our specialist inspectors rate more than 80 per cent as good, very good or excellent.

“We already publish all our inspection reports online, but now want to be more open and transparent by highlighting services which cause us concern or impress us.

“As well as demanding fast action when services need to improve – or closing them when they don’t – we have a duty to inform the public about what we find on inspection.

“Everyone in Scotland has the right to compassionate, high quality care which meets their needs and respects their rights, and everyone has the right to know how care services are performing.

“Easy to find and reliable information about services which they and their loved-ones use inform people’s choices.”

What do you think of the idea, and could it work in other parts of the UK? Email Dominic Musgrave at dm@scriptmedia.co..uk or telephone 01226 734407 with your comments.

Events to focus on positive choices

HC-One’s head of people and organisational development Alison Innes-Farquhar won the chief learning officer of the year award at the prestigious Learning Awards at London’s Dorchester Hotel, beating stiff competition from multi-national players. She won the coveted gold award at the ceremony for her leading role in the innovative touch learning and development programme, which has transformed the business culture across HC-One homes.

Alison Innes-Farquhar is pictured receiving her award from news reader and television personality Natasha Kaplinsky.

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

Representatives from care homes nationwide are invited to attend the events, which will be held at prestigious venues across the country.

This year’s theme will look at 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.

Among the topics covered in the seminars will be food and nutrition, activities and the care home environment itself, with our stellar line-up of speakers 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-superMare and the Riviera International Conference Centre in Torquay on July 2 and 3 respectively.

For all the details on these must-attend events turn to pages 29 and 30.

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Dining events project helps home win company award

By Dominic Musgrave A UNIQUE series of dining events giving people with dementia and their carers the opportunity to dine together in a safe and familiar environment has won an award from one of the world’s leading food companies.

The ‘Mary’s Kitchen’ project, created by staff at Bield’s Whitehill Court in Kirkintilloch, has been presented with an outstanding award of achievement by Unilever Food Solutions. It is the first award of its type to be made in the UK by the food giant, who – as well as being home to brands such as Knorr and Hellman’s – supply a range of businesses, restaurants and contract caterers in 74 countries.

Stephen Kinnaird, regional account executive at Unilever Food Solutions, said: “From the first time I heard about the concept I knew it was going to be something special.

“People take for granted the experience of going out for a meal with family and friends, but it is only when this opportunity is taken away from you that you realise how important to family life it truly is.

“After working with some of the staff members at Whitehill Day Care to design posters in order to promote Mary’s Kitchen I was able to see the real passion they display for their work. The job that

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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Editorial

Stephen Kinnaird, regional account executive at Unilever Food Solutions, presents the outstanding award of achievement to Rhona Forrest, service manager at Whitehill Court in Kirkintilloch. they do is nothing short of inspirational as they really do help improve the lives of people with dementia by allowing them to ‘dine out’ in the comfort of their own dining room.”

With 20 years’ experience caring for people with dementia, staff at Whitehill Court spotted a gap in the lives of older people. They could not enjoy the simple experience of eating out with family primarily due to the distress unfamiliar surroundings would pose to them.

Rhona Forrest, service manager, added: “Ultimately, the driving force behind our work is to improve the quality of lives of

the people in our care, and we believe that Mary’s Kitchen has gone a long way in helping us achieve this goal.

“It has been quite overwhelming to see how much joy the venture has given to our service users, and we are delighted that we can now offer them a calming environment where they can spend quality time with loved ones while feeling so at ease.

“We are absolutely thrilled that Unilever has given us this award which recognises the fantastic work of our staff. It is our intention to ensure Mary’s Kitchen will be a long running project.”

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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The RMBI’s Recipes and Reminiscences cook book.

Charity’s cook book scoops top award RECIPES and Reminiscences – the cook book created by the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution using favourite recipes contributed by residents and staff at its care homes – has been announced as the UK winner of the 2013 Gourmand Award for best charity and fundraising cook book (Europe).

The accolades recognise the best cook books of the year from around the globe across a range of different categories and cuisines. Books qualifying and winning their national categories then go through to the worldwide competition, with international winners announced at the Beijing Cook book Fair in May. Featuring a collection of more than 50 recipes spanning from the 1940s to the present day, Recipes and Reminiscences explores the link

between food and memory, taking the reader on a tour of culinary history from wartime rationing to the rise of the TV chef.

As well as bringing people of all ages together through the making of the book, all proceeds are put back into residents activities and outings, helping to ensure quality of life for those in RMBI homes.

Edna Petzen, assistant director – marketing, quality and compliance at RMBI, said: “We are thrilled to have won the best charity and fundraising cook book category for the UK. “To have received this accolade is a fantastic testament to our work in reminiscence and other innovative approaches to caring which we promote in all of our homes. We eagerly await the results of the worldwide competition in May.”

Provider fined £12,000 for compliance failure A CARE provider which failed persistently to comply with national standards relating to the care and welfare of residents, record keeping and supporting staff has been issued with fines totalling £12,000 by the CQC. The inspectorate issued the three fixed penalty notices to Bramble Lodge Care Home Limited following a series of inspections at the Eastgate Manor nursing home in Stocksfield, Northumberland At an inspection in February 2013, inspectors identified a number of concerns relating to the care and welfare needs of residents. The provider was also failing to maintain adequate care records and support its own staff effectively.

A warning notice was served on the provider requiring it to address all three issues as a matter of priority.

However, when inspectors returned on two further occasions, the necessary improvements had still not been met. In the light of this persistent failure to meet legally

required national standards, CQC issued three fixed penalty notices of £4,000 each, which the provider has accepted and paid.

Malcolm Bower-Brown, CQC’s regional director (North), said: “Every provider has a legal duty to meet all national care standards, to ensure people receive the service they are entitled to expect.

“Our decision to fine this provider sends a clear and public message that persistent failure to meet national standards is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

“Since issuing our penalty notices and fining the provider we have returned to Eastgate Manor and found that the required improvements have been made.

However, we will continue to monitor the home closely to ensure the improvement is sustained.”

Bramble Lodge Care Home Limited has now taken action to address the shortfalls and, on the regulator’s last inspection, was judged to be meeting the national standards it reviewed.

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Provider signs up to scheme after losing £1,500 in unpaid loans

By Dominic Musgrave A SHROPSHIRE care firm has signed up to a payroll savings scheme after losing approximately £1,500 in unpaid loans to staff.

Bosses at Carewatch (Mid Shropshire), based at Stafford Park, Telford, said they needed to devise a way of giving an advance to staff because of the demand.

Managing director Steve Harris said he wanted to help his employees manage their money more and the FAIRshare Credit Union seemed the best way.

He said: “We have been operating for more than 14 years and over the years I have happily given staff an advance on their wages for things like when their car breaks down, Christmas presents, or it could even be £30 for a tank of petrol when it gets to the end of the month.

“I would say about one third of staff approach us for an advance on their wages each year.

“We have always provided the loans on faith but twice in the last two years people have started to pay us back and then left the company, without any contact details, so we cannot chase them for it. Once it was about £500 and once about £900.”

Steve said it was not just the bad experiences that meant he wanted to create a new system.

He added: “By joining the FAIRshare payroll savings scheme, our employ-

“This way it could be a couple of pounds each month that they put away and hopefully it can help them manage their money better instead of living hand to mouth.” ees can save on a regular basis and access low cost loans, it acts like a bank for them.

“We don’t want them to go to loan sharks like the ones that have been in the news recently, where you borrow £100 but end up paying back about £800. And we didn’t want to be in the position where we couldn’t offer anything.

“This way it could be a couple of pounds each month that they put away and hopefully it can help them manage their money better instead of living hand to mouth.”

The scheme is free for all staff to join and offers a system where part of their pay, however much they choose, is automatically put into the savings account each month.

As part of the scheme savers can access their money at any time.

A little girl has given away her pocket money to fundraise and help bring joy into other people’s lives. Ella Lord, whose great grandmother lives at Stocks Hall Care Homes’ Andrew Smith House in Nelson, came up with the idea to use her pocket money to buy friendship bracelets to sell. She then donated the funds raised to develop a community dementia garden at the home. Sue Lace, director of Stocks Hall Care Homes, said: “Ella’s caring nature is a shining example to everyone. We are so grateful for her kindness.”

Ella is pictured with her mum Kelly and a Little Angel Award she was presented with by the home.

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Grant to help care provider evaluate benefits of Nurses

Sitting on a bench at West Hall with ‘Baby’ the Siberian eagle owl are: Frances DybleGoode, Bill Mansell, Brigid Stubbs, Maggie Mansell, Paul Stubbs, Peter Axford and bird handler Barry Ryder.

Bird of prey swoop on care home WEST Hall care home residents, staff and members of the John Dee Club, enjoyed a birds of prey event at the Anchor care home in West Byfleet.

Residents were treated to displays by a Siberian eagle owl, barn owl, a common buzzard and harris hawk, as West Hall hosted the event to raise awareness of the Big Garden Birdwatch, a nationwide wildlife survey organised by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Sarah Carpenter, general manager

at West Hall, said: “It was wonderful to see our residents and the John Dee group having a great time at our birds of prey event. The birds were spectacular and we all learned a lot about them. Putting on meaningful activity and engaging with other local community groups improves residents’ physical and mental wellbeing and it’s fun.”

The John Dee Club is a dementia support group held at West Hall on Thursday mornings.

ONE of the UK’s largest not-for-profit care home providers has been awarded a grant of £50,000 from the Burdett Trust for Nursing as part of its ‘Delivering Dignity through Empowered Leadership’ funding.

The funding will be used for a oneyear evaluation project reviewing OSJCT’s My Home Life Admiral Nurses, looking into the benefits they provide for residents and staff, as well as identifying a business case and optimum case load.

Victoria Elliot, OSJCT’s principal care consultant, research and innovation said: “As an organisation we know first hand how significantly My Home Life Admiral Nurses have improved the quality of support that care teams are able to provide to residents with a dementia and their families.

“It is timely that the role is now being evaluated independently and I hope it will be able to identify a business case for its extension to the rest of the care home sector.”

Established in 1990 by national dementia charity Dementia UK, Admiral Nurses are dementia specialist nurses employed to enhance the care and support provided to people living with the

Victoria Elliot condition and their families.

Alan Gibbs, chairman of trustees at the Burdett Trust, said: “The Burdett Trust trustees believes that nurses are well-placed to ensure that ‘dignity in care’ is achievable in everyday healthcare practice.

“They are proud to support this systematic evaluation and dissemination of the Admiral Nurse role in the care home sector, which they believe will help establish what works in improving dignity of care and drive those improvements forward within health and social care environments.”

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Domiciliary firm launches live-incare initiative

Residents Roy Hutton and Edna Harris with maintenance man James Drew.

Home celebrates Australia Day RESIDENTS were transported down under when Australia Day came to their Stourport-on-Severn care home.

The team at Sanctuary Care’s Ravenhurst facility organised a funfilled day for their residents – celebrating all things great and good about Australia.

The home was bursting with colour, adorned with flags and inflatable kangaroos, there was an authentic didgeridoo for the residents to try their hand at playing and they painted boomerangs.

And after an exhausting day deep in the Worcestershire outback, the residents and team sat back and enjoyed an ‘Aussie’ supper of burgers and hot dogs.

Activities leader Carla Siwicki said: “The residents and team had a brilliant day – there was a fantastic atmosphere with lots of smiles and laughter.”

The day was part-funded by the Community Investment Fund at Sanctuary Group, the parent company of Sanctuary Care.

BLUEBIRD Care has introduced a new live-in-care initiative , where staff will live with customers, sometimes for up to five weeks at a time.

Tina Houghton, who spent a number of weeks living full time with someone who needed care assistance, said: “I enjoyed spending time with and getting to know my customer. Everyone has a story to tell and you're always surprised by the interesting lives that people have led.

“I also get a lot of satisfaction from helping someone live an independent lifestyle, which they wouldn't be able to do unless I was there to do the tasks that they are not physically able to do themselves.

“It is not an easy job. There can be different challenges each day, however, I find it very rewarding and worthwhile. I feel that I have gained a lot of personal growth during my time as a live-in-carer.”

With a local office based in Letchworth Garden City, care is provided in Stevenage and North Hertfordshire, and from Knebworth to Royston. It also covers the areas of Hitchin, Boldock and all the surrounding villages.

“We are able to arrange care visits from as little as half-an-hour to as many hours as the customer might want or need.”

Dr Sarbjit Singh, managing director of Bluebird Care in the local area, added: “We are able to arrange care visits from as little as half-an-hour to as many hours as the customer might want or need. We see ourselves as a realistic and cost-effective alternative to residential care homes, and we are pleased to provide live-in carers who can look after people around the clock, within their own home.”

Bluebird Care is a national provider of care in the home. They specialise in working with customers who suffer from dementia, physical and learning disabilities, and work alongside their families, social services, GPs and Primary Care Trusts to ensure each person receives the care they need.

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Scheme’s project aims to get more residents online Esther Rantzen joined residents of Jewish Care’s Selig Court in Golders Green and members of the Holocaust Survivors Centre for their regular afternoon tea. She spoke to the group about the reality of loneliness in older age and why her own experiences led her to set up the Silver Line, a new helpline for older people. The helpline was launched last year and is already taking 500 calls a day. Esther entertained the participants with stories about her time on flagship programme ‘That’s Life’ and more recent experiences in ‘I am a Celebrity Get Me out of Here’ and on Strictly Come Dancing.

HOUSING association A2Dominion has launched a new project to help older residents at a Reading sheltered housing scheme to get online by providing tablet internet devices for them to use.

Ten residents aged from 70 to 85 at A2Dominion’s Chimney Court in Tilehurst have been given new Samsung tablets. They are pre-loaded with ‘Breezie’, an interface designed to help less-familiar technology users navigate popular apps, websites and features of the device.

Breezie also gives older users easy access to important health information, email and Facebook, as well as allowing them to monitor their own blood pressure and keep in touch with family at home and abroad.

Heather David, A2Dominion’s head of community involvement, said: “We are really excited to be part of this programme and to be able to choose 10 of our residents at Chimney Court to participate.

“The happiness and wellbeing of our residents, particularly the older generation, are vital to us and there are profound benefits to them being able to get online. This project will

“This project will improve confidence among residents who are beginner internet and tablet users ...” improve confidence among residents who are beginner internet and tablet users, and will be hugely rewarding to those with limited or no IT skills who feel like they are getting left behind.”

A2Dominion has been selected to run the project by the Tinder Foundation, a digital technology social enterprise, and NHS England, whose ‘Widening Digital Participation’ programme aims to reach those who are both digitally excluded and suffer from health inequalities.

The project will run at Chimney Court in Tilehurst until April, after which the 10 chosen residents can choose to keep the Samsung tablets.

The outcome of the pilot will inform the potential roll out of the Breezies across the country.

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CARINGNEWS Advertiser’s Announcement

Developing English and maths skills by learning through work THE standards expected for those working in health social care are changing.

With Government and local authorities looking to ensure the best quality care is provided, care providers need to prepare their staff.

Ensuring care staff have English and maths skills can lead to better care.

Those working in care will need to understand different ways of working and England and maths skills will help them to apply this in their day to day work.

By providing practical examples, Skills for Care’s Learning through Work resources can help care staff to learn new skills in a way they can easily understand.

Learning through Work is a series of pocket-sized booklets that develop communication and number skills in the adult social care workplace.

It’s a practical resource focusing on the basic skills workers need, which they can carry around with them.

The booklets focus on routine, but vital tasks in adult social care such as keeping records and working out about medication administration.

The resource can help learners understand challenging topics and see how they can use their skills in

day-to-day work. The booklets have been tested by frontline social care workers and the feedback has been very positive. Skills for Care’s Learning through Work range now includes the following seven booklets that use straightforward illustrations and information to support staff in all areas of work.

The Learning through Work booklets cover: Reporting and other care work writing.

Talking about bodily functions and physical health.

Using numbers in care work talking about how much, how often.

The full series is presented in the Learning through Work Guide, a box set, including ‘how to use’ sheets for each booklet and guidance notes explaining how these can be used by individuals, teams and across the care organisations.

Woodford Home Care and Support Services in Coseley near Wolverhampton was one of several services to be involved in testing and using Learning through Work.

They were keen to offer their support for the resource.

Care worker Jenny Miles said: “The booklets are really useful and the

examples used are really good to help us with the new stuff we need to know in our jobs.”

Her view was backed up by Chris Smith, another care worker at Woodford, who contributed to the development of the resource.

“They’re good because sometimes you forget things and the information in these booklets is a really helpful reminder,” she added.

For more information and to find out how you can buy a copy visit www.skillsforcare.org.uk/ltw

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Residents stick to resolution with chair exercises

By Dominic Musgrave RESIDENTS at Queens Meadow care home in Hartlepool have made it their New Year’s resolution to maintain a ’healthy body – healthy mind’ approach – using unique chair exercises to keep themselves active during the cold months.

The facility – home to 50 people between the ages of 60 and 96 – has put in place a programme of weekly activities and exercises for the residents, to help keep them physically active and their minds agile.

Debbie Wilkes, activities coordinator at Queens Meadow, has designed the activities to maximise inclusion for all residents and any ability.

The sessions will include seated exercises, passing and rolling balls and balloons, and the use of parachute canopies – with different activities each week to keep the sessions challenging and exciting.

She said: “I have really enjoyed

working with the residents to find out what they’d like included in this year’s activity schedule, and the exercise sessions set to music were at the top of their list.

“The programme will include a range of activities, suited to the different abilities of our residents, and are a great way to build a sense of community and involvement.”

The exercise sessions form part of a wider activities schedule at the care home, including arts and crafts, live music and monthly residents meetings.

Manager Julie Armstrong added: “We are committed to doing all we can to help our residents maintain their independence, and activities that both promote physical movement and provide mental stimulation are a great way to do this.

“The residents really enjoy the sessions and there are clear long-term benefits to these sorts of programmes.”

If you’ve got a story for Caring UK email dm@scriptmedia.co.uk

The ‘Singing Porters’ at Madale House care home.

‘Singing Porters’ entertain residents at home’s party RESIDENTS and staff at Mandale House care home in Stockton-onTees were joined by the ‘Singing Porters’ for a day of musical entertainment.

The group of singers, all of whom work as porters at North Tees General Hospital, relished the opportunity to come into the home, and their enthusiasm quickly rubbed off on residents.

With a number of birthdays being celebrated in the home in a short space of time, the visit from the

‘Singing Porters’ was the perfect opportunity to have a party.

Residents were joined by friends and family who came along to celebrate with their loved ones, and the porters had everyone singing along and joining in.

Manager Chris Reason said it was a great way to brighten spirits in the home.

She added: “Events like this are always fun for our residents, they look forward to them and it’s a great way for us to celebrate birthdays.”

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Lal wins care provider’s Masterchef competition

By Dominic Musgrave LAL Mapalagma from Wetherby Manor won Hadrian Healthcare Group’s Masterchef style competition for its catering staff, sponsored by Tyneside Foodservice and catering supplier Nisbets, at Northumbria University.

All the company’s catering staff were invited to take part in the event by creating a menu of main course and dessert for four people. The meal had to have a healthy balance of food groups, use fresh produce and demonstrate understanding of how the dishes are suitable for residents with different conditions.

Finalists then took part in a cook-off at Northumbria University’s Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. They were joined by the company’s compliance manager Chris Davison from the head office team, who also originally trained as a chef.

Lal and runner-up Michael Harper from Sunnyview House in Leeds will now both submit their menus to the National Association of Care Catering Care Cook of the Year competition.

Hadrian Healthcare Group’s executive chef Simon Lawrence, current holder of the NACC’s ‘best care cook in the UK’ title, said: “Through the competition we wanted to highlight

Lal Mapalagma from Wetherby Manor with Hadrian Healthcare Group’s executive chef Simon Lawrence. the work of our hardworking catering teams and recognise the talent we have in our kitchens.

“Good food contributes to the physical and mental health of our residents. You can improve someone’s health with the right foods for their condition, which in turn can improve their lifestyle.

“We’ve been working with Northumbria University over the last year to optimise our menus for nutri-

tion and hydration. Presentation is also very important, and we aim for the highest standards in everything we do.”

Lal’s winning menu consisted of lemon and pepper marinated salmon with roquefort dressing and vegetables, followed by poached pear with berry coulis, kiwi puree and ricotta.

As well as a trophy, Lal also won a set of knives donated by Nisbets, £150 and a bottle of champagne.

Luxury treat for home’s residents STAFF at Astbury Lodge in Great Sutton treated residents to an afternoon of spa day luxury to celebrate Dignity Action Day – a national awareness campaign designed to promote and uphold everybody’s right to dignity and respect, especially for those receiving care.

Residents at the CLS-run home enjoyed a full range of pamper sessions and beauty treatments including hand massages, foot spas, manicures and facials, before sitting down with family and friends to an afternoon tea.

Staff went to every effort to make the day special, decorating the dining room and sourcing a full china tea service to complete the experience.

Jenny Jobber, home manager at Astbury Lodge, said: “Dignity Action is all about going the extra mile for someone and it’s great to be able to give each of the residents a particularly special and memorable day.

“Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and it is important to celebrate and uphold these values throughout the care sector.”

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St Leonard’s come out on top in UK’s largest survey

By Dominic Musgrave

Zoe Newbury, care manager at Heritage Healthcare’s new Teesside office (left) with first recruit Louise Thompson.

Group recruits first five staff HOME-based care provider Heritage Healthcare has appointed the first five employees at its new Teesside office.

Care manager Zoe Newbury has been joined by first appointee Louise Thompson and four care staff.

The office, based in Middlesbrough, will bridge the gap between the company’s existing branches in Darlington, Loftus and Guisborough, and will enable clients in Middlesbrough, Stockton, Thornaby, Billingham, Yarm, Stokesley and the surrounding areas to take advantage of the domiciliary care and healthcare services Heritage Healthcare provides.

THE results from the 2013 Your Care Rating survey, the UK’s largest and most authoritative survey of care home residents, have been released.

The survey obtained views from more than 20,000 residents from 1,055 homes and were analysed to give each an overall performance rating out of 1,000.

The results broadly paint an encouraging picture of life in care homes from the majority which took part, with an average OPR score for participating homes of 871.

The highest score achieved was 991 for St Leonard’s Rest Home in Hayling Island, Hampshire.

However, not all homes achieved the national average and some scores for questions were significantly lower.

Ten homes had an OPR score of 700 or below.

The survey also provides scores out of 1,000 across four main subthemes, with the national average score for each being: staff and care – 869; home comforts – 852; choice and having a say – 852; and quality of life – 923.

One element of particular scrutiny across the care sector is that staff often do not spend enough time interacting with residents. But here the survey’s results show that

“The results show that for the vast majority of the 20,000+ residents in care homes which took part in the survey, their day-to-day life is happy and fulfilling.” generally this is not the case, with the average care home score being 85 per cent for residents agreeing that staff have time to talk to them.

The question which scored the lowest was how much choice residents have over the care they are receiving, with an average score of 83 per cent.

Douglas Quinn, chairman of Your Care Rating, said: “The results show that for the vast majority of the 20,000+ residents in care homes which took part in the survey, their day- to-day life is happy and fulfilling.

“They say that they are treated with kindness and respect, their food is good, they are allowed visitors when they choose and staff are attentive to their needs.

“It is absolutely vital that we give

residents a voice, that we listen to what is important to them and care providers then act on that feedback.

“That is what the Your Care Rating survey is all about, improving standards of care and giving families objective information when it comes to choosing a care home.”

Thirty-two care home operators participated in the survey and in doing so demonstrated a commitment to transparency and quality improvement.

The questionnaire covers 28 questions and residents are provided with opportunities to add comments, which are fed back anonymously to the care homes, alongside the survey results. All participating care homes received a detailed analysis of the results, along with benchmark scores for other care homes and provider organisations. This insight will direct care improvement plans and future surveys will measure the impact of these.

The survey was undertaken for Your Care Rating by leading research company Ipsos MORI. The questionnaire was compiled with input from care home operators, a group of care home residents, the National Care Forum , Care England (previously ECCA) and professor Julienne Meyer of My Home Life and City University.

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CARINGNEWS

Residents praise home for quality of its care

A cross-party group of 30 MPs and peers recently joined Hallmark Care Homes’ dementia specialist Suzanne Mumford, who led a Dementia Friends session. This is an Alzheimer’s Society initiative designed to give people an understanding of dementia and promote the small things that they can do that could make a difference to people living with the condition. Suzanne has over 30 years’ experience in the care sector and has shaped Hallmark’s dementia strategy, enabling care teams to recognise the unique needs of residents. The session, held at the Houses of Parliament, helped Parliamentarians understand the impact dementia has on people's lives, and the things that can be done to help people with the condition to live well.

Pop-up pub proves popular at home RESIDENTS at a Gloucestershire care home can enjoy a game of darts or their favourite tipple thanks to the introduction of a pop-up pub.

Staff from Grevill House, a 50-bed care home run by The Orders of St John Care Trust, wanted to boost residents’ social lives so transformed an under-used area in the home into a 1940s-themed tavern.

Residents can now play dominoes, read old-fashioned newspapers, enjoy a pint of stout or just sit and chat with friends, in a safe, comfortable and relaxing environment.

What’s more, as the pub is a pop-up ‘pod’, the whole room can be taken down in minutes and new themed areas can be introduced in the future at little additional cost.

Joe Caine, home manager at Grevill

House, said: “We aim to ensure the highest possible quality of life for our residents and encourage social interaction in any way we can.

“Just popping out to the pub for a quick drink isn’t really a practical option for many of our residents, so we decided to bring the pub to them.

“By transforming an under-used communal area into a completely different social environment, we have created a room that is perfect for socialising, but also bringing back fond past memories for our residents.

“Feedback from both staff and residents has been fantastic and seems to have really boosted the atmosphere within the home. Every day, we have people visiting the popup pub and sitting down to enjoy time together. It really was a brilliant decision.”

A LEICESTERSHIRE care home has been praised by its residents for offering ‘high-quality care’ after attaining the best possible standards during an inspection and achieving glowing results in a survey.

Peaker Park, in Market Harborough, is now fully compliant with all of the standards set by the CQC following a recent two-day, unannounced inspection by the government agency.

The service offered by the 137-bed home has also been ranked highly by its residents, relatives and local healthcare professionals, with a 97 per cent satisfaction rate recorded in a recent internal survey.

A CQC report in 2012 found improvements were needed in three areas, but the most recent inspection showed significant progress, with the

home being assessed at the highest possible level.

James Wood, managing director of PrimeLife, which runs the home, said: “As a widely-respected provider of quality care, we pride ourselves on offering and delivering the highestpossible standards.

“The care of our residents is our number one priority, which has been demonstrated by the inspection and our survey.

“The inspectors were clearly impressed with the levels of service offered by Peaker Park and offered positive comments to our staff for the high-quality care they continue to deliver.”

Two officers from the CQC inspected the £11m home, which opened in June 2011.

‘Dignity Tree’ takes root at The Cedars RESIDENTS, staff and visitors to The Cedars care home in Holmes Chapel have been nurturing a special variety of tree – it grows indoors, has orange and green leaves, and bears dignity and respect.

The ‘Dignity Tree’ (or Digni-Tree as it is popularly known among staff and residents), which has taken root in the entrance hall of the CLS-run home, is being grown to celebrate Dignity Action Day – a national awareness campaign designed to promote and uphold everybody’s right to dignity and respect, especially for those receiving care.

Armed with scissors rather than secateurs, residents have been cutting out paper leaves and inscribing them with messages of what dignity and respect mean for them, before hanging each leaf from the branches of the tree.

Among the colourful foliage, residents’ messages include: ‘Age before beauty’, ‘To be treated with kindness and understanding’ and ‘To be considerate to all’. Staff and visitors have also been contributing their own, including: ‘Doing what you

Resident Audrey Gates hangs a leaf on the tree. can to help others’ and ‘valuing people as individuals’.

Marcia Blake, home manager at The Cedars, said: “Preserving residents’ right to dignity lies at the heart of everything we do, and we pride ourselves on delivering personcentred care that seeks to maximise each resident’s independence and right to choice and control. It’s important that these values are celebrated and upheld throughout the wider care sector.”

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CARINGNEWS

Accessing health records: a provider’s legal position on confidentiality and disclosure

By Elizabeth Beatty THERE are a number of circumstances in which health and social care users, or their representatives, may seek disclosure of health records from nursing or residential care home providers for the purposes of litigation.

For example, a common claim in recent years has been to recover care home fees paid out when cover should have been provided free under the NHS Continuing Care scheme.

The claimant – who could be a relative or personal representative of a deceased resident – may request full copies of the service user's records.

With a number of legal issues to consider when faced with any request for disclosure of such information, an increasing number of care providers are unsure of how to respond.

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is often wrongly cited as a justification for requesting disclosure of health records. In fact, the FOIA only applies to certain public funded bodies (not private service providers) and in almost all circumstances will not permit the disclosure of personal health records.

The fundamental principle is that health and care records are confidential. Health and Social Care providers have a duty under the Data

Protection Act 1998 to protect an individual’s confidential data. Failure to do so could lead to the imposition of penalties under the DPA and the risk of civil proceedings.

When facing any request for disclosure, the key legal points are as follows: Consider whether the service user has consented to the disclosure. If the request is made by the service user, you must be satisfied that they have capacity to make the request.

If the request is made by another person (such as a relative or lawyer), you must ensure that they have the service user's authority to make that request and be sure of how far that authority extends.

If the service user does not consent to the proposed disclosure, then the starting point is that the request should be denied.

However, there are some exceptions.

For example, if you believe that a service user has been subjected to abuse or neglect, and lacks capacity to consent to disclosure but that disclosure is in the service user's best interest, you should inform an appropriate authority.

Alternatively, you may have a legal obligation to disclose information under statute or a Court Order.

Special rules apply to disclosure of health records relating to children

Elizabeth Beatty and mentally incapacitated service users.

Parents may request health records on behalf of children who are too young to make their own request.

Any disclosure must be in the child's best interests.

Disclosure of health records of incapacitated patients may be permitted under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 where it is in the patient's best interests or there is some other

lawful reason, provided that the disclosure would not cause serious mental or physical hard to the patient or anyone else.

The duty of confidentiality continues after the death of a service user.

The Access to Health Records Act 1990 permits disclosure to the service user's personal representative or to people who may have a claim arising out of the service user's death, provided that the disclosure strictly relevant to the claim.

However, disclosure is not permitted where it is thought that it would cause mental or physical harm to anyone, or may identify a third party, or where the service user provided the information on the strict understanding that it would remain private.

Naturally any request for disclosure of health and care records should be taken seriously.

The consequences of making the wrong decision could be significant for both care service providers and service users.

If there is any doubt, disclosure should be refused, whilst independent legal advice is sought.

Elizabeth Beatty is a partner and commercial litigation specialist in the health and social care team at Harrison Clark Rickerbys solicitors.

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CARINGNEWS

The Court creates pen pal service THE Court in Oswestry has set up a pen pal service to enable residents at other homes owned

by Akari Care throughout the UK to communicate with one another.

Residents are being paired up from across the homes, giving them the chance to discuss daily life, events and their pasts with individuals who they would otherwise never have met.

Esther Kendall, resident at The Court, who has always wanted a pen-friend, has been paired with Diane Ward who resides at Middleton Hall care home in Manchester and they frequently exchange letters.

Anna Prichard, manager of The Court, said: “It is important for our residents to participate in beneficial, stimulating and enjoyable activities on a daily basis, and the pen pal service has been a great success.

“Esther is thrilled with her new pen friend and enjoys hearing from someone from another Akari Care home. On a recent day trip, Esther bought some new writing sets and notelets for the enjoyable job in hand.”

Student has grand designs for Hull home’s new mural

By Dominic Musgrave BERKELEY House care home has installed a specially created piece of art to help residents remember Hull as it used to be in the 1960s.

The huge painting on boards – around 5ft tall by 14ft wide – was created at Wilberforce College by student Reece Parsons in his second year of a BTEC graphic design course.

Anne Bond, manager of Berkeley House said: “We first contacted the college, which is just down the road, last year to see if anyone would be interested in working with us.

“We wanted to design a large artwork which would help some of our residents who have dementia to remember the city in the 1960s.

“We’re so delighted with it and the interest it generates that we’ve asked the college to come up with designs for another project about shopping.”

Wilberforce College design manager and graphics teacher Roger Waites took up the challenge and 12 of the second year graphic design students put forward ideas.

Roger said: “Working with real clients is really beneficial for students as it gives them an idea of what’s expected in the commercial design world. We’re pleased to build projects like this into courses if we can.”

Berkeley House chose Reece’s design, which shows some of the

Reece Parsons and Anne Bond with the mural at Berkeley House. landmarks of 1960’s Hull– such as the Tower cinema which became a night club – and local transport to go forward to be scaled up to full size.

Reece said: “For me, the mural project was an exciting and huge challenge.

“Not only because I have never experienced working on such a large scale, but also because of the thought behind it.

“I admired the idea that the mural could benefit people with dementia by helping to bring back memories. It has been great to add my own signature and style to this painting. It has also been a great experience and a pleasure to know that my work will help others.”

Reece painted the work in one of the studios at the college over several months on three boards

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CARINGNEWS

Dawn holds off competition to win carer of the year accolade

By Dominic Musgrave A CARE home employee in Jesmond has received a prestigious industry award.

Dawn Richards, a carer at Wordsworth House, has been named carer of the year by The Co-operative Funeralcare.

Dawn, who has worked at the home for 18 years, fought off strong competition from carers at 40 other homes in the Newcastle area to receive the title.

Chris Anthony from The Co-operative Funeralcare visited the home and presented her with a bouquet of flowers, vouchers and a certificate commending her achievement.

Manager Linda Gonzalez said: “Dawn is thrilled with her award and we are all very proud of her. She really deserves to be named carer of the year as she has worked here for 18 years and does a fantastic job.

“Dawn is an excellent leader, team player and a great support to all the nursing staff. She demonstrates exemplary person-centred care, treats residents with dignity at all times and always goes the extra mile supporting residents in her care.”

Wordsworth House is part of Akari Care and aims to maintain lifestyles as similar as possible to those

Dawn Richards receives her award from Chris Anthony of The Co-operative Funeralcare. enjoyed at home, with an extensive range of activities which individuals can enjoy and benefit from.

Chris added: “It was a real honour to present Dawn with her award, which was obviously well deserved and is a fantastic achievement.

“Dawn epitomises what a carer should be and it was a great opportunity for everyone at Wordsworth House and The Co-operative Funeralcare to celebrate the excellent standards of care that residents receive.”

Care group celebrates Valentine’s RESIDENTS at Hill Care homes across the North East were joined by family and friends in celebration of St Valentine’s Day, with live music, candlelit dinners, flowers and chocolates.

Staff across the homes, which include Ingleby, Mandale and The Beeches in Stockton-onTees, Queens Meadow in Hartlepool and the Gables in Middlesbrough organised a range of activities including a three-course meal complete with wine and strawberries, to chocolate making and cake decorating.

Jan Vaughan, regional manager, said: “Valentine’s Day evokes so many happy memories for our residents, so it was wonderful to bring people together for the occasion. Whether that be by inviting our residents’ loved ones to join us on the day, or through our love themed activities – there was something for everyone to get involved in.

“Our residents really embraced the theme of love – crafting decorations for the homes, planning sweet treat cookery sessions and putting in their requests for their all-time favourite romantic music and films.”

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CARINGNEWS

Lancaster University is part of a new European research programme developing and testing ways to improve palliative care for older people in nursing homes. Dominic Musgrave found out more.

Professor Sheila Payne (second from right) with her team: Dr Katherine Froggatt (left), Dr Jo Hockley (second from left) and Dr Hazel Morbey, at the launch of the new PACE research project.

New project aims to raise standard of palliative care in nursing homes THE project, Comparing Effectiveness of Palliative Care for Elderly People in Long-Term Care Facilities in Europe (PACE), started at the beginning of February.

The £5.5m five-year study, funded by the European Community Framework, brings together leading academic researchers from six European countries.

Each country will take on responsibility for different elements of the study. Researchers in Belgium will take the lead, working with researchers and clinicians from Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, UK and Poland.

Lancaster University’s International Observatory on End of Life Care was awarded £583,000 to run the UK research element of the study which encompasses two main activities – mapping current provision of palliative care in care homes and developing the training for care home staff. In the first year of the project, the Lancaster team will capture the current ways that palliative care is provided for older people living in care homes across 28 European countries. The mapping exercise will examine practices, processes and services and effectively establish a study benchmark.

The main project will include a three-year trial of a previously developed UK palliative care model.

Research (including economic, staff and process elements) will determine if the new way to deliver care actually makes a difference.

The UK team will develop an educational resource pack to ensure the new model is culturally appropriate and suitable for adoption in participating countries and then support delivery of the tailored

training packages for each country.

The Lancaster University fourstrong research team is led by professor Sheila Payne and Dr Katherine Froggatt. This will swell to eight in due course to include two further full-time researchers, a trainer and a nurse to collect data in year three.

“The project will help the people who deliver care to older people in long-term care settings,” said Katherine. “We will develop the educational intervention and resources and then we shall be responsible for training the people who will implement this in their own countries.”

The teaching resource will use a ‘train the trainer’ style delivery method to cascade improvements quickly and effectively throughout the participating European countries.

Trainers from across Europe will attend a week-long training course at Lancaster University’s IOELC and will be supported by the Observatory throughout the implementation period.

Sheila said the final part of the research would determine what was effective and then ensure those findings were fed into policy development at a European Commission level to improve palliative care for older people in care homes.

She added: “This hugely important area of care for older people is such a big issue in Europe with people living longer. Care homes are likely to be a place where some older people will spend time and a place where many people die. This research programme seeks to ensure they die in the best and most dignified way they can. It’s really important and challenging.”

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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:

Some of the conference exhibitors:

10th Sept Leeds United Football Club.

LEEDS

2nd July Rookery Manor, WESTON-SUPER-MARE.

9th Sept Black Country Living Museum, DUDLEY.

3rd July Riviera International Conference Centre.

TORQUAY.

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CARINGNEWS

Scheme to revolutionise care home food quality

By Dominic Musgrave A CHARITY has launched a campaign to revolutionise the quality of food served to people in Britain’s care homes.

Milestones Trust, which runs 50 homes in the Bristol area, and provides a range of care services, is leading by example in creating a holistic, nutritious, sustainable food culture in the care industry.

The charity wants to raise the standards of care home food as Jamie Oliver has done for schools, and aims to make sure that those who prepare and cook food for care home residents are properly trained.

The charity is already celebrating receiving its own award for the quality of the food prepared at its Humphry Repton House care home in the city.

Louise Chambers, head of elder care at Milestones Trust, said people in care homes had the right to expect good quality food – and emphasised it was vital for their health and happiness.

She added: “Food is one of those things that’s very emotive for people.

It’s an important part of our lives.

“There are, of course, lots of care homes which provide superb meals every day. But there are also lots that

Milestones Trust cook Pauline Vernon in the kitchen. don’t. At Milestones Trust providing good food is one of the things we are passionate about.

“There are general quality checks in all care homes, but there’s no national food standard. So we’re looking to take the lead in raising the quality of food people eat in care homes, just like Jamie Oliver did in schools.”

The charity has already launched a training programme for people who prepare the food in its care homes in the Bristol area.

The work that’s already been done

by Milestones Trust has earned its

Humphry Repton House home a Soil Association Bronze Catering Mark – the care home is the first in the Bristol area to receive the award, and only the second in the country. It will be presented to the charity at a special celebration lunch at the Brentry home attended by dignitaries including the Lord Mayor of Bristol, Faruk Choudhury.

The award recognises kitchens where, among other things, food is freshly prepared, contains seasonal ingredients and is free from undesirable additives or fats.

The Lancashire-based Springhill Care Group has been shortlisted in four categories for one of the region’s top business awards. The group has been picked as a finalist in three categories of the Red Rose Awards, and Springhill’s supported living service, Affinity Supporting People, in a further one.

Springhill is shortlisted for the customer service, health and care and large business of the year categories and Affinity for not-for-profit business of the year. All shortlisted businesses will now be required to convince judges that each is the ‘outstanding finalist’ in each category during two days of judging.

Pictured above is Ken Nolan, chairman and founder of the Springhill Care Group.

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CARINGNEWS

Online portal gives careworkers easy access to reward scheme

By Dominic Musgrave A NEW employee benefits portal is helping workers at Care UK to save money and easily find useful information about discounts and services by using their own smartphones, tablets and computers.

Accessible by more than 20,000 employees, the portal is particularly useful to the thousands of colleagues whose jobs mean they do not need regular access to a Care UK computer or its intranet.

Features of Care UK Reward include access to carefully selected corporate discount partners, the organisation’s pension schemes providers, personal insurance services and advice about what help is available to people returning to work after time at home with their children.

As well as the new portal to give access to an exciting range of benefits, new recruits to Care UK’s homecare teams are now able to benefit from six full days of free, classroombased induction training which, in addition to equipping trainees with the skills to deliver great care, also gives them accredited qualifications in food hygiene and first aid.

Human resources director Karen McCormick said: “Care UK is unique in the health and social care sector.

“The flexibility of the reward portal is what makes it truly useful in everyday life.”

Not only is it one of the largest independent organisations – and still growing – it is also one of the most diverse in terms of the services it provides and the people it employs.

“An engaged workforce is crucial to the success of Care UK and we are constantly evaluating the channels we use to communicate with employees.

“This can be challenging due to the fact that many colleagues are not online while at work, but we have a responsibility to ensure that the people delivering care – and our many remote workers – have convenient access to the same resources as their colleagues who are usually officebased.

“The flexibility of the reward portal is what makes it truly useful in everyday life. For example, a colleague out shopping can now compare prices with our corporate discount partners to find the best deal before they pay for goods and services.”

Karen McCormick Care UK predicts it will need to recruit more than 1,000 carers during the next two years as the organisation continues to expand its healthcare, homecare, mental health and residential care services.

This includes the opening of 14 new, state-of-the-art care homes across the country – which has attracted investment estimated to be in the region of £110m.

Dignity Day celebrated at village WILLINGTON Care Village celebrated Dignity Action Day with a day full of enjoyable and beneficial activities for residents.

It began with a pamper session, which included manicures, pedicures and facials for residents, followed by a silver service lunch served by members of staff dressed as waiters.

The day was rounded off with a trip to the Bondcare operated home’s cinema, with a musical film projected on to a giant screen.

Village manager Julie Gray said: “We are committed to providing residents with supportive, highquality and dignified care every day.

“We wanted to celebrate Dignity Action Day to highlight the importance of dignity in care and to give our residents a truly memorable day.

“All the residents enjoyed the activities and the celebration reenforced our ethos of dignity and respect in elderly care.”

Willington Care Village includes the 44-bed Brancepeth Court, 40bed Lumley Court, 45-bed Richmond Court and Portland Day Centre and Sheltered Bungalows.

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Care provider to expand its workforce MIDAS Care Ltd, which recently moved to a new and exciting office location in Waterbeach, is expanding its workforce in order to meet the increasing demand for social care in the Cambridgeshire region.

The care agency, which has recently been appointed as Cambridgeshire County Council’s strategic partner for care, attended the Cambridge News JobsFair 2014 to meet potential candidates to join its dedicated team.

As a result of the event, Midas Care Ltd has received over 70 applications from people based across the region and it will now begin to arrange interviews.

Managing director Matthew Sumner said: “At Midas Care, we take great pride in the high level of care we provide to each of our service users.

“The demand for domiciliary social care in Cambridgeshire is rapidly increasing and therefore we are looking to expand our team in order to meet demand while continuing to provide a dedicated service.

“The Cambridge News JobsFair 2014 was a wonderful opportunity to meet potential candidates to join the Midas Care team, and we are looking forward to meeting the applicants again during the interview process.”

Oomph! launches training programme for care staff OOMPH! has announced the launch of the UK’s first comprehensive exercise leadership course for care home staff.

Founded by Ben Allen, in conjunction with Hull University exercise and wellbeing experts, the exercise leadership level two professional qualification is endorsed

by Skills Active, the UK’s largest exercise body.

The ground-breaking initiative means care home staff can deliver fun, energising and innovative exercise classes to their own residents as regularly as they like, tailoring activities to the older people in their care and making a difference to their quality of life.

A number of large care organisations have already signed up to work with Oomph! to train care home staff across the country including Bupa Care Services, Ideal Care Homes and Hallmark. The firm plans to help improve the daily lives of more than 100,000 care home residents within the next two years.

Ben said: “We are committed to changing the lives of older people by improving their health and quality of life. We are putting the social back into social care. Oomph! stands for Our Organisation Makes People Happy and that is what we strive to do every day for so many people.

Ben Allen leads an exercise session at a care home.

“Our training course will put a smile on so many more faces in care homes up and down the country. The response from care home groups, managers and staff has been so positive.”

Oomph’s innovative training incorporates a range of detailed research, analysis and audits designed with support from Cambridge University's Epidemiology Unit, and the company will work closely with care homes and organisations to measure the health and social benefits regular exercise

and movement can bring to older people.

Julie Stephens, director of learning and development, Bupa Care Services, added: “We recognise how important it is for older people to remain active and how vital it is to provide residents with stimulating activities to help improve their quality of life. This is why Bupa has invested in a pilot to train activity coordinators in our care homes across the UK to deliver Oomph! exercise and dance classes to their own residents.”

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QUALITY IN CARESPONSORED BY

www.requiredsystems.com

Former carer moves into Upskilling is key to raising standards internal training role A FORMER carer at Heritage Healthcare has been appointed to lead the company’s internal training provision.

Penny Spence, who joined Heritage Healthcare in 2006 and progressed from carer to care coordinator, has herself undergone a comprehensive training programme to prepare for her new role. She has attended courses on a wide range of subjects including dementia champions training, fire awareness, nutrition and hygiene, epilepsy awareness, medication, safeguarding and moving and positioning. Penny has also undertaken PTLLS (Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector) training to enhance her teaching skills.

She will be responsible for ensuring that all colleagues are up to date with the skills required for their roles including health and safety, food hygiene, safeguarding and moving and positioning.

Glenn Pickersgill, managing director of Heritage Healthcare, said: “Penny has been a valued member of our team for a long time and I am delighted that her career is progressing in such a positive way.

“Her hands on experience as a carer will stand her in good stead

Penny Spence and the company has also invested in ensuring that she is well equipped in her new role.”

Penny, who will be based at Heritage Healthcare’s new Teesside office in Middlesbrough, will also provide a wide-ranging five-day induction programme for new members of staff and oversee the continual development of more than 200 care staff.

She said: “I am looking forward to working with colleagues to provide up to date and relevant training to ensure that the very high standards of care offered are maintained as the company continues to grow.”

FOR the many excellent care home providers in England delivering high levels of care with skill and compassion, the deluge of high-profile abuse allegations concerning care of the elderly makes for depressing reading.

The so-called ‘Winterbourne effect’ has led to a surge in official safeguarding alerts over issues ranging from alleged neglect or financial exploitation to abuse.

There have also been rising numbers of formal allegations in the wake of the scandal over the treatment of residents at the Winterbourne View hospital in Bristol.

According to official NHS data obtained by Age UK, the number of cases of alleged mistreatment or neglect of elderly and disabled people in England rose by a quarter to 172,530 in the year to April 2013.

At NCC Skills, one of the largest and most successful providers of English and Maths qualifications in England, managing director Amanda Fisher says unlocking the learning potential of care professionals can help to raise standards still further.

She added: “Helping adults to improve their basic skills, in English and Maths can often be a catalyst for them to progress their learning further, and that’s good for employers, too.”

Last year NCC Skills worked with 11,000 learners in 850 companies, with an overall success rate of 96 per cent.

The company also provides qualifications blended with basic skills, including Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults, Understanding Dementia Care, Healthy Eating and Food Hygiene, Understanding Infection Control and Safe Handling of

Duncan Taborda Medicines.

NCC tutor Duncan Taborda has no doubt that care professionals do a far better job than they’re often given credit for.

“We go into care homes to deliver training so we really see what’s going on,” he added. “Quite simply, I’ve never seen a care worker who isn’t doing an excellent job.”

He believes the key to raising standards still further is giving workers the confidence to raise their skills.

“Care is traditionally seen as an entry-level job. But when staff improve their skills they suddenly find their ability level is higher than their self esteem led them to believe.

I’ve seen personalities transformed.

“I have absolutely no doubt that improving skills makes a major contribution to improving care standards.”

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Quality staff breed quality care IN recent years the media spotlight has focused on the level of professionalism of a small minority of staff, which has brought the healthcare sector under intense scrutiny.

However, not all companies have waited for this information to come to light, before understanding the importance of first-rate, highly trained healthcare staff.

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A mandatory comprehensive training course designed for all staff is where professionals acquire the necessary skills needed to succeed in a healthcare capacity.

Here, Blue Rock Healthcare ensure that each professional has passed and completed all sections of their intensive induction course prior to placement.

Enquiries: Telephone 0113 827 2280 or visit www.bluerockcare.co.uk

IT IS not just CQC that require services in the care sector to be able to evidence compliance.

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incorporating all the forthcoming changes from CQC. To find out more call 01236 782477 or visit www.requiredsystems.com

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All of the training we offer is completley fully funded by the SFA, Government funding body for training. This means there is no cost to you and no hidden catches.

We have no age restrictions for the awards – any staff member 16+ is welcome to take part. We also have no limit on the number of candidates you can access the funding for.

NVQs and apprenticeships are not just for young adults. They are also for experienced workers who may have been employed in an organisation for many years, and who feel that they would benefit from gaining new skills, or be awarded for their existing skills.

All courses are delivered in the workplace with a minimum loss of productivity to the working day.

All our courses will also provide you with various elements, including an NVQ/QCF technical certificate and functional skills that will be valued by yourself and employers.

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CARINGNEWS

Peter Longstaff, Judy Wray and some of the Great North Air Ambulance crew.

Stamp man Peter puts on weight to save lives LIFE-long charity supporter Peter Longstaff is asking people across the North East to help him beat his 2013 record stamp-collecting total to raise funds for the Great North Air Ambulance.

Peter, who lives at Ventress Hall care home in Darlington, collected 29 kilos of stamps last year and this year he has set himself a target of 35-plus kilos.

Home manager Judy Wray said: “Most people try and lose weight at this time of year, not gain it, but not our Peter. He is one of a kind: when he sets his mind to it, he really goes for it.”

Peter is being helped by residents and relatives at the home, as well as

Care UK’s sister homes across the region.

The group has also set up a collection point at its Colchester office to help Peter’s efforts.

Peter said: “I am really touched by everyone’s commitment to my campaign and to the wonderful Great North Air Ambulance Service that saves so many lives each year.

“This year I have extended the campaign to include collecting used printer cartridges and mobile phones, as well as the usual stamps and postcards.

“Judy and the team have kindly set up a collection point in our home’s reception area where people can drop off any of these items.”

Parklands residents Anita Franklin and Dorothy Robinson make Chinese paper lanterns to decorate the home with.

Horsing around at Parklands THE combination of horses and dragons went down well at Parklands care home in Poynton when staff and residents enjoyed a full range of Chinese New Year festivities.

To welcome in the Year of the Horse residents spent a morning dressing the CLS-run home in an array of equine-themed decorations, interspersed with a colourful horde of paper dragons and Chinese lanterns, which they made themselves.

All this was followed by an Oriental banquet of dim sum,

Chinese dumplings, spring rolls and noodles, washed down with Chinese specialist green tea. To spice things up residents also took part in a ‘chopstick challenge’, comparing their chopstick handling skills, and shared the messages written inside their fortune cookies.

Chris Machin, home manager at Parklands, added: “It was great to see all the residents get involved in the celebrations. Many of them have never eaten Chinese food before and we always aim to provide a diverse range of activities which residents will find engaging.”

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DEMENTIA SPONSORED BY

www.active-minds.co.uk

Mahon Hall gains silver PEARL accreditation MAHON Hall Care Home in County Armagh has achieved silver standard PEARL accreditation as a specialist dementia care provider, after staff successfully completed a rigorous training programme culminating in an unannounced inspection of the home.

PEARL (Positively Enhancing and Enriching Residents’ Lives) was developed by leading independent health and social care provider Four Seasons Health Care.

A key aspect of PEARL is to identify new ways of thinking about dementia and challenging the mindset that someone with the condition may be seen as disabled or dysfunctional.

PEARL involves training in dementia care mapping and patient focussed treatment.

Key elements of the programme are

that staff recognise and respond to the holistic needs of residents, measures to engage with residents and creation of a sensory enhancing environment.

Maribeth Ritchie, home manager, said: “We are proud to call ourselves a dementia care specialist now that we have achieved PEARL accreditation.

The team at Mahon Hall is dedicated to providing the highest standard of care and our new silver standard status demonstrates this.”

The care programmes use a range of therapies including reminiscence therapy, sensory rooms and music therapy. The home is designed with consideration of the impact of light, colour, contrast, texture and sound to assist the residents to orientate themselves and create a balanced sensory stimulating environment.

Colten Care chief executive Mark Aitchison and marketing executive Laura Rolph at Linden House.

MP Iain Stewart and Kents Hill Care Home manager Carolyn Gower.

MP pays care home a visit RESIDENTS at Kents Hill Care Home were visited by local MP Iain Stewart.

Along with residents, Iain met with the home manager Carolyn Gower and, before having a tour, he was given the background and history of the home. They also discussed the major challenges and demands of running a care home.

Carolyn said: “I am glad that Iain has taken the time to visit us. We do some great work here and I am happy it is being recognised.”

After having a look around the home, which specialises in dementia

care, Iain said: “From personal experience I know how hard it can be for families to make the decision that a loved relative needs a level of care that cannot be provided in the family home.

“This home has a warm and welcoming atmosphere; it is so important to allow both the resident and the family to feel at ease.

“It has been a really nice visit for me. It was really constructive for me to find out the huge pressure of caring for those with dementia and other memory issues.”

Robust activity products for dementia care homes MANY dementia care homes struggle to find good activity products that are suitable for use in care home for people with dementia.

Rose Lodge in Exmouth was one such home and, after an exhaustive search, decided to start making puzzles and other activity products that would suit their residents.

Co-owner of the home, Joanna de GrootMarzec, said: “Many of the dementia products for sale are simply not robust enough to be useful in a care home, or they seem to be designed for children rather than adults.

“So I decided to have puzzles, picture sets and pub games made to suit our residents.

“After trialling the products at the their care home, they are now for sale to other care homes via the website and on eBay and Amazon by searching ActiveLivingTogether.”

Enquiries: Visit www.activelivingtogether.com

£8.5m dementia care home set to create 100 jobs

By Dominic Musgrave THE finishing touches are being made to an £8.5m dedicated dementia care home opening in the heart of Lymington at the end of March.

Linden House will create around 100 direct jobs including posts for nurses, healthcare assistants, activity organisers, social carers and other ancillary staff.

The home, owned and run by Lymington-based Colten Care, incorporates exceptional design standards and will operate in four house groups of 15 residents each.

Home manager Jackie Hampton, who has begun putting her staff team together, said the groups would enable care to be given in a setting of “safety, reassurance and togetherness”.

She added: “We already provide three dementia-specific care homes, giving us a huge body of knowledge about the different dementia journeys people can take. Living in small, friendly groups gives residents the chance to continue practical skills and retain their spirit of independence for as long as possible.”

Every aspect of the 4,250 sq m home has been designed with dementia care in mind including themed rooms, colour schemes, corridor and room features, and navigational aids.

There is a hairdressing salon, cinema, activities room, café, retreat and

“Living in small, friendly groups gives residents the chance to continue practical skills and retain their spirit of independence for as long as possible.” even a ‘Linden Square’ complete with ‘shop fronts’ evoking the Georgian grandeur of Lymington.

Themed gardens include a gazebo, beach huts and putting green.

References to Lymington and the local area throughout the home will help the overall aim of prompting both interactivity and reminiscence.

Colten Care chief executive Mark Aitchison said: “We are a family-run group, determined to set the highest standards in all aspects of care of the older person.

“Linden House has been purposebuilt to incorporate the latest therapeutic approaches and facilities for dementia care, all within an elegant, beautifully designed building.”

The first residents will move into Linden House from March 31.

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Work finishes on £1.3m development of new specialist dementia home

By Dominic Musgrave WORK has finished on a £1.3million development project to open a new specialist dementia care home in Llantarnam, south east Wales.

Llantarnam Care Home is owned and run by Arun and Rita Patel from Oakville Care Limited, who secured a £920,000 Funding for Lending loan from The Royal Bank of Scotland.

The new residential care home specialising in dementia care is due to open its doors in the Spring.

It brings 35 jobs to the area

and facilities include spacious rooms – all with en-suite, café, coffee lounge for residents and their families and landscaped gardens.

The construction work has also been completed by local contractors, ensuring further investment and support of the local business community.

Arun said: “We are looking forward to welcoming residents to our new home which has been purpose-built and incorporates the very latest equipment and the high standard of care that comes with all of our homes.

“We currently have three

other care homes in Cardiff and Newport, making Llantarnam our fourth. We have been very happy with the support from RBS and all the contractors and individuals involved with the completion of this project. We are very excited to open our doors in the Spring.”

A funding package was secured to support the construction of the new care home, which consists of the Government backed Funding for Lending loan facilities arranged by Graeme Tipple from The Royal Bank of Scotland.

Arun Patel, owner of Llantarnam Care Home, with RBS representatives Chris Price and Graeme Tipple.

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CARINGCOMMERCE

Mayor’s £8.4m ground- Getting the care breaking site experience and compliance MAYOR of Southampton Ivan White enjoyed a ground-breaking experience at a new £8.4m care home in the city.

Ivan was the guest of honour at the official ceremony to mark the start of the foundation dig at Anchor’s newest development, Mayflower Court.

He visited the site with Anchor’s chief financial officer David Springthorpe and Paul Strachan from construction company Midas to see how the site will be turned into a care home. Mayflower Court will be a 72bed care home over four floors which will also include a café, craft room and hair and beauty salon.

The home will also provide specialist care for people living with dementia.

David said: “We are very excited that work has started on Mayflower Court.

“People will be able to make the most of living in a spectacular care home. Mayflower Court is another step forward in Anchor putting solutions in place that meet its customers’ changing needs.”

Mayflower Court will open in Spring 2015.

The project is the second major building scheme Anchor is working on with Midas in the county, after beginning work earlier this year on Hampshire Lakes – a £37million retirement village in Yateley.

Hampshire Lakes will include over

balance right

By Alison Taylor

The Anchor team and the Mayor of Southampton at Mayflower Court groundbreaking ceremony, from the left: Paul Strachan, Rebecca McCarthy, David Springthorpe, Mayor of Southampton Ivan White and Dominic Hayes.

100 independent and assisted living apartments and a 36-bed care home.

Other facilities include a restaurant, deli, juice bar, library, wellness centre and spa, fully equipped gym, craft room and treatment rooms.

Anchor is also building Bishopstoke Park retirement village in Eastleigh, Hampshire.

The village will have over 170 independent and assisted living apartments giving the over 65s the opportunity to live independently and receive care by highly trained professionals should they need it.

COMPLIANCE with CQC requirements is only one of the ways of demonstrating that a care home is doing everything it should to provide care in a safe and supportive environment.

Local authorities also have their own compliance teams, and on many occasions I hear that the requirements of each of these bodies can be in direct conflict with each other.

Care homes provide documentation that CQC is happy with, only to be told that the local authority needs it to be provided in a different format entirely.

Surely it would make more sense to rationalise the process, thereby leaving the homes with more time to do what they should be doing; providing care.

Care home providers who meet with me to discuss selling often say they feel completely deluged and overwhelmed by paperwork and that they are not leaving the industry because of a lack of compassion.

They are simply worn out by

‘We must not lose sight of the need to be care driven, not paperwork driven.’ regulation. This regulation, quite rightly, is not going to go away.

However, perhaps there is another way to ensure compliance without swamping providers, reducing duplication, working with CQC and the local authorities, instead of a current system which leaves many providers feeling as though inspection teams are only ever interested in telling a home that their paperwork is wrong.

While it is imperative that homes can prove they are caring for the most vulnerable in our society, we must not lose sight of the need to be care driven, not paperwork driven and certainly not to reduce care to a tick box exercise. That, surely, is what client centred care is all about?

Alison Taylor is a specialist business appraiser at DC Care.

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CARINGCOMMERCE

Experts join to launch troubleshooter service

By Dominic Musgrave TWO specialists in the healthcare industry have teamed up to create a one-stop shop to offer a trouble shooter service to help turn around struggling care home businesses.

Falling income, rising rental bills, compliance issues and stretched resources all helped play a part in the closure of care homes last year.

The last research, commissioned in 2013, discovered that a third of British care homes surveyed had notched up unsustainable levels of debt.

Business turnaround and refinance experts Wilson Field have joined forces with NetworkCare UK to help tackle these financial difficulties in the care home sector and improve all aspects of running a successful business in social care.

Phil Meekin from Wilson Field, which has offices nationwide, said: “Running any business is very demanding but in the care sector there are numerous additional demands and pressures on the owners.

“It is easy to fall behind with compliance issues, particularly if a key member of the management team is absent for any length of time – perhaps because of illness.

“When resources are stretched it is natural to put the residents’ immediate needs first, but over a period of

time things can spiral out of control, impacting on overall standards of care and eventually resulting in falling occupancy levels and cash flow problems.

“The fear and upset that care home closures can cause to residents and families, as well as the owners, is immeasurable. Don’t let this happen to your care home without taking appropriate advice to try and secure the business first.”

The service offers help with quality audits, tax arrears, refinancing, handling complaints, training staff and preparation for inspection and bed occupancy.

Sean Cassidy from Leeds-based Networkcare UK added: “We have hands-on experience in all areas of the care sector at a high level.

“Our staff have held key roles in management and nursing and they include former CQC regulation inspectors.”

Last year a new series of measures was introduced by the inspectorate to help prevent increasing numbers of sudden closures of large care home operators that leave vulnerable residents with nowhere to live.

Care home inspectors were given new powers to monitor financial records in a bid to prevent a repeat of the Southern Cross crisis, which affected 30,000 vulnerable residents when it abruptly collapsed in 2011.

Carrington’s newest care home Acorn House has opened its doors and is accepting residents. The purpose-built facility next to Carrington Primary school in Nottingham boasts 64 en-suite bedrooms with state-of-the-art facilities including flat screen TV, Freeview, mini fridge, wi-fi and contemporary on-site hair salon with café area. The home offers residential and dementia care in a safe and supportive environment.

New home gets go-ahead NOTARO Care Homes has been granted planning permission by Sedgemoor District Council for its innovative 88-bed dementia nursing home in Bridgwater, Somerset which will create 120 new jobs.

The facility, consisting of a 64-bed dementia nursing home and 24 assisted living units, will offer a combination of accommodation, supporting services and residential day and activity spaces, as well as an onsite therapy room, assistance and specialist healthcare that can be tailored and evolved to meet the individual needs of the residents.

The home will be split across a twostorey build and a three-storey build, and will be surrounded by large secure gardens, designed specifically for individuals living with dementia.

Inside the building all rooms will have their own en-suite and cleverly designed interiors with state-of-theart technology such as wireless care planning and intelligent bedroom lighting/sensors.

Residents will be able to enjoy the relaxing communal areas and innovative touches such as the real sunlight room, hair and beauty salon, craft/activity rooms and a cafe.

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CARINGPRODUCT NEWS

Innovative cloud-based remote call system management INTERCALL Nursecall Systems are flying high with the arrival of the new cloud based Call Logging Management System.

Launched at the Care Show in Birmingham last year, this innovative solution allows care managers to remotely view and analyse real-time information from the care homes.

All nursecall data is captured and stored safely within the cloud, allowing secure access anywhere in the world via computer, tablet or phone, keeping you in touch 24 hours

a day with the latest activity and performance of your care home systems.

By simply logging into your own secure account you will be able to see instantaneously real time graphical reports showing the performance of individual sites and then email them directly from the system. Any issues can be spotted and dealt with immediately from anywhere in the world. All data is encrypted and password protected, ensuring a secure connection.

Is it time to switch lenders?

CHANDLER & Co has been finance specialists in the healthcare sector since 1995 and have 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 £4,238.54 (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 1.5 per cent 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

Medicines management guide from Rosemont A GUIDE to medicines management and older people is available from Rosemont Pharmaceuticals.

Called ‘Medicines management and older people – a guide for healthcare professionals’, the booklet aims to help healthcare professionals learn more about how medication works, how the ageing process affects medicines, common adverse drug reactions, the definitions of compliance and concordance as well as to give an overview of some of the legal aspects of medicines management.

The content of the guide is based on current best practice and the most up to date evidence about medication management.

The focus is on the care of older people, who have a higher prevalence of illness and take around 50 per cent of all prescribed medicines (Kelly 2011).

Four in five people over 75 take at least one prescribed medicine, with 36 per cent taking four or more medicines (NSF 2001).

To receive a free copy of ‘Medicines management and older people – a guide for healthcare professionals’ email marketing@rosemontpharma.com Jan Flynn, marketing manager, Rosemont Pharmaceuticals, said: “The safe delivery of medicines for older people is a critical and challenging aspect of care. It is complicated by multiple diseases, complex medication regimes and the ageing process affecting the body’s capacity to handle medicines. In addition, medicines have become increasingly sophisticated, particularly in their delivery systems and there are legal aspects to

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

consider as well as pharmacological ones. This guide aims to help healthcare professionals deliver the best possible medication care for their patients and residents.”

Enquiries: Call 0113 244 1999 or visit www.rosemontpharma.com

Experienced family business has a wide range of uniforms AWB Textiles is a family owned and run business that has served the uniform requirements of the UK`s hospitals and healthcare providers for more than 65 years.

From the value for money 1st Choice range of scrub uniforms through the quality Dickies range of quality hard wearing and stylish scrubs and wrap tunics, to the NEW for 2014 collection of Xtreme Stretch scrub uniforms that combine fitted style and shape with exciting colours in a soft feel poly/cotton fabric containing rayon, we have a uniform that provides a smart professional look for

your staff. We also offer an in-house embroidery service to enhance your garments with your corporate logo or staff idents.

With prices starting at ONLY £6.75 + vat why not visit stand S161 at the Care Show and see how we can help reduce your uniform costs.

Enquiries: Call 01288 353281 or visit www.awbtextiles.co.uk

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.

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.

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CARINGPRODUCT NEWS

The Care Bill – learning and development programme THE Care Bill brings together care and support legislation into a single legal act with a new well-being principle at its heart. There are major implications for those working in social care.

In advance of the Care Bill coming into effect in April 2015, Skills for Care working closely with delivery partners: National Skills Academy for Social Care and The College of Social Work, will be helping to prepare the learning and development needs of the social care workforce in England.

We are developing a programme that will identify what learning and development is needed to enable those working in social care to comply with the Care Bill requirements.

This will look at whether changes are needed to existing roles adult social care principles, standards and qualifications.

Beginning March 2014, we will be commencing a range of nationwide consultation activities with employers and stakeholders. We will be consulting on a learning and development needs matrix asking: Has the target workforce been correctly and fully identified?

Has the learning and development needs of the target workforce been correctly identified?

Is the learning and development needs matrix accurate and helpful?

Is anything missing?

We will also be providing facilitator packs for organisations wanting to run their own focus groups.

Following the consultation, we will introduce a new formal learning and development programme and new training materials specifically aimed at delivering the skills needed to meet the Care Bill requirements.

Re-usable range launched BADGEMASTER, the UK’s leading manufacturer of custom made, readyto-wear employee name badges has launched a new product range to fulfil the needs of the re-usable name badge market.

‘InstaBadge’, as its name suggests, enables employers themselves to create instant name badges for new starters.

“InstaBadge offers the good looks and performance of a permanent badge with all the flexibility of a reusable one,” said John Bancroft, Badgemaster’s managing director.

“It’s ideal for workplaces with frequent staff changes, as new employ-

ees can be smartly badged from the word go.”

The wearer’s name is held within the badge rather than engraved onto it, so employers can control costs by re-using the badge frames when staff leave. The design of the badge frames, together with Badgemaster’s long-established expertise in corporate personalisation, means that customers who prefer the re-usable option needn’t sacrifice either choice or visual appeal for economy.

The new range includes six different styles, all available in any base colour and with plenty of space for individual corporate designs and logos.

Medicines management software launched by LloydsPharmacy Medpage Limited T/A Easylink UK is launching a cost effective bedwetting alarm solution, the EnuSens. This new product uses a machine washable and tumble dry safe 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 five-channel portable alarm receiver with volume control. Some models currently available use plastic sensors, which can aggravate bedsores and cause excessive perspiration, especially when used on a chair cushion. The EnuSens soft cotton sensor is comfortable for the user and can be laundered over 200 times.

Napkin provides user dignity GOMPELS HealthCare Ltd's waterproof napkin bib provides a high level of user dignity.

It is designed to look like an ordinary napkin but contains some special features that make it ideal for the elderly. The bib has adjustable popper neck fastenings for safe, easy and reliable fastening.

This also makes it easy for the user to remove once they have finished with it giving them greater independence.

The specially designed bib has a PVC backing so that any spills don't soak through and it's front layer is made of a heavy duty polyester to avoid staining, making it easy to wash and even means it needs minimal ironing. The dimensions of the bib when in use is 850mm x 850mm approx – this is long enough that the base of the bib catches any spillages and also means that the sides of the bib can be used like a conventional napkin to wipe the mouth.

LLOYDSPHARMACY has launched an automated medicines management solution for care homes.

CareFirst from LloydsPharmacy now boasts a full electronic medicines administration records and integrated care planning system.

Partnering with MED e-care, LloydsPharmacy can provide a solution that fully integrates with e-care planning software.

Andrew Willetts, public sector and health care services director at LloydsPharmacy, said: “Not only does eMAR replace the manual management of medicines administration records; it frees up care staff time and can help enhance a care home’s rankings.

“From maintaining the original packaging of medicines and all the safety benefits that this brings through to online accessibility, eMAR goes a long way to improving a care

home’s performance and profitability, supports CQC outcome nine and more crucially reduces risk to the patient.

“Reduced handling time of an average of 15 hours per month per care home ensures that labour is redeployed to patient care. This is further proof that we at LloydsPharmacy are committed to improving medicines optimisation and patient care.”

“Having a completely paperless system has many benefits,” Andrew added. “It enables care workers to act immediately to any foreseeable emergencies which reduces blue-light scenarios, increases quality measures and enhances reputation.”

LloydsPharamacy is launching its next wave of eMAR pilots and is looking for forward thinking care homes to take part of the subsidised pilot (subject to meeting the necessary criteria).

Roadshow dates revealed CARE Roadshows, the series of free regional care events that run throughout the UK to inform and inspire care home owners, care managers and all those within the healthcare sector are back on the road again for 2014.

The events are starting off in Glasgow at the start of March before winding down the country stopping off at six locations on the way including Leeds, Liverpool, Derby and Bristol before finishing off in Brighton in November.

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Annual Show to focus on future of elderly care Robbie Burn’s birthday was celebrated at The Manor House Nursing Home in Chatburn, .

The staff wore various tartans and the elderly residents enjoyed a Scottish themed quiz and the ‘ode to the haggis’ followed by the traditional haggis, neaps and tatties.

Blue Parrot to launch e-MARx BLUE Parrot software is using the Bournemouth Care Show to launch its latest product – e-MARx. By working in partnership with Sigcare (specialist suppliers to care homes) and Rx Systems – a leading pharmacy software supplier – Blue Parrot has developed a new mobile application that streamlines both the checking-in process and the administration of meds ‘on the round’.

MD John Richardson said: “The biggest challenges were to take an extremely complex process and make

it as simple to use as possible. We have now trialled the system in selected care homes to ensure the users in the “front line” are able to use the system.”

The benefits of an e-MAR solution are well documented. However, by having a comprehensive integration with the pharmacy PMR system we can deliver a seamless solution that substantially reduces staff time but even more importantly improves accuracy and provides alerts to possible overdoses/wrong meds/wrong times and so forth.

Equinox collection on show danfloor will be showcasing its Equinox Healthcare carpet collection at the Bournemouth Care Show.

The range has been designed for the needs of healthcare and care home environments, with special features including an impervious membrane, anti-microbial coatings, dementia friendly designs and easy to clean

Transport

stain resistant fibres.

We will also be highlighting the new mushroom shades in the collection, and our new Orchid Frost colour.

These subtle but stylish shades allow for the creation of striking, contemporary design schemes with the additional performance benefits that come from a danfloor carpet.

THE Care Show again returns to the Bournemouth International Centre on March 26 and 27.

Focusing on ‘Shaping the future of care for older people’, attendees will have the opportunity to visit a wide range of care sector companies that exhibit as well as attend packed seminar programmes.

What’s on?

Dementia Seminar Theatre Leading industry commentators will take part in thought provoking sessions comprising a mixture of panel discussions and presentations.

Topics include: Dementia care in the community.

Dementia and the physical environment.

Activities to improve health and wellbeing in dementia.

Dementia and nutrition.

Making care homes feel like home for people with dementia.

Inspirational dementia care programmes and their results.

How technology can improve dementia care.

Keynote Seminar Theatre Featuring leading industry commentators, the Keynote Seminar Theatre will offer delegates an opportunity to hear about and discuss issues that affect their business.

Topics include: Reputation management for care providers.

CQC regulation and inspection.

Care Bill and the opportunities it presents.

Business outlook for the care sector – 2015 and beyond.

Attracting the self-funder: A growing marketplace.

Understanding the local care

Signs

market.

Steps in constructing a practical transformational plan.

Digital marketing 101.

Homecare Theatre The United Kingdom Home Care Association is working with the Care Show to produce a programme of seminars tailored to the interests of homecare providers.

The introduction of a presentation theatre specifically focused on homecare themed issues is further recognition of the importance of the role of the homecare sector in meeting people’s care needs.

Topics to include: Future and current challenges in homecare.

Individualised Service Funds.

Recruiting for values.

Top tips when setting up a homecare business.

Staying ahead of the National Minimum Wage.

Dealing with dementia in homecare.

10 top tips in marketing your homecare business.

Medication management in the homecare.

Review websites and NHS Choices.

Alongside these presentations are a diverse array of products, services and suppliers from architects and designers through all kinds of essential equipment to insurance and training companies.

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