Caring UK July 2021

no.294 • £4.75 incorporating

July 2021

Care providers dismayed over forced vaccine CARE providers say they are dismayed over reports that the Government is to make a Covid-19 vaccination compulsory for those working in the sector.

The Independent Care Group said it feared the policy might discourage people from taking up jobs in social care at a time when there are upwards of 120,000 vacancies.

Chair Mike Padgham added: “I can understand why the Government has taken this decision as it is vital that we get as many people protected against Covid-19 as possible. The vaccine is very important and playing a crucial role in the pandemic.

“However, I do not like the idea of forcing people to do something against their will and would prefer it to remain a matter of personal choice rather than be compulsory.

“I think the Government hasn’t gone far enough in its efforts to persuade people of the value of the vaccine and is using the blunt instrument of legislation.

“This will without doubt create another barrier to recruitment at a time when social care providers are facing an employment crisis and struggling to fill one shift at a time.

“What about those already employed? Are employers going to have to force them to have the injection and dismiss them if they don’t? That can’t be right and will surely open the door for legal

challenge.

“There has been discussion about redeploying those who won’t have the vaccine, but again that isn’t always an option, particularly for smaller operators. This whole thing seems to demonstrate once again a lack of understanding of the social care sector.

“We trust it will extend to all healthcare workers, including those taking up NHS posts. And will it become compulsory to have a flu jab in future, as for some people the flu can be a fatal illness?”

Rachel Harrison, GMB national officer, said: “The Government could do a lot of help carers; address their pay terms and conditions, increasing the rate of and access to contractual sick pay, banning zero hours and ensuring more mobile NHS vaccination teams so those working night shifts can get the jab.

“Instead, Ministers are ploughing ahead with plans to strongarm care workers into taking the vaccine without taking seriously the massive blocks these workers still face in getting jabbed.

“This looks like another potential avoidable mess. We’ve told Ministers that more than a third of our members in social care would consider packing their jobs in if vaccines were mandated.

“They can’t now say they weren’t warned.”

‘I would walk 500 miles’ say residents

Edna Jones, a resident at Ridgway Court residential care home in Farnham managed by the Abbeyfield Wey Valley Society has been creating some rather special gifts to brighten up the lives of children and adults alike in her local neighbourhood. Edna has given up counting how may teddy bears she has knitted, though she estimates it must be close to 500 by now. Before lockdown, Edna used to make regular trips to Frimley Park Hospital to donate some of her teddies to the babies born there as a take-home present, for which she always received a thank-you card. After her first donation of about 100 bears, it transpired that the hospital had had plenty of knitted donations before – hats, blankets and so on – but this was their first of knitted teddies.

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RESIDENTS and staff at a Salisbury care home have ‘followed in the footsteps’ of singing duo The Proclaimers and walked more than 500 miles.

Over 31 days, walkers at Braemar Lodge completed enough routes around their garden to match the entire distance from Salisbury to their namesake village of Braemar, 500 miles to the north in Aberdeenshire – plus 255 miles back.

Their initiative raised more than £500 for Salisbury-based social enterprise The Pantry Partnership, the home’s nominated charity for this year.

Walkers’ progress was shown against four stages, with city ‘checkpoints’ in Birmingham, Manchester, Carlisle and Edinburgh guiding the way.

Home manager Alison Bremner said: “Our Braemar-to-Braemar challenge was fantastic and a huge success. We exceeded both our fundraising and mileage goals.

“It was a great way to encourage everyone to enjoy being outside in the spring weather and have something to work towards that involved both staff and residents.

Just like The Proclaimers, our residents proved they were only too happy to walk 500 miles.”

Kay Callow achieved the most miles among individual residents taking part.

She clocked up 10 miles by completing 101 laps of the garden and three laps of Victoria Park, which lies opposite Braemar Lodge.

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New Michelin star inspired menus unveiled by group OAKLAND Care has launched a new set of signature-style menus in collaboration with Michelin-starred chef Tim Allen.

The new menus are being rolled out across each of the group’s six care homes in the south of England.

Tim has worked closely with Spiros Ragavelas, Oakland Care’s executive chef, to develop a set of menus unique to the provider.

Having never before worked with a care home, he was challenged with adapting his techniques and knowledge to the environment of a care home kitchen.

Tim said: “Working with Oakland Care has been a new and rewarding experience for me.

“With no prior knowledge of what care home dining teams can deliver, I didn’t know what to expect when I started this journey with Spiros and his team.

“However, I was thrilled to see the dedication and ability displayed by Oakland Care’s chefs, who have shown that anything is possible if you have the right attitude.

“What will stay with me is the unique environment that has been created at Oakland Care. Every team member I spoke too was enthused by their roles and they have established a family

environment that was a delight to be around.”

The new dishes make use of fresh produce and fine-dining techniques normally reserved for Michelin-starred restaurants to provide exceptional dishes for the residents.

Once the menus had been curated, Tim joined Spiros and Oakland Care’s chefs

at a training session where they were walked through the menus and given instructions on how to prepare them.

The session at Lambwood Heights was well received by the chefs, who were able to develop their own skills under Tim’s coaching.

Spiros added: “Working with Tim has been an immensely rewarding experience. His expertise has raised the bar of what is possible within care home dining and it has been a privilege to have worked so closely with a world-renowned chef.

“As part of the training session, we tasked our chefs to a ‘cook-off’ where they each prepared dishes from the new menu for our directors.

“They relished this opportunity and will take the learnings from this session forward as they bring these special dishes to the plates of each of their care home’s residents.”

Tim was previously the head chef at Launceston’s Place in London which won a Michelin Star under his leadership, and went onto work at the Wild Rabbit in Kingham which also earned a coveted Michelin Star. Tim’s Flitch of Bacon restaurant in Essex also won the area’s only Michelin star in the last 25 years.

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CARINGNEWS Advertiser’s announcement

What do the changes to the Fire Safety Act mean for providers With Leah Cooke from QCS and Chris Walker, head of health and safety at Napthens IT HAS taken a long time – but in May after the Fire Safety Bill received Royal Assent, The Fire Safety Act 2021 became law.

The big question is what will the changes mean for care providers?

While in the short term – the Bill, which was rubber stamped by the Queen in May, is unlikely to herald wholesale changes for care providers right away, but it could have a significant impact on the care sector in the long term.

Chris Walker, head of health and safety at Napthens, who provides the latest H&S advice to QCS customers, said: “The new fire safety laws won’t call upon care providers to make wholesale changes to their fire safety assessment policies and procedures.

“Ultimately the Fire Safety Act 2021 provides provision for a technical amendment to the existing fire safety legislation.

“So, effectively care homes and other premises within the sector are already covered by the exiting legislation.”

But Chris is keen to point out some small changes.

“If a building contains two or more sets of domestic premises, the Fire Safety Order will apply to the building structure, its external walls and common parts, which include all doors, which join domestic premises,” he added.

Chris, who is a graduate member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, added: “In the future, the Bill is likely to generate secondary legislation, which in certain circumstances might mean more fire safety measures.

“Until this legislation is published,

Leah Cooke however, it is impossible to forecast or predict what these changes are likely to be and how they will affect care providers.

“At the very least, care providers should expect increased scrutiny of their current fire safety arrangements and measures taken to comply with the law as its stands.”

In addition to keeping a watchful eye on legislation and having the agility to adjust their policies and procedures in good time to seamlessly meet the required standards, Chris’ key message to care providers is “to check that current arrangements that they have in place conform to current regulations”.

So, what specific checks should Registered Managers carry out?

Chris said: “Duty holders should take no shortcuts. They need to check and examine every single aspect of their fire safety protocols.

“Have they properly implemented all of their existing policies and

procedures? Have they ensured that competent advice has been sought and that a Fire Risk Assessment has been successfully completed by someone with the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to do so? Have they closed out all action-points? Are they maintaining their equipment?

“The risk of not doing so, not only puts service users at immediate risk, but if the foundations have not been firmly laid, it will make it much harder for providers to make fundamental changes in the future should they be required.”

But how do busy Registered Managers keep abreast of the latest legislation, and most crucially, ensure that it becomes deeply embedded in care home policies and procedures?

At QCS, the leading provider of content, guidance and standards for the social care sector, we work in partnership with health and safety experts like Chris to ensure that our 100,000-plus customers receive the specialist fire safety advice they need in language they understand, while never missing a policy update.

Working with Chris, our content team also takes great pride in supplying our providers with the latest best practice content around fire safety protocols.

So, what guidance could social care providers benefit from most?

Leah Cooke, QCS’ content operations manager, who has been a registered nurse for the last 20 years, says that “a rigorous set of policies and procedures, which encompass both national and local regulations, must be complemented by a robust risk assessment framework”.

“It’s not enough to follow blanket fire safety guidelines because the care home environment is constantly

changing, as are the individual needs of the people who live there,” she added.

“The challenge for Registered Managers and staff is to constantly risk assess the physical, mental and emotional capabilities of service users against the risk of fire. To really affect change, this thinking must become part of the culture of a care home.”

Take mandatory fire safety checks or inspections, for instance.

With 70 per cent of service users living with dementia or some form of memory loss, Leah says that it is imperative that they always take into account people’s human rights.

She added: “When a fire alarm goes off in care home it can trigger heightened confusion, stress and panic in those living with dementia.

It may also dredge up painful memories of the past.

“Care professionals need to provide reassurance paying particular attention to those who might be vulnerable to sudden changes or those who might respond negatively to a fire alarm.

“Therefore, as well as conducting fire tests to professional standards, care staff need to have an in-depth understanding of their service users and should be acutely attuned to their every need.”

It is, after all, that unique opportunity to forge a personcentred relationship with people that draws care workers into the profession.

Equipped with expert advice, best practice content and up-to-date guidance tools, providers can be confident that they are adhering to the latest fire safety standards too.

To find out more about QCS contact the company’s compliance advisors on 0333 405 3333 or email sales@qcs.co.uk

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CARINGNEWS

Group’s success in nursing more than 100 Covid patients Newfield Lodge residents complete the ‘Captain Tom 100’ challenge.

Residents complete 100 laps of Garden to honour Captain Tom RESIDENTS at Newfield Lodge care home in Castleford have completed the ‘Captain Tom 100’ challenge after walking 100 laps of their garden, to raise money for the former British Army Officer’s charity.

The fundraiser, organised by the family of Sir Captain Tom Moore, encourages people all over the world to complete a challenge of their choice centred around the number 100 to mark what would have been his 101st birthday.

Residents walked laps of the garden in the form of a relay race, after being inspired by Captain Tom’s remarkable fundraising efforts at the

start of the pandemic.

Lifestyle manager Emily Waugh said: “Over the time we took to complete the challenge and create the remembrance video, we could really see our residents bonding over their shared respect for Captain Tom. “The video became a wonderful reminiscence activity, with many of our residents sharing interesting life stories – we found out that one was a close friend of Catchphrase host Roy Walker.”

Newfield Lodge is operated by Ideal Carehomes and recently achieved a ‘Good’ rating for a second time by the Care Quality Commission.

LAMONT JOHNSON

A NORTH Yorkshire care group has cared for more than 100 poorly Covid-19 patients during the past year of the pandemic.

Saint Cecilia’s Care Group agreed to take in discharged Covid-19 patients at its nursing home in Scarborough to free up much-needed hospital beds.

Now that that need has passed, the care group is delighted to have played its part in the national effort to tackle the virus.

Managing director Mike Padgham said: “Twice during the pandemic we have agreed for Saint Cecilia’s Nursing Home to become a designated setting to care for those with Covid-19 as part of a pioneering scheme with North Yorkshire County Council.

“This has meant that we dedicated a floor at the home to be isolated so that those with the virus could get the care they needed without impacting upon the rest of the home.

“The floor in effect became a hospital ward with an altogether more rigorous regime of hygiene and infection control in place to ensure the best of care.

“We faced some criticism for doing it at the start but it has been a success.

“I am pleased to say that we have successfully provided care for more than 100 people discharged from hospital with Covid-19.

“And we did so without suffering any additional outbreaks or cases of

Covid-19 as a result of becoming a designated setting.”

With death and infection rates falling, there is no longer the need for as many designated settings across North Yorkshire, so the floor at Saint Cecilia’s is returning to normal care provision.

Saint Cecilia’s has given all of its staff a bonus for the extra demands of Covid-19.

Mike added: “Tackling Covid-19 has been a real team effort and we are very pleased to have worked with North Yorkshire County and City of York councils, North Yorkshire CCG, Vale of York CCG, York NHS Trust, Yorkshire Ambulance Service and the Care Quality Commission.

“The fight against Covid-19 has seen partnership working at its best and we hope that the contacts forged over the past year will stand us all in good stead for whatever future challenges face adult social care.

“It has been tough and we have had losses and setbacks along the way but thanks to the magnificent efforts of our staff and the support we have received not just from the statutory bodies but from the local community too, we have come through.

“We know that Covid-19 hasn’t gone away and there is still a lot of hard work to be done and a continued need to be vigilant. But with the vaccine now taking effect, we are very hopeful that brighter times are ahead.”

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Robin Hughes, CEO of Castle View, with Rev John Quick, Richard Endacott and Councillor Phill Bicknell.

Rose garden commemorating councillors officially opened FAMILIES and friends of five former councillors of the Royal Borough have celebrated the opening of the new memorial rose garden at Castle View retirement village, Windsor.

Marking the outstanding contribution to the town by the five councillors – Jesse Grey, Cynthia Endacott, John Fido, John Penfold and Dee Quick – the Rose Garden features five types of celebration roses from premier grower, David Austin.

Guests also included residents and staff of the retirement village.

Chief executive of Castle

View, Robin Hughes said: “The construction of facilities such as Castle View requires a huge amount of political support, and this garden is a fitting tribute to the outstanding vision of these five councillors whose support enabled us to build this retirement village close to the centre of Windsor, and together with Mountbatten Grange provides 130 homes for the over 55s.

“My own mum was one of the first to move in, and along with the other residents is enjoying everything Windsor has to offer to the full.”

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CARINGNEWS

Jenny’s Market Day revival takes residents ‘down on the farm’

A CARE home waitress surprised and delighted one of her residents by tracking down a children’s board game they invented nearly half a century ago.

Jenny Mitchell-Jones, who lives at Colten Care’s Chichester home Wellington Grange, was one of five friends who devised and launched a game about farm life in the run-up to Christmas 1974.

Market Day featured 33 miniature plastic animals, including cows, sheep and chickens, which players collected for points as they journeyed to and from market.

Having lunch at Wellington Grange recently, Jenny happened to mention the game during a conversation with waitress Sue Milton.

Sue was keen to find out if any of the 5,000 games produced were still in existence 47 years later.

She said: “After many hours of hunting I managed to track one down on eBay. It had the board, all the animals, the dice and counters, and the hazard and benefit cards, so I bought it to surprise Jenny with.”

Jenny added: “I couldn’t believe it.

When I saw an actual game again, with its original box and all the bits and pieces, I was delighted, over the moon, and straightaway wanted to share it with everyone.”

Companionship staff at the home arranged for Jenny to give a talk about

Jenny Mitchell-Jones, right, playing Market Day at Wellington Grange. how Market Day came to be made. she wouldn’t remember the rules but She then demonstrated how to play it all came flooding back as soon as it and, of course, was only too happy we had a run through. to have a friendly game with fellow “The residents who attended loved residents. hearing all about it and the actual Companionship team member playing of the game was a huge Sarah-jane Willis said: “It was amount of fun. fascinating to hear how Jenny and her “We were all so impressed and friends took an idea for a family game inspired at what Jenny and her group from conception into reality. of women friends had achieved.”

“We enjoyed hearing about how Back in 1974, Jenny and her friends she travelled to London to source the Diane Sawday, Barbara Bennett, Anne miniature plastic animals and how Kendall and Diane Flemming were all she and her friends converted a barn living near to each other on separate into a production line for making and West Sussex farms. filling the boxes.

The five were members of a small “Jenny was a little concerned that investment club that was showing

little success on the stock market so, to gain some income and have fun at the same time, they invented Market Day. Aimed at children aged seven to 12, and designed for two to six players, the game was marketed as a mailorder Christmas gift for the princely sum of £3.50. Orders were made to Holdfast Enterprises on a farm near Sidlesham, south of Chichester.

Under the rules, players progressed around the board ‘collecting’ the plastic animals – a bull, several cows, horses, sheep, pigs, turkeys and chickens. Each type of animal scored different amounts of points.

If a player landed on a hazard square, the relevant card they had to pick up might read something like, ‘Horse has colic, miss a turn’. On the other hand, a benefit card might say, ‘Good lambing season, take a sheep’.

As Jenny recalls, the five friends already had a captive audience to try the game out on before it was launched to the public.

She said: “We were all mums and had 20 children between us so there was no problem to have it thoroughly tried and tested.

“One thing we made sure of was that it could be played in just half an hour.

That way the children didn’t get bored and mums and dads didn’t get fed up waiting for the game to finish before bed time.”

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Operators shortlisted for Residential Care Provider of the Year accolade SUNRISE Senior Living UK and Gracewell Healthcare have been named as finalists in the prestigious ‘Residential Care Provider of the Year’ category at the 2021 HealthInvestor Awards.

They received the shortlisting in recognition of their exceptional efforts throughout 2020 across each of their 46 care homes and within their support office.

Over the course of the year their resident-centred approach not only maintained the delivery of high-quality care built around the individual, personalised needs of residents, but their dedication towards this overarching objective of bringing ‘a sense of purpose and self-worth to everyone’ ensured that the organisation was able to deal effectively with the testing circumstances that emerged as a result of the pandemic.

The HealthInvestor Awards were also impressed by Sunrise and Gracewell’s exceptional efforts to protect the physical and emotional wellbeing of residents and team members alike during the crisis.

At the outset of the pandemic they established a Covid-19 Task Force which drew on expertise from across

the organisation to understand the evolving challenges presented by the pandemic and implementing appropriate strategies to minimise the risk to the health of residents and team members.

In addition to this, Sunrise and Gracewell introduced industryleading enhanced visiting protocols and PPE deployment, all to an exceptional standard, as a result of

the commitment displayed by team members.

These efforts also resulted in the care home provider’s CEO Dr NatalieJane Macdonald being awarded an MBE for her efforts to healthcare, particularly during this period.

She said: “We’re extremely proud to have been revealed as a finalist for this fantastic award.

“The efforts of every team member

across the organisation this past year has been nothing short of incredible.

“It is terrific to see that our mission to enable all our residents and team members to live purposeful and fulfilling lives is being recognised.

“This vision has been fundamental in delivering industry-leading initiatives and campaigns that have cemented our strong reputation within the industry.”

Alongside their heroic efforts to manage the pandemic, Sunrise and Gracewell also delivered innovative initiatives and campaigns throughout 2020.

This included the launch of a #CelebrateCareHomes campaign, a movement that helped to combat negative sentiment around homes and the entire social care sector.

This innovative campaign included their care homes creating entertaining, human, and uplifting videos on the TikTok social media platform, helping to positively change the perception of the sector.

Sunrise and Gracewell will discover if they have been successful in the HealthInvestor Awards during a ceremony set to take place on September 13 at Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

Mandy tastes success in Bake-Off competition A STAFF member from Meallmore care home, Mearns House in Newton Mearns, is celebrating after reaching the final in a baking competition.

Activities coordinator Mandy Love took part in the ‘Great Meallmore Bake-Off’, beating 86 other entries from the operator’s 25 care homes across Scotland.

Mandy submitted her entry: a cake inspired by life during a pandemic.

In a bid to paint a picture of the ‘new normal’ in cake form, she baked two impressive cakes; one shaped as a nurse’s uniform and the other modelled on Covid-19.

Mandy said: “The last year has been incredibly tough for the care home industry, so getting into the final of the Great Meallmore BakeOff is a real boost.

“It was a pleasure to share the cake with residents and colleagues at Mearns House, and I’m very grateful to everyone who voted for me.”

The residents of Mearns House are used to enjoying culinary expertise, as Meallmore, owner of Mearns House, was recently named the winners of the ‘Nutrition and Eating Well’ award at the recent Scottish Care Home Awards.

This award was presented to Meallmore for its ‘whole home approach’ to food and nutrition within its care homes, as well as providing recognition to the catering and care staff and nutrition-related activities provided.

Residents Joyce Roberts and Eileen Knock enjoy the outdoor space at Mundy House.

Garden revamp helps residents to explore The catering team was applauded for its outstanding service and high quality, nutritious food that caters to residents’ individual dietary needs and preferences.

Care home manager Kirsty Craig added: “The Bake-Off was a great competition organised by Meallmore to scout out hidden baking talents, not just within the kitchen teams.

“Mandy is a brilliant activities coordinator and organises impressive events and things to do for our residents. I’m very proud of her in making it as far as she did in the competition.”

RESIDENTS of Mundy House Care Home have enjoyed transforming their own outdoor space, with a little help from family members and the home’s staff.

The installation of a new pathway was completed around the home to allow residents to walk safely in the grounds and enable those in wheelchairs to enjoy their surroundings more fully.

Garden gates were added to complete the grounds and after that, residents got to work helping staff to bring the garden to life.

Josi George, Mundy House care home manager, said: “This has been a lovely project for the residents who have been able to get involved, as it

not only promotes positive mental wellbeing but gives them a little bit of gentle exercise.

“The residents love being out in the new garden, and it helps them to get a little bit of sunshine when the weather is fair and is also very calming and relaxing.

“With the new pathway we have installed, more of the residents are able to enjoy our outdoor space safely, which is of great benefit to them.”

Josi also praised families who have donated plants to the home.

He said: “It has been a real team effort to get the garden looking nice and creating a beautiful environment where residents want to sit and relax.”

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CARINGNEWS

Operator records best satisfaction score in pandemic Sam’s 100-mile cycle raises money for Dementia UK A CARE home regional manager embarked on a 100-mile cycle to raise money for Dementia UK. Sam Armstrong planned her bike ride to start at Riverside House, Morpeth, and stop at Appleby Care Home, North Shields, for well-earned refreshments before her trip home.

Both homes are operated by Healthcare Management Solutions.

Her fundraising challenge saw Sam raise £630 for the charity, which is closely aligned with the organisation’s values.

Many homes operated by the group specialise in supporting those living with dementia.

When Sam arrived at Appleby Care Home she was greeted by staff and residents.

She said: “As I work for Healthcare Management Solutions I knew that Dementia UK would be a great cause for me to raise money for.

“I am a keen cyclist, but the challenge was very tiring and I was definitely glad to see the lovely Appleby family at the end of my ride.

“Organisations such as Dementia UK are so important and the research they do for people living with the disease is life changing.

“I hope the money I have raised will help them to continue to do fantastic work for our elderly community.”

Dementia UK provides specialist dementia support for families. It gives compassionate one-to-one support, guidance and practical solutions people may need.

FOUR Seasons Health Care Group has recorded its highest ever result in the Customer Satisfaction Index at a time when the impact of the global pandemic has pushed the national benchmark to its lowest score in more than five years.

Feedback from residents and relatives of more than 180 Four Seasons Health Care and brighterkind care homes in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland resulted in a Customer Satisfaction Index of 88.6 per cent, the highest quartile.

This is more than 12 per cent higher than the latest national figure of 76.8 per cent which reflects the impact of Covid-19 on the ability of UK businesses to maintain the standards expected by customers.

Jeremy Richardson, CEO of Four Seasons Health Care Group, said: “I am proud of every team member who has worked tirelessly in difficult circumstances to deliver high quality care to our residents, which is always our first priority.

“The pandemic has shone a light on the care sector and provided an opportunity for long overdue recognition of the vital role of

carers who have been essential in supporting both residents and relatives throughout.”

For the Group, providing a friendly environment, communicating about the situation and addressing concerns were the key drivers of the results.

Nearly 3,500 relatives and residents completed the survey, with more than 90 per cent saying they would be likely to recommend their home to friends and family.

The survey focused on the service provided during the pandemic including communication about the situation and provision of a friendly environment during this period.

It also spanned key elements of care home life including the food and dining experience, activities programme, home cleanliness and atmosphere.

The highest overall scores were recorded in categories related to the care and support provided and the personal relationships between team members, the resident and their relative which included demonstrating respect, friendliness and approachability, which all scored nine or above out of 10.

Group launches Rapid Response Team for older people in a crisis ENCORE has launched the UK’s first care home Rapid Response Team to help older people in a crisis.

The Rapid Response Team at Encore Care Homes operates across Dorset and Hampshire 365 days a year to assist older people who urgently require permanent or respite care.

A relative can call the RRT 24-hours a day, seven days a week, to arrange for one of the team’s clinical assessors to carry out a face-to-face or virtual assessment in a hospital or out in the community to discuss the best course of action.

The RRT can arrange an admission into one of Encore’s homes, where necessary, within 24-hours of the initial call, depending on the person’s care needs.

The RRT has already helped more than 100 people who were experiencing a care emergency to access Encore’s care facilities which provide residential, nursing and dementia-dedicated care at Great Oaks in Bournemouth, Oakdale in Poole, Fairmile Grange in Christchurch, and Hamble Heights in Fareham.

The RRT is a free service for the community which aims to make the process of moving to a care home a simple and smooth one, alleviating the anxiety, uncertainty, and burden that comes with organising care for a relative.

It is the brainchild of George

George Jenescu and Sebastian Ouseph from Encore’s Rapid Response Team. discharge teams, social services, and Jenescu, a Registered Nurse who local care commissioning groups to works as a clinical assessor at Encore facilitate access to a wide range of who has seen first-hand the pressure independent, assisted, and care home that the NHS is under – to discharge living services for older people. patients and free up beds.

He said: “I am passionate about the Through Encore’s partnership with care of older people, especially those University Hospitals Dorset NHS living with frailty and complex needs, Foundation Trust, George and his and I want to ensure that they receive colleague, Sebastian Ouseph, act as the best possible care and support a single point of contact between the which they deserve. hospitals and the patient’s relatives.

“Our vision is to be the go-to They work with the local hospitals’

professionals and the first port of call when their loved one is at a time of crisis and quite possibly at the most vulnerable point of their life.

“They need the support of an expert to act as an intermediary to help them consider their next steps.

“Our mission is to ensure the fastest response from the first point of contact, a robust and diligent assessment, and a safe and efficient admission into our homes.

“Our values are to exceed expectations throughout upholding the trust and confidence of the public in our services.”

Every person whom the RRT assesses will need to have a negative Covid test before being admitted into the care homes for the safety of the home’s existing residents, family members, and the team.

Sebastian, who is also a Registered Nurse and works as a clinical assessor at Encore, added: “Through the RRT, using the clinical experience that George and I have, we can make the hospital discharge process faster and more seamless than anybody else can.

“It’s great to see that sense of relief on the faces of patients and their families when they are discharged from the hospital and into our fantastic care homes. It gives me a lot of job satisfaction when I can make these people happy as they know they will be well looked after by us.”

CARINGNEWS

Home builds library for residents following take-up in reading A HERTFORDSHIRE care home has turned a new page with the opening of a library within its grounds following popular demand from residents – who used books as a way to boost positive wellbeing and mental stimulation throughout the nation’s lockdowns.

Located in the new activities room at Foxholes Care Home, near Hitchin, resident bookworms can now pick a novel from the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf that stretches across the entire room.

The popularity of reading at the family-run home has also led to the launch of a library club, where residents and staff alike can enjoy losing themselves in a diverse selection of titles.

The club will aim to promote uplifts in mood, improved concentration and better long and short-term memory. Other benefits include reduced levels of agitation, while enhancing connectedness amongst residents by taking part in reading groups.

Whether it is contemporary biographies, thoughtful nonfiction, standard novels or an array of historical yarns, residents have already gained an insight into the world view of others through the groups, which are inclusive to all members including those with

Resident Roy Ketchell organises the books in Foxholes’ new library.

“Books and reading groups proved dementia. to be a great distraction and after The club will also enable staff to having become so popular, we gain insights into their residents’ lives decided to build our very own floorand interests, while family members can also join in the fun, being brought to-ceiling library for the residents.

“They can now independently find closer together through literature.

Foxholes’ Neeti Gandecha said: “The something to occupy their time with, pandemic has been a difficult time for whether it be the articulate tales of Charles Dickens, or an autobiography everyone connected with Foxholes, recounting the lives of sporting particularly for our residents who had greats – there is a little something for their regular programme of activities everyone.” restricted during the height of the The launch of the new library and its lockdowns.

How safe are your ratings?

AT A press conference in May 2020 the present (at the time of writing) Secretary of State Matt Hancock declared that “right from the start we’ve tried to throw a protective ring around our care homes. We set out our first advice in February. And as the virus grew we strengthened it throughout. We’ve made sure that care homes have the resources they need to control the spread of infection”.

We would all have our own view of the probity of this claim. Mine is that the only protective ring thrown anywhere is the one Mr Hancock is presently throwing around himself.

Indeed he has most recently denied making this statement, claiming on The Andrew Marr Show that he only made it later in the context of the winter plan. To thine own self be true, Mr Hancock.

The guidance on hospital discharge published on March 19, 2020 stated: “Where applicable to the patient, Covid-19 test results are included in documentation that accompanies the person on discharge”.

It was a further period of weeks before there was any policy on testing before discharge to a care home, let alone any requirement for a negative test to prevent spread at source.

A 12‑year-old child could have predicted that his grandparents would be at risk of their lives from knowing transmission to them of an aggressive new respiratory virus that had already proved deadly across the world.

There will be many lessons to be learned from the last year-and-a-half.

Or there would be, but for the fact that the Prime Minister is determined to delay any inquiry until ... forever.

And a further protective ring will doubtless emerge in the form of restrictive terms of reference of any inquiry.

There will be further outbreaks of Covid-19, and more new variants.

And more serious illness, and sadly more deaths. Given that the scientists’ best guess just at the moment as to the duration of immunity through vaccination is somewhere between six months and two years, we may be back – like this Autumn, like three or four months away – in a situation of attack by an unopposed deadly virus that can spread rapidly unless extreme measures are taken.

With no inquiry, and apparently no plan to prevent another outbreak, one lesson that our industry might explore is how some care homes and their residents have been devastated where they have faced an outbreak, where others have had perhaps one or two cases of Covid-19 but no deaths.

Meaning no disrespect to the former providers, an ‘internal’ inquiry on a no fault basis, commissioned by the industry rather than the regulator (it is surely not some binary compliance issue), just might provide some additional pointers towards what protects and what doesn’t.

HSC Professional (Consultancy) offers consultations on Zoom. Email me at mail@hsc-prof.com to sign on for regular alerts and updates on coronavirus and the rest. Visit my Facebook page or Twitter page at @hsc_prof to view my videos on notifications, Riddor and more. facebook.com/HSC-ProfessionalConsultancy-1715456902020143/ And please stay as safe as you can.

resulting club inspired one resident to write his own book, depicting the colourful events from his life.

Hilmar Warenius ,79, said: “I’m writing a book on my memories of growing up in Cornwall, going to the University of Cambridge, then to London as a medical student, before qualifying as a doctor.

“It also covers how I met my wife and obtained my PHD, before moving to Newcastle and finally going on to be a professor in Liverpool.

“The primary reason I wanted to write a book was for my children and grandchildren, who will be able to read it later. When I started to write, I found there were so many interesting things to cover, mainly the drastic change in the way medicine has been practised, even in what I view as my short life.”

There has even been a large section of the library dedicated to local Hitchin history, which has been interesting for residents who grew up in the area to look back on.

To help build the collection of books in the library, Foxholes is accepting donations from the local community.

Neeti added: “If anyone has any old fiction and non-fiction books lying around that they would like to donate, we’ll happily take them.

Just drop us an email on care@ foxholescarehome.com”

11

12

CARINGNEWS

Village residents celebrate gym reopening again

A delivery of paintings from a local nursery brought some joy to the residents of Rogers House. Residents of the Wigmore residential care home were overjoyed to hear the children of Happy Bunnies Nursery in Gillingham had thought of them, and had painted pictures and drawings. Reaching out to the older people in their community, the children, who are aged between two and four, made sure they sent enough pictures for every resident. Home manager Jackie Miles said: “It was such a lovely gesture for the children of Happy Bunnies Nursery to think of us here. We’ve received a lot of community support over the past year but it has been difficult not being able to have our usual groups in to visit, so the cards definitely brought a smile to the residents’ faces.”

Pictured is Edwin Hoare with his painting.

H.W.Pickrell Gardiners Lane North, Crays Hill, Billericay, Essex, CM11 2XE Mobile: 07860 894 331 Fax: (01268) 284951

Telephone: (01268) 521033

RESIDENTS living at Belong Newcastle-under-Lyme are defying stereotypes of older people as they celebrate the re-opening of the care village’s specialist gym, which provides personalised one-to-one programmes.

The exercise plans developed by the village’s fitness instructor Georgina Cliff, working in conjunction with health professionals, are designed to enable customers to maintain mobility, prevent falls and manage a range of health conditions, according to individual assessments.

One apartment tenant pleased to see the reopening of the gym is John Yarwood, 77, who was a regular face at the dementia care specialist’s on-site gym facility prior to the pandemic, using exercise to manage a septicaemia infection – also known as sepsis, or blood poisoning – following a knee operation more than a decade ago.

Although Georgina had continued to support John to exercise outside his apartment, putting in place a special one-to-one programme to maintain the knee’s strength and movement, the fitness fanatic is relieved to be back in the gym and in his element.

He said: “It’s great to be back on the exercise bike; I can’t thank Georgina enough for helping me make the best of the situation – I’m over the moon with how things have gone.

“And my wife has been a trooper throughout all this, though that might be because she gets some peace and quiet when I’m out of our apartment, exercising.”

Maintaining wellbeing through exercise is a key part of Belong’s proposition, and its villages have a range of specialist equipment to make

John Yarwood and Georgina Cliff. it easier for older people to exercise for longer and to use exercise in a targeted way to meet their wellbeing needs.

Every household resident has a personalised exercise plan to identify goals and monitor progress.

Georgina added: “Exercise really is a key factor in maintaining people’s physical and mental health, whatever their age.

“It really has been a lifeline for John and we’re pleased that we’ve been able to adapt during Covid and maintain exercise regimes that are vital to people’s health.

“The results have been incredible and it’s given John and his wife, Chris, the reassurance they can still enjoy a high quality of life.”

Other village facilities, including its popular Bistro, re-opened for the use of tenants and residents on June 1.

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Students perform exclusive gig ASPIRING musicians from Edinburgh College blew care home residents away during a private garden concert.

The three performers – Nualla Macgregor, Seonaid Wilson and Chloe Mak – visited Mansfield Care’s Pine Villa to deliver an outdoor musical extravaganza consisting of singing, piano, clarinet and clarsach – a Celtic harp.

Inspired by a class project, the group, NCS Collective, chose to play for the Midlothian-based care home after it was recommended to them by

a teacher.

The band perform a variety of songs from Disney anthems to The Beatles and are all selected by the residents themselves.

Manager Denise Williams said: “It was amazing. We had residents tapping their feet and singing along, they really enjoyed it.”

Mansfield Care specialise in small, friendly residential care homes in Edinburgh, Borders and west of Scotland; each designed with state-ofthe-art facilities.

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CARINGTECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE

15

‘I’m A Covid Hero, Get Me Out of Here!’

STAFF at Windsor Court in Wetherby has undertaken some stomach churning challenges inspired by the hit ITV programme,‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!’ to entertain their residents and raise additional money for their activity fund.

The care team contestants comprised of home manager Paula Mountjoy, care manager Sophie Summerscales, deputy manager Charlie Parker, regional director Lisa Harding and managing director Stacey Linn confronted their fears to complete the infamous eating bush tucker trials, which saw them tucking into a gruesome 10-course meal including crickets, worms, locusts,

cow tongue, fish eye and even pig penis and testicles.

Special guest star Emma Atkins, also known as Charity Dingle in ITV soap opera Emmerdale, hosted the contest, interacting with the residents throughout the trial and encouraging the contestants during each dish.

Lifestyle manager Kirsty Watson, who was the driving force for the challenges, said: “We are always encouraged to push the boat out for activities and I was really able to run wild with our trials.

“It was my pleasure to organise and we had a blast.

“A huge thank you to Emma for coming down to be our host. She was

brilliant and got everyone involved.

“Our residents were over the moon to meet one of their favourite characters from Emmerdale and receive autographs.”

After a nail-biting 10 courses, deputy manager Charlie Parker was crowned ‘Queen of the Care Home’ after eating a fish eye in three seconds.

She said: “I am so glad we were able to raise so much money for our residents fund.

“Being ‘Queen of the Care Home’ was brilliant, all of the residents cheered for me, but I think all of our contestants deserved a crown because the trial was really difficult.

INNOVATION IN CARE MANAGEMENT

faceclock

“Emma was also marvellous on the day as our host, she really helped us to get through each dish.”

Home manager Paula Mountjoy, concluded: “Our ‘I’m A Covid Hero, Get Me Out of Here’ afternoon was such a huge success, I don’t think there is a better feeling than seeing our residents laughing and having fun, even if it is at our expense.

“Kirsty outdid herself with this one and we raised lots of extra money for our residents fund which will go towards funding more activities and day trips out. So far we have had lots of suggestions on our ‘wish list’ and we can’t wait to make our residents’ wishes come true.”

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16

CARINGTECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE Advertiser’s announcement

Why care providers should complete the DSPT toolkit IN mid-May, Ireland’s National Health Service was infiltrated by hackers.

The ransomware attack affected many of the Health Safety Executive’s local and national IT systems. The attack wreaked havoc.

It shut down the Department of Health’s IT systems, caused appointments to be cancelled, and breached medical data staff records.

The HSE attack serves as a wakeup call for many in the sector, but it shouldn’t be. While there are no statistics relating specifically to the care sector, the National Cyber Security Centre handled 723 incidents within the NHS – all of them “related to coronavirus”.

We also know that the NCSC’s Active Cyber Defence Unit detected more than 120 phishing campaigns, each of them using NHS branding.

In contrast, in 2019, there were only 36 phishing incidents of this kind.

In light of these attacks, QCS, the leading provider of content, guidance and standards for the health care sector, is calling on social care providers, who haven’t already done so, to complete the Data Security and Protection toolkit.

Leah Cooke, QCS’ content

operations manager, said: “To safeguard their businesses, from cyber attack, while social care providers should follow the steps outlined in the NCSC’s ‘Small Business Guide’ and the ‘Cyber Security for Small Organisations and Charities’ e-learning guide, the best form of defence is to complete the ‘Data Security and Protection toolkit’.

“It is not too late, and having

studied the DSPT in great detail, I can vouch for the fact that the DSPT is an excellent resource, which will provide Registered Managers and staff with an all-round holistic knowledge and understanding of the pervasive and numerous cyber threats that they’re likely to encounter.

“But not only this, it is the best way to build a robust culture of cyber security throughout an organisation

– as everyone in a care home – including admin staff, activity teams, chefs, cleaners and third-party contractors – can benefit.”

Leah added the secrets behind a strong culture of cyber security: “The DSPT is a key building block in inculcating such a culture. But, it is just the first step in raising awareness throughout an organisation.

“Frontline managers and senior staff still need to lay a vital role in ensuring that knowledge is cascaded down to all staff that work for the care provider.

“Group awareness sessions can help reinforce the importance of digital hygiene, and on the rare occasions that mistakes are made, the culture shouldn’t be one of blame, but of openness.

“With such a culture in place, everyone in the care home should subconsciously be aware of the basic requirements.

“Tasks such as creating strong passwords, changing them regularly and keeping anti-virus software up-to-date should come naturally.

“If they do, that’s when you know that a culture of cyber security has been deeply embedded within your organisation.”

Advertiser’s announcement

What’s a CareDocs digital care assessment like?

OUR thorough digital care assessments help you get to know your residents on a deeper level.

Developed by care home owners and sector experts and fine-tuned since 2008, CareDocs assessments are user-friendly and simple to work through, and we provide a range of different answer types to promote maximum engagement, communication, and encourage you to add as much information as possible.

The more information you enter, the more your residents will benefit from a person-centred care service.

There are more than 20 separate assessment sections for all major areas of health including Breathing, Communication, Elimination, Evacuation Risk, Mobility, Nutrition and Hydration.

Each section is made up of several sub-sections to ensure every aspect of your residents’ day-to-day care needs are accounted for.

Where applicable, we have provided clear descriptions for certain answers to help you and your residents make an informed decision.

Your progression through the assessment on screen is very natural with only questions relevant to previous answers presented to you.

This makes your service more efficient and keeps your assessments flowing in the right direction.

Following the completion of your assessment, generating a personcentred care plan can be achieved in two more steps.

And when it comes time to update your care plans, going back into an assessment will show you clearly which questions need answering or updating to help you get your care plans fully back up to date.

Above all else we value substance over style by putting the residents first. Care assessments and care plans are incredibly important documents which have a clear purpose, but some suppliers have opted to make theirs

more visually appealing by being selective of what information should be mentioned so they don’t look crowded or repetitive.

Although the idea of simplified care plans may be appealing to some, CareDocs hasn’t strayed from the fundamentals and principles of good care planning.

We have gained the reputation as the UK’s leading care planning software by putting residents at the

heart of the software and giving you the ability to record as much information as required without any barriers in place or offering shortcuts.

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CARINGTECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE

19

Advertiser’s announcement

Going digital with your administration – the case for taking the plunge now MOVING to digital based administration has, for some time, seemed like a luxury rather than a necessity, very understandable, change can seem difficult and there are many perceptions around new systems: n A computer system will cost money, which will need to be taken from a budget somewhere, can we afford it? n Care home operators are unique, how can any generic admin system cope with the practices and compliance requirements of a busy care home? n Technology changes quickly, constantly upgrading, how do you choose the best system for you, how do you ‘future proof’? n There are always hidden costs, on new hardware and equipment, on future upgrades. n Our staff aren’t particularly IT literate, will it take months to train staff? n What if staff don’t like it, or won’t use it?

The reticence to go digital is understandable, all of the above are valid concerns. What should not be understated is the incredible efficiencies use a new system can bring to a business. Don’t believe me?

Zoom, Teams, Google Duo, take your pick of video conferencing software, in 2019 hardly any of us had heard of them, now they are here to stay.

Would you want to go back to telephone conference calls and three hours driving for a one hour meeting?

Me neither – maybe going digital isn’t all bad?

So, what about home administration?

Choosing a system that is specifically designed for the residential care sector is a great start.

Care homes are multi-site, multi brand businesses, they need super flexible rotas, easy to use staff cover options.

Add in local authority fee contracts,

top ups, private payers, billable extras, all sent to multiple parties, it’s a unique sector with unique challenges.

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Let’s go digital together: Contact CoolCare for a demonstration today.

20

CARINGNEWS

Gemini trots in to make Wendy’s wish come true Residents raise funds for dementia charity RESIDENTS and team members at an Epsom care home have put their best foot forward and raised almost £800 for a cause close to their hearts.

The team at Care UK’s Appleby House wanted to create an exciting fundraising activity for residents and their relatives, which everyone could participate in no matter what their walking ability might be – and so the ‘Appleby Chair to 5km Challenge’ was born.

With the aim of raising £300 for the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Action Week by completing a 5km walk within the home’s ground, residents and team members donned trainers and set out to have some fun and get their steps in.

Home manager Shona Bradbury said “A fantastic day was had by everyone involved – and I’m thrilled we raised such a wonderful amount for charity.

“One of the residents, who uses a frame, got to 70 steps then spurred

herself on to go further and further, until she reached the road where she was cheered by some passing workmen.

Another passer-by donated all the money in his pocket, which was a very heartening moment.

“The Alzheimer’s Society’s care and research to help people with dementia and their families is vital, and we hope this donation will play a part in supporting their invaluable work. We loved getting our steps in for a good cause, and we’re already looking forward to taking on our next challenge.”

The outdoor challenge saw 17 residents taking part, some covering just a few steps, others walking more.

Residents enjoyed every moment of the challenge, and cheered on by relatives and team members, completed well over the target of 5km – making it to 13,124 steps, and smashing their fundraising goal, raising a total of £798.

A RESIDENT at a Winchester dementia care home enjoyed the surprise of seeing a lifelong wish come true thanks to the efforts of a care companion.

Wendy Lunn, who lives at Colten Care’s St Catherines View, was among residents talking to Companionship team leader Laura Sheldrake about pets they wished they had when they were younger.

Wendy explained to the group that she had always wanted a horse of her own.

Unbeknown to Wendy, Laura then reached out to the community for help and a friend, Kayleigh Standen, offered to bring her daughter Indie’s horse Gemini along for a visit.

On the day, and with as much care and secrecy as possible, Gemini was slowly walked round to the back garden of the home out of sight from residents’ bedroom windows.

Wendy was then invited to step outside.

“The surprise of seeing Gemini up close, and the opportunity to stroke her and spend time with her, left Wendy overjoyed,” Laura said. “ She couldn’t stop looking and smiling at Gemini or keep her hands off. It was a really precious moment.”

Wendy was heard to say: “This is just lovely, she is so beautiful.”

After other residents gathered for the opportunity to meet and stroke Gemini too, 12-year-old Indie gave a

Wendy Lunn, who lives at Colten Care’s Winchester dementia care home St Catherines View, with Gemini the horse. talk about the horse and the shows she has performed in.

“Indie is brilliant,” Wendy told Laura after the visitors left. “She is so good with that horse. I wished I had my own horse when I was younger.”

Laura added: “It was a beautiful visit from a delightful animal who, at least for an afternoon, made Wendy’s lifelong wish come true.”

Awards launched to recognise unsung heroes of care catering THE National Association of Care Catering has officially launched the NACC Awards 2021.

The awards are open for entries with a deadline of Friday July 16.

From care homes to community services, such as Meals on Wheels and Lunch Clubs, NACC members are invited and encouraged to recognise the unsung heroes within their organisations and the care catering sector.

Sue Cawthray, national chair of the NACC, said: “The NACC Awards are an incredibly important part of the NACC calendar of events and our opportunity to showcase and celebrate the exceptional talent, innovation and dedication that care caterers across the country consistently demonstrate.

“Good food and nutrition coupled with uplifting dining experiences are fundamental to quality care.

Care caterers are keenly aware of the impact mealtimes can have on both physical and mental wellbeing and their desire to do the very best by their residents and clients drives excellence in our sector.

“This has never been more evident than throughout the pandemic, which has been a particularly challenging for care catering.

Winners from the last NACC Awards ceremony in 2019.

“Through our awards we have n Care Establishment of the Year the privilege of sharing the many Award, sponsored by Hobart UK. inspirational stories and initiatives. n Meals on Wheels Award, sponsored I encourage all our members to by apetito. enter the NACC Awards 2021 and n Catering Team of the Year Award, give our frontline unsung heroes the sponsored by CaterCloud. recognition they deserve.” n Catering Manager of the Year The judges are looking for Award, sponsored by Unilever Food inspirational examples of care Solutions. catering innovation, excellence and n Our Care Catering Hero Award, dedication in the following categories: sponsored by Premier Foods. n The Triumph Over Adversity The Triumph Over Adversity Award Award, sponsored by Bullseye Food has returned for 2021, reflecting the Packaging. ongoing challenges that the Covid-19

pandemic presents within the care sector and to recognise the significant business and/or personal difficulties teams and individuals have overcome to ensure the continued delivery of a quality meal service for residents and clients.

The shortlisted finalists will be revealed in August, with the overall winners announced and honoured by NACC members, industry colleagues and friends at a special gala awards dinner on Thursday October 7 at the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham, as part of the NACC Training & Development Forum 2021.

Sue added: “This year’s gala dinner will be an extremely special event as, once again, we will be able to get together with our members, industry colleagues and friends to celebrate our finalist and winners, and all the amazing accomplishments of our sector over the past year.”

In addition to the five categories open for nominations, the recipients of the Pam Rhodes Outstanding Achievement Award, sponsored by Anglia Crown, the National Chair’s Award and the ever-popular NACC Region of the Year Award, sponsored

by Meiko, will be declared.

Entry to the NACC Awards 2021 is open to members of the NACC.

21

CARINGNEWS

High satisfaction for care provider A UK-wide care home provider has continued to register high satisfaction ratings from its residents and visitors alike despite the difficulties facing the sector due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Shaw healthcare, which operates care homes and assisted living facilities across the UK, surveyed residents and visitors across 65 facilities, with the average satisfaction score of both coming in at almost 93 per cent.

Of those surveyed, more than 82 per cent said their local facility has communicated ‘well’ or ‘very well’ throughout the pandemic, while more than 93 per cent said the same when asked how well their service had managed over the last 12 months.

Chief operating officer Mike Smith said: “I am immensely proud of those working in our homes and how they have handled the last 14 months.

“Services had to develop new procedures and ways of working at short notice and difficult decisions had to made, which saw residents unable to see their loved ones face-toface for long periods of time.

“Staff across the company worked tirelessly to make the residents in their care happy and safe, with many making huge sacrifices to their personal lives in order to do so, so these great responses from our residents and visitors are a testament to this hard work.”

Home celebrates link with Age UK Croydon on walk Mike Smith, chief operating officer at Shaw healthcare.

The top performing care home was Springbank in Bristol with 100 per cent of respondents providing positive feedback, while Maes-yWennol, Cartref and Prestemede in mid-Wales ranked more than 99 per cent.

The annual survey reviews areas such as cleanliness, noise levels, responsiveness to complaints and Covid-19 and how facilities aim to promote independence for residents.

SUNRISE of Purley has joined up with Age UK Croydon as its official charity partner for 2021 and marked the occasion with a 17-mile charity walk.

The official partnership sees Sunrise of Purley commit to raising £3,000 throughout the year.

Rebecca Peters, director of community relations, was joined by six members of the Age UK Croydon team to walk 40,000 steps from Sunrise of Purley to Epsom and back.

She said: “We are so grateful to everyone who has supported us.

“The walk was tiring but incredibly rewarding and we look forward to doing more things and raising more money for Age UK in the coming

months – a cause that is close to all our hearts.”

The walk commenced at 10am, with the party returning to base at Sunrise of Purley by 5.20pm. The eager walkers stopped off at a local pub along the way for refreshments and were greeted home by some friendly faces and cold Prosecco.

So far, £1,560 has been raised, with donations still being collected at this time.

Age UK Croydon will use the funds to continue to provide services to support local, older people, including social activities, and to help people stay connected to others as we battle on through the Covid-19 pandemic.

The team at Ebor Court care home in York helped Margaret Maclagan, better known as Peggy, to celebrate her milestone 101st birthday party in style by combining her two favourite things: afternoon tea and Frank Sinatra’s greatest hits. Peggy joined the Ebor Court family in York during the summer of 2018 and explained to staff how much she enjoys visiting The Principal Hotel for afternoon tea with her family. To mark the celebration, the thoughtful staff team recreated the brunch for Peggy and her friends who live at the Nether Poppleton care home. Throughout the day Peggy was overwhelmed with deliveries of flowers, balloons, presents and cards which filled her room as she enjoyed FaceTime calls with family and friends.

Peggy was also delighted to have a socially distanced visit from her son.

Friars Mead, managed by the Abbeyfield Hertfordshire Residential Care Society, was in a festive mood they celebrated the 100th birthday of resident Iris Telling. Born in Berkhamsted, where she has lived for most of her life, Iris was married in 1940 to her late husband, with whom she had three children. After working in office jobs and retail, Iris took up a voluntary position at the local Sue Ryder shop, where she gave her time for 16 years. The Kings Langley home hosted a socially distanced garden party in Iris’ honour, with Iris, her two sons and her brother able to meet for the first time in more than a year. A three-layered cake was provided by Waitrose, who also sent Iris a card, and fellow residents watched on from the comfort of their lounge and ‘delivered’ their own cards and good wishes.

“Very lucky” Daphne Ford celebrated her 100th birthday at Rogers House Residential Care Home in Wigmore. Growing up in East London, Daphne carved out a career for herself as a dressmaker. She also worked as a carer for 10 years. Daphne and her husband Charley never had children, but she is close to her nieces who joined her special celebration. Decorated with balloons and bunting, staff put on an afternoon tea treat in the tea room for the special occasion, complete with fresh cakes, scones and sandwiches, as well as a birthday cake adorned with bright and colourful flowers. Alongside her cuppa, Daphne also celebrated with a Snowball, her favourite tipple.

Dorothy Bastable has celebrated her milestone 100th birthday with the help of the dedicated care team at Ash Tree House care home in Wigan. Dorothy, who is a former headmistress of Welling Central school in Kent, believes the secret to a long and happy life is to treat others as they treat you and always act with patience and kindness. To mark her milestone birthday Dorothy enjoyed a buffet-style afternoon tea with some of her closest friends before being surprised by a very special guest, local councillor Chris Ready who personally delivered Dorothy’s telegram from the Queen, which now has pride of place in her bedroom. Dorothy received deliveries of flowers, balloons and presents including a homemade cake iced with a picture of herself, which she found very amusing.

22

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REFURBISHMENT of the laundry at Mary Stevens Hospice in Stourbridge, West Midlands with new washers and dryers from Girbau UK has a vital, if largely unseen role to play in supporting the wellbeing of residents with life-limiting illnesses.

“Everyone in the Hospice knows it is like a puzzle, where every single part is vitally important and needs to be pieced together with little effort,” said Gerry Crow, director of operations and support.

“Even though the laundry is very much a function hidden away from those we are caring for, without it we would not be able to provide the level of support we do to our patients and their carers.”

Mary Stevens Hospice provides specialist care and support for people who are living with a lifelimiting illness, and their families.

Care is provided in a 10-bed In-Patient Unit and its Day Services Unit. Both offer modern facilities complemented by a warm, friendly and comforting environment.

After visiting the hospice to get a full understanding of its laundry needs, Girbau recommended the installation of two HS-6013 washers in combination with two of its energy efficient ED260 dryers.

“We have used Girbau products for many years and have found them to be very reliable,” added Gerry.

“The decision to choose Girbau products again for this refurbishment was taken on cost of ownership, the proven reliability of Girbau

equipment and the level of long-term support available directly from Girbau.”

Designed to lower water and energy consumption while boosting productivity, Girbau HS washers feature automatic chemical dosing, high-speed spinning, unmatched durability and a high degree of programmability.

Their high spin speed achieves a market-leading centrifugal spin force of up to 400g throughout the spin cycle to leave laundry with residual moisture levels of less than 50 per cent, offering significant energy and cost savings in the subsequent drying process.

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

23

CARINGNEWS

Sound of music sings out from village choir SINGING together and the sound of music has been playing an increasingly important part of life at Castle View retirement village in Windsor, while singing their way towards summer is now occupying The Cee Vees choir as they emerge from lockdown.

What began during the early stages of lockdown last year when residents sang from their terraces and balconies soon morphed into a residents’ choir, and this subsequently moved online via Zoom with other friends and family members joining in.

“The advantages for participants are tenfold,” said choir leader Ruth Wilson.

“Men particularly find music and singing help to counter loneliness, while other benefits include an enhanced sense of community and connection, the opportunity to make new friends while learning something new and all with a healthy dose of fun and laughter.

“The choir also gives a real sense of purpose and achievement as well as giving structure to one’s time.”

Formed at the end of 2020 when they could meet together, the choir made its debut performance on Christmas Eve with 15 of the retirement village’s apartment owners taking part.

With the re-introduction of lockdown in January, the decision was taken to keep singing but via Zoom.

By then the choir had become so popular that some of the members wanted to invite friends elsewhere to join-in as their choirs had closed and were missing the singing and contact with others.

“We ended up with a wonderful community of singers, many of whom

Two choir members rehearse with Windsor Castle in the background weren’t even living here at Castle View,” added Ruth.

“There are huge mental and wellbeing benefits to singing and being part of a choir,” said Lisa Fisher, village manager of Castle View.

“And with many choirs having had to close we knew there were those missing the companionship and the lifeline that offered. The choir was built on enthusiasm and laughter rather than professionalism, and anyone over 55 was welcome.

“Now that lockdown is easing and people are getting out and about again, the Zoom choir has been scaled back, but at its peak was regularly attracting 15-20 regular members and more than 4,000 views on its Facebook page – a great response.

“The ‘physical’ Cee Vees choir lives on, however, and can very easily return online in the future.”

Home is ‘picture perfect’ on its official open day RIVENDELL View Care Home in Stoke Bardolph has hosted its official open day and received a warm welcome from local artists who generously donated paintings and other works of art to display around the home.

One attended the open day bearing a touching housewarming gift of a portrait of the local woodlands which he presented to home manager Samantha Kavanagh.

She said: “The response from the local community has been overwhelming, I am very grateful to the community for their many ‘home warming’ gifts – they are all taking pride of place in our home for our future residents to see and appreciate.”

Rivendell View is a state-of-the-art care home, operated by care provider Ideal Carehomes, and has all the finishing touches you would expect from a luxurious new home.

It has benefitted from a £12million investment, providing spacious en-suite bedrooms and latest care technology allowing the Rivendell View care team to deliver person-centred care in a dignified manner, promoting

independence as far as possible.

The team have been delighted to have such a warm welcome from the Nottingham community, with many housewarming gifts being delivered throughout the day including interesting artwork for the walls, sculptures and even art kits for residents to use once they move in.

As a token of their gratitude, the team is looking forward to hosting monthly art classes taught by local artists once restrictions allow.

During the open day, people were able to get their first glimpse of the luxurious care home which has been under construction for nearly a year.

Almost 100 local people visited the home, adhering to current government guidelines.

Samantha added: “I am thrilled our preview day was such a success.

It was a pleasure to meet so many wonderful people from around our community.

“I look forward to welcoming our first residents and assisting them to live the next chapter of their lives to the fullest.”

Rivendell View is due to welcome its first residents in the near future.

Social care charity is honoured at Pride of Table Tennis Awards

A UNIQUE training programme that promotes table tennis in social care has collected ‘The Inclusion Award’ at the Pride of Table Tennis Awards.

The social care charity Community Integrated Care developed the training platform www.CareToPlay. co.uk to inspire support workers and families to promote this accessible, adaptable, and socially distanced sport.

It offers a series of bitesize training videos, which in just 13 minutes, teach those who provide care and support the fundamentals of enabling people to enjoy table tennis.

The project and Community Integrated Care’s overall efforts to engage people who have disabilities in playing the sport saw Table Tennis England bestow the charity with their prestigious ‘Inclusion Award’.

This honour recognises an organisation that “has championed outstanding volunteering and engagement with under-represented groups”.

John Hughes, director of partnership and communities at Community Integrated Care, said: “We are delighted to receive this honour from one of our key partners, Table Tennis England.

“Hundreds of the people supported

by Community integrated Care now enjoy table tennis as a regular hobby.

“We have found that this sport offers a uniquely inclusive, engaging, and low-cost activity, which is perfect for many social care settings.

“CareToPlay.co.uk was created to extend this impact beyond our

charity, ensuring that any support worker or family member can easily assist people to enjoy the sport.

“We have been astounded by the response to this free resource and the impact that it has made on so many people. Special thanks must also go to Table Tennis England, for their incredible backing in helping us to introduce the sport across our charity.

“We are excited to further this partnership in the years ahead.”

Community Integrated Care is one of the UK’s biggest and most successful social care charities.

Over the past two years, it has promoted table tennis in a range of settings – from activity sessions in specialist dementia care homes and learning disability supported living services, through to utilising it in mental health talking therapies.

The ‘Care To Play’ video series shares many of the key principles that it has discovered in delivering the sport across 200 social care services.

It not only teaches people the fundamental skills of how to assist people to play table tennis, but also provides creative ideas on how to adapt the game to promote wider health, confidence, and social outcomes.

The resource has been developed by Community Integrated Care’s internal specialists in person-centred support, alongside professional athletes James and Teddy Chapelhow.

The pair, who are ambassadors for the charity and play for rugby league side Newcastle Thunder, are life-long table tennis players.

Ashton View residential, memory, nursing and nursing memory care home in Ashton-inMakerfield has received a donation of drinks for residents. The Brian Boru Club, which is located across the road from the home, donated crates of Coca-Cola, diet Coca-Cola, tonic water, J2Os and cordial mixers for residents at the home. The donation from the club, which has some family connections to the home, has been described as a “wonderful gesture” by colleagues. Residents were very grateful for the donations.

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25

lamontjohnson .com Totally Confidential No Obligation

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PHONE OR MAIL US FOR A FREE NO OBLIGATION APPRAISAL

Home celebrates completion of its dementia extension

Page 27

Provider moves to larger premises to cope with demand

Page 28

Group feels ‘Right at Home’ in its new larger premises

Page 29

07920 475 440 lamontjohnson@btinternet.com CARE HOME SALES NATIONWIDE

First peek inside new luxury care home A NEW state-of-the-art care home in Wakefield is getting set to open its doors for the first time.

Hepworth House will be welcoming new residents from June and will provide a safe and luxurious home for up to 66 older people, employing more than 65 team members once fully staffed.

Manager Amanda Woolford, who has more than 35 years of social care experience, said: “I am extremely excited to soon be able to open the doors of our beautiful home.

“Our future residents will benefit so much from our facilities and the full and varied social programme organised by our activities co-ordinators.

“We have had such an overwhelming response so far from local people, for both the first phase of recruitment and from prospective residents. I can’t wait to support our new residents to live life to the full as

part of the Hepworth House family.”

Care provider Ideal Carehomes’ latest development has benefitted from a £12million investment, giving Hepworth House all the finishing touches you would expect from a luxurious new home.

The spacious en-suite bedrooms and latest technology will allow the care team to deliver person-centred care in a dignified manner, promoting independence as far as possible.

The well-appointed care home boasts large, open plan social areas

SOLD ANOTHER DISCREET SALE BY

BLEAK HOUSE PATRINGTON EAST YORKSHIRE

LAMONT

Totally Confidential No Obligation

and ultra-wide corridors which are designed with residents in mind.

Facilities on offer at Hepworth House including a luxurious Sky Bar with far-reaching views, a vintage tearoom complete with balcony area and a plush cinema room featuring its very own popcorn machine.

The on-site beauty parlour will be ready for residents to receive regular treatments such as haircuts, chiropody appointments, manicures and much more.

The spacious landscaped gardens will become social hubs and continue to flourish with the help of greenfingered residents attending regular gardening clubs in the relaxing botanical rooms.

The newly appointed staff team are set to complete a thorough induction period prior to the home opening and will be given access to industryleading training and development via the ‘Ideal Academy’.

Grayson and Dawn Sue and I would just like to send our thanks to you both for your expert guidan ce concerning the sale of Bleak House Limited.

The sale has been con ducted in a timely and professional manner. We were bot h very pleasantly surpris ed at the very short period of time it took you to locate for us, what has turned out to be, the perfect buyer for our long established business.

JOHNSON

The sale process has bee n a smooth and stress free experience.

We wish you both we ll in your future endeav ours, and have no hesitation in recom mending Lamont Johnso n Ltd to others who might be in consid eration of marketing the ir business.

With kind regards and best wishes,

Steve Turley (MD Bleak

OVER 40 YEARS EXPERIENCE

House Limited)

NO

“UPFRONT” FEES or INFLATED COMMISSION RATES!

The opportunity represented a 27 registered Learning Disability Home, in existing family ownership since 1985. It was the first registered Learning Disability in Humberside at the time, and it is the 2nd home sold in recent times by Lamont Johnson, on behalf of the vendors, Sue Harris and her brother, Steve Turley. The other home was Beechwood Place, at Malton, North Yorkshire.

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26

High Sheriff of Cheshire celebrates Chester care village topping out THE High Sheriff of Cheshire, Robert Mee DL, celebrated the completion of the main building works of a major development in Chester as guest of honour at its topping out ceremony.

By reaching the key milestone, the Belong Chester care village is now a step closer towards its scheduled opening in early 2022.

Robert braved the heights of the £21million state-of-the-art development to lay the final roof tile alongside former Belong chair Margaret Yorke ,deputy chief executive,Tracy Paine and Chris Ellison, the project manager for the site from contractor, Seddon.

Tracy said: “We are thrilled to have finished the main building work at Belong Chester. We know the village’s opening is eagerly anticipated and we look forward to welcoming the community early next year and to being able to support local older people, including those living with dementia and their families.”

Robert has an extensive relationship with the city; in addition to his statutory duties, he is involved with other local charities, including Cheshire Young Carers and the Hospice of the Good Shepherd and has played a significant role in regeneration with Cheshire West and

Nicola Brooks, Belong Chair of the Board; Chris Ellison, Seddon project manager; Tracy Paine, Belong deputy chief executive; Robert Mee DL, High Sheriff of Cheshire and Margaret Yorke, former Belong Chair of the Board.

Chester Council and the Cheshire and rapid progress being made towards completion.”

Warrington Local Enterprise Board.

Located in the heart of the city, He added: “The creation of a adjacent to its historic canal, Belong Belong village in the heart of the city Chester has been designed by promises to expand the provision of architects Pozzoni, with contractor high quality services for older people Seddon heading up the build. in the area, and it was wonderful Once open, the village will provide to have this opportunity to see the

world-leading dementia and nursing care, with 24-hour support available across six extended family sized households and 23 independent living apartments, the latter now available to purchase or rent.

John Shannon, divisional director at Seddon, said: “It’s great to see the scheme progressing and we were delighted to have some of the Belong team join us on site to mark this milestone.

“The next stage will see the village come to life even further and transform into the highly-anticipated vibrant space the people of Chester have been waiting for.”

Customers and the wider community will also benefit from a range of on-site facilities, including a gym, bistro, hair salon and therapy rooms, creating a vibrant hub to enjoy an active later life.

A specialist day care service will also be available, as well as the organisation’s home care service, Belong at Home.

The new Chester village will join Belong’s seven care villages across the North West and Midlands, together with another site in Birkdale, also set to open in 2022, and a new village planned at Wirral Waters in Birkenhead.

Newly opened Cannock care home The Manor welcomes first resident Marjorie acquired MARJORIE Fern is the first resident to move into the state-of-the-art residential and dementia care home, Littleton Lodge, and was welcomed with champagne on arrival followed by a surprise ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the occasion.

Marjorie, 99, was born and raised in Wolverhampton. Growing up she attended St. Peters High School before leaving to work at a local cinema. She recalls life during wartime and has many memories assisting in the war effort making bomb cases.

Marjorie married her husband Harry in 1946 before settling down to start a family. She has two daughters, Linda and Judith, and has since been blessed with five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

In recent years Marjorie has needed a little more help to do the things she enjoys and eventually decided to look into care options.

She said: “Littleton Lodge is very impressive, from the moment I looked at the pictures I knew I wanted to move in – it is very more like a hotel.

“The ribbon cutting ceremony was so unexpected and made me feel very special, the care team all cheered as the ribbon hit the floor and threw confetti in the air, we all had a really good giggle together and I even got a glass of fizz as I walked in.

“When I retired, it was my goal to stay social and active, so I took up

Marjorie Fern cut a ceremonial ribbon to mark being the first resident to move into Littleton Lodge care home. dance lessons at a local town hall, it has been difficult over the last year not being able to go to my lessons or see my friends, so I am very much looking forward to joining in with all the daily activities and making new friends as more people move in!.”

Once settled into her new home, Marjorie can begin to enjoy all the luxury facilities on offer at Littleton Lodge, which has benefitted from a £12million investment, including a

luxurious Sky Bar with far-reaching views, a vintage tearoom complete with balcony area and a plush cinema room, on-site beauty parlour and relaxing botanical rooms leading into spacious landscaped gardens.

Home manager Rachel Ellis said: “I am so happy to be able to open our doors to our home and it is a privilege to welcome Marjorie.

“It was important for everyone in our team to make sure that Marjorie received a very warm welcome and felt settled in right away, and I think our small ribbon cutting ceremony really set the tone for how our team approach person centred care.

“I look forward to welcoming more new residents over the next month and creating lots of memories with our Littleton Lodge family.”

Last month, the Littleton Lodge care team held its open day where local people were able to get their first glimpse of the luxurious care home which had been under construction for nearly a year.

Throughout the day, nearly 100 local people visited the home, adhering to current government guidelines, including many former miners who were interested in the homes interesting heritage as it sits on the former Littleton Colliery site which closed in 1993.

Marjorie is set to celebrate her milestone 100th birthday later this year and the team are already planning a very special party to help her celebrate in style.

CARING Homes has acquired The Manor, a purpose-built care home in Edinburgh with breathtaking panoramic views.

The Manor specialises in residential, nursing and dementia care, offering facilities and accommodation that allows residents to feel welcome, relaxed and secure while also enjoying an active and independent lifestyle.

CEO Paul Jeffery said: “I am delighted that The Manor is joining our family of high-quality care homes across the UK. “We are very much looking forward to enhancing the support this home delivers to all their residents and hope that they will be impressed with our approach to, and focus on, person centred care, clinical excellence and family values.

“We pride ourselves on providing exceptional care as well as recruiting and retaining the most talented staff.

“Like all our care homes, The Manor provides the latest in luxurious facilities, but it’s the highly skilled and dedicated teams of care workers, nurses, support staff, specialists and managers who make the difference.

“They consistently go above and beyond to deliver superb care to residents – a fact that is recognised in our resident and family testimonials.”

The Manor consists of 74 en-suite bedrooms with varying styles, sizes and aspects.

Each bedroom is elegantly decorated and furnished while incorporating the leading safety features.

Home celebrates completion of its dementia extension A SURREY care community is celebrating the completion of an extension to its dementia care facilities, which will allow it to provide 11 extra bedrooms for new residents, as well as offering enhanced living space that includes three new living areas purpose built for residents’ needs.

The Huntington & Langham Estate in Hindhead is now in position to welcome almost a dozen new residents thanks to its extension at Langham Court, the estate’s specialist dementia offering, with four rooms already having been reserved by prospective residents.

Alongside the new bedrooms, three additional communal areas have also been added as part of the renovation work, while the incorporation of a new wheelchair friendly road now allows for better access to more areas of the estate, including its animal grazing fields, lake and parts of the woodland.

The extension has been fully signed off by the Care Quality Commission and is now officially certified as meeting the requisite standards.

Charlie Hoare, director of the Huntington & Langham Estate, said: “Actually being in the extension to Langham Court is incredible. It’s been a concept for years, so to be able to physically enter is wonderful.

“It’s turned out so much better than I’d ever hoped. It offers a calmness and a great sense of wellbeing, with views of the South Downs and the sheep grazing on the estate providing a real feeling of peacefulness and contentment. It’s surpassed everything we could’ve hoped for and we’re delighted with the outcome.”

Langham Court operates in a household model, and is made up of three distinct households, that all have their own lounge and dining area, offering small-scale living which act as self-contained communities.

Residents within these households tend to gravitate towards the shared

specialist healthcare business agents

areas in the day in much the same way as you would at home, to dine together and spend time with one another, but in a way that avoids the mass dining experience of many other care homes.

The new extension adds an additional household of eight residents, with three further bedrooms also added to the lower ground floor.

Furthermore, three day rooms have been added to an existing part of Langham Court, which serve to offer residents an alternative place to spend their day, allowing them to take in a different outlook over the

fields and the wider estate as they see fit.

Charlie added: “With four rooms having already been reserved, we’re getting set to welcome residents to the new household within Langham Court.

“This is always an exciting time, but it’s even more so now as we anticipate the extension really coming to life as residents move in. It’s people that make a home, and we’re really looking forward to embracing that true ‘lived in’ sense as the new residents arrive.

“One thing we always encourage our residents to do is to bring lots of personal possessions with them to make the space feel more homely.

This isn’t limited to the bedrooms; we encourage this personalisation to spill out to our hallways and day rooms too.

“Langham Court is an accredited Butterfly home, which means it follows a model of care that focuses on the individual, valuing their emotional intelligence and delivering relationship-based care. Creating a space with personality enthused décor plays a large part in capturing the essence of the Butterfly model, which sits at the heart of what we do.”

The Huntington & Langham Estate is made up of two specialist familyrun care homes.

Independent expertise, nationwide knowledge As we begin to see the end of lockdown and a more open future you may be having thoughts about your longer-term plans.

If these plans include the selling of your care facility, or perhaps an acquisition, do call us on 01937 849 268 or email sales@dccare.co.uk and we will gladly discuss with you confidentially and absolutely without obligation.

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Provider moves to larger premises to cope with demand New Bingham care home ‘one step closer’ as firm completes handover HC-One has been handed its latest care home development from senior living developer Charterpoint following the completion of Fosse Way View in Bingham, Nottinghamshire.

Specialist care and nursing home construction company Lawrence Baker built the 70-bed home.

It will be HC-One’s second care home in Bingham.

The company, which offers professional residential, nursing and memory care for older people in more than 300 care homes located across England, Scotland and Wales, already runs Beauvale.

Tracey Tomlins, managing director at HC-One, said: “We are now closer than ever to opening the doors of Fosse Way View.

“Thank you to everyone who has been involved in getting us to where we are now.

“We are excited to formally open next month and we are really looking forward to welcoming our new residents, their loved ones and our

colleague team and providing highquality, person-centred care at Fosse Way View.”

Residents can choose one of four independent living communities, depending on the level of residential and memory care required to meet their needs.

The home will feature a range of facilities, including Buttercross Bistro, the Robin Hood Picture House and the Belvoir Hair and Beauty Salon.

Jonathan Lloyd, resident liaison manager at Fosse Way View, added: “I have been at Fosse Way View in Bingham for a number of months now and it has been incredible watching the home come alive.

“It has been such a privilege being involved in this beautiful project and I cannot wait to make our home the residents’ home.

“One of our residents that has already reserved a room is so excited about moving in and expressed just how proud she is to say that Fosse Way View is going to be her new forever home.”

RESPECTFUL Care Rotherham, part of the Respectful Care Group, which has five branches across the East Midlands, has moved to new offices following a surge in growth and new enquiries.

Over the last six months Respectful Care Rotherham has seen a significant increase in carer’s hours, with the figures almost doubling throughout the latter half of the pandemic.

With an increase in demand and preference for home care rather than residential during the Covid-19 era, Rotherham has taken much-needed steps towards expansion, including but not limited to new staff hires, larger offices and improved spaces and facilities for training.

The staff count now stands at 37, with the management team acknowledging that more hires were required to fit the increased demand.

As hours increased from 420 to 800, Respectful Care management hoped the decision to hire more staff would lessen the strain, enabling them to continue to deliver a professional, personalised service to their 39 clients.

Gavin Feetham, managing director of Respectful Care Rotherham, said: “We felt that due to the increased demand for home care services as a consequence of the pandemic, we needed to hire more staff and expand our offices.

“We didn’t want the significant increase in hours to have a detrimental impact on current staff, so we decided to hire new individuals.

“As we are passionate about supporting and empowering all of our team, hiring new staff means sharing the hours, workload and labour, ultimately enabling us to continue delivering personalised, empathetic service to our clients.

“To accommodate the increase

of clients and staff members, we recognised a need to move to bigger offices. After such a trying time for our industry, moving to a bigger office is such an exciting development for us.

“We can’t wait to make it our own, and to create new and improved spaces to be utilised for staff training and community events alike.”

Innovative ideas to improve their space and facilities for training additionally extend to communitybased projects, with Respectful Care Rotherham hoping to create a safe, communal space for service users to come in and meet.

This will be established in a bid to create a social community for the elderly, with activities such as coffee mornings, afternoon teas and fundraising events being hosted to establish friendships, boost morale and raise money for good causes.

Following further exciting growth across Respectful Care, the group’s Chesterfield branch will also be moving into bigger premises in the coming weeks.

Ground-breaking ceremony at Winchester care home

Homecare operator relocates

BLUEBIRD Care Gravesham and Dartford has moved its office to the newly refurbished Whitehall Place in Gravesend.

The move comes as the homecare provider wanted a more spacious location for training and team activities, especially as the team grows.

At Whitehall Place there is also ample parking for the team members to conveniently come to the office between care visits.

Operations director Clare Mortlock said: “Bluebird Care Gravesham and Dartford has been providing high quality homecare locally for a decade.

“We are so pleased with our new office, it will facilitate expansion and growth as the business continues to thrive.

“It is lovely that we now also have lots of space for our team members to enjoy a well-deserved rest.”

Benefitting from a central location, the new office has river views from its spacious break room.

The building is listed with lots of character.

There is now a large training room with its own kitchen that will enable Bluebird Care Gravesham and Dartford to extend its training facilities.

THE Brendoncare Foundation has formally marked the construction of its 60-bedroom nursing and dementia care home development in Winchester with a ground-breaking ceremony.

The charity’s new home, Brendoncare St Giles View,has been custom designed by Octopus Real Estate’s in-house healthcare development team.

Marianne Wanstall, chief executive at Brendoncare, said: “The groundbreaking ceremony marks the first milestone in the construction of the new care home.

“We are absolutely delighted that work has begun. The new home will provide much needed support for older people in Winchester, offering nursing, dementia, residential, respite and end-of-life care.

“The care home will provide a secure and safe environment for our

Phillip Sykes, High Sheriff of Hampshire, with Brendoncare chief executive Marianne Wanstall. residents and our community hub will offer services for local people to help prevent social isolation and loneliness.”

Among those attending the ceremony was Phillip Sykes, the High Sheriff of Hampshire.

The new care home is due to open in the summer of 2022.

Group feels ‘Right at Home’ in its new larger premises HOMECARE provider Right at Home is enjoying new larger premises in Redhill, Surrey, after expanding the business in the midst of a pandemic.

Managing director Apurva Sharma decided to relocate from nearby premises to allow for expansion, ongoing training needs and to accommodate her management team under one roof – a move that has been in the planning since November 2019.

The newly refurbished office, which offers double the capacity, provides a larger meeting room which can be utilised for staff training and events – previously these were held in a smaller space.

She said: “I am firstly so proud of my team for showing great commitment, flexibility and adapting to a new way of working over the last 12 months.

“No-one could have predicted the year we’ve had, from lack of PPE at the start of the pandemic, the responsibility of looking after my staff’s wellbeing and safety and dealing with the constant government policy challenges each week.

“With this can bring great anxiety, but my team have truly gone above and beyond to keep our patients safe and protected and shown great resilience throughout.

“Moving into our new premises is going to bring huge benefits for the whole team.

“We now have the space to train and upskill our caregivers, share ideas with our management team in one place and provide a professional space for existing and new clients to visit. It’s really exciting and has come at the right time.”

Four years after Apurva started up her franchise business, she now has a team of 34 staff, including

Apurva Sharma, managing director of Right at Home, cuts the ribbon with The Mayor of Reigate and Banstead, Councillor Rosemary Absalom.

30 caregivers that cover the Oxted, Redhill, Reigate, Horley and Crawley district.

Staff are tested weekly to provide reassurance to patients and their loved ones, and the vaccine rollout has been instrumental in helping them

continue their daily duties of care comprising; dressing, bathing, cooking, shopping, companionship and providing personal care, to name a few.

As well as offering local home care, Apurva plays an important part in Redhill due to her community work.

Now permitted, she has started her weekly exercise classes again at the Holy Trinity Church for the elderly as well as her physio sessions to maintain strength and balance to prevent falls amongst the elderly. She will soon revisit her community work with dementia patients at East Surrey Hospital.

Apurva is also looking forward to getting her walking aid maintenance service back up and running again to replace worn out parts on walking aids for those that need it most.

This is a free service Apurva can offer from her new premises and people are encouraged to pop along to the office whenever needed.

She added: “Engaging with the elderly community has always been important to me, hence why I chose this profession, but knowing I can bring back all the social activities they once enjoyed, and the benefits this can bring for their mental health and wellbeing, is absolutely wonderful.

“Connecting with the community is important for our more elderly members as some have experienced great loneliness over the last year. I’m enjoying seeing their faces again.”

The Mayor of Reigate and Banstead, Councillor Rosemary Absalom, officially opened the new premises.

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New home to create 65 jobs DROITWICH Spa’s newest care home, Woodland View, is recruiting for up to 65 team members ahead of its launch later this year.

Positions available include care management, care assistants and kitchen and domestic staff.

Sarah Colling, head of development and engagement, said: “It is a great time to join the Ideal Carehomes family and even to start a career in social care if you are new to the sector.

“Over the course of the pandemic, the media has really shone a light on how amazing care workers are and it is wonderful to see them get the recognition they deserve.”

The new team will complete a thorough induction period before the home opens when they will provide residential and dementia care to up to 66 residents.

Woodland View, which has benefitted from a £12m investment, will be provider Ideal Carehomes 26th home and boasts a lavish cinema, an airy botanical room leading onto landscaped gardens, a traditional tea shop with balcony, beauty parlour and an opulent Sky Bar. The caring staff team will be focussed on creating a welcoming and fulfilling lifestyle for the people who live at Woodland View via their round-the-clock support, regular and varied activities, healthy and nutritious food and laundry and housekeeping service.

Group adds two retirement schemes to its portfolio LEGAL & General has broken ground on its latest later living scheme – a 10-acre site in Chandlers Ford, Hampshire – and achieved planning permission for a new later living scheme at Broadbridge Heath in West Sussex.

Its development in Chandlers Ford, operated and developed by Inspired Villages, will bring forward 151 new specialist age-appropriate homes, meeting strong local demand for later living housing.

Over 65s in Hampshire are expected to rise to 91,600 by 2035 – an increase of more than 200 per cent since 2017.

The scheme will not only help to meet this demand but also create significant benefits for Hampshire’s health and social care system, which has experienced significant strain since the onset of Covid-19.

The works, which have now commenced, will create 110 construction jobs per annum over a four-year period, and more than 35 permanent jobs once complete.

This will help further boost the local economy and regional growth; playing an important role in a postcrisis economic bounce back.

Having committed to delivering all new housing stock as net-zero carbon by 2030, Chandlers Ford will mark both Legal & General and Inspired Villages’ second net-zero housing development. Transition to net-zero

Kerrigan Procter, CEO of Legal & General Capital. is part of Legal & General’s long-term vision for housing, where it has begun piloting energy-saving initiatives through design and operation.

Kerrigan Procter, CEO of Legal & General Capital, said: “Having established ourselves as a housing provider around eight years ago, we have worked hard to accelerate the growth of our platform.

“In order to address the structural shortages across every dimension of the housing market, we have deployed institutional capital at scale to revolutionise affordable housing, later living, the urban and suburban rental market, build to sell and to

speed up construction through modular housing.

“We are proud of what we have achieved but there is still much more work to do.

“As we enter a period of economic recovery, businesses like ours must continue to invest in our future and it is more important than ever than we deliver the houses that our society really needs.

“As a country, we are still falling far short of the over 300,000 new homes needed each year and it is important that the homes we build are also future-proofed and sustainable.

“Our latest later living developments are a great example of this, meeting the increasing need for quality ageappropriate housing and moving towards our commitment to have a fully net-zero residential portfolio by 2030.”

Alongside Chandlers Ford, Inspired Villages has also achieved planning permission for a new later living scheme at Broadbridge Heath, bringing forward 141 age-appropriate homes.

As part of its commitment to increasing health span, both sites will deliver high quality facilities, including a wellness centre with a fitness studio, gym and swimming pool; as well as tailored care packages and treatment suites for use by GP’s and primary healthcare providers.

Fast growing care home operator New Care has appointed Sara Allton as CQC Registered Manager at The Hamptons in Lytham St Annes. In her new role, Sara takes responsibility for the state-ofthe-art 76-bed care facility, its residents and 100-strong employee team. She will work consistently to ensure the home provides the very best quality of care and that every resident receives personcentred individual care in a safe and dignified manner. Sara is also tasked with ensuring the home complies with CQC regulations and will oversee ongoing training and development to ensure the team meets New Care’s exacting standards and the needs of the community of residents who call the care centre their home.

Attleborough care home 8 Acres, part of National Care Group, has welcomed a new registered manager as part of its ongoing work to improve the service and the care environment on offer, with significant investment in a refurbishment project also underway.

With more than 23 years’ experience in the sector, Tara Currie began her career as a support worker and has continued to progress to managerial level. Having previously worked at Next Steps Community Care in Peterborough, Tara has been a registered manager for 10 years, working within residential and supported living services. She said: “I’m thrilled to have joined the 8 Acres team and the National Care Group family. During my first visit to 8 Acres, I really felt the dedication of my colleagues and the personal care they put into the service they provide.”

Aneurin Brown, regional director for England of Hallmark Care Homes, has been promoted to group operations director. Aneurin started his career at the family run care group in 2014 as a hospitality services manager and steadily progressed throughout the group before becoming a regional manager in 2019. He was promoted again in October that same year, becoming a regional director before being appointed as group operations director recently.

Aneurin will now oversee the operational direction of the group’s entire portfolio. In addition, he will drive consistency across the group, which currently provides residential, nursing and dementia care to more than 1,000 residents across 20 locations in England and South Wales.

Radis Community Care has welcomed a new head of nursing to its management team. Nicola Dale, who has a wealth of experience in complex care and nursing practice, will be responsible for overseeing and developing complex care services which offer clients with complex health needs, clinical care within their own homes and under the supervision of qualified nurses. Nicola said: “My journey to joining Radis started 30 years ago when I commenced my training to become a Registered Nurse. I am really pleased to be back in a role where I can use my nursing qualifications and experience to make a positive difference to the lives of children and adults with a wide range of complex health conditions.”

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