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June 2011
incorporating The Number One magazine for the care sector
no.180 • £4.75 In association with
Owner blames staff cuts on fee reduction By Dominic Musgrave AN Oldham care home owner has blamed a reduction in Social Services and NHS fees for his decision to take drastic staffing cuts. Charles Jones, the manager of family-run Anbridge Care Home, has let two full-time cooks go and reduced the hours of his housekeeping team and those of the activities co-ordinator and maintenance. He told Caring UK that he is now managing the care himself, while his wife Sally has taken over the cooking duties and is also the full-time administrator at the 20-bed facility. Charles added: “It’s been a really hard time for all of us. “The cuts being made will have a huge impact on the smaller homes in the region over the next few years, and Social Services have already indicated that they think some will be forced to close. “The bigger homes have greater room for manoeuvre and have more disposable income than someone like myself. “With my budget if I have to buy a new electrical bed it has a huge impact, and it can mean that a whole month's profit is wiped out.
“It's the residents and their families that who will suffer the most. “From a personal point of view my wife and I work six days a week and haven't had a week off together for years, but that is the sacrifice you have to make.” Charles says Oldham Social Services is 12th out of 130 lowest feepaying councils in the country, and a two per cent reduction for new residents has been proposed, down from £377.50 to £370, with payments for existing residents maintained. Activities co-ordinator Sharon Willows, who has worked at the home for three years, has had her contract reduced to three days from full-time. She added: “It was quite a wrench for me when I was first told that my hours would be slashed because I needed to work full-time. “But I understand the decision because although my job is recognised and valued it isn't as necessary as that of a carer, although that isn't to say that I am not a listening ear for the residents.” Have you had to make similar cuts at your care home? Let Dominic Musgrave know by emailing dm@whpl.net or ring 01226 734407.
Neil’s art collection goes on display
BBC Radio One presenter Greg James visited a Carlisle care home ahead of a major festival in the city. Greg spoke to some of the residents at Executive Care Group’s Kingston Court to talk about some of the performers at the Big Weekend, which included Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas. Picture courtesy of the BBC
ONE of Sheffield’s most extensive but least known art collections has gone on display in a care home in the city. When former Master Cutler Neil Turner died in December, aged 69, he had been collecting paintings for 30 years. Those paintings have adorned the walls of Broomgrove Nursing Home, for which he was chairman of the Trust which operates it, for three decades. In total the collection of nearly 100 paintings, by celebrated local artists including Alan Ingham, David Morgan and Wendy Reeves, is still on display at the home. Manager Jill Wall said: “Staff and residents have always loved the stunning art that adorns the walls here. “We’re hoping to carry on Neil’s tradition and keep a rolling programme of art on our walls as it’s so popular with both staff and residents.”