Caring UK January 2018

no.255 • £4.75 incorporating

January 2018

The Number One magazine for the care sector

Inaugural ceremony is a huge success

New boss set to fight for a fairer funding

By Dominic Musgrave THE new boss of the body that represents care homes and homecare providers in Wales has pledged to fight for a fair funding.

According to Mary Wimbury, the new chief executive of Care Forum Wales, which champions the interests of over 450 members, there’s never been a better time for care providers to speak with one voice to ensure the people of Wales can get the care they need.

She said: “Care Forum Wales is strongly making the case that social care is chronically underfunded and desperately needs extra money putting into it.

“The sector is struggling to provide the care that is needed with care homes closing and local authorities are trying to get people to deliver home care packages which they are just unable to do.

“People are now living longer demand for social care is increasing all the time and the needs of those going into care are becoming greater.

“We all want to see care sector staff being properly rewarded but the increases we’ve seen in the minimum wage over the past few years haven’t been reflected in the fees paid by local authorities and health boards to the providers of care homes and domiciliary care.”

Care Forum Wales works closely with the Welsh Government, commissioners and regulators to shape policies that focus on making sure people receive the highest quality care.

It also works to raise the profile of the social care workforce and every year organises the prestigious Wales Care Awards, a celebration of the hard work and dedication of the social care workforce.

The influential not-for-profit organisation also runs training events, professional groups and conferences to promote best practice and share knowledge amongst its members.

Taking the helm as its first ever chief executive is 48-year-old Mary,who steps into the top job after six years as the forum’s senior policy advisor.

“We already have Social Services and Wellbeing Act, which came into force last year and refocuses the way we deliver care in Wales.

“We also have Regulation and Inspection Act with regulations due to take effect from next April requiring every care home and domiciliary care agency in Wales to re-register with the Care and Social Services Inspectorate.

“Following on from that we will see all care workers required to be individually registered over the next four years.”

Theresa May took time out of her busy schedule to help one of her constituents to celebrate a very special birthday. Irene Thompson, a resident at Clara Court care home celebrated her 109th birthday and, as well as spending time with her family and friends, she was joined by special guests, Theresa and Philip May. The Prime Minister and her husband visited the home, where they spent time chatting with Irene and her family, before joining the rest of the residents and the Care UK team in celebrating Irene’s landmark birthday. To mark the occasion, the home team held a special party, where Irene and the Prime Minister were the guests of honour, and there were plenty of treats and musical entertainment for everyone to enjoy.

THE inaugural Caring UK Awards ceremony at the National Railway Museum in York was a huge success.

The awards, organised by Script Events in partnership with Caring UK and headline sponsor Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank PLC, celebrated the success of winners in over 15 categories.

The evening was hosted by health and well-being expert and a star of the Apprentice Katie Bulmer-Cooke, and was attended by over 400 guests from all corners of the fitness industry.

Katie said: “‘It was a pleasure to host the Caring UK Awards, and see so many people be recognised for the exceptional work they do in the care sector. The venue was breath taking and there was a true sense of celebration in the room, all in all, it was an exceptional event for exceptional people.’

Event director Judith Halkerston added: “All our winners have had an arduous journey to this point – the standard of entries was very strong and every facility that walked away with an award should be extremely proud. Our awards’ night was an amazing celebration of the care industry as a whole – being in December many of the shortlisted homes used the occasion as their Christmas party and it was lovely to see everyone having such a great time.”

Full round-up starts on page 25.

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CARINGNEWS

Home gets its own hair salon and diner thanks to donation

By Olivia Taylor

RESIDENTS at a Dundee care home will be able to enjoy American-style dining and get their hair cut in style, thanks to a generous donation from a former resident’s fundraiser.

The memorial for 101-year-old Jerry Morrison raised £500 for the Bupa Balcarres Care Home following his death in September.

Now staff have spent the money transforming the residents’ lounge, with Jerry’s personality in mind.

Inspired by his love for dining out, the lounge now features a new jukebox with vinyl records on the wall to create an authentic American diner feel.

Elsewhere a new salon chair and mirrors have been installed in a new hair and nail salon, to keep residents looking and feeling their best.

Jerry’s daughter, Doreen Hainey, 56, said: “I’ve come over from France to see the terrific new space.

“My dad would really love it. I can’t speak highly enough of the care home, they were superb with my dad and I knew how much he loved it.

“They couldn’t have used the money in a better way and it’ll be fantastic to see and hear about it being used by the

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Editorial

The new lounge at Bupa Balcarres Care Home. people currently living there.”

Jerry was born and raised in Dundee and enjoyed his time at the Bupa Balcarres Care Home. He was well loved by colleagues at the home, who recall how his razor-sharp humour kept them on their toes.

Lynn McLean, home manager of the Bupa Balcarres Care Home, said: “The residents’ lounge is at the heart of the home and we’ve used Jerry’s donation to create a fantastic space that can be

enjoyed by everyone.

“Jerry was a real character. His quick wit meant he had a great rapport with the team, which is still missed by us all.

“He loved eating out and liked to get his hair done, so it’s a really fitting way to pay tribute to him. There’s new seating, a big counter and a jukebox as well as a salon chair and mirrors which look great.

“We’re going to have a different theme each week with different types of food or movies, so it should be really great fun.”

At Script Media, we try to get things right but occasionally, we make mistakes. If you have a complaint about a story featured in our magazine or on our website, please, in the first instance, contact us by email: dm@scriptmedia.co.uk We abide by the Editors’ Code of Practice as demanded by the Independent Press Standards Organisation. For details on the code and what to do should you be unsatisfied with the way we handle your complaint, please visit www.ipso.co.uk

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4

CARINGNEWS

First residents move into luxury £3m care complex

Housekeeper Carol Driver with resident Jean Arthrill.

Residents enjoy tea party RESIDENTS at Drewery Drive, the Abbeyfield Kent Society’s supported home in Wigmore, enjoyed a vintage afternoon tea party.

Instead of their usual Friday fish and chips, they were treated to a special afternoon courtesy of housekeeper Carol Driver and Julie Berry, the niece of a new resident at the home.

With the prettiest tablecloths in use and finest china laid out on the table, residents gathered together in the dining room, ready for their special afternoon tea.

Residents did not miss their

traditional chippy tea at all, as they were treated to finger sandwiches, followed by cheese and fruit scones and an array of delicious cakes, all washed down with several cups of tea.

Carol said: “Since joining the Society, I’ve made an effort to brighten up the home and make things a bit more interesting.

“We’ve introduced some lovely new meals with a lot of variety and new activities too. The residents really enjoyed the tea party, so we’re hoping to make it a monthly activity.”

THE first residents have moved into a pioneering £3million luxury care complex that’s creating 30 new jobs in Gwynedd.

According to care organisation Pendine Park there has been a “phenomenal amount of interest” in the 16 companion living apartments in Caernarfon, which are aimed at people from North West Wales.

The Parc Bryn Seiont scheme is the first of its kind in the UK and is designed primarily to allow couples to stay together when one or both of them needs social care support, as well as for individuals looking for a luxury apartment with care.

It is next door to the bilingual Bryn Seiont Newydd dementia centre of excellence, and the people living in the colour coordinated apartments have access to the medical care and support provided by the staff on site.

Once all the apartments are occupied, it will take the total number of people employed on the site to 140 and Pendine Park’s investment there to £10million.

Proprietor Mario Kreft MBE said: “Parc Bryn Seiont is a totally new concept in social care that’s aimed both at keeping couples together or reuniting them if their health needs have meant them being split up.

“They could be married couples or equally they could be sisters or brothers or even close friends.

“The residents can choose

The first residents at the Parc Bryn Seiont scheme in Caernarfon. between stylish one or two bedroom apartments with a private kitchen, dining area and lounge with luxury, en-suite bedrooms.

“It means they can enjoy the best of both worlds, their own apartment with the advantage of 24-hour care and neighbourly living, whether entertaining family or friends, or socialising in the communal lounges and safe outdoor spaces.”

6

CARINGNEWS

Staffordshire care village appoints Experience and Heritage Coordinator Ty Dinas manager Alan Trask, resident Christopher Slack, operations manager Heidi Davies and deputy manager Dora Chiorean.

Care home is renamed A CARDIFF care home sought the help of residents and staff to choose a new name better reflecting its place in the community.

Burges House held a competition with staff, residents, and their families last Christmas to choose a new name that would better represent the Welsh care home.

Out of the many entries submitted, the management team at Larchwood Care narrowed the selection down to a three-name shortlist, and picked Ty Dinas, a suggestion by one of its staff members, as the top choice.

Christopher Slack, who has lived at the home for 20 years, oversaw the renaming ceremony, unveiling a plaque to an audience of residents, family members and representatives from stakeholders.

His parents were present for the

proceedings.

Alan Trask, home manager at Ty Dinas, said: “The renaming of our care home marks a new stage in its history. It was important to us that we chose a new name through the people linked to it, to demonstrate its place in the community.

“Ty Dinas is proud to care for residents of three generations, with our youngest resident being 57 and our oldest 104, we are a real community. We wanted Christopher to carry out the renaming ceremony as he is the resident who been with us the longest, and he knows the home better than anyone. We felt that was more in keeping with the spirit of the home than bringing in a guest speaker from outside.”

Ty Dinas is managed by Healthcare Management Solutions.

BELONG Newcastle-under-Lyme has appointed Daniel Turner as Experience Day and Heritage Gallery Coordinator at the stateof-the-art care village, currently under construction in the centre of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire.

Daniel will lead the village’s programme of activities, both for residents and members of the wider community, including customers visiting the village on Experience Days – a specialist day care service.

He will also run the events programme providing opportunities for people to engage with local heritage in The Belong Heritage Gallery, which will include Sammy Bell’s Tea Room, a recreation of the Old Pomona Inn and reminiscence lounge.

Daniel has10 years’ experience as a team leader in the care sector and a long-standing interest in history, particularly the heritage of Staffordshire.

He will use his connections with local museums and galleries to develop heritage-based activities and events at The Belong Heritage Gallery.

This is being created as part of the multi-million-pound care village development by Belong, supported by

Daniel Turner

the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The North West care village operator is transforming Newcastle’s oldest building, formerly Maxims nightclub, into a centre for worldleading dementia care and a gallery documenting local heritage and the history of the building. It will also be the hub for Belong’s Experience Day service.

Alison Peake, general manager for Belong Newcastle, said: “Daniel’s enthusiasm and passion for local history is already proving a real asset in our planning of the Heritage Gallery and this, combined with his skills in the care sector, make him as great addition to the team. We are delighted to have him on board.”

Belong Newcastle-under-Lyme is due to open in the spring.

8

CARINGNEWS

‘Moving In’ project launched in Gateshead home

By Olivia Taylor

A PROJECT which sees artists move into care homes to live, eat and sleep as well as make art with older people has been launched for first time in the UK. In August, artists Claire Ford and Kate Sweeney began the first phase of their ‘Moving In’ residency project.

For five weeks they moved their respective studios and created a new working and living space at Northbourne Residential Care Home in Gateshead.

The aims of the project have been to create a precedent for artists working more immersively in care settings with older people, and explore new approaches to making art in order to shift society’s perception of living in care homes.

The residency has allowed them to really get to know the rhythms of Northbourne, without being restricted to any time-based

limitations, and they have been able to work, day or night.

Kate, based in Gateshead, said of their approach to the residency: “Being a resident in a care home has deepened my understanding of this environment and made me re-evaluate the role of the arts in care settings.

“I have greater empathy for the needs and issues that the residents and care staff deal with every day and have tried to develop methods of making work that include and reflect all the people who live and work at Northbourne.”

An example of the kinds of close relationships and spontaneous artpieces that can be created when artists work immersively with older people is the film, ‘Joan Skypewalker’ Joan, they discovered, was evacuated to a farm that is co-incidentally next to where Claire now lives. They took Joan on a Skype walk back to the farm and met the

grandson of the woman who housed her during WWII in 1939.

Joan, who lived in Low Fell for many years before moving in to Northbourne, said: “We’ve never done anything like that here before – I never would’ve expected it in a million years. It was marvellous.”

The staff at Northbourne have also been involved in this, developing conversation about what it could be like to live with artists in care homes.

Staff member Yvonne Higgins said: “When I am old I want my kids to live their own lives, but you don’t want to be just sat in a chair staring at the wall all day.

“I’d love to be doing art and being on a laptop like this – it’s interesting.

It feels like you’re bringing the care home into the 21st Century.”

Activity co-ordinator Amy Rushworth and manager Alison Fryer are keen to continue working with Kate and Claire on this flagship project and to see the results of

residency flourish as the artists continue to work with staff and residents for an exhibition that will be held at Northbourne.

Amy added: “Meaningful activities in care home settings are essential.

It is important for an individual to continue with their hobbies and interests when they come in to the care setting, as well as also trying some new experiences.

“We were overjoyed that Anchor’s Legacy Fund, alongside the Arts Council and Equal Arts, have been able to fund and support this project.”

“Claire and Kate have brought new experiences for our residents to try out – yarn bombing and handcasting to name just a few.

“Their energy has been infectious.

Activities within Northbourne are both planned and spontaneous and are meaningful to our residents, promoting both their health and mental wellbeing.”

CARINGNEWS

Families come together to remember loved ones A SPECIAL service has been held at a Plymouth nursing home for people who have lost a family member over the past year.

The ‘remembrance’ evening was organised by staff at Freshfields in St Budeaux, which cares for up to 36 residents with dementia.

The event included the release of balloons individually dedicated to the departed and a reading and prayers led by lay-preacher Joanna Bounds.

“We hold this event every November in memory of residents who have passed away over the past year,” said Su Fuller, manager of the Camelot Care run home.

“Some people may not have been

back here since their family member died because they still feel too raw, and it helps gives them closure.

“Often the relatives will have become quite attached to the staff over the time their loved ones were with us.

“The reality of watching someone you care about who may no longer recognise you can be enormously difficult for people.

“Part of our job is supporting them and keeping them up to date with how they are getting on.”

Staff laid on refreshments and the balloons, tied with small gift cards, were released into Plymouth’s night sky.

11

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13

CARINGNEWS Advertiser’s announcement

Stand out from the crowd to succeed

LOUISE Ellis-Copley, director of Complete Care Agency Ltd, founded the company 10 years ago as a home care business.

Louise identified that for the business to succeed it needed to stand out from the crowd.

Having a nursing background, Louise identified the need for a more specialist service and developed a nurse led business delivering highly complex care for children and adults, working at a national and local level with councils and the National Health Service to deliver this service.

“Running a successful business requires the ability to see in advance where your sector is going.

Anticipation, planning and execution of the plan is crucial.

“You need a solid understanding of the market and the regulatory needs for you to meet standards.”

“The niche requirements we fulfil are a crucial support for the National Health Service and local councils.

“In order to sustain the need, it is crucial that those providing this specialist care do so with the utmost respect for the patients and their families. Our key to success is that we making sure our in-house highly trained staff provide care that is above and beyond the competition.”

“I have very high standards that I expect with regards to the way the business is run, the staff we employ

Care home gives back to community’s homeless Louise Ellis-Copley and the delivery of training and ongoing support to our staff.”

“Success is not easy in this sector and there are many financial pressures and it can seem necessary to cut corners at times.

“To be successful you need the right people.”

“You cannot change people’s basic characteristics, so if they don’t have the right values do not hire them.

Value your team, your patients and take pride in being the ones that do it right. Grow steadily, maintain your values and you will succeed.”

RESIDENTS and staff at an HC-One owned care home in Cardiff are helping the homeless as part of a new Gift Giving Project launched by the provider.

Quarry Hall Care Home in St Mellons set up the initiative as a result of sharing personal gift giving experiences and brainstorming during one of their regular staff meetings.

Residents, families, staff and members of the community were fully involved in the project, helping to choose and buy essential items such as toiletries, books, food and clothing.

Irene Anderson, HC-One wellbeing coordinator at the home, donated £60 to purchase chocolates, carrier bags and essential toiletries.

Angie Evans, the hairdresser at Quarry Hall, donated toiletries and

scarves, while wellbeing coordinator Cher Humphreys donated clothes.

After receiving the donations, staff and their families walked the streets of Cardiff to hand deliver the gift bags to homeless people across the city.

Sadie Hunt, manager at Quarry Hall, said: “Our care home is very community focused and we all believe in the ethos of giving back to people less fortunate than ourselves.

“Both our staff and residents are very proud to know that they are helping out, if only in a small way, and we will continue to use our resources in the near future to offer help to other disadvantaged people in society.”

The HC-One care home plans to donate to the homeless every month and have already set up their appeal for items to send out Christmas shoe boxes.

17

CARINGNEWS

Ready, steady, go for staff TWO staff members at a West Lothian HC-One care home got on their jogging bottoms and running shoes to participate in the Linlithgow 10k Fun Run recently.

Linlithgow Care Home’s health and well-being facilitator Billie-Jane Skene and care worker Danni McNamara jogged from the town’s high street through to Linlithgow Palace Peel, raising a total of £750 for the residents’ fund pot.

Manager Margaret Davidson said: “We run a varied activities schedule in order to get our residents up and interacting with each other and members of the community.

“We are extremely proud of the achievements of Billie and Danni and the contribution they have made.

Our residents are already looking forward to day trips out and fun social activities with the money raised.”

The home also organised an afternoon tea to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, with family, friends and staff all cooking up an abundance of cakes to sell during the day, raising £250 in total.

IP65 rated toilet alarm kit announced

BALDWIN Boxall has announced the availability of IP65 rated toilet alarm products.

Fully tested and certified, users can connect the units to the manufacturer’s four-way toilet alarm panel or one of their EVC systems – Omnicare or Care2.

There are four products in the range: a ceiling pull cord, reset button, call button and call & reset point.

The units, available separately, are designed so that they can be combined with the UK manufacturer’s standard toilet alarm products.

This makes it possible for installers to fit the IP65 rated items where required, such as the pull cord and reset button in a shower with a standard overdoor light outside the room.

The new products are the first of their kind to market and provide a long-awaited solution.

Users of standard toilet alarm kits have historically faced the problems of failed units

in humid areas with frequent replacements or inoperative systems.

These new products will be welcomed as they will provide a long term solution – saving valuable time and money.

Enquiries: Visit www.baldwinboxall.co.uk

Does ‘manual handling’ fill you with dread?

THE Manual Handling Operations Regulations are part of health and safety law and not as fearful or prescriptive as many imagine.

They require employers to avoid, if possible, the need for their workers to carry out hazardous manual handling, and if not possible, to reduce the risk as far as reasonably practicable.

The MHOR does not endorse a ‘no lifting policy’ and there are no safe limits for lifting weight in law: two facts that will come as a surprise to some.

Employers are however required to ensure their employees are kept reasonably safe whilst at work.

Welfare and human rights law requires organisations to consider the rights, needs and wishes of individuals, and this will apply to both residents and employees.

Confused? Well, simply put, lifting should be avoided if possible, especially of excessive loads and if repeated frequently.

Risks of lifting depend not only on the weight of the load but whether for example you have good handholds and whether the weight is evenly distributed or not.

To a great extent, lifting is eliminated by the use of hoists but there are circumstances where use of a hoist is impractical or inappropriate and alternatives must be considered.

For staff to directly hold an individual to move is totally unacceptable; such techniques can

cause bruising or skin shearing of the resident or even dislocations and fractures and increase the risk of injury to staff.

This is where the ProMove sling can help. The sling provides a more comfortable and dignified support for the resident without pressure points.

It presents the resident as a balanced load with strategically placed handles for a team of four to lift and move in the safest way possible.

The unique design of the ProMove sling means it is simple and quick to use. The ProMove sling can be easily placed beneath an individual and provides good support, forming a bucket shaped seat, giving a sense of security for moving and transferring.

All of the products are made in the UK and the manufacturing process conforms to ISO9001 and ISO13485 standards, the products are CE compliant and meet manual handling operations regulations.

All sling models provide a safer, more comfortable and more dignified means of transferring and re-positioning an individual.

Avalon resident June Jones with magician Mr B Bunny and Snowy the rabbit.

Home’s magical afternoon THERE was magic in the air at a Bridgwater dementia care home when comical conjurer Mr B Bunny shared his critically-acclaimed brand of entertainment with the residents.

Mr B, aka Brian Banwell, is a member of the prestigious Magic Circle and, together with his wife Giovanna, has been entertaining audiences for more than 25 years.

Around 30 residents at Avalon Nursing Home, which is run by Camelot Care, were treated to two hours of magic, comedy, games and songs.

Audience participation plays a big part in Mr B’s shows, and several residents – as well as care home staff – were called upon to assist with some of the magic tricks, while

everyone was invited to sing along with the musical numbers.

Avalon’s activities co-ordinator, Lisa Priddice, said: “Everyone really enjoyed themselves at the show; it really was a magical afternoon.

“The residents really liked it when Mr B pulled a real rabbit out of a hat, and Snowy the rabbit was shown around to them afterwards, and they were able to stroke him.

“A lot of the residents really enjoyed the music, and were singing and clapping, and they also enjoyed it when Mr B made some balloon animals.”

Staff at Avalon like to organise a range of different entertainments for residents to joy, ranging from visits by exotic animals to art classes.

18

CARINGSAFETY

Fire safety is a major concern for care home operators and recently many are choosing to review their fire risk assessments and address any concerns that residents may have. Here, Richard Sutton, general manager at Horbury Property Services, looks at fire risk assessments and why it is so important that fire compartmentation is properly inspected.

Caring about fire safety MORE than 17,000 care homes, private hospitals and hospices to carry out checks on the fire safety of their buildings.

A number of buildings were found to have serious breaches, while some had failings in basic fire standards and others were warned that a failure to properly compartmentalise areas was putting patients at intolerable risk if fire broke out (source: Health Service Journal).

Like hospitals, care homes are occupied by vulnerable and immobile people and the fire strategy for the building therefore needs to be given careful consideration.

Thirty minutes’ fire protection, for example, which may be enough in some other buildings may not offer sufficient time for occupants to be evacuated in a care home.

should contain any remedial work that has been identified within the risk assessment and a timetable for rectifying it. It should identify any fire hazards, reduce the risks of hazards causing harm and thirdly the building owners/managers need to decide what physical fire precautions and management arrangements are necessary to ensure fire safety.

The fire risk assessment will take consideration of people who are unable to leave the premises quickly, residents or visitors who are elderly or with disabilities, also parents with children and people who may panic in the event of a fire. Specific arrangements need to be made for individual needs relevant to each person and these arrangements should be recorded in the individual’s care plan.

Regulatory Reform Order Care home operators are required to comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which requires that a duty holder (a competent person within the organisation or external specialist) needs to be appointed to carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment on all sleeping accommodation in England and Wales.

The fire risk assessment should be detailed and rigorous, covering many aspects, one of which is ensuring the integrity of fire compartmentation, including fire doors.

Guidance on carrying out fire risk assessments in a care home identifies a number of key areas: firstly that the building fabric needs to be considered in terms of its fire safety, this includes effectiveness of fire doors and fire compartmentation and any breaches to this; secondly fire risk assessments should identify any hazards that may cause a fire and thirdly, the needs of those being cared for and employees should be carefully considered.

Fire risk assessments should be carried out regularly and form part of a fire action plan. This plan

Fire compartmentation inspection Buildings 10 years old or less will have been built in accordance with Building Regulations Approved Document B, which requires that the building be sub-divided into a number of discreet compartments or cells.

Within each cell, the dividing walls are filled with specialist materials that prevent the passage of fire from one cell to another for a given period of time.

Compartmentation aims to contain fires, based on the premise that large fires are more dangerous to occupants, fire and rescue services and people located nearby. It has also been found to limit damage to a building and its contents.

One of the main benefits of compartmentation is that it protects ‘means of escape’ routes from a building. This feature is particularly important where there is minimal fire separation, other than the means of escape, for example, a small care home served by a single flight of stairs. In this case, the floor area may be open plan, with no partitions, however, the stairs should be enclosed by fire walls (and fire doors) to ensure a fire within any part of the

accommodation cannot pass through to the stairway. Spaces that connect fire compartments, such as stairways and service shafts, are described as ‘protected shafts’. These play an important role in restricting fire spread between the compartments.

For care home operators, it is equally important to ensure that fires do not start in the common parts or communal facilities, as in individual resident’s rooms.

Escape routes should be designed to ensure that any person faced with fire anywhere in the building should be able to turn away from it and escape to a place of reasonable safety. From there they will be able to go and be taken directly to a place of total safety away from the building.

Escape routes need to be protected and it may be necessary to protect these routes by upgrading the construction of floors, ceiling linings and walls to be fire resisting, avoiding having combustible walls and ceilings lining your escape route.

Larger buildings, such as hospitals, have greater reliance on fire compartmentation. Most large buildings are divided into ‘compartments’ which can withstand a fire for a specific amount of time, either inside the compartment or externally.

This fire protective barrier gives a chance for occupants to be evacuated and for emergency services to arrive and extinguish the fire, or for the fire to extinguish on its own.

Fire risk assessments should be carried out by a competent person within the building, but the issue in the majority of cases is that this does not extend to inspecting the integrity of the fire compartmentation.

Breaches Assessing the integrity of a fire compartment is a vitally important part of any fire risk assessment. This includes checking whether there are any holes in the walls, floors or ceilings.

These could have been caused by accidental damage, but equally likely is the fact they could be as a result of service works, such as IT, telephone or television systems being upgraded.

This could compromise the integrity of the fire compartmentation, so it is essential it is assessed regularly.

Assessing the risks There are very serious considerations for care home managers that do not undertake adequate fire risk assessments as it could compromise the safety of the whole building.

Fire risk assessments should include a review of a building’s fire compartmentation by a competent person or external fire inspection company, thus minimising the risks to occupants and a building. When fire compartmentation is regularly inspected and well maintained, there is no better form of fire protection.

Stay put policy In many care homes and other multioccupancy buildings, the Stay put policy is in place, as these buildings are designed to retain a fire within a compartment.

The greatest risk of death is, obviously, to those in the room in which the fire starts. In a care home environment there is a very clear need for a person-centred approach, which is tailor made for each resident who is vulnerable. The most significant influences on fire risk in care homes and sheltered housing are advanced age, disability, dementia and mental health problems.

Research shows that in general, compartmentation and fire protection of escape routes are successful in containing fire. In the last 20 years there have been very few cases where residents of a care home have died as a result of a fire in another person’s room. In response to this, many care homes operators are looking into increasing fire detection methods and adding sprinklers within a building in order to keep fire risk to a minimum.

However, it is just as important to prevent fires breaking out in the first place as to provide measures to protect people should a fire occur.

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22

CARINGNEWS Advertiser’s announcement

Accessible hotels in two great locations SAFEHANDS Holiday portfolio started in 2011 with the purchase of the New Mayfair Hotel on Blackpool’s New South Promenade.

In February 2015 Safehands expanded its holiday portfolio with the opening of The Esplanade Hotel in Llandudno, North Wales.

Both Hotels are registered to provide a unique holiday experience with a specialist in house care team capable of offering a complete package of care, ranging from personal care through to social and leisure support.

Both Hotels occupy enviable positions with panoramic sea views of the great British coast line.

Both hotels have undergone a complete renovation and refurbishment programme costing over £7m, to accommodate various groups of people with accessible accommodation you can rely on.

Accessible bedrooms All bedrooms are appointed to a very high standard, most have sea views and are beautifully decorated.

All bedrooms are equipped with large specially designed shower rooms complete with grab rails and shower chairs, most of which have an electric profile bed with built in sides.

We have a selection of rooms with overhead tracking facilities, all rooms have accessible wardrobes, digital television and a hospitality tray.

For extra reassurance all hotel rooms are fitted with an emergency call system linking rooms to reception and care staff.

Quality dining We have our own in-house chef’s with over 20 years’ experience in cooking traditional and authentic cuisine.

Using local suppliers to provide us with fresh produce, you can be assured of good quality home cooked meals throughout your stay.

Accessible care packages For guests travelling without their usual carers who want a holiday care package or those travelling with their own carers who may want to give their carers a break whilst away on holiday, Safehands is able to offer a variety of care solutions.

Choose from a range of services from half hourly through to 24-hour packages.

All carers are fully trained to CQC and CSSIW standards, care is provided by our in-house team of carers.

We are able to provide personal care along with social and leisure outings.

Our care staff have a wealth of experience working with people with varying disabilities, underlining our commitment to valuing people as individuals.

Ensuring our approach to care is delivered in a dignified way.

We still offer waitress service so guests and carers can relax and enjoy a hearty English breakfast, traditional Sunday roast not to mention our famous freshly battered fish and chips, along with a selection of our homemade vegetarian options.

Wheat-free, dairy free and other dietary requirements are available, including a variety of delicious children’s meals.

Fantastic entertainment We put a lot of time and energy into our fabulous live entertainment packages that feature every night from 8.15pm, along with bingo and raffles to keep everyone entertained.

Throughout the year, the hotels will host a range of top stars from the nation’s favourite soaps, including Coronation Street and Emmerdale, along with our fantastic star tribute acts, so look out for our specially themed weekends, you won’t be disappointed.

Specialist equipment To make your holiday as easy as possible, we will endeavour to supply, free of charge, specialised equipment you may require during your stay with us.

All we ask is that you notify us when making your booking.

Fully accessible travel solutions Pick-up and return transport is available from £25 per person.

Call our sales team for a competitive quote.

Travel in style on our fully accessible minibuses, which can pick you up from your door at the start of your holiday and return you at the end.

With Safehands’ fully accessible transport service you can be sure of a relaxing start to your holiday experience. n For more information visit www. safehandsholidays.co.uk or call our reservations team on 0333 999 8888.

24

CARINGNEWS

Ready, shed...y, go

By Dominic Musgrave

St John’s Care Home in Spalding recently held its own Memory Walk in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society. The walk by St John’s care home staff, residents and friends raised £720 for the charity. At the end of the walk everyone enjoyed cakes and biscuits.

RESIDENTS at Middleton Oaks, the new £1.5million small group living centre opened this year at Middleton Hall Retirement Village, had something else to smile about.

The large ‘shed’ will have three distinct areas; a potting shed, a workshop and an area for chicken nesting boxes.

It is just a small part of the extensive outdoor plan for Middleton Oaks that includes a winter garden, an allotment, a sensory garden, a patio area, a chicken coop, an astro turf all-weather sports area, an orchard, a butterfly garden, a wildflower area, a bird watching viewing area and willow woodland area.

In spring, residents will take a trip to choose some chickens to complete the Middleton Oaks ‘family’.

After opening its doors in May, 16 residents now call Middleton Oaks home.

They live in two eight-bed households named Acorn and Catkin House. Middleton Oaks is based on a Dutch model of care, focusing on small group living within a family home environment.

This model of care is particularly suitable for those who live with dementia.

The estates plan has been jointly developed with staff, residents and families to ensure that the grounds provide maximum enjoyment for all who live there.

The shed was an original idea born from discussions of what some of our

Middleton Oaks resident Richard Drysdale with the shed. male residents enjoyed doing in their own homes: pottering around in the shed, creating at a work bench and working in an allotment.

Sheenagh Young, manager of Middleton Oaks, said “The Middleton Shed will be very popular with many of our residents who love to garden and who enjoy tinkering around in a workshop. It opens up many possibilities for activities.”

Middleton Hall was shortlisted in three categories at the inaugural Caring UK Awards including Best Retirement Village and Best Outdoor Environment.

CARING UK AWARD WINNERS

28

Activities Team of the Year sponsored by Safehands Holidays: The Close Care Home, Abingdon The team at The Close Care Home says it wants the facility to be the heart of the village – and so organised a huge fete in the summer that attracted the local community. Over 400 guests arrived, and took part in a bake off, games, sports and a dog show.

The big events also spawn smaller activities in the build up. For example, in the run up to Halloween, residents had a hand in baking treats, painting pebbles, designing banners and decorating the home.

Everyone gets involved.

Judge’s comments “From the application and evidence supplied you can clearly see the overwhelming passion, enthusiasm and dedication of both the care home and its staff. They are a great example to the sector and a home with an outstanding CQC rating. This is more than just a business for the Close Care Home Group, residents and staff enjoying life is their business! You can also see clearly how seriously they have taken this competition.“

Catering Team of the Year sponsored by apetito: Rubislaw Park Care Home, Aberdeen Rubislaw’s mealtime experience includes a variety of dining areas including The Restaurant, Dementia Dining, Private Dining Room, and Bar. Residents may also dine in the privacy of their own room if they wish with a tray service.

The unique dining experience has been developed through high standard refurbishment, staff training and development to provide a mealtime experience in line with brand expectation.

Residents participate in menu planning and

staff are continuously striving to improve and develop ideas to support better outcomes for our Residents.

Residents are offered a diverse menu which has been developed with their nutritional needs in mind and their preferences and choices.

Residents can also order alternatives at any time. The catering manager also meets with residents individually to ensure they are satisfied with their meals and to understand individual requests and favourite foods.

Commitment to Training & Development sponsored by Saint Cecilia’s Care Services: Abbeyfield The Dales, Ilkley Best Innovation in Care sponsored by Beaucare Medical: WCS Care, Kenilworth, Warwickshire “Striving for greatness, WCS care are continually pioneering new innovative methods to strengthen the quality of care they deliver.

WCS Care set a great example of how high standard innovative care should be delivered.

The team have spent quite a lot of time

over in the Netherlands learning about new innovations within care and have brought concepts back with them to develop within their own homes.

The technology that they use is superb and host a variety of benefits not only to residents safety, but also to the time management of carers.”

Best Outdoor Environment Award sponsored by Script: The Close Care Home, Abingdon The Close Care Home’s outdoor environment is outstanding.

It has got everything its residents could want – the grounds are spacious, clean, tidy, and packed full of special features.

There’s everything from flowers, plants, a memorial tree for loved ones who have passed away, outdoor seating, a smoking area, a fish pond, even an outdoor dog pen for visitor’s pets.

The most outstanding feature is that the River Thames runs at the end of the outdoor space – meaning residents can

enjoy boat trips along the river, a feature that it didn’t have to take advantage of – but has for the good of its residents.

Judge’s comments: “The facility is looking after frail and vulnerable people who are able to not only enjoy the gardens but also take nourishment from home grown produce.

“There is evidence of community engagement all year round. A family run business with all that this service provides is a worthy winner.”

Judge’s comments: “I was impressed by the holistic approach that The Dales took to training. There was a clear understanding that training and development should be available to all members of staff and it was good to see that support and ancillary staff were also included in some of the training around care and quality. I was particularly impressed by the way in which the training and development approach could be seen as making a significant and tangible difference in developing staff career pathways. It is particularly good to see

somebody who started in a part-time role, has now progressed to be a senior manager within the organisation. It is clear that Abbeyfield the Dales has a learning and development culture and this is evident in the way in which learning and development is seen as an ongoing process and there is a commitment to personal training and development plans. It was also good to see that staff were engaging in external programs such as the Dementia Friends initiative and were positively encouraged to seek out new training opportunities.”

Dementia Care Team sponsored by Your Mobility: Landermeads, Nottingham The team at Landermeads believe in emotionally led support and who enable family members to live well.

They recognise that happiness is possible in dementia and make it a reality. They have worked together over the past four years to change a whole culture from task led to emotionally led support – a huge task which has taken time, commitment and vision.

It has meant an environmental restructure, removal of all us and them barriers, the establishing of a Butterfly Household model

of support (David Sheard) and effective One Page Profile focus (Helen Sanderson) for both staff and family members, adoption of Kitwood’s flower and personal emotional soul searching.

Staff are required to explore their own emotional journey so they can have real empathy with family members.

This has resulted in an Outstanding rating from CQC and the Dementia Care Matters Level One Quality of Life Kitemark for four years running among many other accolades.

CARING UK AWARD WINNERS

29

End of Life Team of the Year sponsored by Fraser and Fraser: Richmond House, Lancashire

Quality in Housekeeping sponsored by Caring UK: St Michael’s Hospice, Harrogate

Judge’s comments “A very strong evidenced based application backed up robust policies and procedures.

Led by Lorraine Scholey this organisation strives for excellence at every level.

Provision of end of life services is incredibly hard and requires commitment across the organisation and this is clearly reflected

The team are contentious and aware about a patient’s needs, the right time to vacuum or bringing a cup of tea and biscuits.

They are flexible, reactive and quickly respond to individual needs. Taking the time to interact with patients, the housekeepers will try to personalise the housekeeping with the patient’s

by the work Lorraine and her team do with the support of the wider organisation HC-One. “Their desire to be the best and to provide a compassionate and caring experience for both residents and their families at a time of immense emotional pain which is second to none. “

preferences, simple things like knowing where belongings should go and the preferred location of a vase.

They make conversation with patients and talk about holidays or general life, always thoughtful in wording conversation never sad and watch what they say to try not to upset a patient.

Management Team of the Year sponsored by Condy Lofthouse Architects: Brandon Park Nursing Home, Suffolk

Retirement Village of the Year sponsored by ServiceSport: Richmond Village, Nantwich

Judge’s comments: “It is clear that the management team at Brandon Park see their role primarily as leaders and people who empower their staff. What comes through from this management team is a clear set of values which they believe should be applied not

“The staff are always keen to stay ahead of the times, and one they are now looking at doing this is by integrating technology and social media into the site.

The low staff turnover at Richmond Nantwich speaks volumes for its success, but they were quick to point out that

only to their residents, but also to their staff.

“I was impressed by the open communication between the management team and their colleagues and there was a culture of transparency and openness in their approach.”

they will never be complacent and are constantly striving to improve and keep staff skills up.

As one manager said: “Staff want to be here. We all get along – we recognise that some days are tough but work together and support each other.”

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CARING UK AWARD WINNERS

30

Volunteer Team of the Year sponsored by Care England: Abbeyfield The Dales, Ilkley Volunteers provide numerous skills and services to the home and its residents including cover on reception, maintaining the gardens, provide DIY and improvements in the home.

Some volunteers provide activity classes such as knitting, sewing and painting with the residents. The work of the volunteers is a crucial part of maintaining close bonds with the staff, local community, businesses and the residents.

Partnerships have been created with local schools and businesses to provide a varied

source of skills and experience along with donations for prizes.

Judge’s comments “Abbeyfield demonstrated a well developed and effective volunteering team of a significant scale. Learning and responding over time to ensure volunteers received the support and appreciation they need to be able to give of themselves.

Of particular note is the recognition that reciprocity is such an important element in life and this was recognised in the ‘residents as volunteers’ project.”

Care Team of the Year sponsored by Caredocs: Sefton Hall Residential and Nursing Home, Devon “The team at Sefton Hall work closely together and demonstrate a loving relationship between each other, which is also shared with residents.

The support network that this team has developed is admirable, and it is clear that

a lot of enthusiasm is put into the care that is delivered.

Sefton Hall are extremely person centred and encourage a family like atmosphere, all of which contribute towards ensuring every day is valuable and full of worth.”

Care Home of the Year sponsored by Aidcall: Abbotsford House, Glasgow Care Employer of the Year sponsored by Aston Brooke Solicitors: Stow Healthcare, Suffolk “The management team at Stow Healthcare breathe fresh life into the industry. Having come from different industry backgrounds, the management team have been able to break the mould in how they approach the management of their staff and in how they manage and position their care homes as a whole.

They have really empowered their staff at all levels leading to a highly motivated team. It is safe to say that the continued improvement and success of the homes is largely in part down to how well managed they are, from the top level ownership team through to the home managers and senior staff.”

Care Group of the Year sponsored by Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank: WCS Care, Kenilworth, Warwickshire “WCS Care are extremely focused on setting targets to better themselves and the care that can be delivered to residents. These targets are not only beneficial to the running of the homes, but also helps to direct staff, relieving pressure in the long run.

They demonstrated a great desire to continue developing and learning new levels of care which they then implement across all of their homes.

I was blown away by WCS Care as a provider, it was really refreshing to meet such a dedicated team.”

What makes Abbotsford House stand out is its ability to innovate Being a family run business means the senior team are really invested in its continued success – and genuinely care about helping residents get the most out of every day.

This facility’s outstanding inspection ratings speak for themselves, but even though they have gained excellent scores across the board, they never stand still.

A forward thinking home leading the way

in its local area and the wider industry.

Judge’s comments: “Abbotsford House has demonstrated a consistent level of quality and learning over period of many years.

A small organisation with relatively limited resources they embrace constant improvement and change.

Whether through the use of technology (going paperless) or in engaging with their local community. They demonstrate a constant restlessness to get even better.”

Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by Shackletons: Lynne Woodcock, Badgers Wood, Norwich “Lynne really has dedicated her life to Badgers Wood.

She has been the anchor that has kept the home and its staff grounded through the toughest of times and into far better times.

She has gone above and beyond her pay grade and invested her time, emotions and life into ensuring the best possible experience for the residents at Badgers Wood.

She is a very modest lady, who merely sees everything she has done as ‘the right thing to do’.

But she has touched so many peoples lives in that time and made such a difference to the home.

Her positive attitude and the changes she has made will have a ripple effect on Badgers Wood and on the industry long after her retirement.”

31

CARINGNEWS

New workshop launched THE National Association of Care Catering has launched a new training workshop and qualification for 2018 that will help care caterers confidently and safely manage the complex area of food allergy, food intolerance and coeliac disease.

The one-day course and qualification – HABC Level Award 3 in Food Allergen Management for Caterers – is aimed at those responsible for the management of food safety, including supervisors, head chefs, chef managers and managers.

The comprehensive programme will give delegates the knowledge to manage allergenic hazards from supplier to plate and comply with current food safety legislation.

Topics to be covered include the characteristics of food allergy, food intolerance and coeliac disease; food allergy facts and figures; common allergenic foods; hidden allergens, food allergy and the law; different approaches to communicate food

allergy information; allergenic hazards and control measures; and allergy awareness training for food handlers.

The first workshop takes place on Thursday, February 8 at Aimia Food Limited in Haydock, and the second is on Thursday, February 15 at Brakes Ltd in London.

Neel Radia, the NACC’s national chair, said: “The NACC is committed to supporting the care sector with up-to-date information and training and our new workshop and qualification will give teams the knowledge and confidence to recognise hazards and manage food allergens at every touch point.

“We encourage all care providers to review the training requirements of their catering teams and sign up to complete the course and qualification.”

The workshop costs £199+VAT for NACC members and £266+VAT for non-members and includes the course, exam, certificate and lunch.

An East Sussex woman whose husband resides at Clifden House Dementia Care Centre completed a dare devil wing walk to raise awareness and help reduce the stigma of dementia. Delia Spindlow, whose husband was diagnosed with dementia a few years ago, helped raise money for Eastbourne Dementia Action Alliance, with the home’s staff donating to the fundraising efforts. She said: “It’s hard when someone close to you has dementia. While my husband is lucky enough to be in the superb care, I still wanted to do something to raise further awareness of this debilitating disease.”

Rogers House in Gillingham celebrated with a party for residents, their family, staff and friends.

Home marks 25th anniversary ROGERS House Residential Care Home in Wigmore, Gillingham, celebrated its 25th anniversary with a party alongside family and friends.

Opening its doors in 1992 as the first care home in the county to provide 24-hour care, compassion and companionship, The Abbeyfield Kent Society’s Wigmore care home celebrated the significant milestone with a party – 25 years to the day that it officially opened.

A singer provided nostalgic entertainment from the 40s, 50s and 60s, while staff, residents and their families danced the afternoon away and enjoyed a tipple or two in celebration of the significant occasion.

Lorraine Laker, care coordinator at Rogers House, has worked at the home since day one.

She said: “I remember the staff coming in for training when the home was preparing for opening and the kitchen staff were trying out recipes for the new residents, so we were sitting on rolls of carpets sampling sponge puddings.

“I was very impressed when I came to Rogers House, compared to the home that I came from, the facilities were excellent with several lounges and en-suite bedrooms. I am delighted to have seen how the Society has grown over the years but I am also pleased that our values and purpose remains the same.”

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C ARING UK AWARDS 2017

32

CARINGSOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY

Home raises funds to take its residents ‘virtually’ anywhere Layston Grove is due to open its doors in March.

New home features latest technology A NEW care home, currently under construction in Buntingford, is creating over 50 job opportunities.

Layston Grove, due to open in March, will provide residential and dementia care to 66 residents in luxurious en-suite accommodation.

The home will be the third facility for operator Oakdale Care Group and is being built by LNT Care Developments. Recruitment is already underway for positions within the home such as care assistant, deputy manager, kitchen and domestic staff and front of house manager.

Once recruited, each new member of the staff team will complete an extensive induction and training programme and will spend time working as a team within the home even before the first residents have

moved in.

Andrew Long, CEO of Oakdale Care Group, said: “We are really excited to be opening a new home in Buntingford and have already had a great welcome from the local community.

“Layston Grove will provide a wonderful home for 66 older people and also great job opportunities for over 50 staff. We are all extremely passionate about care and will be promoting care as a positive career choice with plenty of rewards and opportunities.”

As well as fully en-suite accommodation, Layston Grove will feature extensive in-house amenities, innovative design and state-of-the-art technology, for an all-inclusive fee to provide transparency and clarity to residents.

STAFF at a Fife care home have raised money to buy state-of-the-art virtual reality and other hi-tech equipment to enhance the lives of their residents – thanks to a daring skydive by one of its managers.

Samantha Beattie, deputy care home manager at Balhousie Forth View in Methil, raised £1,500 for the home when she took the plunge.

The cash raised has bought a laptop, virtual reality headset, three Amazon Echo voice activated services and a tablet for residents and visitors.

Now known to fellow staff and residents as ‘Flying Sam’, Samantha first learned of the benefits of VR technology to the elderly in training sessions and through videos.

These include improved memory, mood and verbal communication.

Balhousie Care Group has been testing the VR headsets throughout its 25 care homes.

The software enables them to visit ‘virtually’ anywhere, from Paris, rock climbing, the cinema and, thanks to Google Earth, their childhood homes.

Samantha said: “I’d watched videos where residents who aren’t able to communicate verbally or even nonverbally all of a sudden are using VR headsets and they come back to life.

“They’ve started talking and singing.

Samantha Beattie with her instructor.

I think it just brings back a lot of memories for them, it stimulates their mind.”

Forth View care home manager Gordon Candlish added: “Many of our residents have severe dementia and we’d do anything to try and help them. We thought we’d like to try it and see what benefits they could give them. We’re thrilled that, thanks to our own Flying Sam, we can now offer these on a permanent basis.”

QCS launches new App THE care sector is currently experiencing a period of quite dramatic change.

The CQC’s new Fundamental Standards represent a significant evolution from the previous framework.

But there are other, more subtle changes that are no less significant for the sector.

Importantly, there is an emerging view that quality can be driven by technological solutions and effective data management.

In November, Quality Compliance Systems launched its new App, with the primary aim of helping its customers continuously improve quality of care, by ensuring policies, procedures and updates are instantly available on all technology platforms.

The App also supports regulatory evidence of innovative systems, assists with corporate social responsibility goals, as well as supporting ISO14001 – Environmental

Management Systems Standard.

QCS is the leading compliance management system for the care sector enjoyed by over 33,000 care, dental and medical professionals.

With several thousand downloads since launch, the App is delivering a complete set of policies and toolkits directly to users’ fingertips, 24/7.

Mat Whittingham, CEO of QCS, said: “QCS is committed to using great technology to enhance the provision of care.

“The App has gone down really well with our customers, delivering all the compliance materials directly to the ‘front line’ 24/7, rather than the traditional approach of printed policies and procedures sitting in large files on an office shelf! And this is just the very start for QCS. “We have a comprehensive tech development roadmap that is dedicated to ensuring that QCS customers are first to benefit from these market-leading enhancements.”

35

CARINGNEWS

Group goes Modular kitchens could solve extra mile your old kitchen conundrum Advertiser’s announcement

By Lee Vines KITCHEN refurbishment is a vital part of keeping your care home compliant with legislation and developing your catering operation to be as efficient as possible.

Protecting your catering provision during the works is a massive challenge, but it need not be.

As part of your registration as a care home provider, you will need to comply with the national minimum standards for food hygiene which the CQC enforce – as your kitchen equipment gets older, this basic standard becomes harder and harder to reach.

The elderly are much more susceptible to food poisoning, so clean, modern and well-designed catering facilities are needed urgently to protect them and your business.

Catering equipment has been developing rapidly over the last few years – from programmable combis and super-fast accelerated ovens, to multi-purpose pressurised bratt pans.

All these pieces of equipment reduce costs, increase productivity and can even help reduce the footprint for your kitchen.

All these facts mean there’s never been a better time to refurbish your kitchen.

But for most care homes running

Lee Vines without your main kitchen for even a day or two is unimaginable – which is where a temporary kitchen comes in.

If you can get power and water to a flat area outside, then you can have a production kitchen craned in and installed in just a few days.

A temporary modular kitchen will allow you to protect your catering provision with the minimum of fuss.

Our kitchens are fully EHO compliant with coved flooring, wipe down walls, full extraction system and fire suppression.

With a choice of any catering

equipment you can exactly replicate your production setup too.

A temporary kitchen allows you to refurbish your catering facilities much more efficiently – the entire kitchen, flooring and extraction included, can be ripped out in one go.

This makes any installation simpler and quicker, reducing the disruption to your service.

A great example of this is the Harpenden Bethesda Home in Hertfordshire.

The home needed a kitchen refurbishment, but was struggling to find a way to feed its residents and staff during the project, until they discovered PKL’s temporary kitchen solutions.

Home manager Debbie Scott contacted PKL in May about the project, and was pleased with the personal service she received.

She said: “The all-in-one solution solved a big headache for us and it’s been really good during the hire.

“The cooks settled in well to their new surroundings and felt very much at home there. I don’t know how we would have managed the refurbishment without the Field Kitchen to be honest; it’s been a great solution.” n Lee Vines is chief executive of temporary kitchen provider PKL Group.

BRADFORD based Czajka Care Group is going above and beyond to combat workplace stress, incorporating dedicated training into the induction programmes for new employees.

Following the initial success of the pilot scheme, the company now plans to offer the training to its entire team who work across its five West Yorkshire homes.

All new starters at Czajka Care Group participate in a minimum four-day induction programme at the firm’s training centre, located next to its Bradford headquarters.

The specialist ‘stress buster training course’ is provided by My Wellbeing College, which is part of Bradford District Care Foundation Trust. It focusses on recognising signs of stress, staying calm and focussed in uncertain situations, and it also looks at how good organisational skills can reduce stressful situations.

Konrad Czajka, managing director of Czajka Care Group, said: “We work hard to create a relaxed and calm atmosphere throughout our homes but it’s always good to take a proactive rather than a reactive approach to our people’s welfare, which is why we have opened up the training to all of our frontline nursing team, our catering staff, maintenance personnel and management teams.”

36

CARINGCATERING AND NUTRITION

How can homes overcome isolation?

By Ellen Brown

ACCORDING to Age UK, more than one million elderly people regularly go an entire month without speaking to anyone.

Loneliness and social isolation are a growing problem in the UK; having a negative impact on health. Therefore, to overcome this in a care home or cohousing environment, social interactions are key.

This article will examine how ‘community’ can play a crucial role in overcoming a resident’s isolation; highlighting the ways the older population can connect with new people, feel like they have a role in society and eliminate the feelings of loneliness.

How loneliness and isolation occur Social isolation can refer to the separation of an individual from their family, a deficiency of healthy relationships with others or decreased involvement with society.

This is different from loneliness, which is described as a negative feeling that can occur as a side effect of social isolation.

Isolation and loneliness can be caused by many factors. By the time an individual reaches their 80s, there is a high chance they will live on their own. Sudden occurrences, such as bereavements of a partner, can cause a dramatic change in a person’s life and could mean they don’t have any other company.

Another factor which can spur on social isolation is retirement. Whilst

working, a person feels as though they have an active role in society.

Working involves spending time communicating with others, having a daily routine and leaving the house on a regular basis. After having worked for the majority of your life, retirement can represent a huge change.

Both retirement and becoming widowed can consequently mean an older person could go for long periods without seeing anyone.

Lack of social interactions are not the only cause of loneliness. Often, the feeling of loneliness can be experienced by older people living in a group setting, such as a care home, who are often surrounded by others.

This is because physical barriers such as loss of hearing, dementia and depression can all cause a resident to spend time away from others or exclude themselves from community activities.

Consequence of isolation Research has shown lack of social interactions is as damaging as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Humans have a fundamental need for close relationships with others and inclusion in communities, therefore, when this need is not met, physical and mental health issues can occur.

For example, increased stress levels will weaken the immune system and impair sleep quality.

Lack of sleep and the negative feeling of loneliness will heighten feelings of anxiety, depression and

can double the risk of developing dementia. The cycle created by social isolation can cause a downward spiral of loneliness and ill-health.

Combating isolation through community To help avoid the health issues caused from isolation and loneliness, elderly people should feel as though they have a sense of purpose and are involved in a community.

Although many elderly people live in care homes, isolation and loneliness is still an issue, even though the residents are frequently surrounded by others. When the transition is made to live in a care home, the change of environment and new faces can be daunting, leaving a resident feeling isolated from the outside world and alone.

Gradual deterioration of health, such as dementia, can cause a disconnection from reality which results in a confused resident who withdraws from their usual activities and social events.

For this reason, it is important care homes help residents to remain part of the community. This will allow reciprocity of relationships and the opportunity for residents to feel useful within the home.

In practice, this can be done by giving residents regular and meaningful job roles such as helping at mealtimes and with laundry or perhaps assisting in the garden to grow fresh produce.

Other ways of promoting a sense of community within a care home would be to set up groups and clubs

for the residents. This encourages residents to make new friends and gives them a sense of purpose which will overcome the negative effects of social isolation. Creating and encouraging groups of people to get together is effective, however one of the most beneficial ways to create a community environment within a care home is to encourage communal meals. These enable the residents to eat and socialise three times a day, along with other residents, staff and visitors.

Why community mealtimes matter For many, dining is more than just a healthy meal; it is a social highlight.

Eating alone can often be alienating. If a care home encourages communal eating, the residents will have a chance to talk about their day, share their stories and make plans together. With an aging population, loneliness and social isolation amongst the elderly is becoming a growing issue. Researchers say by tackling loneliness, a saving of £3.6m over five years on medical expenses could be made.

Fortunately, through social opportunities such as community meals and clubs, the elderly can feel as though they belong in society again, and can create the relationship essential to get rid of loneliness.

Our role now is to support the vulnerable and elderly by combating isolation and ensuring every day is well lived. n Ellen Brown is divisional manager (care homes) at apetito.

CARINGNEWS

Social Care Compliance Scheme for underpaid sleep-in shifts revealed

By Ben Stepney THE Government has announced the new Social Care Compliance Scheme to help social care employers who have paid workers less than the minimum wage for sleep-in shifts in the past.

Background Earlier this year the Employment Appeal Tribunal held that employers had to pay workers the minimum wage throughout sleep-in shifts, contrary to the common practice of paying a flat rate allowance for the shift and only paying hourly rates for time spent awake and working.

Mencap has estimated that the total cost to the sector will be in the region of £400m, representing unpaid wages going back six years.

Following a media campaign led by Mencap who, along with care providers big and small, were concerned about the affordability of this, the Government waived financial penalties for social care employers who failed to pay their staff minimum wage for sleep-in shifts before July 26 2017.

The Government promised that more guidance and plans would follow as care providers warned that paying minimum wage to staff for sleep-ins could force many of them out of business.

Social Care Compliance Scheme

Now we have the SCCS. While a temporary reprieve, in the long term the scheme does little answer the fears of care providers, service users and their families.

Under the new scheme, employers can sign up with HMRC to get help over the next 12 months to identify what they owe their workers for sleepin shifts. At the end of the review period, employers will have three months to pay up.

As a trade off, employers will be spared potential fines for failing to pay minimum wage (up to 200 per cent of the unpaid wages, capped at £20,000 per worker) and will not be publicly ‘named and shamed’ by HMRC for failing to pay minimum wage.

Employers can either contact HMRC to sign themselves up or in some circumstances HMRC will contact them first. Employers who have already been prosecuted for failure to pay minimum wage are not eligible for the scheme and those who have declined an invitation from HMRC to join cannot join at a later date.

Should you sign up?

The main advantage of signing up now is that an employer who is concerned that it has underpaid in the past avoids any fines for a failure to pay the minimum wage and avoids being ‘named and shamed’. A “cards on the table approach”, you could say.

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But by signing up now the employer may be acting too soon.

Mencap is appealing the EAT ruling to the Court of Appeal, expected to be heard in March, the outcome of which could change the position as to how sleep-in carers should be paid.

By signing up to the scheme employers could implicitly be accepting that they have underpaid staff, from which it will be difficult to back-track if the appeal goes in Mencap’s favour. Those signing up could be committing themselves to an unknown liability.

Funding Unfortunately the SCCS and the accompanying announcement do not address the concerns about funding at all. The Government says that is in ongoing discussions regarding providing financial support to care providers, but it is not clear how long these discussions will take or what their outcome will be. Such discussions started in July.

The Government’s statement announcing the SCCS confirmed

that it was talking with the European Commission to see if government support for the social care sector would contravene EU state-aid rules.

This could take some time.

Rather than waiting for the Government, providers should approach their local authority to see if they will provide extra funding.

Local authorities have a duty under the Care Act to promote an efficient and effective market in care services, including that remuneration paid to staff of providers must comply with the minimum wage. Any refusal to pay more could be open to challenge by way of judicial review.

In the longer term, the question for many care employers will be whether they can still afford to deliver care services while paying their staff minimum wage for sleep-ins.

Considering the financial pressures already facing the sector, and the government’s £2billion extra funding announced earlier this year being seen as nothing more than sticking plaster, increasing wage costs and expensive back pay liability cannot be easily absorbed by providers.

Unfortunately the hole in social care funding gets deeper and older and disabled people are paying the price through lack of essential support. n Ben Stepney is a Senior Associate in the Employment Team at Thomson Snell & Passmore LLP.

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Manager appointed for reopened home BALHOUISE Care Group has appointed Fiona Duncan as manager of Alastrean House in Aboyne, which is re-opening following a £160,000 refurbishment.

As well as readying the luxurious new home for residents, Fiona has been recruiting staff and overseeing an intensive, month-long training programme which stretches from hospitality and customer service to dementia training.

Fiona, who grew up nearby in the Aberdeenshire village of Keig, describes herself as a “born carer”.

In her teens she would run creches during school parents’ evenings, looking after the children. After she left school she worked her way up through the ranks in independent care homes.

Fiona said: “I’m hugely excited to be heading up this stellar care home.

How often in this sector do you not only get the opportunity to create a home from scratch, but to do it in such an impressive building as Alastrean House?

“Balhousie Care Group really work hard to deliver great quality care, something I believe strongly about, and now they have a phenomenal environment where I can work with my team to deliver excellence in care.

“We’ve all been awe-struck by the building, the grounds and its history and we’ve recruited a team of inspiring, caring and passionate

Fiona Duncan people who will make sure this care home lives up to the building’s heritage. “We’re creating a home from home here, a place that’s comfortable both for residents and for their families. Alastrean House and its surrounding estate are such an important part of the local landscape and community.”

Alastrean House was extensively damaged in a fire in January 2016.

All 38 residents and seven staff members were evacuated swiftly without injury, as the fire spread internally through the flue to the roof space, causing damage to the walls and roof.

The home is owned by The MacRobert Trust and operated by Balhousie Care Group.

The refurbished building will initially include 29 bedrooms, with a further 22 to open at a later stage.

Group launches new service THE Royal Star & Garter Homes has launched a day care service, the ‘Star & Garter Club’.

The service welcomes tri-service veterans of HM Armed Forces and their partners to the charity’s Solihull home.

The service will enable veterans access to the wide range of activities and therapies on offer at the home, as well as a host of other benefits on a daily basis.

Guests share their day with fellow veterans and choose from a varied programme of activities and entertainment. The home offers comfortable lounges and accessible gardens for guests to enjoy, as well as a choice of hot meals and snacks.

Little extras such as hair styling, personal care, help with laundry and spa treatments are available.

Well-being health checks are provided, and there is the option to engage in a physiotherapy programme with the in-house team.

The service includes door-to-door transport for guests.

Director of care and service development, Pauline Shaw, said: “This is an exciting new direction for the charity, and one that will enable us to provide care for even more veterans and their partners.

“We’re confident that club members and residents of the home will enjoy the opportunities to socialise and meet new friends, and we look forward to welcoming day care guests into The Royal Star & Garter family.”

The day care service is supported with a grant from the Aged Veterans’ Fund funded by the Chancellor using LIBOR funds.

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Surrey’s caring staff honoured at glittering awards ceremony THE Surrey Care Awards for adult social care staff was held at Epsom Downs Racecourse.

Over 380 care employers and their staff attended this year’s Awards which were compered by BBC Surrey presenter Sylvie Blackmore. They were presented to winners by Paralympic medal winner Rachel Morris and the Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey Michael More-Molyneux.

This year there were 15 award winners in categories including Beyond the Call of Duty, Care Newcomer, Care Manager of the Year, Care Team of the of the Year, Lifetime Achievement and Outstanding Contribution to Social Care. Also two finalists received Special Recognition awards from the panel of judges.

The Awards are organised by Surrey Care Association, which represents the interests of over 700 independent providers of care and support services in the county.

Erica Lockhart, chief executive of Surrey Care Association, said: “This was our ninth annual Awards ceremony celebrating the excellent care that goes on here in Surrey.

We had some fantastic nominations this year for care staff who go the extra mile to look after vulnerable adults with kindness and compassion.

“Our Surrey Care Awards showcase the extraordinary contribution care workers make to our local community and hopefully others will be inspired to come

forward and consider a career in social care.”

Winners: Ancillary Worker – Dionne Willoughby, Claremont Court, Guildford; Beyond the Call of Duty (Care at Home) – Shona Kendall, Trinity Homecare, Worcester Park; Beyond the Call of Duty (Care Home) – Mario Immouche, Broome Park Nursing Home, Betchworth; Care Newcomer – Lazarinka Kerina, Ashcroft Care Services, Redhill; Care Provider – Claremont Court, Guildford; Care Team – Welmede Housing Association Domiciliary Care Team, Chertsey; Frontline Leader – Jackie Walker, Independence Homes, Caterham.

Special recognition – Nicola Drake-Smith, Surrey Heights, Godalming; Improvements in Care Service Delivery through the use of Technology – Princess Christian Care Centre,

part of Nellsar Ltd, Woking; Innovation and Good Practice in Staff Recruitment and Retention – Broome Park Nursing Home, Betchworth; Lifetime Achievement – Jackie Jones, Ashcroft Care Services, Redhill; Manager (Care At Home) – Ingrid Clift, Home Counties Carers, East Horsley; Registered Manager Care Home) – Mario Taherian, Princess Christian Care Centre, Woking; Most Innovative Activity Programme Involving Service Users – Active Prospects Pro-Active Committee, Horley. Special recognition – Shannon Court, Hindhead; Community Involvement in a Care Setting – Community Skills Projects (Horley, Epsom and Woking) from County Care Independent Living Ltd, Woking; Outstanding Contribution to Social Care – Anne Kasey, Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society, Banstead.

Association drives up Empathy dolls help town’s city’s care standards elderly residents feel calm BRADFORD Care Association now counts more than 70 per cent of the city’s residential and nursing homes, as well as domiciliary care providers, as members.

These organisations benefit from being able to share best practice, having access to the latest training opportunities and being kept up to date with news from all areas of the public sector, including the Care Quality Commission and the NHS. Crucially, the BCA is also involved in negotiating fee increases with the local authority and the clinical commissioning groups for publicly funded service users.

BCA’s chairman is Konrad Czajka, who is the managing director of Saltaire based Czajka Care Group.

He said: “We launched Bradford Care Association in late 2014 to enhance the standard of care that clients receive throughout the region, while offering support to care providers and giving the industry an amplified voice, on both a national and regional level.

“It’s been a huge success and we now have more than two thirds of Bradford District’s care providers signed up as members, with new ones joining on a regular basis.

“We’re now hoping to reach a point in the next 12 months where we represent 90 per cent of the city’s care providers and would encourage any organisations that aren’t yet members, to find out about the

benefits that come from being part of this industry body.”

BCA’s successes include promoting training with Skills for Care which provides practical Konrad Czajka tools and support to help adult social care organisation recruit, develop and lead their workforce.

Another highlight is its collaboration with Bradford Council Service Improvement Board which brings together industry leaders to create a sustainable health and care economy that supports people to be healthy, well and independent.

The BCA’s involvement with the ‘Cost of Care Exercise’ is also helping to achieve a fairer cost for the care being delivered by homecare, domiciliary care and nursing and residential providers.

The organisation also recently launched a “Buddying Up System” which is immediately proving popular and enables members to seek help with specific issues where they require support.

EMPATHY dolls are helping Hartlepool care home residents with dementia gain a sense of meaning and purpose.

Queens Meadow has been using the therapeutic dolls to help residents feel more comfortable and communicative.

Julie Armstrong, home manager, said: “The empathy dolls have been really successful with our residents who have dementia.

“Holding and interacting with the dolls helps them to feel calm, gives them a sense of meaning and purpose, as well as improves social interaction and communication.”

The dolls have been donated by charity History of Hartlepool, which also makes reminiscence DVDs featuring images and stories from the town.

The charity was founded after

a Facebook group created six years ago gathered support, with members requesting more information about the town.

The founders began creating films, photos and newsreels about Hartlepool’s past and selling them to raise funds for the town’s care homes.

Money raised by the charity is then used to buy specialist sensory equipment, such as the empathy dolls, and to pay for daytrips.

Debbie Wilkes, activities coordinator at Queens Meadow, added: “We’ve purchased all of History of Hartlepool’s reminiscence DVDs as our residents really respond to the images and stories that are included.

“It’s a bonus the group donates money to the home so that we can buy new things that interest them.”

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Redevelopment work begins on North London care home

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Retirement village’s open event attract over 400 visitors

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Zion Group acquires new care home in Surrey

Page 47

New owners for St Nicholas House ONE of the largest care homes on the Welsh borders, St Nicholas House, has been acquired by RD Capital Partners (RDCP Care) in a leveraged buyout deal supported by a seven-figure funding package structured by Allied Irish Bank (GB).

The 49 single bedded state-of-the-art purpose built facility has been purchased from its previous owners, Roger and Sheila Hill. All staff will be retained.

St Nicholas House was a former vicarage that was built in the mid-19th century of stone quarried from nearby Corndon Hill.

It was established as a residential care home for the elderly in 1986, and in 2010, the facility was extended to provide nursing and residential services for 49 persons and was re-structured to become a fully purpose-built nursing home.

The home has four lounges, of which two are dining rooms, along with a hairdressing salon.

High specification electric profiling beds with back rest and knee brace are provided for nursing residents.

As one of the premier healthcare businesses in Wales, the nursing home is often presented to health ministers and other government professionals as a testament to the high quality of

Rosie Howell, regional manager for RDCP Care, David Booth (Allied Irish Bank GB), Sameer Rizvi and Iryna Dubylovska, RDCP Capital Partners LLP and Stephen Evison, manager of St Nicholas House. care available in Wales.

Established in July 2015 by Sameer Rizvi and Iryna Dubylovska, RDCP Care is the care home management arm and subsidiary of London based investment firm, RD Capital Partners LLP.

This is the second care home acquisition this year, with a deal to acquire a further home by in the pipeline. Newly appointed regional manager Rosie Howell will be overseeing the operations and working closely with the manager of St Nicholas House, Stephen Evison.

Sameer said: “Since completing our first acquisition earlier this year, we have been focused on expanding our portfolio in the Midlands and Wales, seeking appropriate opportunities.”St Nicholas House has proven to be an excellent addition. It is a beautiful purpose-built nursing home that is very well managed, profitable and has a reputation for providing quality nursing and residential care.

“RDCP Care’s mission for the year was to reach the £10million group enterprise value milestone.

We set out to achieve this via three or four acquisitions.

“However, with strategic input from David Booth at Allied Irish Bank (GB), we honed our strategy towards surpassing £10million but with much larger, fully purpose-built healthcare businesses.”

RDCP Care’s first home purchase was Kings Bromleyin Staffordshire, their flagship facility in the Midlands.

45

Redevelopment work begins WORK has begun on Nightingale Hammerson’s redevelopment of Hammerson House in North London.

The £36million project will significantly increase the capacity of the home to 116 residents, while helping Nightingale Hammerson continue to provide exemplary care in a welcoming, comfortable and high quality home setting.

Meeting with project managers to inspect progress on the first phase of redevelopment, Nightingale Hammerson’s president Harvey Rosenblatt and chairman Melvin Lawson heralded the start of the innovative project.

Hammerson House sits at the heart of Hampstead Garden Suburb, which itself provided inspiration for the new design, using the natural woodland setting and the proven therapeutic benefits of natural light, as part of a life-enhancing holistic

care programme for the Home’s older residents.

Melvin said: “We are delighted to be realising our exciting plans to redevelop Hammerson House, maintaining our long tradition of providing an exemplary standard of care for the Jewish community.

“Our vision is a modern, stimulating residential care facility where our residents will feel at home, with a warm welcome for visiting family and friends.”

The new Hammerson House will provide 116 resident en-suite bedrooms to meet a range of different needs, from residential care to advanced dementia and nursing.

The bedrooms are located within six distinct ‘households’ to encourage independence and choice for every resident, ensuring they become fully integrated in Nightingale Hammerson life.

46

Retirement village’s open event attracts over 400 visitors

HPC sells Essex nursing home NATIONAL healthcare property specialist HPC has acted on behalf of a corporate provider in the sale of a purpose built nursing home in Maldon.

St Peter’s Court is located in a central position within the town, in the grounds of the hospital which also bears its name.

The client had reluctantly taken the decision to sell the home following a strategic review.

Following initial provision of consultancy services, HPC was instructed to conduct a discreet marketing process, completing the sale above the asking price to new providers, Legacy Care Ltd.

HPC director Ian Wilkie said: “We have enjoyed an excellent working relationship with this client over many years.

“While the building no longer suited their strategic goals, it is nevertheless a purpose-built care home in the centre of the town.

“The position, adjacent to the hospital and close to the High Street, is excellent, and ensures the new operators will be able to continue to provide a valuable community facility in future.

“Our client is delighted that St Peter’s will continue to provide care services to residents now and in the future.”

A LAUNCH event for the Richmond Aston-on-Trent luxury retirement village and care home in South Derbyshire proved to be one of the most successful for the company, with more than 400 people attending.

“Designed to give a real insight into what stress-free living at the village could be like, we were delighted by the level of interest,” said Philippa Fieldhouse, managing director of Richmond Villages.

“It was definitely one of the best events we have held, and we have sold two Village apartments as a direct result.”

Now fully opened, the launch gave visitors the opportunity to be among the first to view the new £40million retirement village, which features all the facilities that have made other Richmond villages popular.

These include a wellness spa with swimming pool and gym, hair and beauty salon, a library, IT room, terrace café, quality restaurant and garden bar, and a croquet lawn set within beautifully landscaped grounds.

Activities, events and a village transport service are also provided.

Throughout the day there was the opportunity to view the retirement apartments and the state-of-the-art

care home.

The retirement village provides two types of apartments; large one and two bedroom Village apartments which provide an independent lifestyle, and Village suites which offer assisted living for those who wish to retain their independence but require some assistance with daily tasks.

Joanne Wilson, the village manager, and her team met guests and introduced them to the village and its many facilities.

“We are immensely proud of what we have achieved at Richmond Aston-on-Trent and I am confident it will become the benchmark for retirement villages in the UK,” she added.

“Brexodus” – Post-Brexit immigration white paper delayed until the autumn

By Kashif Majeed THE Immigration minister, Brandon Lewis has confirmed that the final version of the white paper on post- Brexit Immigration policy will not emerge until late autumn. A draft of the same white paper was leaked by the Guardian in August this year.

The final version will include a commitment that freedom of movement for EU migrants will end in March 2019, on “Brexit” day but revealed that the key details of the new immigration policy, which has become a bone of contention will not emerge until next autumn, just months before the UK leaves the EU. “We will be publishing a white paper later this autumn … There will be an immigration bill in the new year setting out the framework,” said Lewis.

In setting out a new timetable, Lewis told an Institute for Government fringe meeting that the Guardian’s leaked copy of the white paper was an early iteration of the policy and wide consultations were being carried out on Britain’s future labour needs. It had been expected that the immigration white paper would be published early in October 2017.

Although he insisted there would be “no cliff edge” in terms of changes in immigration policy, this timetable means that the important details for both the two-year implementation phase and the full post-Brexit immigration policy will not become clear until only five or six months before Brexit day.

However, there has been talks about the

Kashif Majeed delaying the “divorce” by two years which is a claim made by Phillip Hammond.

This has meant further clashes with Cabinet Ministers as this means that no real Brexit will happen until 2021.

This has meant that when it came to immigration policy, we should all remain very sceptical of even this revised timetable.

The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants said that EU nationals and all migrants deserved better than a system still subject to the whims of the home secretary, while others voiced concerns that the lack of parliamentary scrutiny inherent in secondary legislation would further undermine public confidence.

The shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, said: “This isn’t a genuine policy, but allows a permanent campaign against migrants and migration.

“The Tories’ chaotic mishandling of the Brexit negotiations has already seen many sectors experiencing severe staff shortages, including the NHS and social care,” she said.

As a solicitor representing care providers, it is now more important than ever to be prepared for “Brexodus”.

This means that employers should get to grips with the current immigration rules as they apply to non-EU nationals. This will, to some degree, help inform policy and budgeting for future EU recruitment.

Currently, employers are required to hold a “sponsor licence” to employ non-EU nationals.

It is not currently clear whether the same requirement will apply post-Brexit in respect of EU nationals but employers who do not have a sponsor licence would be well-advised to apply for one now in preparation.

If you require any assistance to the issues raised in this editorial, please contact Aston Brooke Solicitors. n Kashif Majeed is a director at Aston Brooke Solicitors.

Group acquires new care home in Surrey ZION Care Group has completed the acquisition of Glen Arun care home in Horsham, Surrey after securing a seven figure funding deal from the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Glen Arun is set in generous, well maintained gardens and is located on the outskirts of Horsham in Surrey.

It provides elderly general nursing and residential care and has 35 single rooms and 10 en-suites.

Facilities include 24-hour nurses, carers, daily freshly cooked meals and the provision of a variety of daily activities. Services include day care, respite care, convalescent care, its own GP as required.

Zion Care Group is based in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire and operates a number of care homes across the UK. The addition of Glen Arun forms part of the company’s expansion strategy which it started in 2005 and has since seen further acquisitions in York and Stafford.

A spokesperson for Zion Care Group said: “Glen Arun will continue to operate as usual with minimal changes as we plan to maintain management of the home under its existing manager Mark Moyo.

“We are delighted to share our extensive experience with the team at Glen Arun and are looking forward to working together. The support from the Royal Bank of Scotland has been superb – Kenny Nelson has gone the extra mile to secure the finance and support our ongoing expansion.”

Kenny Nelson, relationship director, Healthcare at the Royal Bank of Scotland, added: “We have worked with Zion Care Group for a significant period and I am very pleased to once again support their growth plans through this latest acquisition.

“Tim has an excellent track record of success operating care homes and Glen Arun is a great addition to the Zion Care Group.”

New owners rename Cardiff home

SPECIALIST business property adviser, Christie & Co has successfully transacted The Court Nursing Home in Cardiff on behalf of Parklands Care Homes Limited in an off-market deal to Care Inn Limited.

The Court Nursing Home is located in the desirable suburb of St Fagans, just west of Cardiff city centre, and is registered for 60 older clients in a

Grade II Listed period property with a purpose built wing. It was sold for an undisclosed sum.

Care Inn has been successfully operating in Wales for over 15 years, providing care to the communities they serve. The home has been renamed Ely Court Care Home and will now undergo a significant service development programme.

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CARINGCHRISTMAS IN OUR CARE HOMES

Pupils at Cramond Primary School delivered Christmas presents to people living with dementia and their carers as part of a local gift appeal for the elderly. Gifts were delivered to the Cramond Dementia and Carers Lunch Club by Primary Seven pupils at the club’s Christmas lunch. The Christmas Gift Appeal was organised by local care home Cramond Residence, which is set to open next year. Throughout December gifts will also be delivered to elderly members of the community living in isolation, as well as members of the Almond Mains Initiative, a lunch club for elderly people living in Cramond, Barnton, Almond, Cammo, Davidson’s Mains, and Silverknowes.

Christmas came early for residents and guests at a specialist dementia care village in Atherton when singer Jolan, finalist of BBC One’s hit show ‘The Voice’, visited to provide a special performance. Jolan, who is originally from Bolton, gained fame when he impressed celebrity judges Boy George, Paloma Faith and Ricky Wilson in his audition for the 2016 series. He went on to win second place in the grand final of the competition and has been writing and performing music ever since. The star is a regular visitor at Belong Atherton, where his grandmother, Bet Ward, lives in an independent living apartment and happily agreed to perform in the village’s bistro, where he treated audience members to renditions of popular songs.

Tenants, residents, employees and friends from care homes and housing schemes of the charity Brunelcare attended a special carol service at Christ the Servant church in Stockwood in Bristol. Pupils from Waycroft Academy were invited along to sing at the service and generously donated gift boxes for Brunelcare’s Robinson House care home residents, living nearby. Everyone at the service was treated to a buffet tea, and were especially delighted to meet and chat with the Lord Mayor of Bristol, Councillor Lesley Alexander.

Christmas came early for Ingleby Barwick’s elderly as a community group took them for festive pub lunch. The Ingleby Barwick Community Partnership paid for residents of Ingleby Care Home to enjoy a slap-up celebration at the Myton House Farm Pub. Alongside lunch of turkey with all the trimmings, the residents were treated to entertainment from the Salvation Army Band and singer Simon. Pupils from Winstone Primary School also attended to perform Christmas carols during the meal.

Pictured are residents Kathryn Toms and Robert Tulip

A Glasgow care home found a novel way to make sure that residents don’t miss out by setting up a Christmas market inside the home. Staff at the Bupa Highgate care home hosted a pop-up Christmas market after last year’s event proved so popular. Ensuring there was something for everyone, the market had a range of stalls including those selling gifts and cakes, and a stall selling food and drink run by the kitchen staff. There was also a raffle and a tombola.

The culinary creativity of Sanctuary Care staff once again wowed the judges at the 10th annual Christmas cake competition. The winning creation was Santa sat at a dressed table tucking into Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, made by care assistant Dee Pickering from Ivydene Residential and Nursing Home in Ivybridge, Plymouth. This cake also scooped the Sanctuary staff vote for best design. Coming second was an intricately decorated house covered in snow, created by regional maintenance operative Tony Kirby, representing The Beeches Residential Care Home in Birmingham.

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CARINGINDUSTRY NEWS

Understanding and applying technology will be key to success in 2018 says CQC UPDATED assessment framework guidelines issued by the CQC last month place a strong emphasis on the need for care homes and care businesses to utilise new technology in support of their residents.

The ability of care businesses to identify and adopt the latest technology is referenced across all of the main themes of the guidelines and is specifically cited as a critical factor in achieving a ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ rating following an inspection.

In fact the 70-page document mentions technology in no less than 15 places. Examples of new questions added to the assessment framework and which will be used in order to determine your rating include: n How is technology and equipment used to enhance the delivery of effective care and support? n How is technology used to support people to receive timely care and support? Is the technology (including … online/digital services) easy to use? n Are information technology systems used effectively to monitor and improve the quality of care?

In the ‘Safe’ section one of the criteria considered in order to achieve an ‘outstanding’ rating is ‘the service is using imaginative or innovative ways to manage risk, while supporting people to stay safe.

The service actively seeks out new technology and other solutions.’

Electronic MAR managing director Chris Gledhill set up his technology business to support managers and directors of care homes in making the most of the latest software to meet these requirements.

Electronic MAR is a digital version of the paper MAR sheet that can be accessed via any tablet or smartphone.

Its innovative and easy to use design is quick to pick up, even for those staff who are not particularly familiar with using tablets or apps, and is very simple and cost effective to set up.

It has been designed to help providers of residential care, reablement care, nursing support, live-in care, extra care and domiciliary care to protect the people in their care – and responsible persons and carers administering the medicines – against

the consequences of making an error in administering medicines and of recording that activity incorrectly.

Swapping from time consuming, heavy and space-sucking paper record sheets to a digital version helps managers and directors of care businesses to avoid significant problems that can be caused by the incorrect administration of the records.

Adopting Electronic MAR is a cost effective way of avoiding gaps in MAR sheet records, missed signatures, missed medications, audits not tallying, incorrect storage of medication, CD book inaccuracies, medication rounds being disturbed, MAR sheets being filled in at the wrong time and PRNM protocols.

Chris said: “Having previously developed technology solutions that solved problems and helped organisations to run more smoothly I knew there was scope to use technology to help care organisations to administer medicines in a simpler, safer and most cost effective way.

“It’s encouraging to see CQC acknowledging the role of technology in this way. Ultimately, if technology products such as Electronic MAR are used in the right way, then care businesses will run more efficiently and serve the people in their care better.

“As well as safeguarding patients and protecting staff and management from potentially serious claims, Electronic MAR’s customers report significant benefits for their businesses as well such as reduced time taken to complete medication rounds, better management information and report production and savings on paper costs and on storage space.”

‘Tis the season to sneeze in care environments

AS we go into winter and the weather cools, it is more important than ever to familiarise staff, residents and visitors with the NHS’ seven, simple, hand washing steps to prevent the spread of germs and illnesses.

By making TEAL units available, nursing and care home organisations will allow everyone to enjoy the gold standard of hand hygiene – washing hands thoroughly with soap under hot, running water.

TEAL has worked with nursing and residential care organisations for many years to ensure that everyone in a care environment is germ-free and able to enjoy the Christmas season without the threat of catching a common illness such as a cold or the potentially deadly influenza.

TEAL Patents is the world’s leading manufacturer of portable, hot water, hand wash units which require no access to mains water or drainage and has developed a range of units to meet care and nursing environments’ specific requirements.

TEAL’s range includes the WashStand and the

PatientWash. Fully portable, each unit can be taken directly to residents or an area most at risk.

All TEAL units are available to buy or hire for delivery to an address in the UK within 24 hours.

Enquiries: Call 0121 770 0593 or email enquiries@tealwash.com

John Bancroft MBE, chairman and founder (right) welcomes Ian Bradbeer to the Badgemaster family.

Badgemaster set for record growth FROM a portable building on a building site to a supplier to the Royal Household.

From a start-up 25 years ago to the UK’s leading and largest badge manufacturer. The Badgemaster journey so far has been fast-paced and customer-focused. And it is set to continue…

Hot on the heels of their recent investment news, Badgemaster is delighted to announce the appointment of a new managing director, Ian Bradbeer.

The company’s founder John

Bancroft MBE will remain at the helm as chairman, and together with Ian, will steer the future development.

Ambitious growth plans for 2018 include further acquisitions and the introduction of a class leading online service.

Chairman John and wife Vicky would like to thank their 110-strong Badgemaster family and 30,000 customers for helping them become the UK’s number one badge manufacturer and look forward to sharing the next phase in the company’s development.

Choose the right software system for your business WHEN it comes to care planning and recording, the options available to today’s care home owner are vast, and in a world where technology moves at lightening speed, it can be difficult to know the right way to go.

The days when staff were tied to their desks with pens, papers and diaries are long gone, but how best to move with the times?

The right software system should do many things. The Ablyss Care Management System provides a good example of what all homes should look out for: n Records, resident admission and discharge details. n Care planning and risk assessments. n Complete historical trail of evaluations. n Shift handover and diary reminders. n Medical notes and body-map charting. n Individual and home diaries. n Messaging system. n Accident and incident analysis. n Rotas and absence tracking. n Training and employee reviews. n Design your own assessments and templates.

n Extensive security and auditing tools.

There are now so many systems on the market, which should you choose?

Every software manufacturer will provide a system that might appear to be similar to all the others, but all are slightly different.

It is worth deciding what is important to you before starting your search. Cloud or server based system? Modular or all in one? Costs (value for money)? How simple is implementation etc..?

Making the change from using a pencil and paper to using technology instead can be an advantageous move.

Software systems, such as Ablyss CMS, undertake tasks that are recorded and auditable.

It is complex without being complicated and provides a more efficient use of time because, in the long term, everything is securely recorded.

Software systems need no longer be PC-based, but can be used on tablets and smartphones too.

Software systems have the potential to change the care process for the better if the correct system is used.

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CARINGNEWS

Colour coding – your secret weapon against cross contamination The ultimate in infection control

VICKI Wilson, national trainer for Beaucare® Medical, was invited to showcase the CareClean™ range at the Lancashire County Council infection control conference, which was attended by NHS Nurses and Carers.

The specialised chemical cleaning range, which garnered a lot of attention at the conference, is formulated to BS EN 1276 and BS EN 13704 standard and is designed to simplify any healthcare facility’s chemical usage.

Approved by NHS Infection Control, the range features colour coded labelling to minimise the risk of cross-contamination and to help ensure that the

right product is being used correctly.

Beaucare’s Versan Disinfectant for Disease Control is an ideal accompaniment. It is a broad spectrum hard surface disinfectant and is effective against C.Difficile spores, Norovirus, MRSA and more.

Beaucare provides free support materials and national training, offering instruction on minimising the risk of cross-contamination and guidance on cost effective application and dosing.

Enquiries: Call 01423 873666, email sales@beaucare.com or visit www.beaucare.com

WHEN it comes to infection control it’s important to go one step further than just hand sanitisation.

A colour coding system is vital for avoiding cross contamination of raw and cooked foods in the kitchen.

It will also make life easier when you get Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points inspections to demonstrate that you use co-ordinate implements, such as knives and chopping boards.

Using colour coded labels to identify food shelf life will also help to ensure your food stocks are always fresh. n Blue: raw fish n Brown: veg n Green: salad & fruit n Red: raw meat

n White: dairy n Yellow: cooked meat n Purple: allergen Our chopping boards are made from long lasting polyethylene, measuring 12” x 8” and dishwasher proof. Order from the Gompels website in January and get a 25 per cent discount.

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

The new WACMAT® adheres strongly to this tradition.

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

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

The WACMAT® will then be clean and odourfree, ready to perform time and time again.

Alternatively the flat-laying WACMAT® can be used as an entrance mat, saving you hundreds of pounds in rental costs alone.

Enquiries: Telephone 0800 074 3749.

SI² Fund invests in firm’s international growth SI² Fund, a European social impact investment fund focused on scaling impact-driven businesses, has invested in Active Minds, a UK-based company that develops humancentred activity products and games for people living with dementia.

The funding will be used to accelerate international growth, expand its product offering and achieve social impact at scale.

Founded in 2008, Active Minds is a social business with a mission to create positive, well-made and evidence-based activity products and games, offering people living with dementia a better quality of life.

Active Minds’ award-winning products are tested in partnership with care homes, activity coordinators, families and carers to ensure they are as effective as possible.

Proven positive outcomes for people living with dementia include

a reduction in depression, boredom and isolation and an improvement in communications and engagement.

Building on its unique offering and strong customer network, Active Minds will use the funds to grow its international activities and product range and achieve social impact at scale.

Ben Atkinson-Willes, founder of Active Minds, said: “We are excited to partner with SI² Fund.

“We are relying on SI² Fund’s exceptional track-record in business management and the social impact sector to accelerate our international growth, strengthen our operations and grow a long-term, profitable social business.”

Active Minds already has a diverse list of products available for care homes and individuals. Clients include Unilever Food Solutions, The Alzheimer’s Society and Four Seasons Healthcare.

3 Year Warranty*

SMART NURSE CALL The Altra Care Nurse Call System combines Smart Mobile Technology with the best of Wireless Nurse Call.

Why Wireless?

Simplicity – Our installation process is simple and clean with no wiring required, allowing us to work in an operational care home without disruption to staff and residents.

Flexibility – The modular nature of the system means it can be added to and reconfigured with ease, providing your home with a system that can grow and adapt to an ever changing care home.

Value – This competitively priced system can bring you savings of up to 40% against a hard wired alternative.

Information – Easy to view ‘real time’ reports are accessible at the click of a button, showing how many calls occur, how quickly they are responded to and which nurse responded.

Contact us today to arrange a no obligation demonstration t: 0800 068 7419 e: info@c-t.co.uk w: www.c-t.co.uk *Terms and conditions apply