Caring UK July 2023

Campaign aims to bust myths about homes

NOT-for-profit care group

Greensleeves Care has launched Keys To Open Minds – a campaign to de-bunk common myths about life in care homes.

The guerrilla-style community outreach campaign is set to share more than 1,000 mythbusting messages with local communities and businesses all over England – from London and Ipswich to Hastings and the Isle of Wight.

Teams and residents from Greensleeves Care’s homes all over the country are going out into their communities, placing keys in landmarks and public areas and sharing them with businesses.

The sustainably-produced wooden keys carry tags with messages that spell out common myths around care homes, and challenge them with facts.

The keys are designed to create intrigue and to encourage people of all ages to engage with the reality of care home life, join the conversation on social media at #KeysToOpenMinds or visit their local Greensleeves Care home to see first-hand.

Shona King, director of business development at Greensleeves Care, said: “The main aim of our Keys to Open Minds campaign is to prompt better conversations, reduce stigma around care homes and encourage people to reconsider

CUK Awards nominations now open

their preconceptions.

“Misconceptions around care homes abound – from the quality of the food to how residents are supported to live with dignity.

“As our own data shows, the reality is that for the vast majority of residents, care homes are a positive, muchvalued chapter in people’s journey through later life.

“Long-standing myths are damaging not only for the sector, but for the thousands of families looking for specialist, 24-hour care for their loved ones.

“They want to feel confident and empowered in the choices they make.

“We believe that feeling empowered starts with having a myth-free, more accurate idea of what it is like to join a care home community.”

The campaign, which launched in time for the recent Care Home Open Week, comes after reflecting on the perceived divide between public understanding and the reality of care home life.

Greensleeves Care’s recent customer satisfaction survey across its 28 homes in England shows that 93 per cent of residents who responded are happy with their care and the vast majority feel empowered to make choices about their day-today life.

Embracing an intergenerational experience with their primary school friends, residents at Belong Warrington care village have transformed their home into a Willy Wonka factory by becoming chocolatiers in the name of indulging their mutual affection for confection. The golden ticket guests, aged between five and 11 from Stockton Heath Primary School, were invited for an afternoon at the Latchford dementia specialist care facility and donated ingredients for use, working alongside residents to whip up sweet treats. Arranged as part of Belong’s intergenerational strategy for its care villages, the initiative was led by the school’s ‘Art Ambassadors’ – pupils of all age groups tasked with promoting creativity and voicing the arts preferences of their classmates, both at school and when networking with the community.

n Resident Shirley Mollet is pictured with pupils.

OPERATORS wanting to put themselves forward for recognition have been urged to enter the Caring UK Awards.

Nominations for this year’s event are now open at www. caringukawards.co.uk

The awards, organised by Script Events in partnership with Caring UK, recognise excellence and achievement in all corners of the care industry.

And with more than 20 categories up for grabs, there’s something to suit every type of care business.

These include everything from Quality in Housekeeping and Catering Team of the Year to Best Outdoor Environment and End of Life Team of the Year.

Event organiser Dominic Musgrave said: “Nominations are coming in and our events team is already busy ensuring that this year’s event is bigger and better than ever.

“Our main aim is to recognise and honour the best in our wonderful sector and showcase the innovation and dedication that goes on every day so please share your successes and tell us about your hard work and initiatives by sending in your nominations … it’s a real privilege to read them.”

A shortlist in each category will then be drawn up, with winners chosen by an expert panel.

Trophies will be handed out at a glittering ceremony at the Athena in Leicester on Thursday, December 7 presented by TV personality Emma Jesson.

care home industry

We’re celebrating our 5th Anniversary.

On this occasion, we want to thank all our employees, business associates and clients who stand with us all of the time. Without all of your support, we couldn’t have come this far. Looking forward for more glorious years of success ahead!

Sarah is reactive, proactive hard working and trustworthy. Our completed project is a market leading innovative home for the elderly, the praise we have received has been extraordinary!

Jenny Fisher

The Fisher Partnership Group

I found meeting Sommer Rose Interiors as an Inspiration. I really admire what you are doing and the quality of the products you are supplying. I look forward to watching the future successes.

Big Ian Donaghy, Dementia Campaigner / Speaker

From the beginning of the project with initial meeting to the completion, Sarah was very professional, I was impressed with her product knowledge, she took pride in her work which is reflected in our beautiful care home.

Lesley Brock, Lifecare Residences, Somerleigh Court

WHAT’S INSIDE THAT MATTERS

Former soldiers reunite at veterans’ care home

TWO soldiers who first served together nearly 70 years ago have met up, thanks to staff at Royal Star & Garter.

Paul Gray and Les Wilson were both in The Queen’s Regiment and met 66 years ago. Even though they stayed in contact after leaving the Armed Forces, their reunion at Royal Star & Garter in High Wycombe was the first time the friends had met in 10 years.

Paul lives at the charity’s Surbiton Home, while Les is a resident in the High Wycombe Home.

Both men enjoyed long and distinguished careers in the Army. Les, 93, served from 1947 to 1983. Paul, 86, joined in 1954 and served for 30 years.

They were together in the Queen’s Regiment from 1957 to 1968. During this time they served in Bahrain, Hong Kong, Germany and Aden.

Paul moved into the Surbiton Home in 2022, a year after Les became a resident at High Wycombe.

The old buddies enjoyed lunch together, reminisced about their Army days and caught up on old times.

The pair had kept in touch after leaving the Army through their Regimental Association, but this meeting was their first in 10 years.

Paul knew that Les was a fellow Royal Star & Garter resident, and once wellbeing coordinators from Surbiton and High Wycombe found out, they worked together on the reunion.

Paul, who is deaf and a lip-reader, rose to the rank of Major.

He said: “I was looking forward to coming here and seeing Les, and it’s been

great to meet up after a very long time. I’m looking forward to coming back to see him again.”

Les, who reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, added: “It was nice to see Paul after all this time. I can’t believe it’s been 66 years since we first met. The Army was a large portion of our lives. It was good to catch up and talk about the old days and the people we knew.”

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Residents enjoy arrival of robot

RESIDENTS at Elsyng House in Enfield have experienced what the future may look like with the arrival of Hutech Robotics ‘Bella Bot’ to the care home.

Operator hosts annual event

TEAM members from across the Excelcare family travelled to Braxted Park Estate in Essex for the operator’s 2023 Inspiring Leadership Conference.

The objective of this conference was to give leaders a better understanding about some recent internal changes across the group.

It was also to provide the team with updated knowledge around forthcoming legislation changes and work together throughout the day to develop new strategies and plan inspiring partnerships, to deliver improved outcomes to those who live and work in an Excelcare service, in order to continue achieving excellence.

These objectives all feed back to their company vision and mission to make every day meaningful for ‘Mr Bailey’.

“Mr Bailey and his friends are always at the heart of the improvements we make, and the outstanding work we do across our Excelcare family,” said chief operating officer Sam Manning.

“He represents the individual physical and emotional needs of each person who lives in an Excelcare home.

“I look forward to seeing how valuable lessons and shared planning we have enjoyed at this conference will be introduced in each of our care homes to bring meaning, love and laughter to Mr Bailey and his friends.”

130 leaders from across the group, made up of home managers, deputy and care managers, team leaders, and regional teams were in attendance to learn and discuss with Excelcare’s senior leadership support partners and their colleagues from central support office.

After witnessing the semiautomated robot in operation at a London hotel, the senior leadership team at Oakland Care decided to contact the manufacturer with a vision for using Bella Bot to make a positive difference in the lives of their residents.

The team at Hutech responded positively, and residents and team members at Elsyng House have been receiving support from ‘Bella Bot’, a purpose-built, front-of-house support robot.

Daisy Slavkova, general manager at Elsyng House, said: “We’re extremely proud to be the first social care provider to welcome robot technology into a care home.

“As a forward-thinking organisation, we recognise the possibilities that semi-automation offers our care homes, both for improving resident experience and enhancing the working lives of our team members. We are constantly looking at the opportunities that a product such as this would present for us.

“It has been fantastic to see the ways in which this technology can help drive the future of social care, and beyond. Bella Bot has great functionality and so many features that are extremely helpful with the day-to-day running of our Elsyng House care home.

“Importantly, the residents have thoroughly enjoyed having the robot at the home and have been blown away by what it can do.”

The robot waiter incorporates Simultaneous Localization and Mapping Technology, which uses advanced lasers and cameras to ensure it does not collide with objects and moving people while on the move.

Since its arrival, Bella Bot has been welcomed into the care home’s hospitality team, helping with the delivery of food and drink, and the collection of empty plates and rubbish.

However, its functions do not stop there. With dozens of interactive facial expressions, it has played a big role in supporting with events at Elsyng House, from singing happy birthday to residents, telling jokes and even greeting visitors at the front desk and guiding them around the home.

Home and choir raise funds

HUNDREDS of pounds were raised at a North Yorkshire care home to support those living with Parkinson’s.

Hazelgrove Court in Saltburnby-the-Sea held an event called The Big Help Out to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK.

Choir group The Tremeloes, which includes several of the care home’s residents, performed, while there was also a raffle, tombola, guess the name of the bear game and a craft stall.

Sharon Lewis, activities coordinator at Hazelgrove Court Care Home, said: “We all had such a fantastic day raising funds for Parkinson’s UK and

want to thank everyone who came along for their generosity.

“It was also a pleasure to sing at the event as part of the Tremeloes, alongside our residents Ellen and Joyce.

“Singing brings so many benefits. It’s not just the singing though, it’s the social aspect of being out in the community and meeting new people. It helps to raise everyone’s spirits and boosts wellbeing.”

Dozens of residents, staff, their family members and friends enjoyed the activities, helping to raise £425 for the charity.

Resident Donald Howkins with the robot.

Ellen Else and Joyce Wooffindin, Hazelgrove Court residents and members of The Tremeloes choir.

Operator’s team members on path to career progression

AN East Anglian care home company is making a huge investment in its staff, offering team members the opportunity to upskill and grow.

Athena Care Homes hosted a career pathway session for teams from Amberley Hall and Goodwins Hall in King’s Lynn, sharing advice and support on how to progress in care.

Members of the regional team from Athena, which operates five homes across the region, shared details of their own career journeys to show how they transferred skills from other industries, or grew within the care sector to gain their current roles.

Lucy Hoddy, learning and development manager for Athena Care Homes, said: “We wanted to give our team members a chance to reflect, we asked what their greatest achievement has been professionally and what their strengths are.

“We then asked them to look forward and asked where they saw themselves in five years, and how we could support them in achieving that goal.

“I was overwhelmed by the number of people signing up for apprenticeships and given the success of the day, we will continue our roadshow across our homes.

“There are many misconceptions around apprenticeships; we want to show that they can be utilised to

develop your career.”

The sessions were attended by carers, housekeepers and catering colleagues, all keen to develop their skill set through training and study.

Nine team members registered for apprenticeships, with courses offered ranging from care to hospitality.

Amanda Hardy, head of HR, added: “It was a real privilege to be involved in the day and to be available for the team to ask me questions regarding their development and to hear their stories.

“We have a wealth of experience within our teams and to see the enthusiasm they have to learn and grow in order for them to provide the

best experience for our residents was truly inspiring.

“To have so many of our team sign up on the day for a variety of apprenticeships is testament to how motivated they feel about their own personal development.

“Lucy’s passion for learning and development is contagious and there was a fantastic buzz at the session. I look forward to seeing this replicated in all our homes.”

Athena Care Homes is working with training partner Stedfast Training to deliver the apprenticeships, with team members being supported in the learning by managers within the homes.

Support Services for the Social Care Sector

Heatherfield Care Home in Armadale turned into a jungle as residents got up close and personal with an exotic set of animals. While rabbits and meerkats offered conventional cuddles, it was a royal python which got particularly comfortable curled up in the lap of a resident. The animals visited the care home from Cool Creatures, a business based in Livingston, and residents learnt about their habitats and species. Roz Smith, activities coordinator at Heatherfield, said: “The animals were beautiful and residents adored handling them. We’re looking forward to the next great experience.” Surprisingly it was the reptiles that proved the most popular.

The power of strength in numbers

THERE’S strength in numbers, we are told, and I tend to agree.

I have long argued that social care’s voice is too disparate, too fragmented to get its message across to government and others.

When numerous small bodies all put up their hands to plead the case for their part of the sector, they become lost in the general maelstrom.

How much stronger it is when one single body fights for a sector.

Take the trade union movement, for example. Whilst it is itself quite splintered – witness the number of different transport and teaching unions, for example – the power and influence of each separate body is nevertheless indisputable.

One trade union can bring huge disruption to the country even when

another body representing the same sector has already accepted a new pay offer.

Would that social care had just one such representative body that could wield that much power and influence.

I have long argued that the social care sector needs a unified voice –like a Royal College of Social Care or an Institute of Social Care, to speak on our behalf.

I applauded earlier this year when the National Care Association announced it was to officially merge with the Registered Nursing Home Association to form one organisation. Overnight the newly merged National Care Association became the biggest trade association in the country, with more than 1,100 members.

Its promise, that the merged organisation would bring better collective representation and greater benefits and services for members, mirrored my own thoughts.

I hope that others will follow suit.

Our current organisations are so homogenous that a single body will be created one day, but I know it will take time.

One of the things that people fear is the loss of local representation and connectivity, that their organisation and membership will become lost in a giant conglomerate.

That is understandable,

organisations work best when they are in touch with their membership’s unique needs which can vary, according to geographical area, for example.

But there is no need to dismantle local organisations in the model I propose.

I foresee a system working best where local representative bodies are recognised as part of their regional representative body, feeding into a single national body which speaks up for social care.

In my own area of North Yorkshire and York, my own organisation, The Independent Care Group, is one of the founder members of the Yorkshire and Humber Care Association Alliance, a collective set up to better represent care providers across our region.

That alliance is, in turn, a member

of the Care Association Alliance, a national alliance of 50 care associations representing more than 7,000 care providers across England. That national Alliance can speak for many thousands of care providers even though its roots – like those of the tree in its logo – remain firmly embedded in the local grounds of individual care providers.

This is surely the way forward. For local bodies to form alliances and create regional and national collectives that can speak up for grass roots care providers and feed their locally sourced issues, concerns and trends up through the branches to one, single unified national social care body.

Maybe, with the right conditions, the seeds we in North Yorkshire and York and others across the country are planting will create just that.

Homes receive technology

KENTON Manor, Kenton Hall and Ashton Court care home residents are set to become sliver surfers after receiving exciting new interactive screens and tablets.

North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board has funded the Reminiscence Interactive Therapy Activities equipment to support the Newcastle homes in delivering meaningful and therapeutic activities.

RITA is an all-in-one touch screen solution, which offers digital reminiscence therapy, a relatively new tool in the fields of nursing and healthcare.

Steve Massey, operations manager at Solehawk said: “The RITA equipment will make a real difference for our care home teams.

“It can provide something very familiar and comforting, particularly for people living with dementia or who get confused and upset.

“It has proven results in improving the quality of life for care home

residents and I am very much looking forward to seeing it in action.”

RITA is aimed at offering support for older people, people with mental health issues, learning difficulties and brain injuries as a means of supporting them and reducing their agitation, isolation, depression and delirium.

It allows people to listen to music, watch old films and archive news footage, view old photographs and take part in karaoke, bingo, quizzes and jigsaws.

RITA has been proven to have significant benefits for care homes including a reduction in falls, reduction in hospital admissions, reduction in anti-psychotic and sleep medication, supporting dignity, respect and wellbeing for residents at the end of life, improving the quality of patient-centred and continuity of care and improved interaction between carers and residents and relatives and residents.

Ashton Court resident Brenda Canham with activities coordinator Nikki Foggin.

In his latest in a series of regular columns, care provider Mike Padgham, who is chair of the Independent Care Group, gives us his personal take on the big issues facing social care.

Mike Padgham

How carers can help reduce the fear of dementia

By Amrit Dhaliwal

WHEN Joan Shewry, aged 100, was visited by therapy dog Mya, it was a highlight of her life, according to her son David.

“Life with dementia is not always sad,” he added.

Joan was diagnosed in 2019, and David looked after her aided by carers from Walfinch Oxford until she recently went into a nursing home.

“In her mind we still have all of our family dogs, Dinkie, Monkey, and Toksy,” said David.

“She would ask where they were, and I’d say they were in the garden. “It was a white lie, of course, because they passed away long ago, but she was happy with that. When Mya came to see her, she was overjoyed.”

Joan’s Walfinch carers arranged the visit when they discovered that she was a dog lover, and her reaction was a living example of how people with dementia can experience joy.

Happy times

David said: “Life with mum was not all sadness. Sometimes we would laugh together.

“It was helpful to try to get into her mind. She had reverted to the 1940s, so some mornings she would say she did not want to go to school. I’d tell her it was Saturday so she didn’t have to, and she’d go back to sleep happy.

“At other times she’d forget who I was, but for her, I had not been born

yet. Looked at that way, it’s not so upsetting.

“I’d take her out for coffee at a local garden centre and each time she thought it was our first visit and be delighted.”

Reducing fear with a balanced view

The majority (60 per cent) of over 65s say they fear dementia above all other health conditions, according to the Dementia Statistics Hub of Alzheimer’s Research UK.

Every diagnosis is a tragedy, for those who are diagnosed, their families and friends – but viewing life

with dementia as an ongoing disaster from diagnosis to death will not help them.

Average life expectancy for people with dementia varies. Alzheimer’s UK says that for Alzheimer’s disease it is around eight to 10 years, but sometimes 15 or 20.

We owe it to them to make the most of that time. It will include good days, smiles and laughter – carers see it every day.

How the care profession can help

As carers, we must encourage a balanced view of dementia, for the sake of the people living with it.

That’s 944,000 people in the UK now, and that’s expected to rise to 1.6 million by 2030. It is not enough to feel pity for people if we then do nothing to bring happiness into their lives.

Activities boost wellbeing

Activities that stimulate the senses of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell are important, and if possible, they should be linked to hobbies or interests the person enjoyed before dementia, says The Social Care Institute for Excellence – and carers of all kinds can encourage these while enjoying the activities themselves.

“We know that people with dementia can remember the words to songs they knew years ago, even at quite a late stage of the disease,” said Robin Boulter, care coordinator at Walfinch Southampton.

“As a carer I used to take one man with dementia out in my car and we’d put on music and both sing along. He liked oldies from singers like Sinatra and Sammy Davis Junior. He’d be changed man when we got back to his home.”

Walfinch Southampton will be including music in the monthly memory café sessions they are setting up with charity Caraway in Maybush, Southampton. The first one will feature live music, and people can come along and join in the singing.

Subsequent café sessions will offer picture quizzes, craft activities, bingo, and whatever people attending want to do.

“It’s important not to treat everyone with dementia in the same way, so we will ask them,” said Robin.

Spreading care expertise

Professionals in the care sector are perhaps the foremost experts by experience when it comes to enhancing the lives of people with dementia.

All carers are trained in dementia care, and certainly at Walfinch, many of our carers go on to do extra dementia care qualifications –because they enjoy it.

We need to speak up about the fact that a dementia diagnosis does not banish all joy from life. This way we can reduce fear and encourage a more balanced approach.

n Amrit is the chief executive of homecare franchise Walfinch.

MoliCare® celebrates 40 years of incontinence protection, every day

MOLICARE®, the global incontinence brand, is celebrating 40 years of supporting people, carers and healthcare professionals with solutionbased pads, pants and skincare products.

The product range has been designed to help the everyday needs of those living with incontinence and bladder weakness, with the care of the skin at the heart of the MoliCare® brand.

Incontinence is a condition that affects one in four women in the UK1

For a condition which is so common, there is still a sense of embarrassment and isolation that leaves people feeling lonely and unsupported.

In fact, 68 per cent of those living with incontinence feel that it has had a negative impact on their quality of life, and just over half believe that urinary incontinence is a taboo subject.2

Therefore, it is vital that there is an increase in societal support, as well as a wide range of simple solutions for people living with incontinence.

MoliCare® has developed a range of pads and pants which feel like underwear.

Over the last 40 years the brand has continued to focus on protection, security, and comfort as the core criteria for its product performance.

MoliCare® believes in plain talking, backed up by their healthcare professional expertise, to create simple solutions for people living with incontinence.

MoliCare® continually strives to

address the needs of its customers; from nurses through to care givers, family members and people living with incontinence.

They have developed an easy to remember acronym – ‘SAS’ – to simplify the product selection process. S – Style. There are various styles such as large and small pads, or complete pull up mobile pants to suit various levels of mobility. There are also products for men and women, based on anatomical differences and urine flow. A – Absorbency. MoliCare®’s droplet guide, makes selection straightforward. S – Size. MoliCare®’ s in-depth sizing guide ensures that products selected, are a comfortable and secure fit.

HARTMANN, the company behind MoliCare®, continues to invest in and develop in their products.

This includes the introduction of new technology to the MoliCare® Premium Form range of large shaped pads that now features a new absorbent core known as ADL (Acquisition Distribution Layer). The ADL layer contains super absorbent polymers treated with Citrate which neutralise the urine, for better skin health.

In addition, the ADL layer now features a new channel, set within the pad to help to distribute urine. Both innovations improve the feeling of dryness by more than 70 per cent, again demonstrating MoliCare®’s commitment to skin care.

As part of MoliCare®’s holistic approach to incontinence, the brand has developed a range of specialist skincare products which are skin friendly pH balanced, and are gentle on

delicate, sensitive skin.

Used together, MoliCare® provides a complete skin care and incontinence management solution.

Amy Jaworska, MoliCare® B2C channel manager, said: “As a global manufacturer and expert in the field of incontinence and bladder weakness we are delighted to be celebrating 40 years of the MoliCare® brand, supporting people living with incontinence.

“MoliCare® invests in the research, design and development of our premium incontinence products to ensure they meet the highest quality, reliability and protection for people living with incontinence.

“ We also support loved ones, carers and healthcare professionals alike, with the right support for the people they care for, because the individual’s wellbeing and quality of life is at the heart of everything we do.”

References

1. Cooper, J., Annappa, M. and Quigley, A. (2015) Prevalence of female urinary incontinence and its impact on quality of life in a cluster population in the United Kingdom (UK): a community survey. Primary health care research and development 16(4), 377385.

2. Buckley, B. S., & Lapitan, M.C.M. (2009) Prevalence of urinary and faecal incontinence and nocturnal enuresis and attitudes to treatment and help seeking amongst a community-based representative sample of adults in the United Kingdom. International journal of clinical practice, 63 (4), 568-573.

For ordering, please call 0800 028 9470, or order online at www.hartmanndirect.co.uk

Amrit Dhaliwal

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Operator continues expansion as Sarah adds third franchise

SARAH Wickham, director of Walfinch’s Suffolk Coastal and Norfolk franchises, has expanded her reach in East Anglia by purchasing a third franchise in West Suffolk.

Sarah launched the national homecare provider’s first franchise in Saxmundham in East Suffolk in 2019. With her extensive experience in the care industry she built a team of carers who share her passion for making a positive difference in people’s lives, and formed a loyal client-base.

In late 2022 Sarah expanded her business by launching a second franchise in Norfolk, which has also been highly successful. Now, with the acquisition of a third franchise in West Suffolk, Sarah is poised to bring Walfinch’s level of care and support to even more clients in the region

She said: “I am thrilled to bring our care and support to even more clients in the East Anglia region with the purchase of the West Suffolk Walfinch franchise.

“I am grateful for the ongoing operational support and expertise provided by the franchisor, which has been instrumental in the success of my first two franchises. I am excited about the opportunities that the new location will bring. “

As part of the Walfinch West Suffolk branch, Sarah and her team will provide a range of care services to people living in their own homes in Stowmarket, Bury St Edmunds, Lakenheath, Mildenhall, Thetford, Woolpit, Needham Market and the many villages across the area.

Walfinch is a franchise that offers individuals the opportunity for franchisees to become directors of their own successful homecare businesses, while also helping local people lead healthy, happy and independent lives.

With comprehensive training, ongoing support, proven backoffice systems, and an established

referrals pipeline provided, Walfinch franchisees can take charge of their own success.

“To see Sarah’s continued success and growth as a Walfinch franchisee is something I greatly applaud,” added Amrit Dhaliwal, CEO of Walfinch.

“Her experience in providing the highest quality of care and support to her clients, as well as her commitment to building a strong team of carers, makes her an outstanding member of the Walfinch community. We are confident that her third franchise will be just as successful as her first two.”

Recently named as the franchisee whose team provided the most care hours at the Walfinch franchise conference and with more than 25 years’ experience in the care industry, Sarah today employs 100 carers across the three locations.

Sarah added: “I understand what is required to care for people and I understand business; with the success of my Suffolk Coastal and Norfolk businesses, backed by the expert operational team of Walfinch, I am confident that I can extend these services to communities across West Suffolk and fill a gap for providing an outstanding, flexible domiciliary service, from as little as one-hour care per week.”

Exotic animal therapy proves a hit at home

A MENAGERIE of miniature creatures entertained Tyneside care home residents during an animal therapy session.

Flash the tortoise, Dexter the gecko and Coco and Pop the guinea pigs were brought to Willowdene Care Home in Hebburn by The Discovery Zoo.

Home manager Christopher Hogan-Hind said: “Animal therapy sessions can help to boost everyone’s mood. It was smiles all around when Flash, Dexter, Coco and Pop dropped by for a visit.

“But as well as being a lot of fun, animal therapy can help reduce feelings of stress and loneliness, ease anxiety, and improve overall wellbeing.

“You only need to see the residents interacting with the animals and talking about it for hours afterwards to know how beneficial these sorts of therapy session are.”

Provider recruits internationally to plug skills gap

AN adult social care provider has welcomed 15 new colleagues to its team at a Norfolk-based support service – helping meet skills requirements through an international recruitment pipeline.

National Care Group, which supports more than 1,200 people across England and Wales, has added a wealth of new talent to its 8 Acres site in Attleborough via a Health and Care Visa sponsorship.

The news comes at the same time as the UK government announced a £15m fund to support international recruitment in adult social care over the next two years.

The development of the international fund aims to fill the 165,000 vacancies reported in the sector in 2021/2022.

Currently, around one in six professionals in the UK adult social care industry have a non-British nationality, making up 17 per cent of the sector workforce.

Among the new colleagues are Bessy Varghese, Maya Alias, Jaise Thomas and Swapna Binil, whom all join the service as support workers.

Settling into their new roles, the team has already completed a wealth of training, including epilepsy awareness, buccal administration and emergency first aid.

Swapna brings with her more than 15 years of experience in nursing and elderly care having worked in Australia, Malaysia and her home town of Kerala in India.

She said: “For me picking the right organisation is key to having a happy and healthy working environment.

Having researched companies in the

Edenmore Nursing Home in Ilfracombe enjoyed a Hawaiian-themed party put on by the team to celebrate National BBQ Week. Residents and staff dressed up in Hawaiian outfits to get into the party spirit ready for the celebrations to begin. Residents spent the day partying away whilst tucking into their delicious food cooked on the BBQ by the chefs at the nursing home. There was an array of mocktails and vegetarian dishes for family members to also enjoy. Home manager Gayle Cooper said: “The family members had a lovely day with some of them wanting to dress in Hawaiian-style clothing and joining in with Hawaiian dancing.”

UK, I found National Care Group was operating nationwide but had the feel and care of a close-knit team.

“Since joining 8 Acres I know I’ve made the right decision. Our team strives hard to offer the very best support to people with learning disabilities, autism and complex needs here in Norfolk.

“The team has been nothing but supportive and I’m proud to be playing my part as someone that can bring my own skills and apply it to a strong culture that dedicates itself to continuous learning.”

Last summer the service underwent a half-a-millionpound transformation, delivering improvements in both the housing facilities and grounds, including new kitchens and bathrooms in most of the flats, along with a renovated driveway and fencing.

The new colleagues help to bolster the services provided at the site, led by registered manager Tara Currie. She added: “We’ve worked hard at 8 Acres to empower both the people we support and colleagues in their surroundings.

“It’s why, along with the on-site training we’ve delivered, our new recruits have received additional support settling into the local area, with our learning and development team helping answer questions on nearby facilities including shops, leisure and transport routes.

“Welcoming such dedicated professionals to the service helps to ensure the consistent delivery of quality care and work towards empowering the people we support to unlock their full potential.”

Sarah Wickham

A day in the life: Kailash Manor Care Home

By Katie Krohn

AS DETAILED a few issues ago, I am a new recruit to Virgin Money’s Health & Social Care finance team, and volunteered in one of our customer’s care homes at the end of March.

Our customer, TLC Group, welcomed me for a couple of days into newly-built Kailash Manor.

TLC is a family-run business, formed in 2007, with more than 500 beds across eight care homes in North London, Surrey, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.

This might seem an unorthodox thing to do, but others in our team had done, and I was keen to observe a day in the life of a carer.

‘Kailash’ means ‘one who bestows peace’, and is the name of a Himalayan peak.

The home’s web site states: ‘we offer a peaceful setting where diversity of traditions and cultures are highly encouraged, creating a strong community feeling.’

Kailash Manor is welcome to all, but its resident base is primarily elderly people from multiple Asian religions.

As such, it offers specific services including an in-house temple, Gujarati and Hindi speaking staff and Guajarati-vegetarian prepared meals.

I spent only a couple of days in the home, including an overnight in staff accommodation, but from the open, bright layout to daily songs and worship in the temple it almost had

an air of wellness retreat to it.

The fresh, home-cooked cuisine was also a highlight ,with most residents eating together rather than alone in their rooms.

I came with some nervousness on arrival, but was greeted warmly by the hotel services manager and felt instantly at ease.

Each TLC home has a hotel services manager, and they are responsible for the catering, well-being, housekeeping, and maintenance functions. The home opened in the middle of December 2022, so is not yet full, but occupancy has steadily grown given the high standard of care, and first-class facilities.

When I visited in March there were about 10 residents on one floor, a mix of residential and nursing, and I spent the morning meeting them, speaking with staff, and shadowing care staff including observing the morning ‘bhajan’. A bhajan is a devotional song, with a spiritual theme, and they were sung to residents in their beds by one of the carers.

Hindu festivals are celebrated, including Holi, which occurred in March, and comes with its own dances and music.

Music does have a transportive quality, and despite having none of the cultural reference points, I found the music and shared traditions a comforting aspect of the home.

I attended the daily management meeting around noon. As an outsider looking in, this was insightful as to the rigour and discipline of providing care.

Daily tasks include taking temperatures of all served and stored food, detailing the daily well-being of residents, coordinating hospital visits, and reviewing care plans. Information was shared and recorded in a centralised IT system.

I spent the afternoon speaking to residents and staff, and attending chair yoga. I’ve heard operators comment that the level of care acuity in homes is higher than it would have been 20 years ago.

There are more complex care needs, and many residents I met had limited mobility, and there is a high level of training carers must have to manage these needs. For example, just lifting a resident out of a chair was only done by carers in the home with specific training.

I spent the night in the staffing accommodation of the home, which is a great benefit to Kailash meaning it can support staff new to the area.

As ever, the high level of design and cleanliness were on display with hotel-quality standards. I slept soundly.

My next day was similar to the first; trying to help out in whatever small way I could and asking questions. I did try to get some carers to open up about the stresses of the job.

However, many just exuded pride and contentment in what they were doing. One carer, who had a previous career in the civil service, enjoyed the ‘giving back’ sense she got from

the job. You could see the personal connections between carers and residents.

You cannot go far in the sector without hearing of record-breaking staff vacancies, and I was wondering if doing this short visit would give me any grand insight into this.

Solutions discussed in the industry include attracting different demographics (from university students to part-time workers), improving pay and career progression, staff wellbeing initiatives, less governance and process for staff to work through, and overseas recruitment, just to name a few.

At the risk of stating the obvious, staffing is the biggest challenge to care homes, and Kailash is not immune to this, but they operate with no agency, and a strong staff base.

I have no grand conclusion, but from my admittedly narrow experience at Kailash, it is frankly just a very nice place to be and work.

This is undoubtedly due to the culture TLC have created for staff and residents. I’m reminded of the famous business quote that culture eats strategy for breakfast, which rings true in this context, but know is easier said than done.

n Katie Krohn is a director of health and social care finance at Virgin Money.

Home’s kindness gives church volunteers day off

KIND-hearted residents and staff from a Dorset care home brewed up teas, baked cakes and hosted a community get-together at a nearby church to give volunteers a day off.

St Mary’s in West Moors holds a monthly quiz afternoon for locals, which is only made possible through the efforts of a team of volunteers from the village.

Among the regular attenders are residents from Colten Care’s Brook View care home who tend to go along on a minibus trip.

Sarah Moule, Brook View’s companionship team leader, said: “We thought it would be a lovely idea to take over for an afternoon so the volunteers could have a well-earned break and, if they wanted, join in the quiz as participants.”

The offer was enthusiastically taken up by the volunteers who decided to form their own team while Sarah and

colleagues devised a set of questions based on picture cards and general knowledge.

Details of the afternoon were highlighted in advance in a Sunday service at St Mary’s which Sarah said ended up boosting the attendance.

She added: “We initially catered for 30 but there were definitely more people there than usual. The room was very busy with everyone having a fun afternoon. There was lots of laughter and banter going on between teams.”

The volunteers’ table, named ‘Mary’s little helpers’, triumphed in the quiz, just beating the Brook View residents’ team, the ‘Brookies’, by half a point.

Cakes baked by Brook View chef Jack Wood were served by home manager Kerry Maison and customer advisor Charlotte Dean, both of whom stayed to do the washing up.

Katie Krohn

Brook View home manager Kerry Maison, customer advisor Charlotte Dean and companionship team leader Sarah Moule in the kitchen at St Mary’s Church.

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The current

situation for care ...

By Derek Breingan

THERE is much to consider when undertaking a development project, but the recent impacts of some global events and those specific to the UK have added a more challenging dimension.

The backdrop to where the sector finds itself today is one of benign interest rates for a pro-longed period, as a consequence of the global financial crisis, and a long period of austerity.

This has, for many, become an interest rate environment that allowed for cheaper debt than had been available for a number of years.

Borrowing within the sector, certainly from Virgin Money experience, has grown year on year and many developments, extensions and refurbishments have been undertaken bringing much needed investment and new beds.

As of today however interest rates are rising therefore materially impacting the cost of any project where debt is needed.

Coupled with increased supply chain costs of materials due to double digit inflation this has resulted in some proposals being revisited to sense check viability.

The same project 10 months ago is now a much different and in some cases more marginal financial proposition if these are now factored in.

Availability of contractors appears to be good and a number continue to deliver projects within the sector.

It is however an environment which has impacts on these businesses also and therefore diligence on the contractor/professional team has become more in focus to ensure that, if progressing, they can see the project through.

It is clear therefore that all aspects of any project proposal being considered need to be forensically assessed.

From the costs of professionals, materials, labour, and finance, to the conclusion of time required to complete any development work, this analysis needs to be detailed.

In addition the ultimate investment

Residents’ shop opens

ASTUNE Rise Care Home in Eston is celebrating the opening of a new shop, which will be managed by an 88-year-old resident.

return in terms of the net income to be gained after commissioning and staffing a mature occupancy is critical to confirm the viability is achievable and debt can be repaid.

Lenders will seek this detail and will undertake a review of the proposal with the benefit of wider comparables and market insight.

A key part of this is the ability to ‘stress test’ assumptions and work on scenarios to validate the project can still be successful.

Fortunately there are very experienced professionals such as architects, consultants, contractors, valuers, accountants, lawyers and lenders who have proven experience of how to plan, cost, build and finance projects in the sector.

From a small extension to a full new purpose-built care home there is a lot of support available to help pull the plan together.

The key learning is to make sure that if you are undertaking a property improvement or development that engagement, and the right advice, from proven specialists in what you are proposing is undertaken from the start.

So actually despite the uncertain and disruptive economic times it is pleasing to advise that the team at Virgin Money continues to see good opportunities for considered investment and remains active in providing finance for viable projects in the care sector.

n Derek is the head of health and social care sector at Virgin Money.

‘Lynn’s Loot’ was created by activities co-ordinator Lynn Dobson, following suggestions from residents at the home.

Once the shop was established and filled with stock, resident Betty, who used to work in shops across the area before she retired, volunteered to manage the store.

This includes operating the till that was donated by the local community and she even proudly displays her name badge on her apron.

The shop stocks a wide range of goods including magazines, sweets and birthday cards.

The profits raised will go

towards re-investing in stock and contributions to the residents’ fund which supports the home’s activities.

Manager Caroline Bowstead said: “It’s fantastic that Betty has volunteered to run our in-home shop and it was only right that we recognise her hard work.

“We’ve had help from residents in setting up and getting the shop ready, so it has been all round team effort and I’m looking forward to seeing it in frequent use.”

Betty won the staff star of the month award in May and was presented with a bouquet of flowers alongside other treats in recognition of all her hard work.

She now has her photo displayed on the staff board with the job title ‘store manager’.

Derek Breingan

A resident has won a competition to help name a new care home in Wantage. Thomas Hutt took part in the competition to name the new Care UK home which will open in Autumn 2024. The competition called for the people who know the area best, its residents, to share suggestions that had a cultural or historical reference to the town. Thomas came up with the winning name, ‘Charlton Lodge’, taking inspiration from the local village of Charlton, a well-known and popular area with locals.

Sentes reclining bath from Gainsborough delivers advanced postural stability

GAINSBOROUGH Specialist

Bathrooms, Europe’s leading brand of specialist power baths for the healthcare sector, continues to meet complex bather needs with its reclining Sentes bathing solution.

The Sentes is an ultra-efficient reclining bathing system, suitable for long-term and acute care environments.

Its reclining action and moulded seat help to improve postural control, enhancing bathing comfort and delivering the optimum blend of functionality and performance.

The vertical-raising, side-entry door also ensures easy-access for bathers, making transfers safer and simpler for care staff.

From a design point of view, the Sentes provides:

n Easy one-touch tilt with hoisting access.

n Reduced operational costs through smart water and power usage.

n BioCote antimicrobial technology built-in for 24/7 protection against microbes.

n Quick fill technology for faster bathing cycles.

n Impressive 205kg SWL.

n Safer moving and handling with reduced risk to carers and bathers.

n Optional hydrotherapy, chromotherapy and Bluetooth sound. The integrated BioCote protection in the Sentes is a major advantage for all healthcare providers.

AAT levels the field in living daily life

ONE of the biggest problems as we get older is growing lack of mobility and balance. Even something like going up and down stairs and steps can become difficult.

That puts a person at greater risk of falling. It limits their confidence to go out and about, to do the normal things in life that they enjoy.

Hence the need for steps to be taken to minimise the risk, to prevent a fall, to create a fall prevention strategy.

Convention dictates that where stairs are concerned, the solution is a stairlift.

But that involves major disruption to the home, with fixing to the wall or through the stairs.

It restricts safe access and use of the stairs by other members of the household.

It only addresses the problem at home…

There is an alternative. An alternative that does not require installation, alteration to the physical structure of the home.

That does not occupy space nor restrict the other family members’ use of the internal space. That is portable, so can be used wherever varying levels would restrict. That can be in place and in use within days(1)

The answer is an S-Max stairclimber. The battery-powered kinematic unit is Class 1 Medical Device certified.

It means any member of the family or a carer can, with appropriate training, safely and smoothly help the limited person get up and down any steps and stairs – in the home, or away.

Daily activities (occupations) become within scope again.

The S-Max can be fitted to most standard wheelchairs, so there is no need to risk transferring from wheelchair to another piece of equipment to get up and down stairs, with the associated potential to fall in the process.

With an integrated seat – the S-Max Sella –the unit can easily move up and down stairs and beyond into wherever needed – the bathroom, bedroom, lounge, kitchen, the garden. There is no need to transfer.

This flexibility mean the S-Max satisfies the key ethos of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists guidance that any intervention should be “person centred and occupation focussed” and that it should take “a broad holistic view on person, environment, occupation”(2)

Both versions can fold compactly away when not in use and are small and light enough to fit into a car boot to ease access in the wider community.

The S-Max is engineered by design enable a petite person to easily move someone up to 135kg/21st at a speed with which they are comfortable (even one step at a time, through the patented ComfortStep feature).

The S-Max is available in the UK exclusively through AAT GB. Thousands are now in daily use throughout the UK, since the company began 15+ years ago. AAT’s nationwide team of assessment managers can support an OT or directly with the recipient to prescribe the most appropriate option, and support, harnessing, seating accessories if needed.

The team will also train anyone who will be using the stairclimber to ensure optimal safety at all times and provide annual servicing if required.

AAT is so confident in the scope and relevance of the S-Max in its ability to address almost any staircase and user that it offers a free no obligation assessment service.

References

(1) AAT GB endeavours to be on site to assess potential users within 10 working days; the S-Max is available ex-stock, so can be delivered within three working days of receipt of order. Most authorities have S-Max’s already, so one can be re-issued from stores when available

(2) https://www.rcot.co.uk/node/396

Enquiries: Book online at www.aatgb.com/s-max or by emailing sales@aatgb.com or telephoning 01978 821875.

This world-leading silver-ion technology delivers advanced hygiene offering up to 99.9 per cent 24/7 protection against a broad range of microbes, including bacteria, mould and even some viruses.

With its Sentes baths, the 64-bed luxurious Kings Lodge care home located in Camberley, Surrey, continues to provide utmost bathing support and hygiene.

Offering a combination of high level residential and dementia care, Kings Lodge is a state-of-the-art facility which delivers client-centric bathing with moving and handling excellence.

Abbey, a senior carer at Kings Lodge, has been very impressed with the Sentes, both from a staff and

resident point of view.

She said: “The Sentes is nice and deep so residents can have a good soak and it gives effective postural support when reclined for individuals with complex needs. It is easily accessible from either side so I can provide personal care without compromising my back or posture.”

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SKOPOS has more than 50 years’ specialist experience in the design and manufacture of high-performance FR contract fabrics for the care sector.

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Designing for dementia: how to select the right paint for the job

THERE are more than 17,000 care homes in the UK1 and, according to studies by building and construction market researchers AMA, “the demand for additional capacity within the care home market is likely to start rising again within the next couple of years2”.

In addition, “Covid-19 is likely to drive the growth in demand for larger and better-equipped care homes3”.

For care home managers, this could result in the need to update existing facilities.

When faced with the task of redecorating, there are some key factors to consider:

Painting critical surfaces

As we age, colours can become ‘washed out’ and this makes it more difficult to distinguish different colours from each other.

As such, critical surfaces (walls, floors, doors and ceilings) need to differ enough to make them visible and ensure people can navigate effectively.

For example, painting walls, floors, doors and ceilings in different colours will help care home residents see where each surface stops and another begins.

In addition, painting doors and door frames in a different colour to the surrounding wall and floor will make them easier to locate.

Likewise, adding a burst of colour to the surround of a light switch or painting a handrail in a different colour to the wall will make these features more visible.

It is also important to make potential hazards stand out. For example, radiators should be a different colour to the wall to ensure they are seen, and people don’t accidentally walk into or lean against them.

Choosing the right colour

Dulux Trade’s Commercial Colour Services team partnered with the British Research Establishment to develop a dementia friendly colour palette.

Based on vast experience in design and dementia research from collaborations with Loughborough University and Halsall Lloyd Partnerships, the palette is grounded in evidence-based design principles that offer guidance on how to create environments that prioritise the wellbeing of those living with dementia.

The palette suggests colours for every critical

surface to ensure designs are optimised for people living with dementia:

n Main walls – soft, calm tones should be used, with only small hints of colour to help aid wayfinding.

n Feature walls – use more saturated colours such as yellows, muted purples, oranges and teals to draw interest. This is ideal for spaces like the front of the living room, the kitchen serving areas or the end of corridors.

n Doors – bolder shades like burgundies, blues and greys will help to make them more visible against the softer tones used on the main walls.

The palette also suggests painting staff areas and supply cupboards in the same colour as the walls to make them less visible and avoid unauthorised access.

A step in the right direction

It is also important to think about the floor design.

High sheens can make surfaces appear slippery and can reflect light, creating shadows that can appear as steps.

Bold pattens and stripes can be disorientating and make people feel that the floor is not flat or stable. Also, a high contrast between the flooring from one room to another can appear as a step up or down.

This is especially true with darker flooring as it can be perceived as a hazard, such as a hole.

Keeping flooring plain and consistent is therefore key to ensuring residents feel comfortable and safe to move around unassisted.

The right product for the job

The type of paint used should also be carefully considered.

Care homes are incredibly busy environments, and surfaces need to be able to withstand regular knocks and scuffs.

Opting for a durable paint like Dulux Trade Diamond Matt is therefore recommended.

The recently reformulated Dulux Trade Diamond Matt delivers ultimate durability.

It is compliant with BS EN ISO 11998 Class 1 and BS 7719 Class C and can withstand 10,000 scrubs

(the equivalent of five hours non-stop scrubbing).

It also delivers additional resistance to oil-based stains, such as food or cosmetics.

This helps to stop stains from being absorbed into the surface and makes them easier to clean off.

As a result, surfaces will stay looking newer and fresher for longer.

Dulux Trade Diamond Matt’s durability also means that redecoration work doesn’t need to be carried out as often.

This keeps disruption to a minimum and helps to improve sustainability across a building’s lifetime.

To further reduce environmental impact, Dulux Trade Diamond Matt is 99.9 per cent volatile organic compound free*.

This means it has lower impact on indoor air quality and the carbon footprint of a redecoration project**.

Finally, Dulux Trade Diamond Matt is also easy to work, offers great coverage and delivers quick drying times so decorators don’t have to be on site for as long. In summary, when redecorating care homes, it is important to think about what colours are used and where they are placed to aid wayfinding and independence.

The type of paint selected is also crucial to ensure the professional finish applied lasts the test of time.

References

1. https://www.carehome.co.uk/advice/care-home-statsnumber-of-settings-population-workforce#:~:text=There%20 are%20about%2017%2C100%20care,total%20number%20 of%20care%20homes.&text=Figures%20correct%20as%20 of%208%20August%202022

2. https://www.amaresearch.co.uk/report/care-homeconstruction-market-report-uk-2021-2025/

3. https://www.amaresearch.co.uk/report/care-homeconstruction-market-report-uk-2021-2025/

*Based on in-can VOC content, measured in accordance with ISO 11890-2:2013

**When compared with the previous Diamond Matt formulation

For further information about the Dulux Trade and BRE dementia friendly colour palette, please visit https:// www.duluxtradepaintexpert.co.uk/en/content/occd-hub

To find out more about Dulux Trade Diamond Matt visit www.duluxtrade.co.uk/diamondmatt

For those living with dementia, the design of a space makes a huge difference to their independence and wellbeing. Andrew Cleaver, national sector manager at Dulux, explains how the correct use of colour can achieve this. He also touches on the best paints to ensure redecoration work goes smoothly and disruption is kept to a minimum.

Home recreates a 1950s ship cabin for resident

A MAIDSTONE care home recreated the cabin of the ship a resident sailed around the world on, aged just 23, to marry her future husband.

When Mary Savage, 95, a resident at Care UK’s Invicta Court, shared her story of following her soon-to-be husband around the world when the Navy posted him in Hong Kong, the team knew they had to do something special to bring her memories back to life.

Tasked with recreating the cabin of the ship Mary sailed on, the HMT Empire Trooper, the home’s maintenance manager

Brian Thornton first studied the ship’s design and old photos she had captured, before putting his

engineering expertise to the test.

Built in sections over the course of several months, the ship’s cabin was created using recycled material, including cardboard boxes to old wood saved from a fallen down gazebo in Brian’s garden.

On February 16, 1952 Mary boarded the ship in the Port of Southampton to endure a five-week journey to Kowloon in Hong Kong.

After saying a tearful goodbye to her family in London, Mary boarded the ship with her belongings in a suitcase, which had in it a neatly folded, pale pink, silk wedding dress.

Her final destination was to be the altar, where her future husband, Colin Savage, would be waiting for

her. The couple met while working at a factory in Maidstone.

Quickly realising that factory work was not the career for him, Colin rejoined join the Royal Navy, where he worked as an instructor at HMS Pembroke.

It was during his time here that Colin popped the question, but later had to delay their wedding due to being posted to Hong Kong.

With almost 6,000 miles between the two of them, Mary booked her one-way ticket to be reunited with her love. The ship had been due to sail a day earlier but was delayed due to the funeral of King George VI.

After safely arriving in Hong Kong, the couple married on March 22, 1952

in Kowloon

Mary said: “I didn’t know a soul in the city apart from my soon-to-be husband.”

The couple went on to live in Kowloon, where Mary volunteered at a local school.

To officially unveil the recreation, the team at Invicta Court invited Mary’s family and friends, which included four generations, to hear her story and share her memories.

Mary added: “I was lost for words when I saw the cabin. It looked so realistic that it was like walking back to the past – I couldn’t believe it. I’m so thankful to Brian and for being able to share my memory with my family.”

Life’s sweet at home

AN £18m, luxury care home which features a cinema, café, hair salon and it’s very own ice cream parlour has officially opened in Angmering, West Sussex.

More than 100 guests, including Angmering Parish Council chair Nikki Hamilton-Street, were invited to experience the new, 74 bed, residential, dementia and nursing home.

General manager Ray Arnold said: “I am delighted that Angmering Grange is now officially open. We have 80 dedicated, team members who are passionate about supporting residents to thrive in later life.

“Much thought and consideration has gone into Angmering Grange to help residents live active, independent and fulfilled lives, we have lots of spaces residents and their loved ones can enjoy quality time together and make new memories.

“We cannot wait to see the home come to life as residents move in and we would like to thank the local community for the incredible, warm welcome we have received to date.”

The facility includes 10 luxurious suites, which form part of a unique offering called The Residences, which gives residents access to premium services and amenities, an exclusive bar, fine dining and concierge services.

Other features at the home include a sensory room to support residents living with dementia, an indoor garden room and activity area which will be used for art and bird watching and a sweet treats room designed to be reminiscent of ice cream parlours in the past and to provoke positive memories.

Outside there are landscaped gardens and two large terraces, a summer house, gardening club area with raised planters, a Royal Mail post box and fitness equipment to help residents continue their love of gardening, exercise and the great outdoors.

The event, which was attended by local businesses and care professionals alike, was concluded by speeches and a performance from the Cancer United Choir.

Mayor opens second home for group

MAYOR of Warrington, Councillor

Jean Flaherty, officially opened Grappenhall Manor, the £11million new state-of-the-art care centre in Grappenhall, in one of her last engagements before her term of office ends.

Jean was invited to open Statham Manor in Lymm late last year, New Care’s first care centre in the borough of Warrington, seeing first hand the care facilities that the operator was delivering in the area.

Impressed with the design of the new build home and quality of care, she was delighted to return to meet the new team, enjoy a guided tour of the new Grappenhall facility and cut a red ribbon to declare the home officially open for its first residents.

Jean said: “It was a privilege to be invited to open New Care’s second dedicated care facility in Warrington and hear how these two superb centres that will work together to

The Mayor of Warrington officially opens Grappenhall Manor.

deliver great care for the people in this borough.

“I’m delighted to have been able to open both properties and meet their wonderful teams and first residents during my time in office.”

Grappenhall Manor will provide residential, 24-hour nursing, dementia and respite care for those

in Grappenhall and the surrounding areas. Working closely with the local authority, the new home has been expertly designed by both architect and clinical lead to ensure it delivers care from a new build property that combines style and function to ensure a safe, secure and comfortable home-from-home for residents.

LAMONT

Lamont Johnson ends another very successful week, with the completed sale of Willerfoss House in East Yorkshire on behalf of long time Vendor client Gaynor Saunders.

Willerfoss House has been trading successfully under current ownership since 2007 and had a CQC rating of “Good” in all five categories. The home has been acquired by the North London based Mr Benjamin Nwokobia, who is an existing operator with a home in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

This is the third home sold on behalf of Gaynor in recent months, the others being Trees in Pontefract and Ivanhoe in Hull.

Featuring 70 fully furnished bedrooms, each with a private en suite wet room, plus a selection of communal lounges, reading rooms and dining rooms, spa-assisted bathrooms, a nail bar, hair salon and access to landscaped communal gardens and terraces, Grappenhall Manor provides an environment for its residents who enjoy personcentred individual care, freshly prepared nutritious meals and a daily programme of wellbeing activities.

Positioned on the site of the former Springbrook pub, it is located conveniently for easy access from all areas of Warrington and beyond.

Commissioning director at New Care, Dawn Collett, added: “It has been our pleasure to welcome the Mayor as the guest of honour at both of our openings and we’re thrilled that she was able to open Grappenhall Manor for us before ending her current term.”

The home registered for 53, includes a 35-bed purpose-built unit and is set within 2 acres of landscaped gardens and woodlands within the affluent “Golden triangle” of Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon and Chipping Camden”. Each bedroom benefits from having ceiling track hoists and an ensuite facility. The business has been trading successfully since 2011 under the ownership of the Mehta family and has been acquired

as founders of their own organisation, Holmwood Holdings.

Mayor formally opens group’s latest facility

YEOVIL’S newest care home, Chestnut Lodge, has been formally opened by the Mayor of Yeovil, Councillor Evie Potts-Jones.

The home was purpose-built in 2010 and has been given a comprehensive re-fit by dementia care specialists Camelot Care. It will offer nursing care for up to 24 people living with dementia.

Milestone marked with celebration

THE Orders of St John Care Trust and specialist care home building company Lawrence Baker came together to mark a key construction milestone – known as “topping out” –at the Wellford Gardens development in Wheatley.

OSJCT’s CEO Dan Hayes and chair of trustees Mark Everall marked the construction milestone by placing the final tile on the roof before the internal fit-out commences.

They were joined for the occasion by other key representatives including Councillor Tim Bearder, Oxfordshire County Councillor and Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, and Carl Wilson, contracts manager for Lawrence Baker, whilst also giving thanks to Frontier Estates, the developer of the home, and QP Architecture.

Dan said: “It’s wonderful to see Wellford Gardens coming to life, and what will be a significant asset to the Wheatley community.

“What’s being built here is a care home of the highest quality, that’s fit for the future, and ensures that the latest skills and innovation come together to give our residents everything they deserve, and most importantly, it will be full of the love, compassion and care you would expect from the Orders of St John

Care Trust.”

Located just off the A40 on Park Hill, the project will deliver a threestorey home with 65 bedrooms, offering residents an all-inclusive, luxury lifestyle, and round-the-clock residential and dementia care.

The home design includes innovative new technologies such as acoustic monitoring and a fresh air ventilation system.

Landscaped gardens (including private patios) will enable individuals to maintain an active lifestyle, while a specially designed dementia-friendly garden will provide valuable sensory stimulation.

Facilities will include a private dining room, hair salon and nail bar, therapy room, activities and exercise rooms, and a coffee lounge.

Carl Wilson, contracts manager for Lawrence Baker, added: “It’s been great to be a part of the topping out ceremony with OSJCT.

“As specialists in care home construction, Lawrence Baker has been delighted to bring our experience to this project with the Trust.

“We’re sure Wellford Gardens will be a wonderful addition to the local community in Wheatley.”

The new luxury care home is due to open in late autumn.

Manager Graham Oakes said: “After months of hard work we were delighted to have a suitable event to mark the official opening of Chestnut Lodge, and to welcome some of our neighbouring businesses and local councillors to share the day with us.

“Chestnut Lodge will fill a significant gap in care provision for the people of Yeovil and a small number of residents have already moved in, with a growing number of families also reserving rooms for loved ones.

“We deliberately chose to fill the home slowly so that staff could get to know everybody properly, so it’s good to see the first residents settling in happily.

“Their families have been very supportive and every member of the staff team is totally living up to our

expectations.

“Dementia is a condition that affects so many families and when the decision is taken that residential care is the best way forward for a loved one, families want to know they will be supported to live their best life – which is exactly what we intend to do.”

Chestnut Lodge is set over three floors with residents’ rooms set around a central courtyard garden, with its position at the top of Hendford Hill giving far-reaching views over Yeovil.

Graham originally trained as a nurse at Yeovil Hospital and spent 10 years with the NHS, largely in geriatric care, before changing track to become a care home manager in 1994, motivated by a desire to deliver ongoing care to the vulnerable people he was supporting.

He has since worked in a variety of roles in different parts of the country within both the home care and the care home sector and came to Chestnut Lodge from a care home in Bridport, Dorset, which was rated ‘Outstanding’ by CQC under his management.

A Scottish housing provider has appointed its first chief operating officer to assist with the roll out of its new corporate strategy. With her support and guidance, Debbie Collins will assist Bield Housing and Care to make positive contributions to its people, homes and communities and ultimately achieve its 10-year vision of leading, setting and delivering the global standard for ageing at home. As chief operating officer, Debbie will be responsible for overseeing the finance, IT, governance, business assurance (performance and risk), procurement and strategic projects departments. She will have five team members reporting directly to her. Debbie’s employment history includes a six-year stint as finance director at Blackwood where she also oversaw the IT department and was the executive lead on a major transfer project.

Plans unveiled for home following £10m investment

DUNLUCE Healthcare has unveiled plans for ‘The Peninsula’, a state-ofthe-art £10m nursing home facility in Newtownards.

This latest development by the Bangor-based firm will provide a range of nursing, residential, respite, and convalescent care needs to 80 residents, creating 110 permanent roles – including 16 nursing positions.

Ryan Smith, chief executive of Dunluce Healthcare, said: “Residents and their families are at the heart of everything we do, and providing the highest standard of care to our residents is of paramount importance to us, meaning The Peninsula has been designed with both care and comfort in mind.

“Featuring 80 modern, stylish rooms, as well as spacious communal areas and beautifully landscaped outdoor spaces, The

Peninsula will offer residents a truly luxurious living experience, designed to hotel standards and unlike any other currently available in Northern Ireland.”

The first residents are scheduled to move into the Peninsula at the end of 2023.

In addition to this latest

development, Dunluce Healthcare currently operates residential and nursing care facilities at Oakmont Lodge (Bangor), Hillcrest Care Home (Omagh) and Hillside Residential (Omagh).

Ryan added: “The Peninsula not only represents the next step in our plans for continued growth

and development, but also creates vital employment opportunities to those living in Newtownards and surrounding areas.

“We plan to recruit more than 100 permanent staff members and were pleased to recently appoint Dr Kevin Moore to the position of director of nursing.

“Kevin brings more than 40 years of experience to his position, along with a genuine commitment to delivering top quality care.

“We offer a career with real opportunity for development and training. We provide financial support while staff learn, to help them be the best they can be, and actively encourage ongoing growth and progress.

“We look forward to the completion of The Peninsula and to welcoming both residents and staff members to our new care home facility.”

Chair of trustees Mark Everall, CEO Dan Hayes, councillor Tim Bearder and site manager James Taylor at the topping out ceremony.

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£5m specialist care home opens in Liverpool bringing 100 new jobs

EXEMPLAR Health Care has marked the official opening of Roseside, its new £5m home in Liverpool.

Cutting the ribbon was local comedian and actress Pauline Daniels and former Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Frank Prendergast MBE.

Pauline commented on the shared responsibility of nurturing a society founded upon compassion and dignity.

She also welcomed Exemplar Health Care’s commitment to meeting the specialist care needs of the region, with Roseside being the care provider’s fourth in the region.

Home manager Liz Butterworth said: “I’m delighted to officially open our doors to the people of Liverpool.

“Our aim is to make every day better for our residents by providing person-centred care that focuses on maximising independence, building everyday living skills, and empowering people to live as fulfilled lives as possible.”

“We are proud to have an exceptional team of colleagues who share a deep passion for providing top-notch care and fostering a welcoming and nurturing atmosphere at Roseside.

“Our utmost priority is to collaborate closely with local health

and social care professionals, our valued residents, their families, and the broader community.

“By doing so, we aim to ensure that individuals in our locality receive unparalleled specialist care and have their complex needs met within the comfort of their own community.”

The new home specialises in supporting adults living with complex

mental health needs and neurodisabilities including Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Without Roseside, residents – who have complex and challenging care needs – would otherwise have a prolonged stay in hospital, away from their family and friends.

Following the extensive refurbishment, the home is now split

in to four, eight-bed communities –as small group living provides a more homely, supportive, and responsive care environment – and each of the 32 bedrooms has its own en-suite wet room.

The home also features communal dining and living spaces, an activities hub, sensory bathrooms and a large accessible garden for residents and visitors to enjoy.

The home has created 100 new jobs in the area and, unlike many other homes, will feature a multidisciplinary healthcare team.

The home has already recruited a mix of care, nursing and therapeutic specialists – with recruitment remaining underway for several roles, including an in-home occupational therapist and a physiotherapist.

Through this multi-disciplinary, specialist team, people living at Roseside will be able to access the full range of clinical and holistic care they need.

The new staff team also prides itself on providing person-centred care, empowering residents to maximise their independence, in a way that works for them based on their healthcare needs, providing the support they need to live fulfilling and enjoyable lives.

Building work completed on new Oswestry care home

A KEY milestone has been reached on a new state-of-the-art luxury 80-bedroom care home in Oswestry, Shropshire.

Operator HC-One held a topping out ceremony to mark the completion of the structure of its new care home, which will be named Bluebell View, and is due to open this winter.

“We are delighted to be marking this key stage of the development,”

said HC-One managing director Geoff Edwards.

“We strive to be the first-choice care provider for residents and colleagues in every community we serve.

“As the first HC-One home in the Oswestry area we are very much looking forward to opening the doors of Bluebell View and working with more talented colleagues to provide the kindest possible care to elderly

people in the community in our new welcoming, state-of-the-art home.”

The main contractor responsible for delivery of this project is Greenchurch Developments, who are based in Mansfield, North Nottinghamshire.

HC-One has worked closely with Greenchurch Developments throughout the construction process to ensure delivery of a home which is befitting of HC-One’s standards.

The new purpose-built three-storey home will feature residents’ lounges, relaxing reading rooms and a cosy reception and bar area, along with private gardens with courtyards.

Artist Richard Briggs has also been commissioned to create paintings celebrating local landmarks and culture which will hang within the reception and communal areas to make residents and visitors feel at home.

Plans to expand nursing home to meet demand

WORK to extend a Steeton nursing home has started after planning approval was granted for the first phase of development which will create dozens of new full-time jobs.

Czajka Care Group’s Currergate facility currently has 34 fully occupied rooms, and it will now invest £1.5m in the development and refurbishment of the home.

Rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission, Currergate first opened in 1982 and has been owned and run by the Czajka family for 20 years.

The team of 53 provide day care, respite care, full-time care and endof-life care.

Czajka Care Group’s managing director Konrrd Czajka said:

“The main aim of our exciting development is to increase the capacity of our nursing home and ensure its long-term viability.

“We believe these carefully thought through plans will also improve the appearance of the west wing by replacing the existing pink coloured artificial stone with a more complementary natural stone, amongst several other benefits.

“Our designs are sympathetic to the appearance and special interest of Currergate and have been carefully considered at every stage.

“By removing the inappropriate artificial stone, we will be making the building right again and we are delighted to have started work on the project.

“This development will give our wonderful nursing home a secure and sustainable financial future as part of a significant investment into this historic building that we have owned and loved for 20 years.

“We believe we will create at least 25 full-time jobs and help address the chronic shortage of beds for both

private and local authority funded residents.”

Built originally in 1912, the now listed building was originally built for Norman Dixon Walker and his wife Edith Maude.

He was the wealthy owner of Dixon & Sons; a firm of bobbin manufacturers and timber merchant that was based in Steeton at Bobbin Mill.

The new development will see extensions and alterations to the building’s existing west wing, and the partial demolition and rebuilding of an east extension, to provide additional accommodation and improved facilities for residents.

The design includes a first floor and side extension to the existing single storey west wing, which will be attached to the historic building via a first-floor glazed link.

The existing two-storey extension to the east of the building will be demolished and replaced with a larger three storey extension.

All the rooms will be state-of-the-art and include disabled friendly en-suite bathrooms.

Clinical nurse manager Amy Jones with Frank Prendergast MBE, service user Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Clegg), Pauline Daniels and home manager Liz Butterworth.

The expansion of Currergate is expected to create more than 25 jobs.

McGoff Group completes in Lymm

BUILD complete and now fully operational, the McGoff Group is celebrating the completion of its innovative intergenerational development in Lymm, Cheshire.

The first of its kind in the North West, the £15million development features a state-of-the-art 66-bed care centre, a natural children’s day nursery and 45 individually designed retirement apartments resulting in a new hyperlocal community close to the centre of Lymm village.

Highlighting the new sense of community, residents from Minerva Place retirement apartments and Statham Manor Care Centre joined children from Back to the Garden Childcare, senior representatives from the McGoff Group and members of the McGoff family to celebrate the completion of the two-year project and plant a red robin tree for all to enjoy for years to come.

Designed by the McGoff Group and delivered by principal contractor McGoff Construction in partnership with related Group companies including Panacea Building Systems and McGoff Group Facilities Services, the Lymm development has been an incredible success story.

Chairman at the McGoff Group, Dave McGoff, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to stand here with the new residents of this development and celebrate its completion.

“Lymm has been a special project for us. Not only was it the realisation of a concept that we believe so passionately in, but also because it has brought together so many parts

of our business model. It is incredibly exciting to see it finally come to life and we hope it can set a blueprint for similar schemes in the future.”

Bringing together care for the youngest and oldest members of the community, it is a new concept in multi-generational living that enables young and old to spend time in each other’s company and enjoy proven heath, social and wellbeing benefits; something that is already working well in Lymm where the new community has come together to share stories for World Book Day, plant a communal flower and vegetable garden and celebrate the recent coronation of King Charles III. All aspects of the development are being operated by McGoff Group

companies.

Offering residential, 24-hour nursing, respite and dementia care services, Statham Manor is being operated by the Group’s provider New Care, while the nursery is being operated by Back to the Garden Childcare, the Group’s natural childled nursery concept focussing on active learning and outdoor play in a garden setting.

The Group’s residential brand Villafont is running the apartments under its sub-brand Villafont Concierge, which offers an enhanced lifestyle package for those looking for a luxury property with the option to ask for elements of domestic support as and when to enable continued independent living.

Camelot Care has appointed James Marchant as the group’s new operations manager, overseeing quality and service delivery at four homes in Somerset and Devon. James, who has worked in the care sector for 32 years, comes to Camelot Care from Care South, where he was regional operations manager. Before this he worked for six-and-a-half years as quality director and area director with HC-One. He has also been quality consultant and regional support manager for Bupa Care Homes and operations manager with Voyage, as well as spending time as a registered manager for both organisations.

James said: “I admire Camelot Care’s approach to dementia care and the way they always put their residents first. The fact they have many longserving team members among their staff, in an industry where turnover is notoriously high, says much about the way they work.”

Renting Miele laundry machines can raise efficiency and sustainability

ENVIRONMENTAL consciousness has become a global imperative and it is essential for every industry to prioritise sustainable practices.

When looking at your organisation’s sustainability commitments, a key area to address is your laundry operation.

Choosing the right laundry solution can enable benefits to both the environment and the bottom line.

Laundry operations within care homes involve high volumes of linen, towels, and clothing, resulting in substantial consumption.

Domestic washing machines lack the efficiency and capacity necessary to handle the large-scale laundry, hygiene and water board compliance demands of a care home.

Outdated, inefficient machines can also contribute to excessive resource usage and emissions.

However, the latest Miele commercial laundry appliances can help care homes reduce their environmental impact, offering several significant advantages including enhanced efficiency and increased load capacity.

By leveraging Miele’s cuttingedge technology, care facilities can transform their laundry operations and benefit from a host of advantages. As well as delivering a hygienic clean, Miele laundry machines are

designed to minimise consumption by incorporating features such as intelligent sensors, efficient wash programmes, and optimised water usage. Their heat pump dryers can realise savings of an astounding 65 per cent when compared to standard condenser dryers.

By renting laundry equipment from Forbes Professional, care homes avoid upfront capital outlay and can lower their environmental footprint whilst significantly raising efficiency and minimising operational costs.

As a business, our commitments to ESG are deeply enshrined within our company ethos and we are exceptionally proud to have just won IER’s Best Independent Retailer –Based on Sustainability Award.

Regeneration is at the very core of our operation and we help clients to support the circular economy and reduce waste.

We choose our manufacturers carefully to ensure that they share our vision, and our consultants work closely with clients to ensure that they make the right product choices, always looking to optimise efficiency and reduce consumption.

Call us on 0345 070 2335, email info@forbes-professional.co.uk or visit www.forbespro.co.uk

Fusion achieves NHS assured accredited supplier status

THE assured supplier list has been established by the NHS Transformation Directorate in collaboration with care providers and digital social care record suppliers. This list comprises software vendors who have successfully met stringent selection criteria, ensuring their ability to fulfil national specifications, exhibit essential capabilities, and maintain financial stability. You can now apply for a grant from

your local ICS that could pay for your digital care records for an entire year. There is no better time to go digital.

The NHS Transformation Directorate is aiming for 80 per cent of all care settings in England to have a digital social care record by March 2024.

As such the government has created the Adult Social Care Transformation Fund, freeing up capital to fund care homes digitisation journey.

This funding is only available to NHS Assured Suppliers. Look no further than Fusion for care management software. Simplify your care planning with our accessible all in one platform. With just a few touches you will instantly see how many of your care plans are up to date. Create personalised, professional assessments and care plans which will improve compliance while

also providing real time alerts and reporting to meet individual needs. At Fusion we are proud to offer a unique solution designed to streamline the management of daily tasks and provide peace of mind to both staff and residents.

For more information on how to apply for funding or to book a demo contact Fusion today.

info@fusionecs.co.uk

Responding to DSPT compliance and local authority tenders

IN RECENT months we have seen the depth of questions and requirement for evidence increasing around DSPT (Data Security and Protection Tool Kit) reports and Local Authority tenders.

In most cases we see the care sector turn to their IT providers to complete these documents.

To respond to and evidence those IT questions you will need to be working with an IT partner who is embedded in the social care sector, truly understands your organisation and has the tools in place to evidence the answers.

There are four key areas to consider to accurately respond to these questions: Your IT environment has probably

evolved but you must understand how its put together.

You don’t need to understand the technicalities but its critical that you know what you have, where are the gaps and have a strategy / roadmap to evidence how and when you will address those gaps.

You must understand the thirdparty IT services you subscribe to and evidence their processes and service level agreements. A simple example, how do you know your data backup process is backing up what you think?

You should be involved in agreeing your security policies, your business is unique and has individual needs which need consideration.

For example, blocking Facebook is common but Marketing and HR

rely on it. Wherever possible you must proactively monitor your IT environment.

You need to understand and respond to changes, alerts and breaches before they happen otherwise all the work from points one, two and three will be out of date within hours.

Workplace IT is embedded in the social care sector. We understand how the sector works and have in place proven IT Services, Tools, processes to monitor and manage your IT to accurately respond and evidence DSPT and Local Authority questions.