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no.217 • £4.75
The Number One magazine for the care sector
Collaboration ‘can improve’ medicine use
By Dominic Musgrave
SPECIALLY trained pharmacists can play a positive role in collaboration with GPs, nurses and care home workers in better managing the appropriate use of antipsychotic medicines for people with dementia in care homes, a study has revealed. According to the results of a largescale audit of 463 care homes over a two-year service pilot, over one quarter (26 per cent) of residents reviewed did not have any symptoms which necessitated a regular anti-psychotic medication, and in almost two thirds (58 per cent) of cases the risk of the medication was deemed to outweigh the benefit. In addition, the audit resulted in over 20 per cent of residents having their anti-psychotic dose reduced, and more than 17 per cent realising antipsychotic medication discontinuation. The audit was undertaken by selected Boots UK pharmacists, some of whom had received additional Alzheimer’s Society training to enable them to better support people with dementia and carers. Alistair Burns, national clinical director for dementia at NHS England, said: “The prescribing of antipsychotic drugs in people with
dementia is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. “This exciting publication underscores the key role that pharmacists have in optimising prescription of medication in this potentially vulnerable population.” The study was commissioned by Boots UK in order to demonstrate the potential added value that community pharmacy can offer, and the significant contribution this service could make to the NHS. The pilot service demonstrates how the commissioning of pharmacy services could help further improve the care of vulnerable patients who live in residential care homes, working in partnership with other healthcare professionals. David Wright, professor of pharmacy practice at the University of East Anglia and one of the study authors, added: “Reducing the use of antipsychotic drugs for people with dementia is a government priority, and this audit has shown that collaborative working between pharmacists, GPs, nurses and care home staff is a key way of addressing this objective. Pharmacy is an underused resource within the NHS and this latest research demonstrates a valuable role community pharmacists can play in improving patient care.”
Hull chef is named UK’s best at final
Angela Rippon helped Bennfield House Nursing Home in Doncaster celebrate its 30th anniversary. The television star and Alzheimer’s Society ambassador toured the home and chatted with residents during her visit. She was joined by Doncaster resident Trevor Jarvis, who lives with dementia and is also an Alzheimer’s Society ambassador. Residents, families and staff at the home also enjoyed the celebrations with afternoon tea, the annual presentation of staff awards and entertainment by former X factor finalist Alan Turner. Angela is pictured with Bennfield House matron Penny Bennett.
JENNIE-MAY Smith, a chef at Berkeley House Care Home in Hull, was named the UK’s best care cook when she secured victory at the national final of the National Association of Care Catering’s care cook of the year competition. Jennie-May emerged triumphant against 11 other chefs thanks to her menu of smoked mackerel frittata, followed by lemon posset with hemp thins and berries. She said: “I am overwhelmed and shocked to have won. I have only been in the care catering industry for just under a year. I am very thankful for all the support I have received in achieving my win.” Giles Conroy of Sunrise Senior Living of Bramhall, Stockport, claimed second place and highly commended main, with Gareth O’Hara of Sunrise Senior Living of Cardiff taking third place and Becky Allcorn from Catering Academy Ltd at Rotary Lodge, Worthing, securing highly commended dessert.
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Hero’s homecoming for D-Day veteran Bernard By Dominic Musgrave D-DAY veteran Bernard Jordan enjoyed a hero’s welcome as he returned to The Pines care home in Hove. Staff lined up outside the facility waving union flags to greet the new national hero as he arrived home after attending the D-day commemorations in Normandy. Bernard, who enjoyed a group hug from staff upon arrival, said that he was touched by the support his unexpected trip had received. He added: “I want to thank everyone for their kind words and best wishes following my trip to Normandy – I never imagined my visit would cause such a stir! “I’m delighted to be back at home with my wife and the wonderful staff here at The Pines. I was never banned from going to the commemorations, I just decided to make my own way there. “I would like to thank everyone for their interest and the lovely coverage of what was such an important day. “All the men and the women who took part that day 70 years ago are heroes, especially the ones who never came home.” Since arriving back at The Pines, Bernard has enjoyed spending time with his wife Irene, and is now fully rested and in good health.
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Bernard with carers Roxana Iacob and Ana Santos. Messages of support and admiration have been sent in by people from all around the world, a Facebook appreciation group has been set up in his honour and there is even an online campaign to send Bernard a card to celebrate his upcoming 90th birthday. Gracewell Healthcare’s CEO Peter Curtis added: “The huge amount of support that Bernard has received from people all around the world is wonderful and well deserved for such an inspiring man. “We are delighted to be able to cele-
brate Bernard’s birthday with him and I'm sure that all the cards and gestures of goodwill that he has received and will continue to receive will make that day extra special for him.” “At Gracewell Healthcare we celebrate all our resident’s birthdays and as part of our personalised care programme we recognise that every one of our residents is unique. “We are in awe of the part Bernard played in the D-day invasion 70 years ago and find his story truly inspirational.”
Group Production Editor: Dominic Musgrave Tel: 01226 734407 dm@scriptmedia.co.uk Studio Manager: Stewart Holt Tel: 01226 734414 sth@scriptmedia.co.uk Database enquiries to: 01226 734695 E-mail: circulation@ scriptmedia.co.uk Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of all content, the publishers do not accept liability for error, printed or otherwise, that may occur. Follow us on Twitter @caringuk
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Resident Joan Wyatt and staff member Jane Peters get into the wartime spirit at New Fairholme's anniversary party.
Home turns back the clock to celebrate its first anniversary By Dominic Musgrave RESIDENTS turned the clock back 70 years to mark the first anniversary of the opening of a state-of-the-art £7million care home in Shropshire. Carers and residents at New Fairholme, in Oswestry, got into the wartime spirit for a 1940s themed street party at the 88-bed home which first welcomed new occupants in April last year. New Fairholme, the latest development from Coverage Care, was designed to offer a real choice of hotel services and the full continuum of care for residents. Both wings of the home, which provides residential with nursing care facilities, were decorated with bunting and carers and service users dressed up in vintage wartime attire for the event. Home manager Diana Wall said: “Everyone got into the party mood and the staff were wonderful. They made bunting to string up and
dressed in wonderful 1940s’ costumes from land girls to pinnies, rollers and hair nets. There was music from the 1940s and we had Union Jack flags on the tables. “Staff brought in their own china tea sets and even cake stands. Everyone was brilliant and the residents really appreciated it.” The home has a specially designed reminiscence room, complete with a mannequin in 1940s dress, wartime newspapers and Bakelite radio. David Coull, chief executive of owner Coverage Care, said: “One year on from opening New Fairholme, we are delighted to see it become so much a part of Oswestry – we even have a hair salon at the home which welcomes members of the community as well as our service users. Our new home inherited the family atmosphere of its predecessor in the town, Fairholme, on Morda Road, while bringing the benefits of a wider range of services offered to more people.”
Students from Hardwick Middle School and West Suffolk College helped St Peter’s House care home in Bury St Edmunds mark Dementia Awareness Week. The West Suffolk College students spent time reminiscing with the residents and bringing cakes which, along with a raffle, raised more than £100. And students from Hardwick Middle School sung songs and shared memories with the residents as part of a seaside nostalgia day, which was also attended by local councillor Mark Ereira-Guyer.
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Performance poet Tony Walsh with Belong customers Marion Clarke, Lillian Moss, Anne Dorrington and Nina Greenwood.
Village residents given a voice by renowned poet RENOWNED UK performance poet Tony Walsh (aka Longfella) has given the first public reading of his new poem, 'We are Belong villagers', at the Belong Wigan community care village. The poem was commissioned by the operator to communicate what it's like to live in a modern care setting, where care is at its best. Tony Walsh has performed at The British Library, the RSC 50th Anniversary Open Day and wrote and performed the official tribute to Sir Alex Ferguson last year. His new, uplifting poem, which was written after a successful poetry workshop with Belong residents, avoids the usual stereotypes and jargon associated with life in a care home, giving a realistic portrayal of how the people living and working in Belong Wigan feel about themselves. Tony said: “I was very impressed by an initial meeting with managers from Belong but, as someone with experience of care settings from both a family perspective and as a former council officer, it was important for me to also hear from residents and staff before writing my commissioned
poem. I therefore offered to run a poetry session at Belong Wigan. About a dozen residents and a couple of members of staff attended and we had a lot of fun. “As a bonus, the session also gave me the inspiration for my overall poem, which takes the form of a simple “kenning” – a poetic form with Norse roots, linked to the Scottish use of the word “ken” – to know. “Through the poem, we hope that people will come to know the very different and first class way that Belong Villages do things.” Tracy Paine, operations director at Belong, added: “The care sector gets a lot of bad press, often based on outdated ideas. We commissioned Tony because we wanted to give a voice to the people that make Belong villages their home and continue to lead wonderful lives here, as well as to the many dedicated staff supporting them. “Everybody that participated in his poetry workshop at Belong Wigan last year had a fantastic time, and they're proud to know that their conversations that day inspired ‘We are Belong villagers’.”
NCA and ECCA’s proposed merger plan breaks down THE proposed merger between the NCA and ECCA to form Care England has not been concluded, it has been revealed. NCA chairman Nadra Ahmed OBE said “Both National Care Association and ECCA, through the transitional board, were committed to the principles of a merger which would have brought about a strong and coherent voice for the sector at a time when providers are facing considerable challenges. “However we now believe that the interests of all providers will not be best served through a merger of the two organisations at this time. “To avoid any misunderstanding
and as a point of clarity, Care England does not incorporate the membership of National Care Association in any way and as such does not represent the membership or the express views of the National Care Association. “Care England was to have been the name of the merged organisation, which ECCA has adopted without reference to National Care Association; therefore as the merger has not taken place it cannot be representative of the vision of a unified voice. “National Care Association will continue to work with all representative organisations in the best interest of its membership.”
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Prince Charles chats with residents and staff from Colten Care’s Castle View care home.
Royal walkabout delights Dorset home’s residents IT’S not every day the heir to the throne comes by for a chat, so residents at a Dorset care home made the most of their chance. The Prince of Wales was out and about in his Duchy of Cornwall community at Poundbury when he delighted all at Colten Care’s Castle View facility with an unannounced stop. Hearing he was nearby, more than 20 residents and team members grabbed a clutch of Union Jacks and lined up on a pathway outside to attract his attention. The flag-waving worked and the
Prince, wearing a grey suit, dark tie and sunglasses, came over to speak, spending around 10 minutes asking questions and chatting. Activities organiser Sue Goodwin said: “He stopped and spoke to everyone and asked about the home, how many residents we have and what sort of activities we get involved in. The residents were absolutely thrilled to be in the limelight. It created a lovely buzz.” It was the first time the Prince has visited Castle View since he performed the home’s official opening in 2002.
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Home seeks 1950s’ shop memorabilia
A LANCASHIRE care home is planning on taking a trip down memory lane with the help of the local community as it aims to recreate a thriving street of shops from yesteryear. Riverside Care Centre is appealing for donations of any 1950s memorabilia to help form a quirky street of 1950s shop fronts along one of the home’s corridors. As well as looking to collect historic items, the centre is looking to forge partnerships with local businesses and raise money, which will help fund the initiative and enhance the reminiscence of themes which are of great benefit to older people. Gail Ainsworth, Riverside Care Centre manager, said: “The 1950s street is a fantastic initiative and will offer our residents the perfect opportunity to reminisce and rekindle memories of their younger days. We have received good feedback from our residents and their families, and the presence of a pleasant, old-fashioned street will be a lovely addition to the home. “We are now looking to build on this initial exciting idea and are hoping for donations and sponsors to help us with this endeavour.”
Students donate artwork to Stockton care home By Dominic Musgrave WELLBURN House in Stockton received a special gift from talented artists at Fairfield Primary School, which it will proudly display in the care home. To launch the home’s upcoming refurbishment, which is part of Akari Care’s £12 million investment programme in its homes throughout the UK, the pupils donated a piece of artwork, which has been recognised by The National Gallery. The home will display the artwork, which is a large re-creation of Bathers at Asnières by painter Georges Seurat, created by year five and year six students aged between 9-11, for all residents and visitors to see. The home is hoping to develop a long-standing relationship with Fairfield Primary School and has plans for many exciting projects in the coming months. Lisa Stephenson, manager at Wellburn House, said: “We are thrilled with the artwork that the pupils at Fairfield Primary School have donated, and we would like to say a big thank you to everyone at the school. “The artwork will look fantastic in our home and is a great way to mark the start of the refurbishment. “It’s really important for us at
Lisa Stephenson, manager at Wellburn House, with resident Joan Durham holding Trudie (centre) with members of staff and year five and year six pupils from Fairfield Primary School handing over their version of Bathers at Asnières. Wellburn House to get involved with our local community and the residents are really excited about future projects we have planned with the school – watch this space.” The donation marks a complete refurbishment and re-decoration commencing at the home to make the environment more comfortable and appealing for residents and visitors. The work will include all communal areas being re-decorated, with new
curtains, carpets, furniture and lighting to make the areas more relaxing. All bedrooms will undergo a complete red-decoration and bathrooms in the home will be fitted with fresh new bathroom suites. The outside space of the home will also be given a new lease of life, with the garden being landscaped, a new gazebo installed and a chicken coup and runway created for the home’s new arrivals later in the year.
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Last chance to attend events Mark Young, senior village adviser of Richmond Villages, opens the new shop with Nev Scott, village adviser, and Wendy Middleton, community relations manager.
Firm opens innovative shop to raise community awareness RICHMOND Villages, which is developing a new retirement village at Coral Springs, has opened a marketing and community shop within Witney town centre. The shop was opened by Mark Young, senior village adviser, Wendy Middleton, community relations manager and Nev Scott, villager adviser of Richmond Villages. David Reaves, marketing manager of Richmond Villages, said: “As well as literally giving us a shop window in the centre of Witney, this new facility offers the opportunity to meet local
people while they are out and about in town. “Our villages are closely integrated within their communities, and this will be an excellent opportunity to meet those who run clubs and societies, as well as anyone working in healthcare, at local GP practices and charities.” Richmond Witney retirement village will be the company’s sixth facility, and will initially provide 51 homes for those over 55, and 60 care home beds providing both nursing and dementia care.
TIME is running out for you to book your place at the first two regional conferences organised by Caring UK. The Elderly Care: Positive Choices events, which take place at Rookery Manor in Weston-super-Mare and the Riviera International Conference Centre in Torquay on July 2 and 3 respectively, are being sponsored by NatWest. NCA chief executive Sheila Scott will begin both events with an update on the Care Bill, followed by Skills for Care area manager Teresa Morrison and her look at ‘Building positive workplace cultures in adult social care’. Prior to the mid-morning break at Weston-super-Mare, Active Minds product designer and founder Ben Atkinson-Willes will discuss ‘Design for Dementia: A look at how better design can help improve peoples’ quality of life’, while at Torquay there will be an update from the inspectorate. After the break occupational therapist Heather Manktelow will begin the session with a seminar entitled ‘Activities for Health’ – Provision for nursing and care homes to engage in meaningful activities which promote and maintain health, well-being, quality of life and independence.
At Weston-super-Mare this will then be followed by an update from the CQC. The final two speakers at both events will be NatWest’s head of healthcare Neil Garton, who will offer advice on ‘Understanding and helping to deliver your business strategy’ and Lee Sheppard, head of care homes at apetito Limited, who will discuss ‘Dining with dignity – catering for Dysphagia’ in his session. An extensive exhibition which will run alongside the conferences will complete the events. Caring UK editor Dominic Musgrave, who will chair the conferences, said: “As you can see we have once again put together a stellar line-up of speakers who will talk about a range of topics throughout the day. “With the exhibition running alongside and the opportunity to network, these conferences are truly not to be missed, and I would urge all care home and domiciliary care operators and managers in these areas to attend these events. “We also must thank our headline sponsor NatWest for their support of our conferences this year, and we are delighted to have them on board.” To find out more and to book your place at these must-attend events turn to pages 15 and 16.
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Jo brings a bit of Michelin magic to retirement village A CHEF who has cooked for rock stars and royalty and worked at a Michelin starred London restaurant has taken on a new role heading up the catering at an award-winning retirement village in the North East. Jo Stoddart worked alongside one of the world’s best known chefs, Michel Roux Jr, at his acclaimed restaurant Le Gavroche – the first in the UK to gain three Michelin stars – and is now bringing some Michelin magic to Middleton Hall Retirement Village, near Darlington, County Durham, as its new catering manager. Jo was among five students plucked straight out of catering college in Liverpool to join Le Gavroche, where she found she was the only girl out of 20 chefs. Within three months she had been promoted to head chef of the training kitchen where she worked for six years before working for Michele’s father Albert for four. Working for Albert as chef manager, her jobs included catering for the BAFTAS and cooking for the likes of A List Hollywood actors, rock stars such as Tom Jones, Prince, Bon Jovi and Oasis and Arabian royalty. From working for the Rouxs, Jo joined a private school group in
Kensington as catering manager before Raynham Primary School in Enfield, London, as a chef manager, where she won the London School Chef of the Year competition. She moved to Wolviston Village, near Billingham, Teesside, with husband Elton, in 2010 with her three boys aged seven to 16, and joined the social enterprise, Create, helping to run a training programme aimed at getting people back into work. Jo will now be looking to bring her Michelin standard experience to Middleton Hall by updating the restaurant and Orangery menus as well as the food for events and functions and launching an advanced training package for the retirement village’s chefs where they will learn new techniques and update skills. “I’ve joined Middleton Hall because of the vision there is for the catering,” she said. “It’s going to be really exciting to be part of it and working with the team to look at all aspects of the catering for residents. “We’re looking to make the menus more seasonal from locally sourced ingredients. Middleton Hall is working on healthy eating so we are looking at what we cook, how we present it and how we source food.”
Commissioner for older people in Northern Ireland Claire Keatinge met residents and their families when she visited Annadale care home. She also had a tour of the home and met the staff. Claire is pictured with Michele Campbell (home administrator), Winn Mashumba (home manager), care assistants Jamie-Lee Pollins and May Galbraith and residents Christina Stewart, Jean Harris and Joe Heaney.
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The Caring UK newsdesk has been inundated with letters and comments from readers about the front page story from issue 216 ‘Care provider consulting on CCTV cameras’. Here are a selection of them ...
In favour of installing cameras to maintain residents’ dignity THE idea of installing visible CCTV cameras in all nursing and care homes, is an excellent one in my view, especially following the recent public disclosure by one relative of a resident who was subjected to cruel and inhuman behaviour by some workers in a care home. It would not have been possible to discover this appalling act of cruelty if the relative had not used a secret camera. We have to recognise that while the majority of care workers are kind and compassionate, there are some who treat residents with utmost contempt and cruelty. The elderly residents, who are often disabled and vulnerable, need and deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and compassion by their carers and relatives alike. These elderly people also are the parents and grandparents of someone somewhere who should not be treated with contempt, but treated with love and
utmost care. If we can prevent such abuse of elders in future by installing visible cameras, let us do it and protect our elderly residents from any further acts of cruelty. That is the least we can do to protect our elderly residents who, along with other members of their family, place their trust in us. We should adopt this as our mission in life. Dr Krishna Korlipara, chairman, Rivington View Nursing Home, Bolton I ABSOLUTELY agree with having CCTV in places where there are vulnerable people. I myself work in a residential care home and although I have no reason to suspect anyone of mistreatment towards our residents, we all know that some carers are excellent and some not so good. Whether it is intentional abuse or unintentional abuse of any form, a camera would present factual evi-
dence thereby allowing better training or prosecution, whichever it turned out to be. I also think that an opt out policy would satisfy those who are opposed to them. I personally would be only too happy if I had a relative in a care setting for CCTV cameras to be installed. Mrs B. Sambrook I AGREE that cameras should be installed in care homes. The majority of people would not abuse, but there is a breed of person that would only be caught by this method. It should not be family that has to resort to this if they have concerns. I caught a person when we put a camera in a resident’s room to monitor a resident’s sleep pattern. He would never have been discovered had we not had done this, and he was with us for 10 years. Pauline Gower, manager, Morriss House
If you wish to comment on this or any other story which appears in Caring UK magazine, email editor Dominic Musgrave at dm@scriptmedia.co.uk or Tweet us @caringuk
Miriam Sukenikova, activities co-ordinator at Allingham House, with resident Robert Zackham.
Home enjoys VIP visit to Sea Life NEW Care Projects arranged a VIP trip for 32 residents, relatives, staff and friends from Manorhey Care Centre in Urmston and Allingham House Care Centre in Timperley to Sea Life at intu Trafford Centre. Sea Life was specifically selected for the trip due to its multi-sensory offering, allowing the group the chance to touch and feel the animals. Donna McGoff from New Care Projects said: “Enabling residents access to community attractions and get the best out of what is available is a key theme when we create our activities programme. Sea Life was a conscious choice for this trip.” Sea Life provided complimentary entry to the venue for the group’s visit, which coincided with Dementia Awareness Week. New Care Projects is currently constructing a third care home in Nottinghamshire.
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Provider is visited by delegation HOMECARE provider Caremark (Plymouth) received a visit from a delegation of Turkish health professionals. The group comprising doctors, a nurse, a dentist, a radiographer and a medical director who are from the city of Balikesir were keen to visit a UK care provider and learn how home care is delivered in the UK. The Turkish health professionals were accompanied on their visit by a translator and a representative from Tellus Group, the language school that organised the visit. Graham Livingston, director of Caremark (Plymouth), said: “We were approached by Tellus Group through a mutual contact who asked if we would be happy to host the delegates for an informal meeting and Q&A session on how we provide care for people living independently in the Plymouth area. “They were interested to know how the NHS and local authority social care combine to cover the medical and social care needs of people living in the community, and how care is funded and regulated in the UK.”
A fresh start: how food helped transform life at The Willows WHEN Paul Swithenbank became founder chairman and chief executive of The Willows in Lancashire in May 2009, he had ambitious plans to transform the home, which has seen several owners in its 20-year history. One of the biggest priorities for Paul was to overhaul the home’s catering operations. At the time he took on The Willows, he inherited an in-house cook who worked a few days per week, while carers were relied on to help provide meals at other times. This had a number of disadvantages, including concerns about the quality of presentation and nutritional content of the food served – plus a lack of choice for residents and a need for carers to spend a good deal of time helping in the kitchen. As Paul puts it: “This took them away from what they should be doing, which is caring for residents.” A further spur for Paul to take action was being approached by the family of a resident suffering with dysphagia who was preparing to undergo PEGfeeding. This meant she would have to be fed through a tube for the rest of her life – a prospect Paul was keen to help her avoid for as long as possible. “At the time, we were preparing blended food for her, but this wasn’t working well and PEG-feeding
seemed the next logical step for her family. However, I was aware of apetito’s texture-modified range for those who suffer with dysphagia and approached them to find out more. “As well as looking into the texture-modified range, I wanted to Paul Swithenbank introduce a total system at The Willows, which would cater to all the needs of our residents. I was impressed by the consistently high quality of the meals, as well as the colour and presentation. They really looked appetising – including the texture-modified meals, which really impressed me and exceeded my expectations.” apetito began working with Paul and his team at The Willows in August 2010, and ever since the feedback received from residents has been excellent. “The residents are our biggest critics. If they feel we need to change anything we will, but they really enjoy the meals and we have the reassurance of knowing they’re receiving a balanced diet.”
All vulnerable residents at The Willows are weighed and in all cases there has been an increase in weight since the meals were introduced. “Whenever the dietitian visits, one of the first questions they ask is what kind of meals the residents have eaten,” adds Paul. “I take a lot of comfort in being able to tell them about the nutritious food our residents receive. I’m also confident that if a CQC inspector were to visit on any given day, I can give them details on the nutritional content of every single one of the meals on our menu.” Sadly the elderly resident who spurred Paul on to enlist apetito’s services passed away in November 2011, but she continued to enjoy her puréed meals until the end of her life. “We know she enjoyed her food and that it played an important role in keeping her healthy for as long as possible. The fact that all our residents are served food that not only gives them the nutrition they need to live healthy lifestyles but that they also look forward to eating is a major part of making life better for them. Just because they’re in a care home, why should that basic right be taken away from an individual?” The Willows was recently named the best care home in the country by website carehome.co.uk
NOT TO BE MISSED BY DECISION MAKERS IN THE CARE INDUSTRY
Elderly Care: Positive Choices Elderly Care: Positive Choices is the theme for Caring UK’s annual regional conferences.
Our stellar line-up of speakers will offer expert advice on a wide variety of topics to enhance the quality of life your residents deserve in their later years, and also make your business stand out from your rivals to potential residents. Our top industry experts will pass on their knowledge on subjects including food and nutrition, activities and the care home environment itself, giving tips on what you can do to achieve and maintain the highest levels of care. Our first two conferences will be held at Rookery Manor in Weston-super-Mare and the Riviera International Conference Centre in Torquay on July 2 and 3 respectively. In September our events move north to the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley and Leeds United FC’s famous Elland Road stadium. Running alongside all of the conferences will be an extensive exhibition, which will showcase all the latest products and technology for your care home. These really are conferences not to be missed, so to avoid disappointment please complete the booking form to guarantee your place.
For more information contact:
Exhibitor enquiries: Bev Green: 01226 734 288 Delegate enquiries: Lucy Dickinson: 01226 734 695 Refreshments served throughout the event including light lunch. Closes with a grand prize draw. Goody bag and attendance certificate for all delegates attending. Sponsored by:
HEADLINE SPONSOR
Some of the conference exhibitors:
10th Sept
Leeds United Football Club. LEEDS
2nd July
Rookery Manor, WESTON-SUPER-MARE.
3rd July
9th Sept
Black Country Living Museum, DUDLEY.
Riviera International Conference Centre. TORQUAY.
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Residents pull together the pieces for project By Dominic Musgrave RESIDENTS at a Shropshire care home have been pulling together the pieces needed to create colourful mosaics in a project funded by a Telford town council. Mosaic and glass artist Sarah Markopolous led the community project at Coverage Care's Chillcott Gardens home, in Madeley, which saw residents put their nimble fingers to work to create a lasting piece of art. The sessions, backed by the home's care team, were designed to improve fine motor skills, decision making and creativity in a social environment. Sarah said: “Working at Chillcott Gardens has been so rewarding. I've made friends with some lovely people and we've spent time together working and chatting. “One thing that has really stuck with me while working with this group of people is how thoughtful and considerate everybody is to each others' needs. “We have also laughed so much together as the regular sessions give people the opportunity to develop friendships and make new ones. The preliminary designing sessions really gave individuals the opportunity to
Residents Hilda Higley and Edith Ward with the wall mosaic at Chillcott Gardens. express themselves and be heard; inspiring a real sense of ownership over the finished piece. “The work produced is an absolute credit to them, their attention to detail and strong views on design and colour have really shone through.” Chillcott Gardens activities co-ordinator, Katrina Pooler, witnessed the benefits of the project first hand. She added: “The mosaic classes we hold have been a great addition to our activity programme and have
been enjoyed by our residents. They keep fingers nimble, promote conversation and provide positive reinforcement in decision making in terms of colours and patterns. “We have also recently refreshed our gardens and incorporated mirror tiles to our garden mosaics which we feel are beautiful additions to the home.” Sarah is currently discussing new ideas with the residents as many of them have expressed a desire to keep the project up and running.
Home holds annual ‘meal of the year’ RESIDENTS and their families celebrated with staff, volunteers and members of the local community recently when Ronald Gibson House held its annual ‘meal of the year’. Kitchen staff put on a threecourse silver service gourmet meal which was followed by a performance from Taryn Kay singing 50’s, 60’s and golden oldies songs while many danced and sang along. More than 60 people attended the event. The Tooting based care centre welcomes people from all walks of life, and the values and ethos of the home are centred on respecting and accommodating diversity. Victor Njoku, care centre manager, said: “We were delighted that so many people took part in our Meal of the Year. Meal times are an important social occasion and we aim to ensure that everyone is offered food which is appealing and appetising. “Our residents have a diverse range of dietary requirements and whether they stem from religious beliefs, specific health needs or personal taste we are proud of the fact that we are successful in catering for individuals’ needs.”
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Mark Menzies MP (centre) with Nick Wood and Lisa Reilly.
MP inspired by quality of standards at new home FYLDE MP Mark Menzies took time out of his busy schedule to visit Lytham care home The Moorings, where he was given a tour and an opportunity to discuss the future plans of the facility. Mark met with director Nick Wood and registered manager Lisa Reilly and was shown around the 29 bedroom care home. He had the chance to see first-hand how the home operates, its facilities including a 12-seater cinema, hair and beauty salon, to see some of the activities which are laid on, as well as having the chance to talk to residents and their families. Mark also sampled a selection of food from The Moorings’ menu. Nick said: “We were thrilled to wel-
come Mr Menzies to our new stateof-the-art care facility. We specialise in providing a personal level of care which recognises the importance of independence, dignity and choice. It is with these values in mind that we ensure our teams value each resident as an individual. “This new home will be a great addition to the group, providing high quality facilities while at the same time ensuring that we retain the values and ethos on which our reputation has been built. “With that in mind, we were proud to be able to show Mr Menzies the exciting features in phase one of the development and delighted to be able to share some of the unique design features coming in phase two.”
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Eco home creates a unique interior WHEN the Fisher Partnership wanted a bespoke interior for their purpose-built care home, Whitby Court, they turned to Shackletons for seating and soft furnishings that would reflect the high standards of care and comfort the company is committed to providing. Jenny Fisher from Whitby Court said: “We were very aware of not reflecting an institutionalised image when completing Whitby Court. This unique home required a unique interior treatment that would enable us to offer something completely bespoke.” “We found Shackletons were on our wavelength, they engaged with our thoughts, understood our requirements and really worked with us to get the right seating and soft furnishings for our residents.” Sarah Thompson, regional sales manager at Shackletons, added: “Working with Whitby Court was a pleasure; their level of creativity
and input enabled us to push the boundaries of interior treatments within a care home. I believe we have created a bespoke environment that reflects a personcentred approach whilst offering fit for purpose and comfortable furniture that will last in a demanding environment.” Shackletons provided over 100 individual seating options in varying comfort styles and fabrics throughout the home with soft furnishings to complete this very individual care home look. Whitby Court is Whitby’s first purpose-built ecological care home and includes a biomass boiler, solar panelling, LED energy-saving lighting and underfloor heating throughout to minimise our carbon footprint. Every last detail, from layout and furnishings through to facilities such as a residents' kitchen and a sensory room has been carefully managed.
Ascot hi-lo bath the preferred solution for care providers GAINSBOROUGH Specialist Bathing’s popular Ascot hi-lo bath continues to be the preferred solution for many care providers in long term care environments. The Ascot is a variable height bath with powered seat transfer and has been designed to deliver the highest levels of comfort, dignity and safety for both bathers and carers. It meets the challenges of hightraffic environments and ensures best practice in moving and handling through considered ergonomic design. The Ascot has an impressive, ultracompact footprint ideal for spacerestricted bathing areas and its easy-
to-clean surfaces assist with infection control procedures. Integrated, state-of-the-art assistive technology ensures the safe, smooth and efficient transfer of the client into the bath via a soft-touch powered seat. Once the bather is gently immersed in the thermostatically controlled water, the Ascot can be raised so carers can work without the risk of back or muscle strain. The Ascot has a maximum user weight of 150kg and can be supplied with a detachable transfer chair, plus a range of sensory options including air spa, chromotherapy lighting and Bluetooth® sound system.
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Life’s a beach for Whitby Court residents THE Fisher Partnership, has looked to Karndean Designflooring to complete its latest purpose-built care home at Whitby Court, North Yorkshire. Inspired by a nautical-beach theme, The Fisher Partnership opted for Karndean Designflooring because of its modern designs and compatibility with underfloor heating, specifying over 1,570.92m2 throughout their latest new build project. The stand out features include an indoor beach, using the exotic grain of Da Vinci Kenyan Tigerwood, against the inviting pebble effect of Michelangelo Navarra Chalk, a dedicated Train Room featuring Knight Tile Caribbean Driftwood, as well as a glamorous hair salon displaying Knight Tile White Painted Oak. Alongside Da Vinci Spirito Limestone in a purpose built kitchen area, Knight Tile Pale Limed Oak in adjoining walkways and Knight Tile White Painted Oak in various bedrooms.
Whitby Court is the town’s first purpose-built ecological care home and aims to provide personcentred care in a tranquil environment. Enquiries: For more information about Karndean Designflooring, visit www.karndean.com.
New collection blurs the gap between hospitality and care Take the hassle out of your new build IF you are looking to remove the hassle from your new build or refurbishment project, while saving time and money then we can help. Good design ensures that your bedrooms are easier to market, increases the value of your home whilst improving the environment and comfort for your residents or service users. We work exclusively for the care sector providing interior design, project management and procurement services including all aspects of your interior covering furniture, curtains/blinds, carpet,
artwork, tableware, towels and bedding. Our recommendations are tailored to your precise needs and client group. There is no deposit to pay and no minimum order and we work anywhere within the UK. If you think we can help then please contact us for further information or to request a free consultation without obligation. Enquiries: For further information visit www.a21careinteriors.co.uk or call 020 8399 3091.
MEANING ‘a place of beauty’ the new Lowanna collection by Skopos evokes an exotic, tranquil and serene tone through five different printed designs. Including a splintered stripe, a multi-coloured Gingko leaf, a tribal diamond, a geometric and a dramatic two colour leaf, the designs have been developed to bring contract interiors to life in an uplifting palette. Providing ultimate flexibility, this printed collection, is offered on a variety of flame retardant basecloths, including bedding weights, curtain options and a waterproof upholstery quality. With broad appeal the designs can be printed on perfect, fit for purpose fabrics, for each individual project. This collection blurs the gap between hospitality
and care, providing inspirational designs which will appeal to both male and female, providing uplifting interiors for care residents. Presented in the pattern book with the new Chamonix, Peru and Mezzanotte Accents collections, Lowanna provides a design statement for beautiful, enchanting interiors. Lowanna leadtimes are short with small minimums. Customer feedback prior to the official launch has been extremely positive. Skopos is an ISO9001 accredited company and has over 35 year’s specialist experience in the design and manufacture of high performance FR contract fabrics for the healthcare and hospitality sectors. Enquiries: Visit www.skoposdesignltd.com or call 01924 465191.
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Care provider on the lookout for 10 more nurses By Dominic Musgrave
Members of staff at Debaliol Nursing Home take a quick break during the walk.
Home’s staff put their best feet forward for residents MEMBERS of staff at Debaliol Nursing Home in Newbiggin by the Sea laced up their hiking boots to raise funds for the British Red Cross and for extra treats for the home’s residents. Sixteen members of staff, including the Care Living operated home’s manager Julia Rose, tackled a 13.5mile sponsored coastal walk from Amble to Newbiggin, raising more than £1,000 for the British Red Cross and for additional summer outings for the residents.
Julia said: “We are dedicated to supporting charities and going the extra mile for our residents in a host of different ways, with this walk being a perfect example of our commitment. “Staff trained really hard for the walk and battled some rather miserable weather on the day, but we’re always happy to take on a challenge to help. We were all a bit stiff and tired after the walk, but we’re very proud of the amount we raised which will be put to great use.”
A BRADFORD based care provider has launched a recruitment campaign to employ 10 nurses by January 2015. Czajka Care Group, which runs five nursing homes and provides home and domiciliary care to over 550 people in Yorkshire, is targeting both trainee and experienced nurses in the UK and overseas. Konrad Czajka, managing director of Czajka Care Group and Yorkshire chair of the RNHA, said: “It’s vital that as the NHS continues to cut senior nursing posts and drive cost savings that the private sector takes advantage of the skills and experience of those nurses. “We currently have several positions that would be ideal for nurses that have previously worked in the NHS and can provide excellent training to further enhance their knowledge base.” According to the Royal College of Nursing the NHS has lost nearly 4,000 senior nursing posts since 2010 as it aims to save £20bn by 2015. Konrad added: “We are appealing to trainee and experienced nurses to
consider a role in the private sector. Many nurses in the NHS tell us they feel overstretched and under resourced and we know that we can offer the training and development that many nurses crave. “We want our nurses to feel valued, well-trained and supported - both financially and emotionally. We value our clinical staff and understand the important role they play in the care and welfare of our residents. “That’s why we strive to create an environment where clinicians and care staff can work effectively together with good supportive management to help reduce workplace stress and we hope that this will help to attract nurses looking to further their careers.” Czajka Care Group is hosting a number of informative events at universities in Leeds and Bradford to attract student nurses and currently provides continued professional development and training at its dedicated training centre in Saltaire to its 500 staff. Czajka Care Group operates five nursing and care homes as well as offering a range of purpose built retirement houses and apartments across West Yorkshire.
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In the second of a three-part series of articles, Heather Manktelow, an occupational therapist experienced in facilitating therapeutic activities in a range of care homes and in the community, discusses assessment and planning and putting it into practice.
Occupational therapy – the theories and philosophies THE heart of Occupational Therapy philosophy is that all people share an innate occupational nature which exists in the framework of environment and time. Time reveals itself as a vacuum, inviting us to fill it with ‘doing’. Without activity time weighs heavily on us. Therapy enables people to engage in activities and occupations that provide meaning and satisfaction and that support their physical and emotional well-being (Kielhofner, 2007). If people are bored and have no or little opportunity to engage in activities it affects their whole being: they may become depressed, give up on life, and ultimately may retreat inside themselves, withdrawing from their social network and environment. If people become depressed it affects their motivation to engage in activities, which can impact upon activities of daily living (getting washed, toileted, dressed and feeding themselves). When residents become less able through lack of motivation, it means that carers do more and more for the resident which can have an effect of de-skilling and reducing independence. Carers and other staff must use skills to motivate and encourage residents to continue to do as much for themselves for as long as possible. With the right approach from staff, even activities of daily living can be made into pleasurable activities rather than tasks. If carers are bright and cheerful, and promote the sensory aspects, any task can be a meaningful and pleasurable ‘activity’. For example encouraging the resident to notice and smell the lovely coconut aroma of the soap, singing to and with the resident, bringing some fun into it, taking the resident to the window and discussing the weather and what can be seen, encouraging them to feel the fabrics and choose
Heather Manktelow what they want to wear. If residents have cognitive failings, the Pool Activity Level (PAL) Instrument is very helpful in assessment and guiding carer support at the appropriate level for each individual (Pool, 2012). Assessment and planning Activity assessment and planning needs to be done in discussion with the resident, involving the family and intermittently reviewed. Every resident must have an activity plan. It should include: Personal history. Interest checklist. Medical conditions and any sensory, physical or cognitive difficulties. Risk assessment. Outcome measures. Putting it into practice There are many aspects of therapy, the complexities of which are not always appreciated by the lay-person and the team may require training to appreciate the aims, objectives and
risk assessment of activities that they deliver, and to help residents reach their full potential and well-being. Research shows that when staff are given such training from an OT it raised their understanding and interest in the importance of graded activities that are appropriate to each resident’s ability and interests (Boyd et al, 2014). Occupational therapy promotes balance, motor, sensory, perceptual, cognitive, intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, spirituality, self-confidence, self-esteem, mood, and independence to name a few. Through engagement in graded activity, it helps to keep residents mobile and flexible, thereby promoting independence and control. For example, ball games keep arms flexible which helps a resident retain the ability to raise an arm to brush their own hair. Residents who want to, should be included as much as possible in daily routines for example folding paper napkins, laying tables, sweeping up, clearing plates away, washing up etc. Meaningful activity is all about correct activity care-planning and finding the ‘right fit’ for individuals; not everyone will want to help with domestic chores, but for a lot of ladies, this was their life role – and is still enjoyable and meaningful to them. Generally residents of all ages like to be active and feel that they are helping-out. Participation in activities needs careful observation and documentation in the individuals’ care plans. During activity sessions carers should be helping the OT or activity organiser… by staff losing their inhibitions and getting enthusiastically involved in activities, it encourages the residents to do the same …nobody wants to be the only one dancing on the dance floor! Carers in care homes have a difficult
job and most of their time is taken up being involved in direct care tasks and observing people to ensure safety, but if everyone in the staff team makes even a small change in the way they work, it can make a large change overall. A skilled activity facilitator makes activity provision look easy but it can be draining, especially when giving so much of themselves to encourage and motivate residents to engage in activity. With hard work, good communication skills, determination and correct activity planning to explore graded activities that are meaningful to each individual, the most reluctant of residents can be supported to enjoy activities even if in their own discrete way. This also applies to residents who cannot verbally communicate and therefore who some inexperienced people may perceive can’t ‘do’ activities, for example in later-stage dementia or stroke. Some residents just need more patience and skill than others who readily join in. When people can no longer join in with the more complex activities on offer, sensory stimulation/therapy can still be enjoyed by all so it is a very important aspect to bring into activity planning. Some examples are aromatherapy hand massage, music, singing, rhythm, movement, taste, touch, stroking animals and use of bright colour. The environment should also contribute towards interest and sensory stimulation, providing opportunities for hands-on engagement for example ‘rummage boxes’ of items for people to explore. Some homes also incorporate rooms or ‘stations for reminiscence’ such as a pub, café, music room or book library. To find out more visit www.activitiesforhealth.co.uk
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Deerhurst resident Fred Owen tries his hand at boxing with physio Andy Stenner (left) and Joyce Mealing enjoys a joke while on the exercise bike with activities organiser Bernie Dennett and Andy (right).
Bringing the gym to the care home A BRISTOL care home is bringing the gym to the residents, allowing them to don a pair of boxing gloves and have a go on a trampoline. Run by chartered physiotherapist Andy Stenner, the weekly ‘gym’ sessions at Deerhurst in Soundwell, have been designed to help maintain fitness and mobility, challenging balance and coordination to whatever level possible. This is done with a variety of equipment including a mini-trampoline, step, balance board, cross trainer, exercise bike, gym ball, resistance bands, boxing, tennis and weights. Many Deerhurst residents live with a dementia and other health issues for which they require around the clock care.
Andy said: “In addition to the physical benefits the sessions can also help mentally. Being part of the 'exercise group', doing an activity you thought you might not do again and seeing yourself improve at a skill are all valuable benefits of the sessions. “I think it is important to keep individuals as independent as possible, whatever level of physical or mental disability they may have. It is our responsibility to ensure that people have the stimulation and opportunity so they can challenge and maintain a level of independence, regardless of being in a care home.” Over the past 11 years as a chartered physiotherapist, Andy has worked in many hospitals in the Bristol and Bath area, with his time currently
spent half in the NHS for the North Bristol trust as a musculoskeletal outpatient physio and half private work. Following getting more involved with care homes and working with residents individually, Andy approached the managers to suggest the option of running ‘physio fitness’ group sessions: “I saw the opportunity to offer exercise sessions where I could offer ‘gym’ and ‘sporting’ equipment in addition to the typical chair exercises that are commonly done,” he added. “It can be an easy option for people to spend a lot of time being inactive, the problem being that we become good at the things we practice.” Deerhurst manager Lesley Hobbs has witnessed first-hand the positive
impact the gym sessions have had on many of the residents. She added: “These sessions have allowed us to positively encourage residents to reach goals they may not have thought possible. “We’ve had one gentleman with Parkinson’s and who is wheelchair bound actually get up and have a go on the step – Andy has shown us that it’s ok to push people beyond what they, and we, think their limits are in a controlled environment. “We are an active care home, constantly providing a variety of activities to keep residents stimulated, showing that with a little bit of thought and commitment, care homes can be vibrant and stimulating places to live too.”
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‘Deaf aware’ home is awarded charter for high standards Welwyn Hatfield MP Grant Shapps with Gardenonaroll managing director Antony Henn, St Andrew’s Care Home manager Marcia Tonkin and Sarah Wilson from Digswell Nuseries.
Firm creates garden for home TV GARDENER and plantsman Antony Henn joined forces with a community nursery that helps train vulnerable adults to create the longest-ever Gardenonaroll border in just an hour for a nursing home to raise funds and awareness for dementia charity Alzheimer’s Society. Landscape designer Antony, who has appeared on the BBC show Gardeners’ World and is behind the Gardenonaroll concept, was joined by volunteers from Digswell Nurseries in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, and Grant Shapps, MP for Welwyn Hatfield, to create a 60ft-long, professionally-designed border for nearby St Andrew’s Care Home using the longest Gardenonaroll ever
planted. Antony, whose client list includes Sir Paul McCartney, came up with the Gardenonaroll concept after working on a primary school project where he drew on a strip of wallpaper to help make it accessible to the young pupils. Marcia Tonkin, manager at St Andrew’s Care Home, said: “We are thrilled with our new garden and are immensely grateful to Antony, Garden on a Roll and Digswell. “The residents think the new outside space is a really lovely addition to the home. I am sure they will enjoy it for years to come. Antony has promised to give us maintenance advice so it stays lovely long-term.”
A DEAF couple living at Britain’s second official ‘deaf aware’ care home in Market Harborough have said “we feel lucky being here”. When Leslie and Betty Key first moved into Peaker Park they were unable to communicate properly with staff, but the team responded quickly with a range of measures. In recognition of its high standards for deaf people, the home has been presented with a care quality mark for older deaf people by three leading industry bodies. The care home responded quickly to cater for Betty and Leslie’s needs, with staff training in basic sign language and deaf awareness. The building’s communal lounges have also all been fitted with an assistive listening system known as an induction loop. It has moved away from soundrelated group activities and uses a light machine for bingo. There are also subtitles on televisions. The charter is part of the DeafAware Care programme launched by deafness charity Sonus and the Royal Association for Deaf People and endorsed by care home association Care England. James Wood, managing director of
Betty and Leslie Key at Peaker Park in Market Harborough. PrimeLife, said: “We are passionate about providing a high-quality standard of living tailored to our clients’ needs, and this is a perfect example of our philosophy. “The team at Peaker Park has struck up an excellent relationship with Leslie and Betty especially team leader Kinga Kalinowska, who always goes above and beyond to ensure they are happy and comfortable.” The couple are both profoundly deaf. Betty was born deaf and Leslie lost his hearing aged two through meningitis.
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Matchstick maestro’s masterpieces wow home’s residents IAIN Love had his wife’s fellow Sherbrooke Lodge Care Home residents spellbound when he brought in large models which he made entirely out of matchsticks. The 68-year-old has spent two-anda-half years building replica models of a tram, two boats and two Grecian Coliseum clocks using kits. Iain kept the models at his home in Croftfoot, Glasgow and recently took them into Sherbrooke Lodge to show to residents where his wife Moira resides. Moira has been in the home for the past four years and has one of the model boats and Grecian Coliseum clock in her room. He said: “When Moira moved into Sherbrooke Lodge I had a bit of spare time on my hands, so I started making models. I think I just wanted to see what the models would turn out like. “I am currently working on a model of John Constable’s ‘The Hay Wain’ before I start work on my next model, an American railway engine.” Before retiring Iain worked as a care assistant, an ambulance driver and now drives the minibus for Sherbrooke Lodge to take residents
Pendine Park owner Mario Kreft with his award.
Super Mario wins top leadership accolade Iain Love and his wife Moria. out and about on outings. He visits Moira, his wife of 37 years, every day, and on Wednesdays spends an afternoon demonstrating to the residents how he makes the models. Sherbrooke Lodge manager Lorna Flanagan said: “I really don’t think anyone realised how intricate they would be. “We have the tram model on display in one of our lounges, where residents and visitors can admire it and they all think it is lovely.”
A SOCIAL care pioneer from Wales has won a prestigious award for his leadership skills. Mario Kreft MBE, the owner of Wrexham-based care organisation Pendine Park, was honoured at the Leading Wales Awards. The awards, organised in association with Cardiff Metropolitan University, seek to recognise and celebrate the contribution of leaders and leadership as a key driver of economic growth and success in Wales. He came out on top in the leadership in the private sector category sponsored by the Hello Starling advertising agency. The award was presented at a celebratory lunch and ceremony at the Hilton, Cardiff. Mario said: “Social care is one of the most challenging areas of work and
winning this sort of accolade gives us the motivation and the confidence to aspire to do even more in the future. “As everybody knows, these things are never really just an individual thing. My wife Gill has been a pillar of support throughout and I am eternally grateful for the support I receive from the staff at Pendine Park and Care Forum Wales.” Work has just started on a £7million centre of excellence for people with dementia that will create 100 new jobs in Caernarfon on the site of the former community hospital, Ysbyty Bryn Seiont. Construction of the bilingual centre and 16 extra care apartments is now under way and, if everything goes to plan, the centre will open in September 2015.
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Demand grows for first ever micro franchises
Professor Alan Sinclair talks to a care home resident with diabetes.
Call for diabetes screening on the back of audit By Dominic Musgrave
EVERY care home in England should screen for diabetes to help detect the “masses” of undiagnosed residents with the condition, according to a set of wide-sweeping recommendations. The call comes on the back of the full publication of the first Englandwide Care Home Diabetes Audit, with social care managers and NHS professionals also urged to improve lines of communication. The recommendations are a follow up to the initial results of the study, led by the Institute of Diabetes for Older People and the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists, which were published last autumn. Professor Alan Sinclair, audit lead and director of IDOP, which is based at the University of Bedfordshire, said: “We appreciate the strain placed on care home staff but the results of the audit demonstrated major concerns which need urgent attention. “The results found one in 10 care home residents were reported as having diabetes, although this figure is at odds with previous research that showed as many as 26 per cent of all care home residents actually have diabetes. “However, we also know there are masses of people with diabetes in care homes who are undiagnosed. “The longer it takes them to become diagnosed, the more their health will suffer, leading to the potential of the development of unseen complications. Screening for diabetes should be a fundamental policy for every care home.” The audit seeks to identify quality standards that can be picked up by the CQC to be used for assessment of the quality of diabetes care being delivered in care home settings. The recommendations, which have addressed the findings of the study, have also been issued as a direct call to every care home to improve standards.
They include: Patients who self-medicate should be monitored and their ability to selfmedicate should be assessed at regular intervals, and if there is a change in their circumstances. Care homes should establish good communication with primary care, liaising with GPs and community teams to ensure annual reviews and other scheduled checks take place and inform care practice. All care homes should be aware of the good clinical practice guidelines for care home residents with diabetes and should base their care and policies on the guidelines as far as possible. Care homes should have a screening for diabetes policy at admission to a care home and at intervals thereafter. All care homes should have a fullystocked hypoglycaemia kit. All care homes should employ a diabetes foot evaluation scheme (risk stratification). All care homes should provide opportunities for care staff to participate in diabetes educational and training programmes. The study undertaken in 2012/13 found more than 60 per cent of the 2,043 premises surveyed did not have a designated member of staff with responsibility for diabetes management. It also revealed a third of residents (35.17 per cent) did not know about the signs and symptoms of hypoglycaemia – a complication of diabetes, which can result in hospital admission due to a coma if left untreated. More than 35 per cent of homes did not have a written policy for managing hypoglycaemia. However, the recommendations also call for care homes to have a policy on the management of hypoglycaemia and to ensure all staff members have the necessary skill and training to deliver care according to the policy.
CARE managers are helping to fuel demand for the sector’s first ever micro franchises. SureCare, which only launched its new franchise offer last month, says it has received “dozens” of enquiries from people currently working as care managers. The company says it is aiming to get its first micro franchisees up and running within a matter of weeks. The micro franchises – known as SureCare Local – will be able to offer a range of unregulated services including home services such as DIY, gardening and cleaning, as well as babysitting and a mobile crèche service for weddings and other events. The cost of becoming a SureCare micro franchisee will be from £7,000 covering a population of around 100,000 people. This compares to the £28,000 cost of the full SureCare franchise covering a much wider geographic area and offering care services regulated by the CQC. Managing director Gary Farrer said: “We knew we had a proposition that
would appeal to people working in management roles in the care sector, but we did not quite expect the level of interest we have seen since we launched the micro franchise offer last month. “There are a number of factors driving the interest from care managers. The £7,000 entry level cost of becoming a micro franchisee is one factor, but just as important is the ability to give great care, run their own business and receive industry-leading guidance and support. “The micro franchises are genuinely ground-breaking, providing a range of services on a far more localised level than the traditional franchise which covers a much wider territory. “Each micro franchisee will receive ongoing support of an experienced head office team in Chester who are able to advise on areas such as sales, marketing, finance, HR and operations.” SureCare, which was founded in 1994, currently has 27 franchises and three branches in England.
The Shine team – Heidi Shepherd, Debbie Clark, Jemma Higgins and Nicole Hodgson.
Triathlon team raise £650 A HICA employee and her friends have raised more than £650 for Shine, a new initiative from the group designed to make life better for everyone who uses the independent care organisation’s services. Operations manager Heidi Shepherd and her friends Debbie Clark, Jemma Higgins and Nicole Hodgson raised the money by competing in the York Triathlon. Heidi said: “The Shine initiative is about staff, residents, their families and friends at Hica care homes, homecare and extra care operations getting involved and making a difference for people we support. We are
pleased that we have raised funds that will enhance people’s lives. “When I told Debbie, Jemma and Nicole about Shine they were happy to lend their support, as they all have firm beliefs of equality and community spirit. We are already talking about what we will do next. “Debbie, Jemma and I met at a bootcamp in March 2013, cemented a firm friendship and agreed to set challenges and keep training. Nicole is Jemma’s friend and now ours. None of us are natural runners so the Saturday morning training sessions were either fabulous or torturous depending on our levels of positivity.”
Firm moves to bigger premises HERITAGE Healthcare in York has moved to new premises to help facilitate its planned expansion. The home care provider currently has a team of 25 staff delivering care to more than 60 clients in the city and the surrounding area and plans to increase these figures substantially over the next 12 months. The company recently announced plans to double its York operation with the creation of up to 25 jobs.
Sarah Dowell, who manages the York office and is spearheading the expansion, said: “The new premises suit our business needs much better, particularly as the York business grows. “As well as being self-contained we have control over our own operation, including phone systems, broadband and services, which is important as we take on more staff and clients.”
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Students capture homes’ residents’ war memories RESIDENTS from two Surrey care homes who lived through the Second World War have shared their personal memories with students at Royal Holloway, University of London, as part of a project to document firsthand accounts of the conflict. The Memories of War project, which coincides with the First World War centenary this year, has seen students create an archive of 30 video interviews with residents from Sunrise and Merlewood care homes, in Virginia Water, as well as members of the local community. In addition, the students spoke to 20 soldiers from the Coldstream Guards, in Windsor, to record their memories of more recent conflicts. The videos will be used to make short documentaries to be shown in local schools, and were also exhibited at a special event in Royal Holloway’s Windsor Building. Royal Holloway Community Action is the official partner for the community project which has been funded by Heritage Lottery. Speaking to students and alumni from the History, English, Drama and Media Arts Departments at Royal Holloway, the interviewees’ stories
included one woman’s experience in a refugee camp in Germany and another resident who spoke about how she smuggled sweets into the air raid shelters. Bill Thisdell, a graduate in MA Documentary Practice, said he felt honoured to have spoken to Territorial Army veteran George Murray, who passed away soon after their interview. He added: “I’m so glad I got the opportunity to speak to George and hear about his experiences of the war. He told me some great stories about his time in the Territorial Army tank squad, including how they gave him the nickname ‘Tubby’ because he was as thin as a rake.” Professor Jonathan Phillips, head of the department of distory at Royal Holloway, said: “The Memories of War project has been an innovative and exciting way for students to learn about the impact of conflict and its effects on both individuals and communities. The memories the students have recorded will not only resonate with their understandings of war, but will endeavour to ensure that the day-to-day realities of living through conflict are not lost in time.”
Staff at Colten Care’s Woodpeckers home in Brockenhurst get set for the French ‘day trip’. With the croissants is healthcare assistant Melissa Wright. Seated from left are healthcare assistants Jasmine Webber, Poppy Spafford and Sophie Spencer. Standing from left are home nanager Jacqueline Reddell, housekeeper Janice Collins and healthcare assistant Niky Mindova.
Bon voyage for residents A NEW Forest care home went all French for the day as residents and guests embarked on a mock crosschannel ferry trip followed by haute cuisine and Gallic-style entertainment. Colten Care’s Woodpeckers home in Brockenhurst was decked out in the national tricolours of red, white and blue with the foyer acting as a departure lounge and the dining room transformed into un petit bistro. Residents and relatives presented boarding cards to staff dressed up as ferry personnel and wished each other ‘bon appétite’ before tucking
into coq au vin, tarte au citron and French wine. After the meal, cooked by the home’s own chefs, there were Frenchthemed quizzes, a game of boules and live musette-style accordion music. Shirley Smith, activities organiser at Woodpeckers, said: “Many of our residents have enjoyed cruises and ferry trips and so this was a great chance to rekindle memories and have some fun without even leaving the comfort of home. Everyone loved their day ‘across the Channel’ and can’t wait to do it again.”
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Care England conference to focus on integration
Willow Tree Nursing Home's staff, residents and guests at the event.
Residents treated to unique ‘home shopping’ experience RESIDENTS of a Rugby-based nursing home have enjoyed a local shopping showcase from the comfort of their own home thanks to a specially-arranged event. Hillmorton-based Willow Tree Nursing Home held a unique fashion, beauty and music afternoon for residents and their families. Hosted by staff at the 47-room nursing home, the event was organised for residents to browse and buy goods on offer from local independent retailers and wellknown brands. Brands such as Brantano and Avon, plus local shops including Tiggy and Greenwoods Menswear, took part, with products including clothes, hand-made accessories, gifts and make-up. Local dance school ‘Impact Dance with Hayley’, a group for youngsters aged seven to 17, also performed during the afternoon alongside local singer Martin Reeves, who covered a range of old-time 50s songs.
The afternoon, part of a new programme of events organised by the home’s staff, was attended by almost 100 people. Recently appointed home manager Gener Tayhopon said: “We are absolutely delighted the event went so well and it was great to be able to support local businesses. “Residents and their families enjoyed having them here to display their products, especially as some residents find it difficult to get out. So they loved the chance to browse the stalls and chat to local retailers from the comfort of the home. “The event wasn’t just about shopping. It also showcased some impressive local talent via the dance group and brought back some great memories through the songs from Martin Reeves. “We really cannot thank everyone enough for contributing, and look forward to holding more events for residents throughout the rest of this year.”
THE integration of health and social care is high on the political agenda and will provide the theme for ‘Better Together. The Road to Integrated Care’, the first annual conference under the Care England banner. Delegate booking is now open for the event, which will take place at the Church House Conference Centre in London on Thursday, November 13. Care England chief executive Professor Martin Green said: “At a time of restricted budgets and growing demand for services, ensuring the seamless provision of health and social care presents a real opportunity to improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our society. “Unless we now rise to the
challenge and do something radically different, there is a danger that services will deteriorate, costs will rise still further and service users will suffer.” Sir Andrew Dillon, chief executive of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, has accepted an invitation to address the conference. He will be joined in the speaker line-up by other influential figures from health and social care sharing their views on the benefits of an integrated system and how best to achieve it. Delegates at the conference will also be able to attend seminars and view an exhibition of products and services from leading sector suppliers.
Milton Court Care Centre held a champagne afternoon tea at the Ritz event. The Milton Keynes facility replicated the exact menu served at the London hotel, serving glasses of champagne to begin and using vintage cake tiers, tea cup and plate sets. A selection of sandwiches, pastries and scones with clotted cream and jam, tea and coffee and entertainment completed the afternoon. Activities co-ordinator Rebecca McKee said: “We pride ourselves on giving residents a memorable, dignified experience regardless of their abilities and conditions, and the feedback we have received from relatives has been phenomenal. The afternoon’s success has led us to arranging a Wimbledon strawberry tea, where we hope to achieve the same.”
Sleeping shift workers now entitled to minimum wage By Julia Gray MINIMUM staffing levels requiring care workers to be on site will mean they are entitled to the National Minimum Wage during sleeping shifts. If you pay staff a lump sum (sometimes called a flat rate, or an allowance) for a sleeping night shift, you may be breaching the National Minimum Wage legislation. A recent Employment Appeal Tribunal case (Slavikovska) found that where there are minimum staffing levels requiring care workers to be on site, they were entitled to be paid the NMW. The rules on whether sleeping night shifts constitute “working time” (entitling staff to the NMW) are unclear and the case law is contradictory. Generally, the more likely the employee is to have to carry out any tasks during a sleeping shift, the more likely the Courts are to find they are entitled to the NMW rather than just a lower allowance. This
Julia Gray doesn’t mean they can’t be paid a lump sum for a sleeping shift, but that when their pay (including lump sums) is averaged over the prescribed (12-week) period, it must not fall below the NMW. Success in court for claimants The most recent case involved a care
home in Surrey for people with learning difficulties. It provides some clarity, and gives a helpful summary. The ruling went against the employer. The care home was required by law to ensure the home was staffed at all times by sufficient suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons. The claimant was a senior care assistant and was required to work some sleeping shifts (9pm to 7am), during which she would be available to deal with emergencies. She was paid a lump sum of £25 for working these shifts. The question of whether or not the claimant was required to do any work while she was on a night shift was disputed, but became an important finding made by the EAT: where an employer requires an employee to be on the premises “just in case”, the assumption would usually be that their time spent on shift is “working time”, regardless of whether they are sleeping and regardless of the
likelihood of them having to carry out any tasks. The EAT referred to (and is consistent with) the 2013 case of Whittlestone v BJP Home Support. This was another case concerned with the entitlement of a care worker to receive NMW rate for sleep-over shifts. The BJP case went a step further as it also dealt with payment for travel time in between assignments – an issue which was highlighted by the media last year. What you should do If staff are paid a lump sum for overnight shifts, consider whether their shift is likely to constitute “working time” (either because they have tasks to complete during the shift, or because you are legally obliged to have someone on the premises). If they do, check whether you are paying the NMW. Julia Gray is an associate for health
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New hand held technology helps vulnerable residents A SUTTON care-in-the-home company is using the latest mobile technology to look after the needs of the area’s most vulnerable residents. Caremark (Sutton) was officially launched at the S CILL Centre by Mayor, Councillor Sean Brennan OBE, and delivers care and support to people of all abilities and ethnicities who wish to remain living safely and independently at home but who may require some support to do so. “I am so proud of how the people of Sutton and the organisations they represent are so competent at collaborating. “The excellent service offered by Caremark (Sutton) is a perfect example of how that collaboration comes together for the common good,” he said. In order to ensure its services are the most efficient and effective available they have implemented a special phone ‘app’. All their care workers use mobile technology thus avoiding having to use their customers’ landline telephones. Care worker Beko Okiji-Wright was on hand at the opening event to demonstrate how the special software
on her mobile phone means she can travel from one customer to the next without having to call in at the office to collect the required paperwork or the latest care update. Everything is downloaded securely to the phone. The system also monitors the time spent with each of the care provider’s customers and has an in-built alert mechanism which escalates the priority of a particular customer if urgent attention becomes necessary. Beko said: “If we have all the information we need to look after our customers at our fingertips, then we have more time to spend caring for them.” Sutton’s Caremark franchise is owned and run by Debbie and Simon Binner, who set up the business as a tribute to their 18-year-old daughter Chloe, who passed away after a long illness in February last year. Simon added: “The number of people needing care in Sutton is growing – this is at a rate a little higher than across the country as a whole. Many people want to stay in their home to be looked after for as long as possible and we offer people that opportunity.”
Pictured at the launch are, from the left: Debbie Binner, managing director Caremark (Sutton), Mayor, Councillor Sean Brennan OBE, Caremark (Sutton) care worker Beko Okiji-Wright, Kathy Grafham Caremark (Sutton) care manager and Simon Binner, operations director Caremark (Sutton).
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Group uses Care Homes to benefit Control system from dashboard HART Care is using a new care home management system called Care Control to help manage all aspects of care provision at their nursing home. The new system on the market developed in conjunction with a number of residential and nursing homes. The move from a paper-based system to computer records has been a significant change for the home, but Richard Hart, owner of the 54bed home in Devon, is positive about the outcome. He said: “I made the decision in February to move to a computerised system to help manage and record the care we were providing. “I reviewed many systems on the market and Care Control stood out as a system that was so easy to use, but still provided the level of detail required by CQC. “With the use of computer tablets throughout our home, and the way Care Control ensures that care tasks are never forgotten, I am delighted at how the system is working for Hart Care.” Staff at the home are also pleased with how the system is working. Jan Smith, deputy manager and nurse with 25 years’ experience, added: “Care Control is very intuitive
and easy to use. I have used other care computer systems before and often found them difficult to work with. Recording information on Care Control is quick and easy, and the quality of the care plan produced is of a very high standard indeed.” Matt Luckham, owner and registered manager of Spring House Residential Home, and the creator of the Care Control software, added: “I never intended the system to be used by any other home but ours. “But following feedback from a CQC inspection in November 2011, I invited some local homes to view what we had done. The response has been amazing and hugely positive.” Matt is excited about the potential for Care Control to work in the adult social care industry. “The care home sector has so many demands upon it from our regulator,” he added. “We have a responsibility to record and evidence every aspect of the care we provide and the decisions we make. Technology is the only answer to allowing care homes to meet their regulatory requirements whilst still ensuring that we have the time to do what is really important, spending quality time with our very vulnerable residents.
NURSING homes throughout Worcestershire are to benefit from the rollout of a quality dashboard, developed by NHS Arden Commissioning Support, to monitor, manage and improve standards. The care homes’ quality dashboard has been designed to improve the monitoring of patient quality and safety standards in care settings. Working in partnership with Wyre Forest Clinical Commissioning Group, Redditch and Bromsgrove CCG and South Worcestershire CCG, NHS Arden Commissioning Support has been appointed to roll out its unique web-based system to provide enhanced quality monitoring and guidance to 58 nursing homes across Worcestershire. Already in use successfully across care homes in Coventry and Warwickshire, the dashboard is a self-assessment tool that can be completed by care providers in any setting. It provides assurance on a range of local and national clinical key performance indicators, such as infection control, falls, pressure
ulcers and hospital admissions. It also includes a confidential ‘serious incidents’ and a ‘never events’ reporting portal, where providers can alert the local patient safety team of an incident in their home. Alongside the dashboard, nursing homes will also gain access to a learning resource website known as the care homes portal. A team of clinical experts has created specific advice and guidance materials, such as what do to in case of an infection outbreak and posters on the management of patients with a pressure ulcer. Providers can also access the latest policies and guidance on possible areas of development to help drive quality improvement. Sheila Peacock, head of quality at NHS Arden Commissioning Support, said: “We are extremely pleased to roll out the care homes dashboard in Worcestershire. “The enhanced quality monitoring assessments will deliver savings in time and resources that will help nursing homes to improve the quality of care they provide.”
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www.active-minds.co.uk
Operator and chamber orchestra join for music therapy research By Dominic Musgrave CARE UK has partnered with Manchester Camerata to carry out research into the effects of music therapy on people living with dementia. The project – called Music in Mind – involves musicians from Manchester Camerata collaborating with professional music therapists, to run sessions with residents who have dementia at the operator’s Station House care home in Crewe, Cheshire. They will be led by residents, who will be encouraged by the musicians and music therapists to pick up instruments and play a tune. Each session will be different and entirely focussed on the desires of the resident, rather than being led by the musicians. The aim of the sessions is to help improve communication through the creative outlet of music. It will provide care workers at Station House with a deeper understanding of what motivates and benefits the people they care for. It will also provide families with another way of connecting with their loved one, who may no longer be able to clearly express themselves by talking.
The sessions will be observed over the 10 weeks, and the findings will be analysed by Manchester Camerata and their academic research partner, the University of Manchester. Once Music in Mind is evaluated, it is hoped the key findings will inform the wider service provided by Care UK – which has over 100 care homes housing over 6,000 residents, many of whom live with dementia. Care UK’s head of dementia, Maizie Mears-Owen, said: “We have long known about the benefits of music for a person’s wellbeing. “However, there is also a lot to gain for the carer as they can develop a stronger bond with the people they support, and feel greater fulfilment in their role. We hope to take learnings from this project and replicate best practice in our other care homes and day clubs.” The collaborative project has been made possible through the Care UK Wellbeing Foundation, a newlylaunched charity set up by Care UK to give back to the community at company level, and support initiatives which reflect the organisations core values. The theme for the foundation’s inaugural year is ‘promoting wellbeing through the arts’. To support this
The Music in Mind lessons will be led by care home residents. theme, the Foundation wanted to invest in research which would help improve the wellbeing of more vulnerable communities in society including those living with dementia. The findings will be shared with the wider care sector to ensure that as many people as possible benefit from
the study. The Care UK Wellbeing Foundation has donated £50,000 to Nordoff Robbins, which will find 1,500 music therapy sessions across the country for people living with dementia, learning disabilities or mental health issues.
Olympic hopeful Hannah sets sail for open day
Health and Social Care students from Seevic College enjoy a meal with residents.
Students visit care home SIX first-year Health and Social Care students at Seevic College joined staff and residents at Oakdale Residential Home in Benfleet to help recognise Dementia Awareness Week. After getting to know each other, the residents invited their young guests to get involved with some icebreaking games. This was the first time many of the students had visited a nursing home environment – with two notable exceptions – and Oakland’s residents made them feel welcome. Lois Newby and Beth Clark had previously spent three weeks with Oakdale, undertaking an unpaid work
placement as part of her Level 3 BTEC in Health and Social Care. Oakdale manager Melanie Tucknott takes a forward thinking approach to caring for her residents, which includes no uniforms for the staff. She added: “It’s wonderful for us to have such nice young people around the place, and really fantastic for our residents. “We like to make sure that everyone feels at home here; whether you’re a resident, guest or member of staff. When staff arrive for an evening shift, they come in wearing their pyjamas; this is to help the residents understand that it’s night time.”
A COMPETITIVE sailor and Rio Olympic hopeful was the guest of honour as a Lymington dementia care home celebrated National Care Home Open Day. Hannah Snellgrove took time out of her busy events schedule to meet residents, staff and visitors at Colten Care’s newly-opened Linden House. The 23-year-old, who lives in Lymington, is a member of the British Sailing Team and recently competed in the final medal race for her Laser Radial class at the ISAF Sailing World Cup in the south of France. This summer she is representing Britain at the European Championships in Croatia. Hannah, who started on the water at the age of eight at Salterns Sailing Club in Lymington, has agreed a sponsorship deal with Colten Care to help cover her competition costs. She said: “Elite level sailing can be expensive in terms of kit and it involves lots of travelling. The support from Colten Care will make a huge difference. As a competitor, you want to plan your campaign of events around best performance not just what you can afford. “We receive National Lottery funding towards our campaigns from UK Sport, but sponsorship backing is
Hannah Snellgrove with Linden House manager Jackie Hampton and Colten Care marketing executive Laura Rolph. vital as well to allow us to go that extra mile and be the very best we can be, so I’m really grateful for the support.” Hannah, who has a first-class degree in natural sciences from Cambridge University, is aiming to be selected as a member of Team GB for the next Olympics in Rio in 2016. As well as competing, she also coaches younger sailors aged eight to 16.
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DoCare cited in report DOCARE has been cited as an example of good practice in an independent report on care provision in the UK. The report, by Baroness Denise Kingsmill and commissioned by the Labour Party, said DoCare showed how things can be done in the care sector, which has been criticised for practices including 15-minute visits to clients and employing staff on zero hours contracts. The report said Gloucestershirebased DoCare “provides its staff with extensive training, as well as a clear career structure and opportunities for progression”. It added: “Any promotion at DoCare reflects competence
and experience in the care sector and comes with a pay increase.” DoCare operations director Una Mills was invited to the launch of the report at the House of Lords, attended by Baroness Kingsmill, Andy Burnham (shadow secretary of state for health), Liz Kendall (shadow minister for care and older people) and Labour MP Hazel Blears. “We were honoured to take part and hope, in some small way, we have made a useful contribution to the national debate,” said Una. “At DoCare we’re not party political, we’re just passionate about providing good quality care for our clients, and a high level of training for our staff.
The first batch of apprentices with Matt Sumner and Emma Laskey-MacRae.
Provider launches first apprenticeship scheme MIDAS Care Ltd has launched its first apprenticeship scheme for young care workers across the region, in conjunction with Cambridgeshire County Council. Twelve apprentices joined the workforce at the beginning of May and they will train and work for Midas Care for 12 months, providing care to service users while also receiving six hours of paid study time per week. Upon successful completion of the scheme, apprentices will be awarded a Level Two qualification in Adult Social Care. Cambridgeshire County Council launched its apprenticeship scheme to offer students the chance to gain hands-on experience in the community. The scheme complements the recent staff expansion of Midas Care, as a result of the growing demand for domiciliary care in the region. Matt Sumner, managing director of Midas Care Ltd, said: “By employing
apprentices we are investing in the future of care in the region and helping them to gain invaluable experience in the industry. Since 2013, we have seen a 40 per cent increase in the number of staff we employ and this is allowing us to help meet the increasing needs of our service users whilst still providing the highest levels of care. Emma Laskey-MacRae, apprenticeship project coordinator for Cambridgeshire County Council, added: “Cambridgeshire County Council are pleased to have had the opportunity to work closely with Midas Care to deliver the Cambridgeshire County Council Homecare Apprenticeship Scheme. “This has provided an excellent opportunity to work together to support job seekers into the homecare sector and to provide them with the skills that make a positive difference to people who need social care support in our community.”
Helping you to comply with the regulator IT IS not just CQC that require services in the care sector to be able to evidence compliance. Your bank and local authorities placing service users are becoming more demanding. The two major failures in CQC inspections are poor record keeping and drug administration. Required Systems Ltd has all the quality systems you need to be compliant, incorporating all the forthcoming changes from CQC. To find out more call 01236 782477 or visit www.requiredsystems.com
Lucy Richardson (holding balloon) surrounded by members of staff at Anley Hall.
Nurse’s 25 years recognised A STAFF nurse at a North Yorkshire nursing home has been recognised for her commitment and professionalism after celebrating 25 years working at the facility. Lucy Richardson, who has worked at Anley Hall Nursing Home in Settle, North Yorkshire, for the past quarterof-a-century, was the guest of honour at an afternoon tea party held by residents, relatives and colleagues. Lucy, 55, who has always held the position of staff nurse at the home, was presented with a watch, flowers and a bottle of champagne in recognition of her services to the home and its residents. She said: “I am delighted to be celebrating such a significant milestone. I
have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Anley Hall, having met and worked with some amazing people over the years, and I am looking forward to many more years at the home. “I would like to thank everyone involved with the party, which was a fantastic occasion, as well as for the wonderful gifts that I received.” Michaela Morrison, manager at Anley Hall, added: “The dedication and professionalism that Lucy has shown over the years is remarkable, and we are lucky to have her. She has grown to become an invaluable member of the team here at Anley Hall and I am looking forward to many more years of working with her.”
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Insolvencies down by almost a quarter THE number of care home businesses going bust fell by 24 per cent in 2013, as many businesses in the sector reached the end of long-term loans taken on at high interest rates prior to the financial crisis, it has been claimed. According to Wilkins Kennedy, 51 care home businesses became insolvent last year, down from 67 in 2012 and 60 in 2011. However, the accountancy firm warns that the number of insolvencies last year was still far higher than in 2010 when 35 care homes went bust, and almost double the 28 care homes that went under in 2008, prior to the financial crisis. Wilkins Kennedy believes local authority cuts have left many care homes unable to service debts or maintain high standards of care, forcing some into administration. However, overall
insolvencies have fallen as many of the weakest care homes have now closed, leaving the more financially stable and successful businesses. Partner Stephen Grant said: “The care home sector has been turned upside down in recent years with local authority cutbacks forcing many businesses into administration. Many of the care homes that struggled through the financial crisis have now disappeared, with the overall financial health of the sector slowly improving as a result. “However, even though the initial impact of the local authority cuts now seem to have been absorbed, some care home businesses might need to brace themselves for further pain in this area as local authorities face another squeeze in their spending power for 2014-15.” Stephen added that many care
Stephen Grant homes borrowed heavily to fund growth in the lead up to the financial crisis as the care home sector expanded, locking themselves into long-term high interest loans. Many care homes also used interest rate swaps to protect against future
rate rises, but that left them unable to benefit from the fall in interest rates when the financial crisis hit six years ago. An increasing number of those swap contracts have now come to an end. Wilkins Kennedy believes five-year fixed rate commercial mortgages will also have reached the end of their term, which means that more care homes have been able to switch to lower rates and benefit from paying less interest on their debt. Stephen added: “Many care homes have been lumbered with high interest payments on their debt from loans taken on when the sector was expanding because investor interest was high. These loans are now reaching the end of their term and for the time being that seems to be freeing up enough money to put many care homes back on an even keel.”
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Former school is saved by home development By Dominic Musgrave A LISTED former village school building has been saved from ruin by a scheme which will convert it into assisted living apartments for the elderly. Blake Lapthorn planning consultant Sean Silk advised David Kingham and Care Consultants Ltd on the scheme, which will see a former Victorian boarding school in Staunton on Wye, Herefordshire, preserved and restored. English Heritage had warned that the original Gothic building, constructed in 1860, was in such poor condition that it was unlikely to stand another winter. It has been unoccupied for four years and was last used by Staunton on Wye Endowed Primary School, which occupied only part of the building and has since moved to a more modern site. Under plans approved by Herefordshire Council, the inside of the building, which is Grade II listed and in a conservation area, will be adapted to provide 15 close care apartments for the elderly. Virtually all of the main building will be retained and restored. Developers plan to retain an area planted by children who attended the primary school, creating a sensory garden there. Two wings which were added some
years after the main building was constructed will be removed. A 70-bedroom care home will be built on land to the north side of the school. This will make the conversion of the former school building financially viable and help meet growing demand for care facilities in the local area. The approval of the development follows extensive public consultation in the local area and has the full backing of English Heritage. Sean Silk of Blake Lapthorn advised David Kingham, who runs the Weir Nursing Home in nearby Swainshill, on all planning aspects of the development. He said: “I’m delighted to have helped secure approval for this scheme which will preserve a muchloved local building and be highly beneficial to people in the local area. “It was important to act quickly to ensure the former school building’s future because of the perilous condition it was in. “This is a sensitively-planned and well-thought out development that will secure the former Staunton on Wye Endowed Primary School for generations to while also providing much-needed elderly care facilities.” Staunton on Wye Endowed Primary School was designed by Fulljames & Waller of Gloucester as a boarding school for the Jarvis Education Foundation, which still owns the building.
Belong Warrington will create around 100 jobs once complete.
Work begins on village WORK has commenced on a new £9.5million specialist nursing and dementia care village in Warrington. The care village, called Belong Warrington, will create around 100 jobs and consist of 72 rooms, all with en suites, and 18 independent living apartments, all of which will be surrounded by landscaped gardens. It includes extensive village centre facilities, which are open to the public. These include bistro, spa, hair salon, exercise studio and function rooms. The construction work has also been completed by local contractors, ensuring further investment and support of the local business community. Funding to support the construction of the new care village has been provided by The Royal Bank of Scotland. With over 20 years’ experi-
ence in the sector, Belong currently operates four established villages in the North West, with Warrington becoming the fifth. Chief executive Nick Dykes said: “We set up Belong as part of the CLS Group to put into practice everything that we have learned using over 20 years of invaluable experience in care services. “Working with leading architects who specialise in creating spaces for older people, we designed a village setting that offers secure access to village amenities combined with the outdoors to support an increasingly diverse population, including people living with dementia. “The new village in Warrington is currently under construction and we are looking forward to its planned completion in August.”
Ensure you carry out appropriate checks on potential employees By Eamon Jubbawy THERE is no doubt that care home managers need to be more aware than most on the need to carry out appropriate background checks on potential employees due to the industry’s high dependence on migrant workers in fulfilling the ongoing need for care in the UK. According to a leaked Home Office report, there are hundreds of illegal workers employed in care homes. The report also found that over 50 per cent of the employees in some residential homes had no right to work in the UK. This included a suspected murderer working in Plymouth. The UK’s illegal population Researchers at the London School of Economics found that the total illegal population in 2007 was up to 863,000. A report carried out by the European Commission compared the illegal population of European countries and found that the UK is in first place by a significant margin, with nearly twice the illegal population as second place Italy. With almost one in four of the EU’s illegal population residing in Britain, UK employers have to be particularly diligent in ensuring all their employees have a right to work in the UK. This has
become an increasing problem in recent years, with the number of civil penalties issued against UK employers for employing illegal workers rising to 1,822 in 2013 – up 50 per cent on the previous year’s figure. Updates to the UK immigration legislation Tackling illegal immigration has become a priority for the UK government and they are determined to make it more difficult for illegal migrants to live in country. New immigration legislation is expected to become law in the spring of 2014 with the purpose of cracking down on this problem. This includes doubling the fine on an employer for hiring an illegal worker from £10,000 to £20,000. When this is coupled with current legislation that states an employer who knowingly employs an illegal worker faces up to two years in prison, it is clear that the potential cost to care home managers of employing someone with no right to work in the UK is high. The new immigration bill extends the government’s powers and makes it simpler for them to identify illegal immigrants. These powers include the power to collect and check fingerprints as well as their power to search for passports, among others. This leg-
tion information. This was shown in the leaked Home Office report which found that many of the illegal workers had used fake identification to secure jobs in care homes across the country. The incentive to provide false identification is also high for individuals who have a record of crime or adverse history. Without carrying out identity checks before carrying out DBS checks, potential carers or nurses can hide the fact they have committed violent crime or fraud in the past and care home managers may put some of the most vulnerable people in their hands.
Eamon Jubbawy islation increases the risk care home managers face when employing illegal workers, making it more likely they will be caught and have to face the increased fines. Why are identity checks so important? It is impossible to be sure that a nurse or carer really is who they say they are when there are an estimated 20 million fake identity documents in circulation in the UK. Individuals with no right to work in the UK have the incentive to provide false identifica-
What action can care home managers take? To ensure a statutory excuse from the potential fines imposed for hiring illegal workers, care home managers should correctly carry out checks on acceptable documents prior to employing a worker as outlined in the Border Agency’s guide for employers on preventing illegal working in the UK. When it comes to truly knowing the people they will be putting their residents in the hands of, however, it is essential to carry out identity checks beforehand. Eamon Jubbawy is co-founder of Onfido – background checking specialists.
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Work begins on home in Canterbury WORK has begun on a new stateof-the art care home in Canterbury. Sanctuary Group is developing the 60-bedroom care home in Hersden in a £6million project due for completion in the summer of 2015. The new Sanctuary Care home will be built by the group’s construction partner Castleoak, and will include a range of communal facilities, with shared lounges and dining areas, a garden room and terrace on the first floor as well as landscaped gardens. To celebrate the start of construction of the new care home, Sanctuary Group held a ground-breaking ceremony at the site attended by The Sheriff of Canterbury, Councillor Tony Austin, his escort Pauline Austin, and other local partners. Following a look at the plans for the evelopment and a tour of the site, The Sheriff was invited to dig the first spade into the ground to mark the start of the scheme. Penny Halliday, Sanctuary’s head of development – commercial, said: “This is a forward-thinking project set to provide much-needed residential and dementia care for older people in this part of Kent.”
Another new dawn of inspection … By Adam Hartrick IS your service safe? Is your service effective? Is your service caring? Is your service responsive to people’s needs? Is your service well led? These are the five key questions that the Care Quality Commission will be asking in relation to all services between now and April 2016, when services are inspected under the new regime of regulation and inspection that comes into force this October. The new regime will coincide with the coming into force of new Regulated Activities Regulations, to replace the current 2010 Regulations, criticised by the Francis Inquiry as being overly bureaucratic, lacking clarity and ambiguous as to some of the outcomes they sought to achieve. The new regulations will identify fundamental standards, and the new regime of inspection by CQC is intended to be less obsessed upon the minutiae of the requirements of regulations (though clearly that will still be pertinent), and will focus on looking at outcomes for service users under the umbrella of the questions outlined above. Additionally, all services will be, by April 2016, rated by CQC – as outstanding, good, needing improvement or inadequate. The ratings will be published – a rating will be given for each of the five areas of safety, effectiveness, caring, responsiveness and leadership – and the overall rating will be an amalgamation of the five, with some
Adam Hartrick proposed limitations on the rating a service can achieve if it is, for example, inadequate in more than one of the five areas, or does not have a Registered Manager in post. Earlier this month CQC published a draft provider handbook for residential adult social care services, with appendices, that sets out the new approach to inspection, and explains how judgments will be reached in the five areas leading to an overall judgment as to a rating to be awarded to a service. The draft provider handbook is essential reading for all service providers and senior managers. We advise that it is vitally important that all providers and managers consider carefully the five areas in which they are to be assessed, and think now about how they are going to
demonstrate they are achieving outstanding outcomes in each of the areas. CQC have set out various key lines of enquiry in relation to each of the five areas – some of which are mandatory – and service providers are advised, even if not responding to the consultation, to look at these key areas of enquiry and undertake an audit within their own service to establish how they will evidence they are achieving desired outcomes. It will be too late if you receive a rating of inadequate or needing improvement, with all the consequences flowing to your business as a result of such a rating, as the new regime of inspection envisages such services will not be reinspected for six or twelve months. It could mean a significant period of difficulty with stakeholders such as commissioners and could be destabilising to your business. Further consultations are expected from CQC in relation to planned guidance underpinning the new Regulations: they also plan to consult on their enforcement policy but as a starting point, the Provider Handbook is essential reading for you and your staff. Make it difficult for CQC to rate you as anything other than good or outstanding – that work must start now, utilising the information published by CQC. There is a procedure to challenge ratings, but the best approach is to plan to avoid having to do so. Are YOU ready? Adam Hartrick is a partner for law firm, Hempsons.
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Care agencies to be affected as HMRC tightens its hold By Charlotte Thornton-Smith AS part of its ongoing battle against tax avoidance, the Government is proposing to take action to prevent the use of employment intermediaries to disguise employed workers as self-employed. The Government’s proposal is to remove the obligation for personal service and instead shift the focus to whether a worker is subject to control, supervision or direction as to the manner in which their duties are carried out. The presumption will be that if an intermediary is involved, then that element of control over the worker does indeed exist. This proposal is likely to widely affect the domiciliary care industry, where carers are often engaged on a self-employed contractor basis by the service user. Because the services provided by the carers are usually intrinsically and directly connected to bespoke care plans that are designed and reviewed by a care agency, it will be difficult to argue that the carer is not subject to the direction, supervision and control of either the agency or the service user in the provision of their duties, should the proposal become law.
Charlotte Thornton-Smith It is likely therefore that HMRC's proposed legislative changes will operate to bring care agencies' existing contractual arrangements within the new regime. This will require the agency to accept employment status liability for its carers, at least from a tax perspective (if not from an employment law perspective). Although the proposal affects only the HMRC test for employment status some agencies may wish to take the opportunity to review their contractual relationships with their care staff. Charlotte Thornton-Smith is a partner and head of the health and social care team at Harrison Clark Rickerbys solicitors.
Martin Wright from RBS with John and Angela Teasdale from Camelot Care.
Operator adds dementia unit CAMELOT Care, which boasts a care home in Devon and Somerset, is extending its current site at Camelot House in Wellington to provide a 28bed dementia unit. RBS has fully supported and funded the £1.5m Camelot Lodge project, which is expected to complete in July. Camelot Care has been operating for 15 years in Wellington and Plymouth with a further care home in the process of being developed in
Bridgwater called Avalon House. RBS has shared a banking relationship with joint owners, John and Angela Teasdale, for over a decade. Angela said: “This is a really exciting period for Camelot Care and allows us to extend our care for those that suffer with dementia. “The extension is on track to complete in the summer and we look forward to welcoming our new patients at this time.”
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CARINGCOMMERCE
Frustrated with your current lender? Is it time to switch? IF you are seeking to restructure or increase your existing mortgage, Chandler & Co.'s status as an independent healthcare specialist means we have strong links with a comprehensive range of lenders. The combined experience of the partners including financial, management and care home ownership offers first-hand knowledge and expertise in the healthcare sector. As existing operators, you can consider the whole range of options available to you, including: Restructuring of existing loans. Equity release and debt consolidation. Purchase of additional businesses. Refurbishments and extensions of existing business. Land purchase and new build
schemes. Sale and leaseback finance. By combining finance for improvements with a restructure of your existing borrowings, it may be possible to enhance your business without increasing your monthly loan repayments. Terms include: Monthly repayments as low as £4,361.31 (per £1m borrowed). 75 per cent loan to value. No arrangement fees. 25-year loan commitment.
Company now selling care homes INSPIREDLAND & Investments have been trading for a number of years, buying and selling property around the UK for both private and institutional clients. More recently the company has been selling care homes. They are a newcomer to this competitive market place but have very successfully sold for private care home operators, banks and administrators, achieving values greater than their competitors. They are a pro-active company seeking buyers for assets that their competitors struggle to sell. Honest, good communicators, transparent, professional and most importantly closers, they should be your first choice should you wish to sell. Michael Christophi of MAPS said: “I have dealt with Inspiredland on a number of occasions. They have been straight forward, professional and trans-
parent throughout each transaction. I would utilise their services as my first choice for any sales or acquisitions.” Enquiries: For a confidential conversation call Rodney Bishop on 0208 088 9955 or email info@inspiredland.com
Project leads to a dramatic rise in managers THE inspectorate has secured a 57 per cent increase in the number of new registered managers across 2439 health and social care services targeted in a six-month project. The project, which ran from November to April, was set up by CQC last September to improve the high number of locations operating without a registered manager in place for the longest periods of time. This is in addition to reviews carried out by inspectors at locations across the whole of England. Based on project figures set out in the regulator’s recent board report, 1,395 out of those locations now have a registered manager in place. A further 470 (20 per cent) manager applications have been submitted to CQC for approval. The inspectorate also used enforcement powers across 590 locations that failed to appoint or submit an application for a registered manager. A high proportion responded without the need for the regulator to take further action but 42 per cent have paid a fixed
penalty notice. Andrea Sutcliffe, chief inspector of adult social care and corporate lead for registration, said: “This is really positive news for people who are using services and I am very encouraged that providers have responded to our challenge and taken steps to ensure that registered managers are in post. “We know the role of the registered manager is an important one in making a difference to people’s experiences of care. They are vital in helping to make sure people receive services that are safe, effective, caring, responsive and wellled. “As part of our new approach to changing the way we inspect and regulate adult social care that we’re currently consulting on, we are proposing that any location providing adult social care services will not be able to achieve a rating higher than ‘requires improvement’ if it has been without a registered manager (where one is required) for more than six months without reasonable justification.”
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CARINGPRODUCT NEWS
You cannot buy experience THAT’S the Agecare motto, We are a well established limited family run company with a great reputation across East Anglia for reliability and prompt service. We are fully insured and have time served fully trained engineers who take pride in being able to repair any type of manual handling equipment in one visit, and not just condemning equipment and recommending replacement parts or a new piece of equipment to make up for only charging a low Loler inspection fee. We have seen other companies
come and go over the years, quoting silly prices to create business, and when things go wrong they don't call you back. If you would like a reliable supplier, repairer, maintainer to look after your equipment and company give us a call. We supply a massive range of new and used tried and tested products across the UK at great prices, but more importantly we will use our years of experience to make sure you get a great product that is right for your needs.
Looking to stop the rising costs of yellow bag collections? IT SEEMS the only way is up at the moment when it comes to costs for yellow bag collections! With the rising prices of landfill and fuel, it’s not surprising that the price for collection is on the increase too. But there is an alternative... Did you know that an incontinence macerator from Haigh can cost as little as £69 per month*? Or than on top of great savings, you and those in your care also benefit
from improved hygiene, and infection prevention? The Incomaster is used day in day out in care homes throughout the UK. And now with our flexible payment options there's never been a better time to make the switch from collections. Why not find out how the Haigh Incomaster can make a big difference to your business and your cash flow? *terms and conditions apply
Catering in the care sector – your chance to give your opinion CATERING is a vital part of the care industry and subject to many pressures on time and budgets. Manufacturers of foodservice products often need to hear the opinions of caterers in order to produce the best products for the sector. Cambridge Direction has been working in the foodservice sector market research since 1995. We often need to ask caterers for their opinions which we do through our brand CatererOpinion. And as your time is precious, we offer prize draws for participation in on-line market research and also offer cash gifts if we need more detailed engagement. If you’ve got opinions to express and want to be considered for future market research in the
foodservice arena, then do make contact with us – we’d be fascinated to hear your opinion. Enquiries: Email Erica Littlewood – Erica@cambridge-direction.co.uk or Richard Webber – Richard@cambridge-direction.co.uk
Chubb to receive gold award for occupational health and safety CHUBB Fire & Security’s Systems business will receive the gold award from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents for the second consecutive year for its approach to occupational health and safety. The award was accepted by Steve Cottrell, Chubb environmental, health and safety manager, at the RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards at London’s ExCeL . “The Gold RoSPA award is much sought after and not given lightly,” Steve said. “The recognition is testament to the value and importance we place on occupational health and safety and on the well-being of our employees overall. “We regularly assess our processes to ensure continual improvement, which gives our customers confidence that they are working with a business and individuals they can trust.” With a history dating back nearly 60 years, the
RoSPA awards are the largest and longestrunning programme of their kind in the UK. They recognise commitment to accident and illness prevention by assessing accident records and entrants’ health and safety management systems, as well as practices such as leadership and workforce involvement. Enquiries: For more information, visit www.chubb.co.uk.
Firm appoints two new engineers to meet increased demand LaundryStruff.co.uk has responded to increased business demand by hiring two new engineers. The appointments, which cover Lincolnshire and the Midlands, have been made to directly allow the company to respond to customer call outs and breakdowns. An extra benefit is LaundryStuff.co.uk’s first apprentice Joe Benton has become a permanent member of the team as an engineer and has begun servicing his own customers. LaundryStuff.co.uk stocks a wide range of machines programmed specifically to handle care home laundry, increasing infection control and improving cleanliness and hygiene. The machines are programmed in-house, allowing the team to provide the bespoke laundry solution the customer
requires. Director Trevor Benton said: “The care home industry has become our biggest customer and we have grown our workforce and product range to cater for this. “What’s more, we have expanded our skill base to ensure that we are keeping up to date on the latest products and technologies that can benefit care homes and most importantly, their residents.” Enquiries: Visit www.laundrystuff.co.uk or call 0800 840 9598.
Electrolux launches Good Laundry Practice guide LAUNDRY practitioners in the care sector can now access a wealth of professional support and guidance on best industry practice following the launch of a new Good Laundry Practice Guide from Electrolux Professional As the global leader in professional laundry equipment, Electrolux Professional has published the extensive information pack to give laundry operators working in hospitals and care homes everything they need to ensure effective hygiene practice. The pack, which is available free of charge to registered laundry practitioners, boasts a mini guide to hygienic laundry practices based on the RABC system/EN 14065, a catalogue of technological solutions designed to maintain optimum hygiene, and a DVD which visually demonstrates the correct procedures in a real-life care environment. For ease of access, operators wishing to view the video guides can also do so via Electrolux Professional’s dedicated YouTube channel. The Good Laundry Practice Guide supports a product portfolio designed to meet all industry regulations and guidelines, and ensure that healthcare laundries are well equipped to adhere to hygiene standards. Electrolux’s product offering ranges from the latest in
barrier washer technology, to tumble dryers and ironers aimed at optimising economy and productivity. Amanda Dufrane, regional segment manager care for the laundry division of Electrolux Professional comments: “Our Good Laundry Practice Guide is part of our investment in providing everything laundry operators need to understand and implement the procedures required to meet the latest industry regulations and legislation. Anecdotal evidence tells us that many facilities are well below the standards necessary to run an efficient, hygienic, laundry and this pack will help them to raise performance levels. “Modern healthcare cleaning professionals work in an industry that has seen a steady increase in concerns regarding disinfection in healthcare laundering, so it is imperative that they can count on expert advice. “As well as manufacturing and supplying the technology to meet the unique demands of the care sector, we also recognise the importance of providing support in every way possible, from providing site-surveys to evaluating laundry needs and providing the solutions to fit. Our new guide has been designed to deliver just that.”
Chubb Community Care launches CareUnity® telehealth CHUBB Community Care, a leading provider of technologies and solutions to support independent living, has launched CareUnity® Telehealth. CareUnity Telehealth is an innovative single-unit solution that monitors the safety and medical condition of the vulnerable living in the community or in care. The combined telecare and telehealth device enables care providers to meet the total social care needs of individuals in their charge and support government initiatives to achieve three million telecare/telehealth users by 2017 in England and an additional 330,000 users by 2015 in Scotland. Chubb CareUnity Telehealth will be able to monitor whether an individual using traditional telecare is physically safe – for example, that they have not had an accident or fall – as well as critical indicators such as blood pressure or even blood
glucose levels to ensure that they are not medically at risk. Because the system is able to determine the call type, telecare alarms can be directed to a monitoring centre and telehealth readings can be automatically directed to a special telehealth monitoring centre for review by a health professional. The system also securely updates the patient’s medical record. Enquiries: For more information, visit www.chubbcommunitycare.co.uk
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AKW launch guide to creating dementia-friendly bathrooms THE bathroom is one of the most challenging and dangerous places for a person with dementia. From a safety perspective, they are twice as likely to fall, and falls can have far more serious consequences. Additionally, visual and general confusion can lead to fear, frustration and a reluctance to use the bathroom. AKW’s new guide to dementia-friendly bathroom design highlights the unique challenges that the condition presents and gives simple design and product selection guidance to enable these challenges to be safely addressed. Measures to protect from scalding and falls, to accommodate the effects of short term memory loss and simple considerations for dealing with issues surrounding visual perception are covered. AKW are the UK’s leading manufacturer of
‘Understanding MRSA’ tutorial accredited by IPS and RCN BOTH the Royal College of Nursing Professional Centre for Accreditation and the Infection Prevention Society have accredited the web-based ‘Understanding MRSA’ tutorial designed by schülke for healthcare professionals. The tutorial is split into six modules which include: ‘Healthcare associated infections’, ‘What is MRSA?’, ‘Infections caused by MRSA’, ‘Screening and decolonisation’, ‘MRSA transmission and prevention’ and ‘How to use octenisan antimicrobial wash’. At the end of each module there is a selfassessment questionnaire which is completed before moving onto the next module. The first 100 healthcare professionals successfully completing the tutorial will receive a Royal College of Nursing certificate in addition to a certificate of completion from schulke. Trusts wishing to use the training tool are given a unique log-in code for the hospital. Staff undertaking the training use the code and complete the modules. A record is kept of the completed modules and time spent undertaking
the training. This provides valuable feedback to those responsible for ongoing education programmes. Marketing manager Nicola Thurston said: ‘schülke is delighted that both the RCN and IPS have accredited this training package. “Online training tools have become increasingly popular with healthcare staff, who want to keep their skills and knowledge up to date but have little time to leave the clinical area to undertake the training. “This tutorial has been designed so that each module can be completed in 10-15 minutes including the Q&A session. All of the information is up to date, follows current UK guidelines where applicable and is fully referenced for those seeking more in depth information. The animated characters make the tutorial fun as well as motivational.” Enquiries: For more information about the tutorial, call 0114 254 3500, email mail.uk@schuelke.com or visit www.schulke.co.uk
Simple solutions SINCE 1982, Colne (Lancs) based, Richards Residential Supplies have concentrated upon supplying simple solutions to common nursing home problems. The new WACMAT® adheres strongly to this tradition. With its ultra absorbent cotton pile and 100 per cent waterproof backing, the remarkable WACMAT® is an ideal accessory where spills may occur. Used as a commode mat, in bedrooms or bathrooms, the WACMAT® ensures full carpet protection. Then, after use, simply machine wash and tumble dry! It’s that simple... The WACMAT® will then be clean and odour-free, ready to perform time and time again. Alternatively the flat-laying WACMAT® can be used as an entrance mat, saving you hundreds of pounds in rental costs alone. Enquiries: Telephone 0800 074 3749.
accessible bathing and kitchen solutions to the social housing and care sectors. Enquiries: To request a copy of the guide visit www.akw-ltd.co.uk/dementia
The only automatic shower toilet for disabled people THE Clos-o-Mat Palma Vita is the only automatic shower (wash and dry) toilet developed specifically for disabled people. It looks like, and can be used as, a conventional WC. Simply retaining pressure on the flush pad triggers simultaneous flushing and warm water washing, followed by warm air drying. Thus the need for manual cleaning with toilet tissue, and hand: body contact, is eliminated, improving hygiene, cleanliness, and the user’s dignity and independence. A range of accessories enables the toilet to be tailored to individual user requirements, either at point-of-purchase, or retro-fitted as user’s needs change. Since Clos-o-Mats were first introduced, over 40,000 have been sold, and can now be found in domestic and commercial environments across the country. The Clos-o-Mat Palma Vita, and its counterpart Lima Lift, are the only toilets of their kind manufactured in the UK, and supported by inhouse service and maintenance. Enquiries: Call 0161 969 1199 or visit www.clos-o-mat.com
New show set to be a success CLEANING Expo Scotland takes place at Glasgow’s SECC on September 3 and 4. With stand space almost sold out and the numbers of visitors who have pre-registered to attend, growing daily, the enthusiasm surrounding this new event is becoming infectious. Exhibition director Martin Scott said: “Scotland has had many firsts… for example, Alexander Graham Bell with the telephone, John Logie Baird with the television, Alexander Fleming with penicillin, and now – with what promises to be another huge success – Cleaning Expo Scotland.” If you want to become involved in this event whether you want to snap up one of the last few remaining stands, or take part in the seminar programme, or if you simply wish to visit and take advantage of the networking opportunity while gaining hands-on experience of some of the latest and best products the cleaning industry has to offer, visit www.cleaning-expo.com. Enquiries: Contact Martin Scott on 01342 887123 or at martinscott@fairweatherevents.com
Claim VAT back on your home even if you are not VAT registered IT is true, care providers can reclaim VAT worth about £3,000 per bed for any residents who stayed in your home between 1993 and 2002 paid for by the local authority. You don’t have to be VAT registered to make a claim. We can usually find the information required with minimal disruption to your business. How is this possible? Well in 2002 a care provider called Kingscrest challenged the view held by HMRC and won. There is no cost to you unless we are successful. Typical claims: 50 beds – £240,000; 40 beds – £170,000; 287 beds – £1.25m. And the best part is that you get the money in your bank account before you pay us. Don’t forget the tax repayment is free of tax – it is extra profit.
Beaucare’s Beauwash™ Range
Enquiries: Call 01233 640985 and ask for Howard to find out more.
BEAUWASH™ is an efficient, cost effective and ecofriendly laundry cleaning products range, specifically formulated with healthcare establishments in mind. It is cleverly designed to provide superb cleaning performance at lower temperatures, shorter wash cycles and kill bacteria at just 30°C, providing a more sustainable laundry cleaning process in terms of overall running costs and for the environment. Available in powder or liquid form: 10kg tubs, 5lt, 10lt or 20lt liquid containers. When combining
the laundry liquid with automated dosing systems, it creates one of the most efficient laundry solutions available on the market today. Beaucare also offers advice on the most efficient way to run all healthcare laundry needs and provides expert fitting and maintenance of automatic dosing systems by its own service engineers. Enquiries call 01423 878899, email sales@beaucare.com or visit www.beaucare.com
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Supplier makes credit offer CARE Shop, the UK’s largest supplier of consumables and equipment to the sector, is offering £500 credit when a nursing or care home opens an account (terms and conditions apply). This is because Care Shop understands the budget and cashflow pressures that smaller care homes face in managing their day-to-day business. Care Shop has access to the UK’s largest range which covers patient care, personal protection, infection control, paper, continence, dementia care, housekeeping and
medical essentials, as well as beds, pressure care, hoists, aids to living, bedroom and lounge furniture and bathroom essentials. Backed by the Care Shop promise, the firm’s pro-active sales and customer services team build relationships, and work with partners to provide expert advice and money saving solutions across the basket of care home consumables and equipment. Dedicated to helping to run better care homes, Care Shop is able to deliver whenever you need it – nationwide.
Committed to providing IT solutions to the sector ADVANCED Health & Care (Advanced) is a leading provider of IT management systems for urgent and unscheduled care, clinical call centres, community health, mental health, hospice, home and residential care services. Advanced has a unique focus on providing innovative mobile IT applications for community based care, supporting tens of thousands of care workers and clinicians with integrated device, software and airtime solutions.
Working with partners in the NHS, local government and the private sector, Advanced is committed to providing IT solutions in support of safe, efficient care delivery with integrated management information for both the commissioner and provider. Enquiries: To find out more about our range of software solutions call us on 01233 722670 or visit www.advancedcomputersoftware.com/ahc
Badgemaster throws down price challenge LEADING international supplier of name badges, Badgemaster, is citing technological advances as the reason behind its new, lower prices. For more than 22 years the company has placed keen emphasis on investing in the most up-to-date manufacturing and order processing systems which coupled with consistent volume growth, has always enabled economies to be passed on to customers. “We’re now in a position to complete even the shortest runs extremely cost-effectively,” said managing director John Bancroft MBE. “So we’re overhauled our price list to make lower quantities of badges accessible at the same discounted rate previously reserved for higher volumes and are able to offer further significant savings for larger users-and the product quality is better than ever.” John believes competitors will be hard pushed to match Badgemaster’s combination of product quality and pricing and invites buyers to check out their current deal against his company’s offer. He added: “Every order is backed by our best price guarantee, and we never compromise on quality. We are confident of providing the best value and the best service in the marketplace, because we’ve invested
ID Cards
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in the resources which support competitive pricing long term.” As an example John points to Badgemaster’s most recent innovation designed to improve efficiency for the benefit of customers, a unique online reordering facility either custom made via the website. John said: “We’ve saved both time and cost by removing the need for operator input as well as the possibility of supplier generated spelling errors, as all text is entered by the customer and downloaded directly to our computerised systems. “It all contributes to low operating costs, low prices and faster service even for customers wanting just one badge.”
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