Caring UK June 2023

Free to enter awards need your entries

OPERATORS wanting to put themselves forward for industry recognition have been urged to enter the 2023 Caring UK Awards.

Nominations for this year’s event close on August 28, meaning there’s just over three months for care operators to submit their entries.

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

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

Operations director Dominic Musgrave said: “Thanks to everyone who has entered the awards already – we’ve had a great response so far with nominations arriving daily.

“And the standard is outstanding with a great mix of operators of all sizes – many familiar names and lots of newcomers to the Caring UK Awards.

“We’re extremely proud that the Caring UK Awards are for every care business – our awards are free to enter and our judging criteria means that it’s not down to the size of your home but how you run it.

“There’s still time to enter so get working on your nomination – and one of our judging panel could be visiting you very soon.”

Trophies will be handed out at a glittering ceremony on Thursday December 7 at the Athena in Leicester where the industry’s best will gather for a fun filled night and our 2023 worthy winners will be revealed.

The event will be presented by television personality Emma Jesson, and our esteemed panel of judges will be revealed in due course.

Plans are already in progress to make it the biggest and best Caring UK Awards yet.

Event organiser Megan Prince added: “I can’t wait for this year’s Caring UK Awards.

“We’re aiming for it to be bigger and better than any other year and plans are already well underway.

“The level of dedication towards the industry shown through nominations we have received so far is really uplifting.”

n Nominations can be submitted via caringukawards. co.uk where you can also find more details of this year’s categories and criteria for entering. Further details are available on pages 19, 20 and 21. Closing date for nominations is August 28.

Residents at Hamble Heights in Fareham have launched their own in-house gift shop to sell their crafts. To celebrate the spring, the residents at the 60-bed care home, which is part of the Encore family, have launched their own gift shop offering a host of handmade items including clocks, bracelets, necklaces, keyrings, greetings cards and light-up bottles. All donations raised from items bought in the Hamble Heights gift shop will go to the residents’ fund, which is put towards extra treats for the residents on top of their day-to-day activities. Recent examples include residents enjoying a trip to a local pub and requests for a particular newspaper, magazine or favoured snack. Resident Sofia opening the Hamble Heights Gift Shop with Maryanne home manager

Office recognised following survey

HOME Instead’s national office in Warrington, Cheshire has been named as one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2023.

The home care company has been recognised following an anonymous survey completed earlier this year by employees.

This explored areas such as wellbeing, inclusivity and employee benefits.

Home Instead features in the Best Places to Work list for medium-sized businesses with 50 to 249 employees.

Martin Jones MBE, CEO of Home Instead UK and International, said:

“We are a people business through and through and that starts with our national office team of more than 80 individuals.

“They go the extra mile every day to support our network of more than 250 franchise offices and it’s deserving that we give them a great working environment

“Having a shared vision, in our case expanding the world’s capacity to care, has the effect of bringing a team together because we share a common goal.

“Being featured in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work list bears testament to our focus on employee engagement and teamwork.”

Home wins prestigious award for its innovative initiative

AN OLDBURY care home has been named a winner in the West Midlands Care Association Awards for 2023 for an innovative campaign aimed at improving the lives of its residents.

Portway House took home the prestigious award for its ‘What’s the Memory’ initiative, developed to inspire treasured memories among its residents. The campaign involved having a series of memory boards placed throughout the home, filled with pictures relating to a specific theme, such as childhood memories or holidays.

Residents were encouraged to engage with the images and share cherished stories of their past with staff and fellow residents. Evoking positive memories in this way is an effective way of stimulating recollections, promoting social interaction, and reducing anxiety and depression among older people.

Kim Young, care home manager at Portway House, said: “We aim to go above and beyond to promote our residents’ well-being and this award is great recognition of all the staff do to ensure we provide fulfilling experiences that make a positive difference.

“It was wonderful to see the positive impact the campaign had on our residents as they shared precious

memoirs and experiences from their lives, and I’m proud of our dedicated staff who worked hard to make it a success.”

The West Midlands Care Association Awards celebrate excellence and innovation in care provision, and this accolade is a testament to Portway House Care Home’s commitment to providing the highest quality of care to its residents.

Portway House delivers people-first care which focuses on the holistic needs and preferences of each individual. The home offers a range of activities and services designed to promote physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, including exercise classes, music therapy sessions, and outings to local attractions.

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Lorraine Tappin (left) and Megan Hipkiss from Portway House.

Hole-in-one for home care firm’s dementia friendly golf group

HOME Instead Ipswich, Felixstowe and Woodbridge has a lot to celebrate at the 19th hole, having helped Seckford Golf Club win ‘Club of the Year’ thanks to the dementia friendly golf group run by the home care company.

Green fingers for Global Intergenerational Week

CHILDREN from Back to the Garden’s natural day nursery joined residents from Statham Manor Care Centre and the over 55s retirement apartments at Minerva Place in Lymm to create a new shared allotment-style space which was planted with an assortment of herbs, vegetables and flowering shrubs.

Positioned in the garden at Statham Manor, it will be nurtured by all and added to over time, providing many opportunities for the different age groups to come together and share quality time outdoors in the fresh air.

Home manager at Statham Manor, Farai Hanyane, said: “We encourage

all of our residents to continue with their passions and we have some avid gardeners who are always looking for new projects.

“The allotment garden gives them the perfect opportunity to carry on with a leisure activity that they love and to pass their knowledge along to the younger generations.”

Bill Hall and Joyce Hamilton, both aged 87, from Statham Manor joined Aubrey Raymond and his daughter Anne from Minerva Place plus preschoolers Teddy, age three, Harriet, age four and Amelia, age four, from Back to the Garden Childcare for the project.

The England Golf Awards recognises success and hard work amongst golf clubs. Seckford Golf Club was credited for many things, not least its support for people living with dementia.

Wendy Chard, head of community engagement at Home Instead Ipswich, was keen to support those living with dementia and give them access to dementia friendly golf sessions, so she approached Seckford Golf Club with her idea.

Tony Pennock, general manager at Seckford Golf Club, thought this was a good idea and they joined forces to make this happen.

She said: “Our dementia friendly golf sessions have been running for less than a year and they are already a huge success story. Why should having dementia stop you from doing a hobby you love?

“Amongst the fun and enjoyment is a supportive atmosphere and the feeling that nobody dealing with the challenges that come from dementia have to go it alone.

“I want to congratulate Seckford Golf Club on their award win. It has been an honour to make a community initiative possible for them, and I look forward to continuing working with them to support older people in the area.”

Once a month golfers have access to the putting green, driving range and some have even completed a few holes of golf.

Key to running these groups is the volunteers who are trained by Home Instead.

Having run for several months, the groups have been a fantastic source of fun and stimulation for people with dementia.

Ann Galley, a resident of Signature at Coombe Hill Manor in Kingston, celebrated her 100th birthday with fellow residents. Ann, who was born in Abingdon, spent a decade living in India, provided vital support in Britain’s Second World War effort with the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and more than a decade of travel taking in Australia and Spain. After the war, Ann studied general design at Cheltenham where she discovered her love for painting. She then settled in Australia for 10 years before returning to England. But her travels didn’t stop there. Ann spent her winters in Spain and often visited Australia where she honed her painting skills. The Coombe Hill Manor team held a celebratory lunch which was attended by her fellow residents and family.

Clients who played golf in the past have found comfort from revisiting a hobby. And equally those who haven’t played before have learnt it’s never too late.

Families of people living with dementia are also welcome, and the group has allowed people to receive peer support and get to know others in the same position.

Home Instead’s team is on hand to not only help those playing golf, but to signpost families to support services in the area.

Looking after older people in their own homes, Home Instead’s dedicated care professionals deliver care such as personal care, such as help with dressing and bathing, companionship care, and light housekeeping.

Its dementia care professionals have undergone a training programme, which is City & Guilds assured and equips them with the knowledge and skills to support people living with dementia.

Tony Pennock, general manager at Seckford Golf Club, supporting a Home Instead client.

Risk should not be overlooked

THE profit versus not-for-profit debate continues to swirl around.

As I said a couple of months ago, some high-profile people are espousing a seismic shift from the current mixed market approach to one in which mainly not-for-profit operators can provide care in this country.

At the root of this argument is a belief that profit has no place in providing care and a suggestion that some care providers put profit before people.

However, when people criticise care providers and accuse us of only being in it for the money, they do not release how far removed from the truth they are.

And they overlook one small, fourletter word, risk.

The bulk of care in this country

is provided by small to medium sized providers who want to make a difference, provide a good quality of life for their residents or homecare clients, provide employment and make enough to live on.

They get into care despite a level of risk that goes beyond that associated with many other start-up businesses.

I recently read an interesting, illuminating piece by care consultant Issac Theophilos entitled ‘Forgotten care home business heroes’.

In it, he recounts stories of care business owners who set out to make a difference in people lives and end up losing their health, wealth and happiness in the process.

On his consultancy journey he has got to know owners dedicating 60-100 hours a week for many years only to lose so much in the end.

He lists divorce, loss of family life, strokes, heart attacks, financial loss, including loss of homes, mental health issues, insomnia, anxiety and much more.

Would you start a business with that list of potential pitfalls in the pros side of your pros and cons list?

The recent heightened pressures following on from the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent cost of living crisis have all combined to place even greater pressures on care providers already living a precarious existence.

Many have gone under and even

more are worrying about the future.

As Issac says in his piece, running a care business can be a lonely and unforgiving place.

Your employees can always find another job, commissioners can find another home to place people, relatives can find another home, banks can retrieve their assets, suppliers will have other clients and the CQC has other care homes to inspect.

Yes, some care businesses make a profit, many more are just about breaking even and others are struggling and failing.

Speaking as a provider myself, I was asked during the pandemic what kept me awake at night.

The answer was always, ‘how can I keep my residents and staff safe during this pandemic?’.

It might be difficult and

inconvenient for some people to believe it, but the vast majority of care providers are in it to provide the best care they can for their residents and for homecare clients and to provide pleasant and rewarding employment for a hard-working and too often overlooked workforce.

If they don’t invest, they go under and if they don’t run a viable business, the CQC will likely stop them from operating anyway.

If we weren’t in it to care for people and provide jobs, there are many other ways to earn a living, without facing that horrific list of potential life-threatening pitfalls Mr Theophilos warns us of.

Changing direction and creating a sector based solely on not-for-profit provision is not only the wrong way forward, it could also be hugely and prohibitively expensive.

And why go down that path anyway when a properly supported mixed market of small, medium and large, for profit and not-for-profit providers could meet current and future demand?

There’s an old saying, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.

Well, social care might currently be in an extremely sorry state of disrepair, but the answer is unified action to support and invest in it properly not a divisive and potentially expensive attempt to rewrite the rule book.

Resident revisits childhood memories of milking cows

JUDY Price and some of her fellow care home residents enjoyed a fun day out at a dairy farm, reliving childhood memories and even experiencing milking the cows.

Judy and her friends live at Colten Care’s Avon Cliff in Bournemouth.

Colten companion Elise Woolnough said: “Several of our residents grew up on or around farms and have happy memories of the animals, farm life and the countryside.

“Judy in particular often talks and reminisces about her days as a young girl taking family holidays at a farm in Somerset, where she would ride horses, play with dogs and milk the cows.

“When she said she would love to have one more opportunity to milk a cow if she could, we looked around for a place to do this.

“As you would imagine, most farms have stopped milking cows by hand these days. But we were thrilled to find a local dairy farm, Holfleet Dairy based in Bockhampton near Dorchester, which was happy for us to visit and see how milking is now done.”

Holfleet Dairy is home to more than 400 cows, of which 350 are milked twice daily. Much of this milk is supplied to Marks & Spencer.

Elise added: “All the residents were very interested to see how times and technology have moved on.

“We were invited up to the milking platform where we were able to watch

the cows being milked, hear about the different equipment and basically enjoy a masterclass in all things cattle.”

Judy was also in invited to assist in milking one of the cows.

She trained as a doctor but said if she hadn’t entered medicine she would have loved to work on a farm.

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

Mike Padgham

Judy Price during her visit to Holfleet Dairy Farm with Elise Woolnough.

Staff to take on charity cycling challenge again

FOR the second year running, staff from Barchester Healthcare’s care homes and hospitals are taking on a gruelling cycling challenge this time from Exeter to Eastbourne and then on to Purley.

Their aim is to raise money for Barchester’s Charitable Foundation which supports older people and other adults living with a disability or mental health problems by helping them to connect or re-connect with others in their local communities.

Home’s residents create highways for hedgehogs

ENDANGERED hedgehogs have been granted safe passage across the grounds of a Bedford care home thanks to nature-loving residents.

Elstow Manor, part of Hamberley Care Homes, has built an accessible hedgehog highway in its fencing to mark this year’s Hedgehog Awareness Week. Residents got behind the project after learning that when hedgehogs can’t get into local gardens, they face a life-threatening shortage of food supplies.

Wellbeing and lifestyle coach Oliver Waddington said: “It’s so easy to establish a hedgehog highway, and it

can make such a critical difference to their chances of survival.

“The more linked gardens, the more habitat the hedgehogs have to roam and forage for food.

“If we’re also providing dinner and drinks for them in our gardens, hopefully, the local hedgehog population will flourish.”

As well as building the highway, the home has committed to leaving food and water outside for local hedgehogs to feast on at their leisure.

Elstow Manor is one of eight Hamberley Care Homes taking part in the campaign.

Over four days, from June 6 to 9, a team of staff will cycle 276 miles from Exeter to Purley, stopping at 15 care homes across Barchester’s South division to meet well-wishers, have a break and refuel before continuing on their way.

Barchester’s CEO Dr Pete Calveley added: “I am so proud of everyone involved in this initiative. It is a gargantuan effort by everyone who participates and the funds raised will help to support and connect so many vulnerable and isolated people in our local communities.

“I want to thank everyone who is giving up their time to make the Tour de Barchester the huge success I know it will be again this year.”

The core Tour de Barchester team of cyclists Simon McCall, commercial director and Shona Conway, project coordinator plus support crew Lucy Green, personal assistant and Mervyn Knight, hospitality manager, will

be joined and supported by staff members and residents from different homes and teams as the Tour passes through.

Tour de Barchester project coordinator Shona said: “Last year we raised a fantastic amount of money, more than £18,000, and had so much fun doing it – it is truly wonderful to travel around our services and meet so many lovely people.

“The tour was one of the highlights of my year and I honestly can’t wait to get back in the saddle again.”

Residents Valerie Hunt, Juliette Turner and Joy Stallwood at the hedgehog highway.

Social care workers honoured at awards

STORIES of dedication to their work and passion that changes the lives of adults across the UK have been celebrated at National Care Group’s annual awards.

Successes include the ‘Making a Difference Award’ granted to Affinity Supporting People in Accrington. Following the news that a person they support had received a terminal cancer diagnosis, the team worked tirelessly to ensure her wishes were carried out and she remained at the service and not in a hospice for her end-of-life care.

From taking her to the theatre one final time to organising district nurses to provide home care pain relief and helping to put the funeral together on behalf of her family that lived far away, the team went above and beyond.

Across all the awards, colleagues were highlighted for going the extra mile including those at Shelton Care who took home the Operations Team of the Year title for helping the people they support to achieve their goals.

A highlight of their nomination was colleagues learning basic Urdu and Italian to improve communications with an individual and their family and to be able to offer greater quality support.

Another winner from the evening was Sabine Channa who took home ‘Newcomer of the Year’ for her positive impact as a keyworker at Endurance Care in Maidstone.

Through her part-time role she has worked to change the lifestyle of the person she supports by introducing movement classes and making healthier choices more fun, which has resulted in a marked improvement in his diabetes.

140 National Care Group colleagues were celebrated at the annual Changing Lives conference and awards across 10 different categories.

CEO James Allen said: “Following several unprecedented years in the industry, it’s incredibly important to take a step back, regroup and reflect.

“Our annual conference is a great opportunity

to do this and allows us to ensure the entire organisation is on board with our goals for the future as well as championing those colleagues that have gone the extra mile.

“It is also a fantastic opportunity to reflect on the past year and reward the colleagues that have delivered outstanding support through their roles.

“Our ambition is to positively change the lives of the people we support, which involves a team effort across every service and every colleague in the group.

“We’re continually looking at ways we can drive quality in our services and to do this we have to have committed colleagues that we do, who are always willing to go the extra mile. I’m very proud to be able to recognise the hard work of our team with our annual awards – it’s an event that never fails to inspire and motivate us as an organisation.”

The black-tie event welcomed National Care Group colleagues at the East Midlands Conference Centre to celebrate the successes of the last year, participate in a number of workshops, and for the executive team to set the vision for the year ahead.

The evening awards event was hosted by actor Neil Grainger, who has appeared in Casualty and Crossroads. The daytime conference sessions also included an inspirational talk from Dani Grieveson, a TEDx speaker who has been named in the top 10 inspirational speakers in the UK and discusses topics including productivity, culture, and performance.

The winners were: Clinician– Julie Warren, clinical nurse lead at Phoenix House, ran by Wellington Support; Support Function – Claire Hipkins, Quality Team; Operations Team – Links and Networks Day Services, Shelton Care Group; Outstanding Achievement – the Wellesley View Team at Shelton Care Group led by team leader Jake Durham; Wellbeing Champion – Karen Twigg, administration assistant, Regent College; Manager of the year – Kate Harvey, Walliscote Road; Making a Difference – an Affinity Supporting People supported living service; Support Worker – Lucy Fathers, The Willows; Rising Star – Claire Carr, Jamesons Residential; Newcomer – Sabine Channa, Endurance Care.

Morpeth dementia choir followed for short film

RESIDENTS and carers at Riverside House Care Home in Morpeth are the stars of a new short film following its ‘Forget Me Not’ dementia choir over several months, culminating in a final performance in front of VIPs and family members.

The choir comprises eight residents and was led by award winning activities co-ordinator Richard Dobinson, who was inspired to start the choir after watching Vicky McClure’s BBC documentary “Our Dementia Choir”.

He said “It’s fantastic to see the choir finally perform in front of a live audience.

“Our members have been working incredibly hard in perfecting their performance and to perform it in front of over 100 people is something really special.

“I was totally inspired by Vicky McClure’s dementia choir and after seeing how much it helped the members, we had to give it a go.

“We even had a video from the BBC choir wishing us luck for the performance, which totally blew me away. It’s been a real rollercoaster, but I am so grateful and proud of everyone who has been involved.

“Seeing the residents perform so brilliantly brought a tear to my eye and I’m looking forward to hosting more performances in the future.

“It has sparked lots of ideas in the home for our next big project and all I will say is watch this space, because big things are coming.”

Its inaugural performance at St James Community Hall saw the group dazzle a packed-out audience of more than 100 people. The group sung songs inspired by their childhood

Residents at Larkfield View Care Home in Greenock enjoyed the spring sunshine as they met some new feathery friends. A parliament of owls came swooping into the home and wasted no time in settling down to roost. They were well looked after by their hosts who enjoyed the opportunity to hold and stroke them. The owls came from KG Hawks, a bird of prey rescue centre based in Ayrshire which provides educational talks about avian conservation to the public. Sharon Kelly, activities manager at Larkfield View, said: “We were delighted to welcome KG Hawks to Larkfield, the residents were fascinated by the owls.”

mixed in with a variety of Geordie anthems such as The Blaydon Races.

The choir spent more than three months rehearsing twice a week and was fronted by former music teacher and resident Margaret Evans, who taught at Hirst School in Ashington.

Attendees at the final performance included Morpeth Mayor Alison Byard, residents’ friends and family, along with children from Goose Hill nursery, who regularly visit the home as part of its intergenerational community work.

The short film produced by the choir follows the preparation of the performance and charts the highs and lows of the project, including the hospitalisation and subsequent passing of various members, rehearsals and the kind support of the local community who helped make the project possible.

Home manager Julie Roper added: “Since the first rehearsal session the group has come on leaps and bounds.

“Richard has been amazing keeping the project on track and you have to admire his perseverance and love for this job.

“He has helped our residents’ families to forge even more special memories with their loved ones. So many of us had tears in our eyes during the performance, because when they are up there and singing, the dementia subsides and they are just themselves, enjoying the spotlight and being part of a group.

“I am very proud of all of our residents and Richard.

“We first had the conversation in November and since then the choir has snowballed and today has made the preparation work worth it.”

Horses help bring back memories for resident living with dementia

JOAN Rollason, a resident at RMBI Care Co. Home Zetland Court, in Bournemouth, has had a lifetime spent with horses.

Now, at 99 years old, she still remains passionate about them.

When Sue Wiffen, Zetland Court’s deputy home manager for the dementia area, recently sat with Joan on her bed, she noticed that she had a magazine about horses on her lap.

While she was stroking the magazine, resident Joan said: “You never forget the way a horse feels… but I will never feel it again.”

Staff member Sue was so moved that she knew the home had to do something about it.

Sue immediately contacted an old friend of hers, who owns a stable yard, and asked her to make the yard as accessible and safe as possible for Joan’s wheelchair.

Then, without telling her where they were going, Joan’s son Mike and Sue drove her to the stable yard.

The surprise was guaranteed. As soon as they arrived, Joan’s head turned towards a black horse in a field.

“Joan had the time of her life,” said Sue.

“Not only was she emotional the whole time, but she also clearly remembered how to act around horses – much better than we did.

“She knew how to feed the ponies, lead them and talk to them, just like a horse whisperer.”

Kelly, the stable yard’s owner, was also amazed at how Joan could tell the height of all the horses at a glance.

After spending time with most of the horses and ponies, Joan wanted to visit the black horse she had spotted when they first arrived.

The owner said the horse was a bit too excitable, but Joan was determined to see it. Making sure she was safe at all times, they all accompanied her to the black horse, which was behind a fence.

Joan pulled herself up to the fence and whispered to the horse.

“Once she started talking to him, the horse was absolutely calm. It was amazing,” added Sue.

“I can’t believe this is happening to me repeated resident Joan several times during the day.”

Zetland Court’s staff members have created an album of Joan’s visit to the stable yard, so she can look at the photos and reminisce.

Record breaking ‘Drive-it Day’

THE ‘coffee & cakes’ Drive-It Day event held at Castle View retirement village in Windsor attracted 35 classic cars and raised £444 for NSPCC Childline.

Residents of Castle View give a warm welcome to the first car to arrive for Drive-It Day, a 2004 Lamborghini Murciélago which had been driven from Yorkshire.

Tying in with the national Drive-It Day, a wide range of classic vehicles arrived during the morning, including a 1933 Aston Martin Series 2, a DB4 and DBS, a 1957 Bentley S1 Coupé, 1966 Mustang, and with a remarkable 290,000 miles on the clock, a 2004 Lamborghini Murciélago. Participants – many of whom also

attended in 2022, had travelled from London and across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey to join in.

A wide selection of cakes was baked by residents and sold along with hot dogs, tea and coffee, while the owner of the Lamborghini offered sponsored rides in his supercar.

Robin Hughes, CEO of Castle View. “Although the weather wasn’t as kind to us as last year, we were so pleased to see the number of cars arriving, the enthusiasm of the owners and the amount raised for the NSPCC – our residents did us proud with all the cakes they baked and sold.

“This is definitely now a regular fixture in our events calendar.”

Castle View resident Jill Holmes, 90, settles in for a spin around the block.

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Residents storm to victory in University Challenge-style quiz

A TAKE on the popular TV show University Challenge reached a dramatic climax as celebrity guest Jennie Bond oversaw a highly competitive contest between two sister care homes.

Residents of Signature at Chorleywood certainly proved that “with age comes wisdom” as the team, which has a combined age of 329 years, impressed with its extensive general knowledge.

Based on the popular and longrunning BBC quiz show with Jeremy Paxman as the quizmaster, residents from Signature at Chorleywood faced off against a rival team in the form of Essex-based Signature at The Beeches.

The keenly contested match up, held at The Beeches in Brentwood, saw Signature at Chorleywood secure the coveted title of inaugural Signature Challenge Series Champions.

The head-to-head between Chorleywood and The Beeches follows four months of close competition between all Signature Senior Lifestyle homes, in which 38 care homes across the south-east competed over the course of 24

matches across two rounds.

Residents and supporters were joined by former BBC journalist, presenter and royal commentator Jennie Bond, who hosted the event which was filmed and live streamed over YouTube.

She said: “It was a pleasure to host this year’s Signature Challenge Final, and to see such impressive quiz

performances from both teams.

“I am pretty certain that the residents could give their younger counterparts on University Challenge a strong run for their money.

“With age certainly comes wisdom, and the final between Chorleywood and The Beeches was proof of that.”

The contestants were faced with 55 questions covering current affairs,

film, history, and world geography, with an additional five questions reserved for cryptic picture rounds.

Signature at Chorleywood was represented by Eric Heather, Karen Malayz, Jenny Soothill and Michael Crawther, and had an average age of 82.

Signature at The Beeches was made up of Christine Everard, Emu Edwards, Maureen French and June Miller.

Although Signature at The Beeches made steady headway, Signature at Chorleywood was able to storm ahead as the quiz progressed thanks in part to the contributions of 90-year-old Eric, who answered more than 10 questions correctly for his team.

Signature at The Beeches put up an impressive fight throughout however, with Christine correctly identifying an image of a shitzsu in the final minute.

When the final scores were counted, Signature at Chorleywood’s total of 215 points saw them take the spoils, compared to Signature at The Beeches’ haul of 155 points.

The victorious team were awarded a celebratory plaque, which will be engraved and proudly displayed in the care home’s entrance.

Singing farmer welcomes community back to home

JOHN Hughes, famously known as ‘The Singing Farmer’, welcomed the community back to The Oaks Care Home in Newtown, Powys, during a special open day.

John, who combines a large repertoire of songs with stories of life on the farm, performed to residents and visitors.

Home manager Jen Roberts said:

“It was such a lovely day and we all enjoyed welcoming our local neighbours, police community support officers, councillors and colleagues from the JobCentre back into the home after such a long time.

“Newtown is a very close-knit community and when we opened the home just over three years ago the community support was really

amazing, and we have very much missed seeing our friends dropping in for a chat and a coffee.

“It was also great to be able to open our doors to the public to allow them to see how we do things at the home.

“All of our staff work tirelessly every day towards achieving our five core values of Pride, Determination, Positivity, Diligence and Empathy.”

Open day guests also included a number of local town and county councillors, police community support officers and members of the Canolfan Gwaith Y Drenewydd Jobcentre in Newtown.

Chefs at the home made a selection of cakes for the event including chocolate brownies and a marble cake.

Ambitious strategy aims to deliver global standard for ageing at home

THE launch of Bield Housing and Care’s new five-year corporate strategy signals the beginning of a period of significant change and innovation for the housing provider. Tech-driven solutions are a key focus in the new strategy, which has been launched to drive the organisation’s growth and maximise independence among its tenants.

These solutions will be at the heart of Bield’s vision for medium-term growth and will help to tackle external challenges faced by the sector such as climate change, the cost-of-living crisis and an ageing population.

The new strategy aims to position Bield tenants, customers and staff at the centre of the organisation’s decision-making, design and adapt homes to meet customer needs, simplify its services, strengthen its financial performance, support its staff to improve their skills and efficiency, and secure UK-wide recognition for its innovative and leading approaches.

Dr Lynne Douglas, CEO at Bield, said: “Our new five-year corporate strategy will guide us along the way as we focus on achieving our vision and ambitions and ultimately make a positive impact.

“Our strategy will measure whether we are delivering to meet our customers’ desires, rather than just ticking boxes. This new outcomebased approach will expand our influence in the sector, as we look to set and deliver the standard for

ageing at home.”

It comes at a pivotal time for the housing specialist which recently opened a new digital hub, showcasing housing technology of the future, at its West Port development in Linlithgow.

This was possible thanks to funding from the Technology for our Ageing Population: Panel for Innovation project which aims to improve the way technology is used in housing and care for older people.

The hub provides a variety of preventative care technologies to support individuals to live independently, in their own homes, for longer, and is available for tenants, staff and other stakeholders to trial.

Bield will implement its strategy in three distinct phases – strengthen, grow and lead – to ensure it is delivered in a planned and coordinated way.

This phased growth will allow Bield to meet its key priorities which are broken down into five main

subsets: facing challenges, improving efficiency, harnessing strengths, enhancing impact and leading the way.

Lynne added: “We’re always striving to improve customer experience and satisfaction whilst growing our use of modern, in-home technologies to support independent living.

“Our new strategy will enable us to develop a personalised and proactive approach to delivering our services, develop and test new innovative digital solutions and share our experience and expertise for the benefit of wider society.

“It is estimated that by 2030 more than 600,00 people in Scotland will be aged 75 or over so now more than ever is the time to be ambitious.”

Bield Housing and Care has around 180 developments which facilitate independent living across Scotland.

The charity currently operates across 22 local authorities and works with 24 health and social care partnerships in Scotland.

Jennie Bond hosts as Signature at The Beeches and Signature at Chorleywood pit their wits against each other.

Dr Lynne Douglas, CEO at Bield

Care home residents deliver sweet surprise to nurses

Home’s cooking class is better than sliced bread

RESIDENTS at an Edinburgh care home have enjoyed a series of cooking classes as part of the bustling events calendar, with the programme kick-starting with a bread making masterclass.

The sessions held at Cramond Residence, courtesy of the home’s chef Paul Cowley, hope to inspire creativity and reignite a passion for cooking amongst the residents.

Paul, who alongside the head chef leads the catering department at the 74-bedroom home, said: “I love seeing the smiling faces of our residents as they take part in activities that remind them of home comforts such as cooking.

“Residents enjoyed a step-by-step session on how to make bread from

scratch. We sampled the bread, tasting the different types of loaves and comparing it to shop bought bread.

“Many of our residents already have a passion for cooking so we wanted to introduce the classes to continue that enjoyment while allowing some of the group to learn new skills and try different cuisines.

“As well as the pleasure of cooking, the class also provides a fun setting where residents can enjoy socialising with others in the class.

“The buzz of happy chatter in the dining room is ample payback for the work we do.”

Future sessions are set to feature foods from all over the globe –following residents’ wishes.

RESIDENTS from a New Forest care home delivered boxes of chocolates to nurses at Lymington Hospital as a thank-you for their work.

The visit from Colten Care’s Woodpeckers home in Brockenhurst was part of celebrations for International Nurses Day.

Four residents – Georgina Chesters, Rosemary Pope, Edna Brien and Shirley Jolliffe – travelled by minibus accompanied by home manager Priya Joseph and other team members.

Companionship team leader Jane Bunker said: “We spoke to five lovely nurses who were very surprised and grateful for our gifts.”

International Nurses Day is celebrated each year in May on the anniversary of the birth of the ‘Lady with the Lamp’, Florence Nightingale, who earned the title due to working with wounded soldiers during the Crimean War.

All Colten Care’s 21 homes in the south provide professional nursing care and all take part in the annual celebration by presenting gifts and

cards to the in-house nursing team. At Linden House, a dedicated dementia care home in Lymington, two residents who were nurses themselves spoke of their passion for the profession.

Elaine Farrer, Colten Care’s chief operating officer and a registered nurse herself, added: “The fact that six of our homes are rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission including, in the New Forest, Linden House, Woodpeckers and Kingfishers in New Milton, is testament to our strengths in nursing.

“Being registered for nursing means our homes can give residents and their families the reassurance of comprehensive, person-centred care.

“We place enormous value on our nurses. They are at the very heart of our homes.

“We are also very proud that we have so many residents who were nurses in their active professional lives and who now entrust us to care for them in their later years.”

97 per cent of homes are worried about the rising cost of meals

A STUDY by meals provider apetito in partnership with Care England has shown that 97 per cent of care homes are worried about both the fastrising inflation of food ingredients and the labour costs associated with mealtimes.

Ninety per cent of homes say they have looked at ways to streamline cost and efficiencies in the kitchen since the cost-of-living crisis hit in 2022. And 82 per cent of scratch cook homes say they struggle with labour, compared to 29 per cent when they switch to a prepared meal solution. Homes that cook from scratch were unanimous in saying that if they could reduce the cost and stress of mealtimes, that they would look to do so.

Richard Woodward, general manager for apetito care homes division, said: “There’s no question that every care home wants to deliver an excellent dining experience to its residents. Mealtimes are all about

ensuring a personalised, enjoyable, and nutritionally based pathway for each resident.

“With unprecedented inflation and rising cost of goods, it’s little surprise

that care homes are so worried about maintaining high standards.

“It’s not just the ingredients that are the problem.

“More than 90 per cent of homes

also said they’re very aware of the administrative time it takes their kitchen team to order ingredients and manage nutritional pathways and inspectorate needs, with 63 per cent of homes saying this factor has had a detrimental impact on them.

“We are seeing more and more homes turn to pre-prepared meals which enables them to maintain a high standard of tasty and nutritious food, whilst also enjoying consistency of cost and supply across a diverse range of bespoke requirements.

“And it’s proven to be a smart move in combating labour shortages, as the stats show that of those homes which have turned to prepared meals, only 29 per cent are being impacted by kitchen shortages – in contrast to 80 per cent of scratch cook homes.

“That’s a big figure giving clear evidence that prepared meals offer a cost-effective solution, with teams cooking meals from frozen with minimal training.”

Bidfood hosts care home coronation party with a royal feast fit for all

WITH King Charles III officially on the throne, Bidfood celebrated this momentous occasion by supporting the care industry and hosting a coronation party for the residents of Tunstall Hall.

Like Tunstall Hall, many UK care homes have had to operate with tight budgets, rising food costs and understaffed kitchens.

The challenge increases when taking into consideration the varied dietary requirements of each resident, suffering from various medical conditions such as diabetes and dysphagia.

Taking their latest care home guide, ‘A Feast Fit for a King’, Bidfood’s culinary development chefs brought the guide’s Coronation-themed

recipes to life with a menu that is fit for all.

The regal spread of 12 dishes and four royal-themed tipples, allowed residents with difficulties swallowing, severe allergies, or a need to watch their blood sugar, to be well catered for.

In addition to this, the menu was developed with low-skilled but high impact, flavourful dishes, making it easier for those understaffed and low-skilled kitchens to produce regular meals for their residents.

Taking inspiration from some of King Charles’ favourite dishes, the menu included cheesy baked eggs, zesty cream of lemon and the king of puddings, a warm apple and blackberry upside down cake.

Bidfood customers can discover another layer of support through their free e-learning platform, Caterers Campus.

Designed by Bidfood’s chefs, for chefs, the online school equips care home caterers with the key skills they need to prepare the right offering for residents with modules on dysphagia, fortification, dementia and more.

Commenting on the coronation party, Wayne Wright, healthcare culinary development chef at Bidfood said: “This is a crowning moment in British history and it brought the perfect opportunity to bring everyone together and celebrate, especially as the care sector has to navigate under cost and

staffing pressures.

“We hope that our latest guide will evoke that feeling of celebration in residents and relieve some of the weight that care home caterers are currently under.

“Mealtimes are so important to a resident’s daily routine because it creates a sense of normality, as well as contributes to their wellbeing.

“It’s crucial that care home caterers get their offering right with delicious and costeffective meals, by taking advantage of the amazing tools we have available so they can cater with confidence.”

New captain chooses Broughton House as charity of the year

GOLFERS are getting in the swing to raise funds for Broughton House Veteran Care Village after their newlyappointed club captain chose it as his charity of the year.

Paul Walsh has just taken up the role at Prestwich Golf Club in Greater Manchester and has already teed up several fundraising events for Broughton House, which is in neighbouring Salford.

Stories bring generations together at care village

GENERATIONS came together for an inclusive storytelling session led by internationally acclaimed performance storyteller, Richard O’Neill, assembling around a virtual camp fire, complete with tipi and fairy lights, at the Nursery in Belong, located in Belong Chester older people’s care village.

The audience ranged in age from eight weeks to 92 years and comprised care village residents, nursery children, their parents and siblings.

The nursery is run by national charity Ready Generations, working in partnership with Belong to ensure a fully integrated approach to creating intergenerational experiences and opportunities.

Ruth Sandbach, nursery manager at the Nursery in Belong, said: “Richard’s storytelling was really well received by both children and older generations, and the venue was full.

“The nursery has been established to encourage connections and friendships between generations, and storytelling is a key part of helping relationships to flourish.

“Richard is a keen supporter of the nursery and visits us regularly with his puppet friends to tell stories and

hear the fabulous stories our children and older people create together.”

The stories centred around the adventures of three wooden puppets carved by Richard himself.

After delighting audiences with tales of their adventures, children and older people were invited to work together to make their own puppets from twigs and scraps of material, and tell stories about their creations.

They then paraded their creations around the care village, led by a drummer.

Richard learned his craft growing up in a traditional, nomadic Romani family with a rich storytelling culture while travelling around the North of England and Scotland.

He performs for a diverse range of audiences, including schools, colleges, universities, local authorities, charities and companies, as well as teaching storytelling skills to educators and other professionals.

As the author of several children’s storybooks, he has won awards in the UK, Europe and USA, including being awarded National Literacy Hero status.

A traditional wood carver, Richard makes all of his own props for his original stories.

Financial adviser Paul said he hopes to raise thousands of pounds for the care village during his year in office.

“I wanted to choose a local organisation as my captain’s charity for the year, and Broughton House is less than a mile away from the club as the crow flies,” he added.

“It’s a charity which resonates with many of our members. A number of them served in the army, the RAF and the Merchant Navy.

“Others have known friends and family who have lived at Broughton House.

“It’s a great place and an important charity, as it helps not just veterans who live there but also those living in the community, through its support hub. Judging by the response I’ve had so far, everyone at the club is really behind it.”

The first fundraiser at the club will be a charity golf day on Friday, June 2 and this will be followed on Thursday, June 22 with an event coinciding with Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot.

It will take place at the club from 12.30pm and will feature drinks and cocktails, an afternoon tea buffet, activities and a raffle. People attending are asked dress up for the occasion.

The Captain’s Away Day at

Wallasey in July and a golf event on Remembrance Sunday will raise further funds.

In addition, golfers whose balls end up in the bunker at the 18th green will have to pay a small ‘fine’, with the proceeds going to Broughton House. Jack Stephenson, marketing coordinator at Broughton House, said: “We are very grateful to Paul for choosing to support our home during his year as Prestwich Golf Club captain.

“Donations and support from the local community are vital to us. Paul has some fantastic ideas for fundraising, and we can’t wait to see how everything turns out.”

Baby chicks bring joy to residents

RESIDENTS at RMBI Care Co. Home Scarbrough Court, in Cramlington, have started a chick hatching project with Living Eggs, a nationwide company who provide a programme to hatch chicks in schools, nurseries and care homes.

Granting residents’ wishes is the aim of a new wish tree at Ashley Gardens care centre in Maidstone. So far activity co-ordinator Bobby-Anne Watson has been able to wave her magic wand and grant three wishes – fresh cream chocolate eclairs for everyone, a walk around the garden and a barbershop quartet rendition for a music lover. “It was really an idea which came from our visiting chaplain from St Martin’s Church who comes to see us every six weeks or so,” said Bobby-Anne. “We get every resident who wants to to write a wish for the tree and the chaplain takes them away with her every visit – they are replaced on the tree with a little angel, and the wishes are then prayed for in church.

Residents at Scarbrough Court, which supports older people with residential care, nursing care and residential dementia support, received an incubator of 10 eggs, which they had to nurture.

Eventually, after 24 hours, they were able to watch the baby chicks hatch from their eggs.

The residents were delighted to meet the affectionate animals, who were happy to be petted and stroked. Stacey Louise, Scarbrough Court’s activities coordinator, said: “It was really lovely to see the residents’ faces light up when the chicks finally hatched from their eggs.

“They brought joy and calmness to our residents, which is wonderful for their mental health and wellbeing.

“Also, they were able to get very close and feel the chicks’ breath and feathers, and this was a particularly joyful experience for residents with visual problems.”

Paul Walsh

Resident Maureen Meggison playing with the baby chicks.

In partnership with

CATEGORIES

ACTIVITIES TEAM OF THE YEAR

BEST INITIATIVE IN CARE

BEST OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENT AWARD

EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION IN DEMENTIA CARE

DEMENTIA CARE TEAM OF THE YEAR

CATERING TEAM OF THE YEAR

CARE EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

COMMITMENT TO TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AWARD

END OF LIFE TEAM OF THE YEAR

MANAGEMENT TEAM OF THE YEAR

QUALITY IN HOUSEKEEPING

CARE EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR

CARE GROUP OF THE YEAR

CARE TEAM OF THE YEAR

REGIONAL HOME OF THE YEAR - SCOTLAND

REGIONAL HOME OF THE YEAR - NORTH

REGIONAL HOME OF THE YEAR - SOUTH

REGIONAL HOME OF THE YEAR - MIDLANDS AND WALES

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Caring UK Awards 2023 are kindly sponsored by

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Hosted by television personality Emma Jesson

“The Caring UK Awards is, quite rightly, the high point of the year for many in social care. The focus is entirely on the people delivering care and it was evident that recognition of their efforts meant so much to all the nominees. Catching up with old and new friends made for a great night and Fleurets is very proud to have been able to play our part in celebrating social care.”

Alison Willoughby, divisional director – head of healthcare, Fleurets

“The Fusion eCare Solutions team had the pleasure of supporting the Midlands & Wales Care Home of the Year Award. As category sponsors we cannot stress enough how happy we feel to be part of such a meaningful event that recognises the outstanding contribution of social care. A great night was enjoyed by all!”

Ben Richardson, business strategy and marketing manager, Fusion eCare Solutions Ltd

“The awards were a pleasant contrast to the usual bland hotel experiences that characterise other events. The venue was more intimate, interesting and better for networking and the entertainment was much better than the C list celebrities who generally host these things. The organisation was professional and the evening ran very smoothly. We will definitely attend again.”

Gosia Sara, ShareCare Systems Ltd

“It was a pleasure to sponsor the ‘commitment to training and development’ category for the second year. Continuously improving knowledge and skills is essential within the sector and those who do it exceptionally should be celebrated.”

Chris Grieveson, key account director (care sector), Learning Curve Group

“Virgin Money ws very proud to once again headline sponsor the Caring UK Awards. This is a fantastic event celebrating the best of the best care homes and recognising individual staff achievements from across the UK in social care”

Graham Harper, senior director (health and social care), Virgin Money

“We were delighted to be a sponsor of the Caring UK Awards 2022. It was a great night from the venue, to the food and the ceremony to the party – it was a real celebration of the industry.”

Donna Evans, Wolf Laundry

“Sommer Rose Interiors was honoured to be part of the Caring UK Awards once again this year. It was an amazing night celebrating all the brilliant work from the social care sector.”

Sarah Thompson, Sommer Rose Interiors

CARINGHYGIENE, LAUNDRY & INFECTION CONTROL

Sustaining cost-effective care bathing

GAINSBOROUGH powered care baths are proven to reduce costs, lower utility consumption and enhance operational performance – whilst still maintaining ultimate care and safety. So how do they do this?

The cost of delivering high quality care has risen sharply in recent times. As utility bills, carer salaries and other commercial overheads increase, it is essential to source powerassisted baths which are operationally efficient.

Budgetary pressures for care homes, hospitals and rehabilitation facilities have never been so high – resulting in ROI and long-term value becoming super critical when investing in equipment. Not only are manageable costs a defining factor for care sustainability, time and operational performance are equally as essential. By selecting Gainsborough for specialist bath provision, these deliverables can be achieved now and safeguarded for the future.

Lowering gas, electric and water consumption

Gainsborough baths are proven to reduce water usage and subsequently gas and electric consumption. On average, 25 less water is required to fill a Gainsborough bath when compared to similar competitor models.1 This provides a significant cost saving as water heating is estimated to be responsible for more than 12 per cent of energy

consumption in a care home.2

This water saving is achieved through a unique internal bath shape which mimics a ‘keyhole’. The keyhole design consists of a wider end for the bather’s body and a narrower tap end for legs and feet. By implementing this contoured volume, less water is required to achieve a specific depth whilst space for the bather is not compromised.

Additional water is saved by pre-set depth level indicators eliminating unnecessary top ups.

Not only does this lower water usage and the energy required to heat it, but waste output is also reduced so environmental impacts are lower.

Maximising carer resources

Gainsborough baths incorporate a multitude of design aspects which assist with saving time. These provide operational benefits to carers, service users, management teams and facility owners.

A major benefit is shorter bathing cycles which means more residents can be bathed in less time. This is achieved through bath features such as faster filling taps, depth level indicators and powered bather transfer seats with detachable transit trolleys.

These optional onward transit facilities mean bathers can be seamlessly transferred in and out of

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the bathroom – again saving carer time and reducing moving and handing.

Increasing operational savings further In addition to reducing utility and energy consumption, Gainsborough baths provide efficient operational performance through assured reliability and durability.

Built with quality and robust components, these bathing solutions rarely develop issues or cause downtime.

Servicing and maintenance contracts are diligently delivered with comprehensive warranties for assured value.

Healthcare provider testimonial

“Our Gainsborough Gentona baths at Ashlands Manor care home help us focus on delivering a luxurious service in the most energy efficient way – they are key to this approach.” Kay Johnson, group commissioning operations manager, New Care Projects Call 01527 400 022, email info@gainsboroughbaths.com or visit www.gainsboroughbaths.com #SustainableSpecialistBathing

References

1. Calculated estimates available by contacting Gainsborough Specialist Bathrooms

2. Exchange Utility

Approaching hygiene and infection control in care homes following the pandemic

By Professor Martin Green OBE

WHILST the rest of the world seems to have moved on from the Covid-19 pandemic, it is still a major challenge for care homes, and because of the vulnerability of the people we support, we always have to focus on infection control.

It’s not just Covid – cold and flus, norovirus etc are serious threats to vulnerable or immunocompromised people.

The vulnerability of many care home residents also makes it difficult to do many things that would help us reduce infection.

For example, there is limited scope to take people outdoors or indeed to open doors and windows to improve ventilation, and this can lead to viruses quickly going from one resident to another.

If viruses do break out, the consequences for people who are frail or elderly can be absolutely devastating.

During the first two phases of the Covid-19 pandemic, tragically, we lost so many people to this virus, and it has understandably reinforced the need for vigilance in how we protect people and reduce the potential for viral infections to break out.

The approach to hygiene and infection control has to be very systematic, and care homes need

all the tools at their disposal to keep viruses at bay.

This requires not only an in-depth understanding of how to reduce the potential for infection by staff and everyone who works in a care setting, but it also needs to be understood by visitors and anybody who enters a care home.

This is a very significant task, particularly because care homes want to be at the centre of their community and have a real commitment to

maintain the family connections and friendships of the people who live there.

Care homes not only need to have regimes around hand washing and what PPE to use, but they also have to make this understood by visitors and other professionals who come in and out of care homes on a daily basis.

It is really important that care homes understand that one of the things they can do is select cleaning and hygiene products, which are guaranteed to have maximum impact on viruses and will not only leave surfaces sparkling clean but also free from infection.

There are so many things to do in a care home.

It is important that we not only have products that guarantee the highest level of infection control, but we also need products that are easy to use and can be deployed with minimum staff time and training.

It is also good to have products that originate from domestic lines so that they are really recognisable to both staff and residents and that they’re trusted by everyone who enters a care home.

A good example of this is Flash Professional Disinfecting MultiSurface Cleaner which kills 99.99 per cent of bacteria and viruses when used according to label instructions. This provides confidence that

infections such as SARS-CoV2 (which causes Covid-19), flu, and Norovirus bacteria can be all but eliminated from the care home.

These products should be used regularly as part of a rigorous cleaning and sanitising regime, but care homes can be confident that with these projects, they will be able to make their environments as safe as possible.

There is also a range of products that can be used in the laundry, such as Ariel Professional, which gives security of cleanliness in laundry.

Both these products also have the benefit of being recognised by residents and families and have familiar smells.

Familiar brands can really help to give a sense of security and safety, particularly to people living with dementia.

Ensuring that the care home environment is clean and free from infection is one of the top priorities of any care provider.

However, there is a range of products that are available to the care service, which will give them real peace of mind that their environment is as clean and safe as it possibly can be.

n Professor Martin Green OBE is an Expert Advisory Council member for P&G Professional and the chief executive of Care England.

Professor Martin Green OBE

Resident continues to sail through her 100th birthday bucket list

FOLLOWING her adventures on horseback and a racetrack, plucky Joyce Ward left dry land for the latest challenge on her ‘100th Birthday Bucket List’.

Joyce, 99, turns 100 in May and has compiled a list of 10 adventures she wants to have before her ‘big birthday’.

Helping to make these wishes come true is the companionship team at Colten Care’s St Catherines View in Winchester, where Joyce is a resident.

Full steam ahead as group launches rail carriages

RESIDENTS of two Gwynedd specialist dementia care homes are catching the next train back in time after new simulation launches to replicate the historic North West Wales railways.

Patients at Meddyg Care Group’s Criccieth and Porthmadog homes are boarding the ‘Meddyg Care Express’, a train carriage installation which will provide a new themed area for its occupants recreating traditional firstclass rail travel.

The simulator features a 60-inch screen showing hours of footage of the local region, as well as vintage lighting, luggage, storage racks, seating, and a table.

Additionally, an expanded railway experience is found at Porthmadog, with the senior team leader’s office doubling as a ticket desk.

Residents can purchase an oldstyle train ticket and sit in the station waiting area while they read a brochure.

The new space can also facilitate visits from families, to allow occupants the chance to spend time with their loved ones ‘on the train’.

Laura Haynes, help at home manager at Meddyg Care, said: “The investment is part of the staff’s holistic approach to providing residents with alternative activities, aiming to promote socialisation among those living at the homes and offer a new outlet that can help with expression and anxiety.

“With the footage of Criccieth and Porthmadog, it creates a calming

A pair of ponies delighted residents at Beechwood Care Home in Wishaw, who were shocked to find the animals in their living room. Local equestrian service Therapy Ponies Scotland brought the ponies, Wilson and Flicker, to visit the residents as part of an equine therapy session. The ponies won the hearts of both residents and staff with their mellow temperament, as they rested their heads on laps and received plenty of attention. Animal therapy is a proven way to improve wellbeing and socialisation amongst the elderly, as it stimulates memory and releases endorphins. Beechwood manager Cathy Togneri said: “Meeting the ponies was a great experience for the residents and staff. Everyone had a smile on their face, and we would love to welcome them back soon.”

space for patients too, most of whom are originally from the local area.

“If a trip on the Meddyg Care Express turns someone’s day around, even for half-an-hour, then the installation has been a huge success.

“The rail carriage installations will really set our homes apart and provide additional support along with our dementia care specialists.”

To reflect various holidays and occasions throughout the year, the staff will update the interiors of the rail carriages, for example, over Easter, the Meddyg Care bunny visited the train station over to hand out chocolate eggs.

There will also be decorations for Halloween and an appearance from Father Christmas is planned for the festive holidays, too.

Laura added: “Residents can take a train ride whenever they like, which is ideal for those who tend not to sleep through the night – it means our care staff can take them to the first-class carriage and enjoy a cup of tea.

“We’re passionate about creating reminiscent environments. We also have a pub and garden, called the Glaslyn Arms at our Porthmadog home, where people can enjoy quiz nights and their favourite tipple in a safe environment.

“We’re thrilled to have invested in this new area at our Porthmadog and Criccieth homes and we’re already seeing regular visitors to the carriage, which has certainly created a calming effect and helped the residents feel more at home.”

Companionship team leader Laura Sheldrake said: “In recent months, Joyce has ticked off some amazing experiences including horse riding and even speeding around Goodwood Race Circuit.

“When she said she wanted to sail again like she did when she was younger, we said: “Right, Let’s find a boat.”

As Joyce uses a wheelchair this was no easy feat. But the team contacted Testwood Lakes Sailability in Hampshire to see if they could help.

Pauline Woodhead from Testwood Lakes Sailability invited Joyce along to be sailed around the lake by an experienced skipper in a noncapsizable dingy.

Laura said: “When we arrived we were greeted by Phil Rawdon, who explained to Joyce what we were going to be doing and made sure all safety precautions were in place.

“Then the receptionists Carol Roberts and Carolyne O’Hara supplied Joyce, myself and our photographer with life jackets and we were taken down to the pontoon where we were met by Donald Loines, Stephen Hiscock, John Webb and Kevin Warland, who along with Colten senior care lead Nikki Lawrence made sure Joyce was transferred safely into the dingy.”

Joyce was taken around the lake by experienced skipper John Kuyser. While Maurice Humbertsone took Colten photographer Ian Simpson in a powerboat to capture stunning pictures of the special trip.

Asked how she was enjoying the experience Joyce said: “This is wonderful. I feel so special. It’s like when I went sailing when I was younger. I can’t believe this was all for me. Thank you so much.”

After the sailing, Joyce was presented with a birthday cake by all the volunteers at Testwood Lake Sailabilty.

Laura said: “The weather was amazing and Joyce really did have a day to remember.

“We would like to say a huge thank you to Pauline, Phil and all the other volunteers for the wonderful day they organised for Joyce.

“To see her smiling, laughing and having fun was exactly what we wanted – These wonderful people all made her special wish come true.”

Joyce’s full bucket list is: playing a piano, going in a boat, cooking a meal for everyone at St Catherines View, using a sewing machine, a ride in a fast car, a visit to a chocolate factory, a visit to the forest, a visit to a castle, throwing an American-themed party and a steam train ride. The companionship team is now planning for her penultimate challenge when she will be swapping waves for tracks – and a thrilling ride on a steam train.

Therapy dog makes residents’ day

RESIDENTS at a Malvern care home had a fur-tastic time when they welcomed a therapy dog into their home.

The four-legged guest joined staff and residents at Court House as part of the home’s ongoing commitment to enhancing residents’ well-being through positive and meaningful interactions.

Beau, a Maltipoo, has been carefully selected and trained to provide companionship, comfort and joy to people living in the care home.

Manager Jane Pugh said: “It was such a treat for the residents to have a therapy dog pay us a visit. We know how much they love spending time with animals and we can all see the benefits that come with it.

“The joy and comfort that therapy dogs bring to our residents is immeasurable, and Beau brought huge smiles to all their faces. It’s just

one of the many activities we provide to promote social interaction and help instil happy memories.”

Numerous studies have shown the positive impact that therapy dogs can have on the physical and mental health of older adults.

Aside from reducing feelings of loneliness, anxiety and depression, interacting with furry companions can also help to lower blood pressure and decrease stress levels.

Residents Dennis Milne and Charles Stroud with team leader Carwyn Roberts and home manager Christopher Amor.

Joyce had a wonderful time being sailed around the lake by experienced skipper John Kuyser.

Operator acquires site for new home

HALLMARK Care Homes has exchanged contracts on a 1.79-acre site in Cardiff to develop a new, circa 80-bed, residential, nursing and dementia care home.

The proposed £28m project will provide a care home for older people including state-of-the-art amenities. It will draw on the latest technology in the sector and will include an array of extensive communal facilities.

Managing director Aneurin Brown, said: “We are very pleased to acquire this site in Cardiff to meet the growing demand for specialist care in the area.

“Our proposed development will provide a beautiful and supportive environment for local people to thrive, utilising our 26 years of care experience.

“We’ll deliver much-needed care beds to the community, as well as modern facilities and communal spaces which will enable residents to socialise with their family and

Blackwood Housing and Care has appointed finance professional Heather Duncan to the newly created role of director of finance and strategic partnerships. Heather joined the independent living specialists in 2018 and this will be her third role within the organisation, having previously been finance manager and then Peoplehood Project lead for the past two years. In her new post, Heather says she is keen to explore how Blackwood’s existing services could be expanded and made more widely accessible. Heather’s appointment completes Blackwood’s new-look executive management team, which is headed up by Simon Fitzpatrick, who became chief executive in February.

friends.”

Hallmark, who operate 19 homes, six which are based in Wales, will be responsible for planning, design and interior fit-out of the new scheme.

The family-run business also has plans to open two new homes this year in West Sussex and Somerset.

In June, Hallmark will be inviting the community for its feedback on proposals for development, ahead of the submission of a planning application.

Home sounds the right note with new choir

RESIDENTS and staff at a Moray care home have formed their own choir.

The Heart Strings choir at Speyside in Aberlour have delivered their debut performance, with a reimagined version of the classic ‘Climb Every Mountain’ from the Sound of Music one of several titles performed.

Led by Speyside activities coordinators Moya Boonzaaier and Amanda Shaw, the choir has put its own twist on the timeless lyrics, capturing the distinctive spirit and sense of community within the care home.

Louise Gillies, manager of Speyside, who also performs in the choir, said: “The Heart Strings choir is a wonderful example of the joy and togetherness that music brings, and the lyrics of our own version of Climb Every Mountain reflect the sense of belonging that our residents feel in being part of a care home community.

“I want to thank Moya and Amanda who have been instrumental in setting up the choir. They have performed with, and supported, our residents and given them the confidence to express themselves through song.

“The joy and camaraderie that the choir brings to our home is truly heart-warming, and we are proud to showcase their talents to our community.”

After weeks of rehearsals, the choir delivered its debut performance in front of an audience of invited relatives and guests this weekend. Other songs in their repertoire include classics such as ‘You Are My Sunshine’, ‘My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean’, ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary’ and ‘Pack Up Your Troubles’. For residents, the experience has brought everyone closer together.

In addition to its musical endeavours, the team from Speyside has also taken up residence at Aberlour Station Tearoom, where they run a weekly pop-up tea-room every Thursday from 2pm to 4.30pm.

Speyside was recently awarded a five-star (very good) rating by the Care Inspectorate who found a strong sense of community within the home. Inspectors noted that “the home was integrated into the local community and people were visible and active members of the village.”

Company engineers £8million care home victory

A NORTH East firm of engineers has won a six-figure contract to support the construction of a new multi-million-pound care home and assisted living facility in North Yorkshire.

The move will see RWO provide on-site civil and structural engineering services around the £8m extra care development of 12 bungalows and 70 fully equipped apartments in Guisborough, which is being built for care home operator Housing 21 by Countryside Partnership North East.

RWO’s managing director Ross Oakley said two more new care home projects were in the pipeline.

He added: “Demand for care homes and assisted living accommodation is strong.

“So, it’s a real privilege to work with Countryside Partnerships and Housing 21 on this latest scheme and to deliver on their vision for the highest quality living spaces for residents.”

Engineering services to facilitate

the development of six pairs of semi-detached units, each featuring a private garden area and off street parking, will be part of a comprehensive package of support provided by the Newcastle-based engineers to bring forward the complex.

A mix of one and two bedroomed fully equipped and self-contained apartments to provide independent living are also being designed and engineered by RWO along with a café/bistro, hair salon, communal lounge and gardens among other communal facilities.

The work will also see RWO provide designs for both civil and structural engineering associated with the development.

With 30 people employed across its North East and Yorkshire offices and targeting revenues in excess of £2.5m in the next 12 months, the Countryside Partnership work comes as RWO continues to see strong growth and recruit skilled engineers to meet demand for its services.

Architects move into employee ownership

KWL Architects, one of the UK’s leading care sector architects, has transitioned into an Employee Ownership Trust.

Its founding directors, Philip Lewis and Neil Ross, started the company in Stow Hill, Newport in 2001 after working together for over a decade at Philip’s former practice also based in Newport.

Now located in Hazell Drive in the city, it has grown from a staff of four to its current team of 19.

Philip and Neil have sold their interest in the practice to its employees as part of an EOT but will remain at KWL for the foreseeable future. They will also stay as Trust directors, joined by Sally Morgan, practice manager and Rob Sheward, director, both have been with KWL since it was founded. Alun Chapple has also been appointed as the independent Trust director.

Philip said that the EOT option was

perfect to safeguard the future of KWL Architects.

He added: “We have a great team that’s well-known and very well respected in our field. When Neil and I discussed the future of the company, and our eventual retirement, we couldn’t see anyone else taking it over and doing what we thought was best for the business than the staff themselves.

“Succession planning is such a difficult thing to consider after you have worked for more than 20 years building up a business. But many of our employees have been here since day one and have worked as hard as we have to make this practice the success it is, so it seemed like the perfect solution for all of us.”

Neil added: “We are also pleased that we will continue to work

for the company and help with the transition, as well as keeping continuity for our clients and this was very important in our decision process about the EOT. Nothing will change day-to-day, but there will be new board directors and some new people coming to the fore in the company to make their mark.”

The transition to the new EOT was supported with finance from Triodos Bank UK, with advisory services from Social Business Wales and legal support from Darwin Gray.

In addition to the EOT Trustees, KWL has also appointed a new board, comprising directors David Hand, Rob Sheward, Kevin Powell, Philip Lewis and Neil Ross.

KWL Architects was advised on the EOT by Social Business Wales, which is delivered by Cwmpas.

Triodos Bank UK also supported the EOT with the purchase of KWL Architects.

Operator invests a further £32.5million in pay

HC-One has announced a further £32.5million investment in colleague pay, almost doubling the £18million it invested in 2022.

The investment will mean that those in HC-One’s lowest band of pay will receive an almost 10 per cent (9.63 per cent) increase in their base rate of pay.

Increases will be similarly reflected across HC-One’s zonal structure and more senior care roles. The new pay rates came into effect on April 1.

Chief executive officer James Tugendhat said: “I am delighted that we are announcing another substantial investment in pay.

“Everything we do for those in our care starts with our frontline colleagues and we are determined to better reward them for the incredible work they do.

“The challenges in the social care labour market are well known, and this investment will also be key in helping us to attract as well as retain the best and most experienced staff.

“We also want employees to feel

they can build a career with HC-One, and we’re proud the opportunities we can offer for growth throughout the company, as well our new wider employee benefits, including our revamped rewards platform and enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave packages.

“We are also continuing to engage at length with our local authority and NHS partners, who fund the majority of the residents we support, to secure fee uplifts that will enable us to go further on pay so we can continue

to build the social care workforce to enjoy the professional recognition that their invaluable contribution deserves.”

This investment will mean that all HC-One colleagues earn above the National Living Wage from day one of employment, all can earn above Real Living Wage after two years of service, and it is projected that 75 per cent will be above the Real Living Wage once the new rates are applied.

The announcement ensures the majority of the provider’s home colleagues will have gained increases over the year substantially above both private and public sector average awards.

It builds on HC-One’s work and investment in colleague pay in 2022 which saw £18million invested into frontline wages of experienced and trained carers, ensuring that more than 70 per cent of the workforce reached Foundation Living Wage. The group also invested a further £1.8million in the pay and reward of chef and administrator roles in September 2022.

With the latest investment, HC-One aims to make sure people seeking a career in care right across the UK can earn above the Real Living Wage and that care is seen as a truly rewarding career choice.

The operator strives to be an environment where colleagues are retained, are supported to grow, and make the most of the awardwinning learning and development opportunities no matter their role or level in the organisation.

To encourage people to continue developing their career in care, colleagues are able to benefit from higher rates of pay after six months’ service and again after two years’ service.

This year HC-One is increasing the two-year service rates for all care colleagues by an additional 5p/hour in recognition of the expertise gained with experience.

This offer has been developed following consultation with the GMB, the recognised union for HC-One’s employees, and is currently being balloted on by its members.

Home is ‘Good’ across all categories

LONGRIDGE Hall Care Home has been awarded ‘Good’ in all five of its rating categories in a new inspection.

In its CQC report, the Preston home’s staff were praised for being ‘kind, patient and caring’ and people received ‘high-quality personcentred care.

People were ‘supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests.’

Registered manager Tracey Hartley said: “We are delighted that the CQC has awarded Longridge Hall Care Home ‘Good’ across the board.

“We are particularly pleased that the inspectors observed warmth from staff and noted that they take time to stop and offer kind words, encouragement and reassurance to people.

“We have a whole team of extremely dedicated and caring

people working hard every day here and it is rewarding to see their work being recognised by the inspectors.”

Longridge Hall is a purpose-built residential care home registered to accommodate up to 60 people. The home is part of the Sandstone

Care Group and provides specialist dementia, residential and short-term respite care.

The report highlighted the ‘robust’ quality assurance systems, audits and checks that are in place, praised the home’s ‘clean and tidy environment’ and said ‘staff felt valued and enjoyed working at the home’.

They also said the new provider had provided ‘a good degree of stability and improvements to the home’ and praised the support the registered manager provided.

Residents said they enjoyed the range of activities in the home and that their views and opinions were sought and acted on. People also had a good choice of meals and praised the approachability of management.

The unannounced CQC inspection was carried out between April 4 and 6 and looked at five key categories, including whether the home was

safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Inspectors awarded a Good to every category. The home was reported as ‘Good’ in all five categories.

During their visit the CQC inspectors spoke with nine people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. They also spoke to several members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, an area manager, care workers and a member of the domestic staff.

They also spoke with four external health and social care professionals. Health and safety and infection control measures were also reviewed. A variety of records were looked at including care records, staff rotas, risk assessments, multiple medicine records and recruitment files. Health and safety and infection control measures were also reviewed.

Group to develop facility at Integra 61 Durham

CITRUS Durham has secured a deal with Marton Care for a new 73 bedroom facility at the £400m mixed-use Integra 61 development at junction 61 of the A1(M).

The provider has secured planning consent from Durham City Council for the 73 bedroom residential care facility which will occupy a 1.4-acre site adjacent to the new homes being delivered at Integra 61 and within 100 metres of Bowburn village centre.

The new facility will create some 70 jobs for the area.

Marton Care is an operator of care homes in the North East and North West of England with more than 14 homes and its associated companies offering care across Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and the Midlands.

Marton Care director Peter Lane said: “This is an exciting development for us with our first new build for Marton; we look forward to seeing

this home come to life during 2024 and becoming a champion of the local community.

“The facilities and services of the home will offer the residential care

standards that people deserve when they need to be cared for by others.

“Working in partnership with Citrus has helped us on the journey to reach our ultimate goal and we thank them

for that.”

The 205-acre Integra 61 mixed-use development, which has the potential to create more than 3,000 jobs and add £2billion to the regional economy over the next 10 years, has consent to deliver some 260 new homes, a new hotel, nursery, family pub/ restaurant, vehicle dealerships and trade counter/retail units.

David Cullingford, project lead for Integra 61 and Citrus Durham, added: “Marton Care’s facility is a very welcome and important addition to Integra 61 and will further enhance the diversity of occupiers we have here.

“We have always aimed to create a thriving and sustainable community and through the provision of this facility, in addition to the new homes, businesses, roadside opportunities and other uses being delivered, we are well on our way to achieving this.”

James Tugendhat

Tracey Hartley

Buyer sought for Lanarkshire retirement community

INSOLVENCY practitioners from accountancy firm Azets have been appointed joint administrators of MHA Auchlochan, the owner and operator of the Auchlochan Garden Village retirement complex near Lesmahagow in Lanarkshire.

Auchlochan Garden Village is a residential retirement complex offering accommodation ranging from self-contained studios, flats and bungalows through to full-service care homes.

MHA Auchlochan acquired Auchlochan Garden Village in 2009.

Auchlochan sits in 50 acres of grounds and consists of 235 properties ranging from studio flats through to three-bed bungalows. 55 of the flats and bungalows are vacant. Additionally, the company operates the Lower Johnshill care home, located within the Garden Village, and Bankhouse care home located within neighbouring village, Lesmahagow. There are 242 residents living in the flats and bungalows, and 118 residents living in the two care homes.

The facilities at the Garden Village include restaurants and cafe, lounges, guest facilities, garden, woodland, lake, community centre, hobby and activities rooms, hairdressing salon, laundry and chaplaincy.

The entire site is accessible by wheelchair and a village bus runs daily to local shops or further afield for excursions.

Auchlochan Garden Village has been loss-making since it was acquired by MHA Auchlochan in 2009.

MHA Auchlochan’s parent association, Methodist Homes, has provided significant financial support but losses have continued to accrue due to uneconomic service charges, staff and maintenance costs and low occupancy levels.

MHA chief executive Sam Monaghan said: “MHA took over

Auchlochan Garden Village in 2009 to prevent it from going into administration.

“However, the operating model for Auchlochan means it has a range of complex legal, operating and funding issues across the village, which MHA has been unable to resolve despite investing considerable resources over the past 14 years.

“As a charity we regret that we cannot continue to do this.

“This is not a decision we have taken lightly and to support the continuation of services during the process of administration,

Auchlochan will be able to draw on a contingency fund of £5million from MHA.

“This will provide the best opportunity for new operators to be found, which includes the potential for leaseholders to set up their own management company.

“The changes in Scotland also include MHA withdrawing from our three smaller retirement living schemes in Edinburgh, Glasgow and East Kilbride, with a view to selling these to alternative providers.

“The schemes would be difficult to support without the larger infrastructure which Auchlochan gives us in Scotland. Together, these changes mean that MHA will no longer have any services in Scotland.” The joint administrators will continue to operate Auchlochan Garden Village and the care homes as normal and will be appointing property agents to market the assets for sale.

A specialist interim care home management business, Healthcare Management Solutions Limited, has been appointed to oversee day to day operations and minimise the impact on residents, families, staff and suppliers. There are 216 full and parttime staff across the three sites and there are no redundancies.

Auchlochan Garden Village retirement complex.

Why it’s not straight forward choosing a VOIP phone system for a care home

BY NOW you are probably feeling bombarded with telecom companies telling you to change your phone system or it will soon stop working.

The truth is BT intend to turn off the traditional PSTN services (analogue lines, ISDN, ADSL and FTTC) by the end of 2025 giving most businesses time to plan although they will stop taking new orders for these services on September 5.

If you have a traditional phone system, ISDN, analogue lines (lifts, faxes, alarms etc) or standard broadband they will eventually cease to work if you do nothing. Instead, you will need to invest in a VOIP (voice over IP) phone system which means your voice traffic will be sent over the internet. There are literally hundreds of providers, and even more seemingly

exciting offers out there to entice you to move today, but most of these providers won’t understand the unique setup of a care home so you will need to plan carefully.

So what are the main things you will need to consider?

The installation of a VOIP phone system in your office / administration areas is relatively straight forward.

Many carers and nurses enjoy the simplicity and flexibility of DECT (portable phones) around the care home and you will have multiple options depending on coverage including new DECT or mobile phones.

Many care homes provide in-room phones for their residents, but when you move to VOIP you may need a monthly licence per room which

can significantly increase your costs, especially when not all rooms use the service.

You will need to consider your internet as bandwidth may already be strained and by adding voice traffic you will only impede this further resulting in poor call quality. Finally if you incorporate mobile phones into your new phone system will you need to ensure you have adequate WiFi coverage and your WiFi handover is optimised correctly. Workplace IT specialise in providing IT and telecom solutions to the UK social care sector with considerable experience in designing and staging VOIP phone systems into care and residential homes.

Call Simon Darlington on 0333 016 5090, email simon.darlington@workplaceit.co.uk or visit: www.workplaceit.co.uk

Free online tools make managing your account easy

OUR free online tools are designed to make managing your account quick and easy, no matter if you have one site or 100 sites.

Here’s a few of our favourites:

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Get instant site summaries and a quick overview of annual spend, which updates in real-time so you are always in the know.

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Join us with working towards a

cleaner planet and view your carbon emissions based on your purchasing decisions with Gompels.

We’ve calculated the environmental impact of each product to give you annual emissions, recycled content, emissions by material and individual site data.

We are sourcing eco-alternatives for our worse offending products to help you (and us) reduce our carbon footprint.

Analytics – expenditure and buying trends at a glance with customisable reports Gompels Analytics gives you all your order data in one easy to use place.

Whether you want to know your current spend, look at your usage by

product, or work out how to spend less, our online tool will provide you with all the data you need.

Core lists – set a core list of products to centralise your purchasing Our core lists feature allows groups to centralise their purchasing, by removing products you don’t want your sites to buy.

Core lists are proven to reduce spend on unwanted products and increase your profits.

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Our clever system automatically updates your library if a datasheet gets modified, keeping you compliant and safe.

Online training – online training courses with multiple choice questions and certification

We’ve created a range of free online training videos with supporting workbooks to help your staff keep up to date, some come with a certificate on completion.

We’ll event alert you when staff need to refresh a course they have previously taken.

https://www.gompels.co.uk/ouronline-services-tools.html

Forbes Professional helps homes ensure optimal protection

LAUNDRY equipment is a critical investment for any care home, extending way beyond the delivery of immaculately pressed shirts for discerning residents.

By choosing specialised commercial appliances, the healthcare sector can efficiently process the requisite wash volumes whilst maintaining a safe environment and adhering to stringent regulatory requirements. The Association for Applied Hygiene and Robert Koch Institute stipulate that combining disinfection programmes with appropriate segregation of clean and dirty laundry is required for infection control.

Care homes must also choose a reliable partner for the provision, service and maintenance of laundry equipment.

If a machine breaks down, it is imperative to know it will be repaired or replaced urgently as machine downtime can be highly impactful.

Forbes Professional carefully select manufacturers in order to deliver the highest standards of product and service.

A national distribution partner to Miele, they install and maintain laundry and dishwashing machines to care homes across the UK.

Miele is renowned for producing highly energy, water and user efficient appliances.

Their heat pump dryers reduce

energy consumption by an astounding 70 per cent when compared to standard vented dryers making them a great choice for any care home.

Furthermore, the employment of impressive array of hygiene and safety functions enables Miele’s intelligent appliances to continually monitor the parameters that are crucial to disinfection.

Miele washing machines offer

thermal and chemo-thermal disinfection programmes and recent models have received the highly coveted Seal in Black as a testimony to exceptional hygiene standards, with special recognition for deactivating more than 99.9 per cent of all viruses.

Forbes works closely with clients to deliver a hygienic, efficient solution that meets budget and space requirements and fully complies with WRAS and CQC regulations. Their inclusive maintenance and repair services eliminate unexpected expenses and reduce machine downtime.

Forbes enables invaluable support and adaptability so that care homes can respond to changing resident populations or regulatory guidelines and focus on providing high-quality care, knowing that their equipment is in capable hands.

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

Simon Darlington