Caring UK Weekly - 9 February 2022

Issue 94 09.02.22

The weekly online newsletter for the care sector

Lily’s unlikely journey to a career in care AS A child, Lily Allan, 16, visited Anchor’s West Hall care home along with other pupils from West Byfleet Infant School to celebrate the planting of a time capsule.

Ten years later Lily has recently started the care apprenticeship programme at the very same care home.

Lily decided to start an apprenticeship with Anchor, England’s largest not-forprofit of provider of housing and care, after beginning a childcare course at college and quickly realising it wasn’t the right route for her.

In her current role, Lily supports residents who need extra assistance in their everyday living as well as providing a willing ear for all of their stories.

Connection has quickly revealed itself as one of the most important parts of her role, as she gets to know her colleagues and builds relationships with the residents that she cares for.

“The main thing I remember from visiting the home when I was a child was the time we spent with the residents and that is now one of the best bits of my job,” Lily said.

“I have really enjoyed meeting new people.

“The events where everyone has come together, including our Christmas quiz, are some

of my favourite memories.

“I feel like I am good at communicating with the residents and really cherish hearing all the stories they have to share.”

Lily is proud to be doing work that really makes a difference and feels that those closest to the social care system understand best why it is such an important role to have.

She added: “I think that people who don’t work in a care home often don’t understand what an important job it can be at times, but we are valued by the residents we care for because we are helping them.”

Lily is enjoying her time at Anchor’s West Hall care home and will have achieved a Level 2 intermediate apprenticeship in Health and Social Care by the end of her programme. n For more on National Apprenticeship Week, which runs until Sunday, turn to page 3.

Campaign to support leaders

Residents at Lower Meadow in Stratford-upon-Avon have been looking back on times in their life full of love and happiness with Valentine’s Day fast approaching, Wellbeing lead Cindy Odell has enjoyed chatting with residents about their families and their own love stories, as well as some famous ones too. Resident Monica Lancashire enjoyed talking about her grandparents’ love story. She enjoyed showing everybody a tapestry called ‘The Blue Willow’ she made for them for their golden wedding anniversary 70 years ago when she was just 15. When her grandmother passed away, Monica (pictured) kept the tapestry as a keepsake. It is still a treasured item that takes pride of place in her room. Monica won first prize in a ladies’ magazine’s tapestry competition when she first made it.

SKILLS for Care has launched a series of activities to support social care leaders with managing change.

The #ManagingChange spotlight will run throughout February and March across its website, social media pages and other communications channels.

Key areas of focus will include being change-ready, leading change, understanding resistance to change and engaging teams.

The organisation will also be sharing positive examples of change in action.

All this support can be found on the dedicated #ManagingChange webpage on the Skills for Care website, collating a range of resources and content to support with change leadership, including guides, toolkits, development programmes and more.

New blogs and articles sharing expert insights, top tips and interviews from people within the Skills for Care team and those working within the sector will also be added to the website throughout February and March.

Additionally, Skills for Care is running a live webinar on March 1 at 12pm which will look at change in the context of the pandemic and will include contemporary approaches to change resistance.

Popular change models such as The Change Equation and Kotter’s Eight Steps will be considered as well as leadership strategies designed to overcome resistance to change without impacting on colleagues’ wellbeing.

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CARINGWEEKLY

It’s time to level up social care with NHS Preston care home given highest first rating possible RIBBLE Court has been rated ‘Good’ in its first official inspection – the highest accolade a new care home can receive.

The 53-bedroom home on in Much Hoole near Preston opened last year.

Part of The Sandstone Care Group, it provides a mix of luxury residential care and specialist/complex nursing care.

The Care Quality Commission inspection was carried out at the end of October and looked at five key categories: whether the home was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Inspectors awarded a Good in every category.

Home manager Samantha Smith said: “We are thrilled that the CQC has awarded Ribble Court Care Home the highest inspection rating for a new home.

“Since we opened our beautiful home in June last year we have become an important part of the local community and it is very rewarding to see all the hard work and dedication of our team recognised in this way.

“I am really proud of our fantastic staff who work hard every day to deliver exceptional care.”

Staff were praised for being ‘kind and caring’ and for treating residents with ‘dignity and respect’. The care was described as ‘high quality’ from

‘a consistent team of staff who know residents well’.

People’s safety was ‘at the centre of care delivery’, staff were employed ‘subject to robust recruitment processes’ and people’s needs were ‘thoroughly assessed before admission to the home and this is regularly reviewed to ensure people receive the support they require’.

The report also noted that residents are supported to have ‘maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests’.

The home also won praise for its Covid and infection prevention training and procedures and it was noted that robust systems are in place in the home for regular testing for people using the service, staff and visitors.

All staff have complied with the NHS vaccination programme.

During their visit the two CQC inspectors observed staff interaction with people and spoke to four members of care staff, eight residents living in the home and telephoned nine of their relatives.

They also reviewed a variety of records and sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the home.

IT IS time to level up the way social care is treated with the way the NHS is handled for the benefit of the vulnerable people who receive care, it has been claimed.

Providers want an end to social care being treated as the poor relation to NHS services and sufficient investment to bring it to parity.

The Independent Care Group said the recent handling of mandatory vaccination was evidence of the Government using social care as guinea pigs.

Chair Mike Padgham added: “The whole ‘no jab, no job’ debacle was yet more evidence of the shabby way the Government treats social care in this country.

“They introduced it for care and nursing home staff in November,regardless of the impact it ultimately had on dire staffing levels in care settings.

“But when it came to the NHS it has now launched a consultation and it looks like it is to be scrapped altogether. It seems once again that it is one rule for social care and one for the NHS. “The time for that disparity is over.

Social care has demonstrated time and time again, especially over the past two years, that it has an equally vital role to play in caring for society as the NHS – it is time it was treated that way.

“If the Government is serious about levelling up, then levelling social care with NHS care would be a good place to begin.”

The ICG wants to see: n A root and branch overhaul of the way social care is planned and

Mike Padgham

funded. n NHS care and social care merged and managed locally or nationally. n Extra funding for social care, funded by taxation. n Dementia treated and funded like other high priority illnesses. n A fixed percentage of GDP to be spent on social care. n Proper pay, conditions and career structure for carers. n Social care businesses to be zerorated for VAT. n The Government has said that, subject to consultation and House of Commons agreement, it will revoke the mandatory Covid-19 jabs for NHS and social care staff.

It was due to come into effect in April for NHS staff and those providing social care in people’s own homes through homecare, with first injections needed this week.

The policy was introduced in care and nursing homes last November, causing thousands of staff to lose their jobs and preventing many thousands more from joining the sector.

Home shares its thoughts on dignity with shoppers

The Abbeyfield Society is to receive a donation from law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner after having made the firm’s charity of the year shortlist alongside five other organisations. the operator was nominated by BCLP’s Samantha Scott, who is the granddaughter of a resident living at Abbeyfield Winnersh, a state-of-the-art dementiafriendly residential care home in Berkshire. In the face of stiff competition, Abbeyfield fell just short of receiving the title of BCLP charity of the year.

DIGNITY has been a big topic of conversation for the residents and team at Malden House Care Home in Sidmouth, Devon.

To share their thoughts and opinions, they spent the morning of Dignity Action Day at the local branch of Waitrose, which is a dementia friendly company that likes to help out its community.

Tabitha Donovan, manager of Malden House, said: “Waitrose welcomed the idea of us visiting them for the morning, where we put up a stall and spoke to customers about what dignity is all about.

“We believe that dignity is all

about treating others with respect, not passing judgement and understanding the unique qualities that make an individual who they are.

“We had lots of feedback from the customers. The most common answer we received when I asked what dignity meant to them was respect. We spoke to many people caring for a close family member, and it was a pleasure to share familiar experiences.”

Malden House also recently had a stall in the town centre to raise awareness of dementia. The care home is also planning a litter pick up along the sea front in the near future.

CARINGNATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK

A guide to supporting your apprentice’s holistic health

By Cheryl McKown A TUMULTUOUS 24 months has led many people to think carefully about their careers and explore ways of developing workplace skills.

Apprenticeships are attractive to many groups, including school leavers, graduates and those looking to change careers or upskill, as they offer the opportunity to learn on the job, develop skills in a real-life setting and earn a wage.

Apprenticeships also benefit businesses, as they bring fresh perspectives and up to date industry insights, and successful placements can lead to productive, long-term working relationships.

So how can businesses ensure that they are fully supporting their apprentices to stay happy, healthy and motivated?

Create supportive networks Helping your apprentice to grow into your team starts with getting to know them. It’s important to embrace what makes them different and in doing this, you’ll create an environment where everyone is encouraged to be themselves.

Think about ways you can help apprentices bond and collaborate with others at their level – for example, you could create a buddy or mentor system, connecting new starters with those who have a little more experience, as well as providing access to dedicated online forums and channels.

Employees who feel that their organisation takes an active interest in their wellbeing are more likely to stay motivated, engaged and loyal.

Think about arranging informal get-

your apprentices are also building in time let off steam and recharge.

Some people love yoga, others prefer to hit the gym and some might find cooking or crafts help them relax.

Getting enough sleep is also crucial.

Cheryl McKown togethers, either virtually or in person to help them to feel part of the team from the off.

Encourage a good work-life balance Particularly at first, some apprentices may find juggling a new role, studying and commuting challenging.

Instil good time management skills by working together with your apprentice to plan how they’ll manage their time between learning and on-the-job tasks. In getting to know your apprentice, you’ll get an idea of what their home situation is like, and what a good work-life balance looks like for them.

It’s important to refer to the ‘20 per cent off-the-job-learning’ rule (a legal requirement of apprenticeships) in gaining this balance and being flexible where needed to adjust the plan to make it achievable. Your apprenticeship provider should be able to support you with this.

Work-life balance is really important in protecting against things like burn out, anxiety and stress, so make sure

Embrace diversity As well as celebrating individualism, embracing those from different demographics and with different cognitive styles helps to open the floor to ideas from all employees at all levels. This can harness insightful views from a range of backgrounds, leading to a wider understanding of what your business offers and can provide, from a diverse mindset.

If your new apprentice is from a background that’s not yet well represented across the rest of your organisation, think about how you can specifically support them so that they feel comfortable and included.

At Bupa Global and UK we launched the ‘Be You at Bupa’ commitment to reiterate that everyone in our business – from all backgrounds – can feel comfortable bringing their whole self to work every day. By celebrating and supporting people’s differences, we aim to promote collaboration, encouraging everyone to feel comfortable working here.

Feedback is key Taking the time to check in with your new apprentice can go a long way to helping them feel listened to and appreciated, which can foster better wellbeing and company loyalty. Additionally, an open-door approach can help apprentices to feel psychologically safe approaching you with any queries or concerns about

their learning.

A simple ‘thank you’ or ‘well done’ goes a long way to boosting an apprentice’s feeling of worth. Feeling properly rewarded for workplace efforts helps to boost mental wellbeing and decrease stress.

Regular appraisals or one-to-one sessions give you and your apprentice the chance to speak freely, helping you to gauge what your apprentice is enjoying about the scheme and make any adjustments to help them enjoy their scheme more. As well as listening to them, these check-ins provide the chance to provide any constructive feedback, too.

Promote good all-round health If you introduce your apprentice to a workplace culture that places value on the benefits of being honest and open about both mental and physical help, they’re more likely to follow suit and feel confident to put their health first if they ever need to.

Promoting a positive culture like this will encourage your apprentice – as well as the rest of your team – to bring their full self to work. Finding out what makes your apprentice tick can help you to understand them better, spot any signs that they need further support, and generate an inclusive team spirit with increased productivity.

You can help to further support your apprentice by ensuring that they’ve got access to employee wellbeing services, like Employee Assistance Programmes, GP appointments or health assessments. n Cheryl McKown is the apprenticeship manager for Bupa Global and UK.

Resident and former apprentice visits old workplace A 94-year-old care home resident and former apprentice turned head chef has returned to his former workplace for National Apprenticeship Week, as he took a trip down memory lane to see what’s changed and what hasn’t.

Ernest ‘Bill’ Hill, who is a resident at one of Island Healthcare’s homes on the Isle of Wight, took a trip to visit the clubhouse of the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes – a place where he worked for 47 years, rising to head chef in the kitchens during that time having initially started as an apprentice aged 16 in 1944.

The Royal Yacht Squadron is a historic yacht club that’s been at the forefront of yachting as a sport since 1826 – the year of its first regatta.

Ian Bennett, the managing director of Island Healthcare, who accompanied him on the tour, said: “It was wonderful seeing Bill back in his old stomping ground.

“Although much of the kitchen equipment had changed, he still knew his way around and it was great to see it sparking so many happy memories.

“Having put so many years of hard work into the place he was delighted to see that it’s gone from strength to

Ernest ‘Bill’ Hill returned to his former workplace ahead of National Apprenticeship Week. He is pictured being greeted by current head chef Paul Wooler. strength.” a part time kitchen porter, with two Bill was warmly greeted by the more joining during the peak time of current head chef Paul Wooler who Cowes Week. showed him around, taking him Now though there are four full time down to the kitchens and through the chefs during the winter months, changes since he’d left. which rises to 22 kitchen staff during When Bill was heading up the the height of summer. kitchen team they had two chefs and The visit certainly brought back

memories, and Bill recalled some of the high-profile guests he’d interacted with over the years, including Prince Phillip.

He said: “Prince Phillip used to come down to the kitchen – he always came on a Thursday during Cowes week. Lord Mountbatten always bought his friend David with him and always had a police officer on his motorbike outside.

“The police officer once stopped me and charged me £30 for speeding – so I said to him, don’t you expect any more breakfast from me.

“It was brilliant to go back – but the place has changed so much. It’s great to know that it’s thriving though and that my hard work over the years hasn’t gone to waste.”

Alongside Bill’s visit, and given its success, the team at Island Healthcare also has plans to take other residents back to their former workplaces, including one who worked at Lloyd’s Bank on the island, and another who worked at a hotel.

The trips have been inspired by the recent launch of the operator’s own apprenticeship scheme, which welcomes people into a career in care.

3

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6

CARINGWEEKLY

Queen honours volunteer with MBE

Resident Margaret Carrington.

Flower power

RESIDENTS at Colten Care’s Amberwood House in Ferndown have had a blooming good time with a day of all-out ‘flower power’.

Floral-designed bunting, table decorations and serviettes helped give the dining room and lounge a vivid blast of colour, while residents and team members put on their most flowery and flamboyant shirts, scarves and dresses.

Some residents also put orchids in their hair and wore Hawaiian-style lei garlands.

As well as dressing up, activities included the opportunity to make bouquets and displays and take part in a quiz about national flowers and flags from around the world.

There was also a flower-themed singalong led by companionship team member and musical entertainer Rebecca Osborne.

A VOLUNTEER from Newtown Lindford has received the surprise of his life after being honoured by HRH The Queen.

Tony Bradley, 96, who volunteers at Beaumont Hall care home in Beaumont Leys, has been awarded an MBE for services to the community.

Since his wife Renelle moved into the care home in 2017, Tony has been entertaining and chatting to its residents.

He spends five days a week at the care home, hosting afternoon teas, organising bingo games and special film shows.

He also brings his dog Molly in to visit the residents and helps out with any odd jobs that need doing.

In December, Tony was “utterly shocked” to receive a letter informing him of the award but was sworn to secrecy until The Queen announced her list of New Year Honours in January.

He said: “I was in such a shock when I received the letter. I couldn’t believe it. It never occurred to me that I would ever be given an MBE. “It is now starting to sink in, and I feel incredibly proud and deeply honoured. Everyone at Beaumont Hall has been so kind, sending cards and messages of congratulations.

“They are all very excited for me. I just love spending time there, being with people and having fun with the residents and have no plans to stop anytime soon.”

Tony’s wife passed away in 2020

Tony Bradley MBE and Lee Daly. but he has continued his visits to Beaumont Hall because he enjoys spending time with the residents and has lots of ideas and plans for future events and activities for the residents.

Manager Lee Daly added: “Tony is here all the time and can’t do enough to help us and spend time with our residents.

“We’re all very proud of him and

this really couldn’t have happened to a nicer or more deserving person.

“We’re going to get him a new name badge made up with ‘Tony Bradley MBE’ written on it.

“Tony is a hugely valuable part of our team here at Beaumont Hall and on behalf of all our staff and residents we wish him our warmest congratulations.”

Advertiser’s announcement

Immigration law update: expansion of the health and care visa scheme

By Gulnaz Raja

how the criteria has been met.

The employer is also expected to comply with all their sponsor duties with key personnel allocated roles and responsibilities.

Assigning a CoS does not guarantee the worker will be granted entry clearance or permission.

The worker must meet all the immigration requirements of the route in which they are applying.

There is also a fee payable by the employer per CoS. In addition, the employer is required to pay an immigration skills charge for each year of sponsorship.

ON December 24 it was announced by the government that care workers, care assistants and home care workers would become eligible for a health and care visa for a 12-month period.

To understand the pressures and issues placed by the social care sector, at GNR Solicitors we have taken a deeper dive to help care providers understand the requirements.

Sponsorship licence The employer must have a sponsorship licence if they want to sponsor an oversees national who is not a settled worker and does not have immigration permission to work in the UK. This includes most EU, EEA and Swiss nationals who arrived in the UK after December 31, 2020. The employer must ensure the worker is eligible.

Currently the employer must meet the immigration requirements for the skilled worker route as the health and care visa forms part of the skilled worker route.

The employer will be required to meet the specific requirements for a licence such as salary requirements as well as other factors.

The government announced that the inclusion on the shortage occupation list will stipulate an

Gulnaz Raja annual salary minimum of £20,480 for carers to qualify for the health and care visa.

To apply for a sponsorship licence, this attracts an application fee dependant on the size of your organisation.

Certificate of sponsorship When an employer is granted a licence, they must assign the worker a valid certificate of sponsorship, once the allocation has been obtained, using their sponsorship management system account.

However, before doing so, the employer must ensure that the worker meets all the eligibility requirements and be able to explain

Worker’s immigration application To qualify for a health and care worker visa, the applicant worker will need to provide their assigned certificate of sponsorship reference number provided by the employer.

This must be an approved UK employer who holds a sponsor licence.

The applicant will also be required to meet various other eligibility requirements.

Applicants will also be able to bring their dependants, including partner and children.

Applicants will be required to pay the visa application fee, however they will be exempt from the immigration health surcharge.

It should be noted that the above information is correct as per the latest government announcement

of December 24, 2021 but may be subject to change.

The precise immigration requirements for care workers, care assistants and home care workers are still due to be published to see if there are any additional requirements.

The above does not constitute legal advice. n Gulnaz Raja is the founder and CEO of GNR Solicitors – a boutique immigration and employment law firm.

This article must not be reproduced without her prior permission.

Gulnaz is a solicitor with more than 10 years’ PQE experience. Prior to establishing her own practice, she worked in law firms as well as within financial services in London, working on major regulatory compliance review and legal implementation projects.

If your organisation requires support with sponsorship or visa applications, our immigration team can assist your business with every aspect of sponsoring overseas workers as well as with all the compliance requirements and ongoing legal duties.

Our employment team can also support with all aspects of employment law, including HR outsourcing support as employment tribunal matters.

Call 07576 346 994 or visit www.gnrsolicitors.co.uk

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CARINGWEEKLY

Resident publishes first book to mark National Storytelling Week A HERTFORDSHIRE care home has shared the story of one of its residents, whose transition into the home has helped facilitate and reignite his life-long love of writing, resulting in the release of his first book of poetry and musings.

Self-proclaimed bookworm and author Hilmar Warenius, 80, has utilised his lockdown experiences at Foxholes Care Home, near Hitchin, as the motivation that helped him fulfil a childhood ambition.

Used as an exercise to boost positive wellbeing and mental stimulation, Hilmar recently took turns sharing his sonnets with other residents to mark the recent National Storytelling Week.

Titled ‘Smidgens of Verse’, the former doctor and scientist’s book of short poems include themes of love, loss and the passage of time.

The diverse catalogue of reflective writing ranges from a hymn about a hated seagull to thoughts on the role of modern science and the deep intuition in explaining the nature of the world we find ourselves in.

Reflecting on key elements of his life, which includes several memoirs to his late wife, whom he shared 44 years of marriage, Hilmar has contributed 47 pages of reflective poems, which stem from

his fascination with interpersonal communication.

Hilmar arrived at the family-run home in 2021, having wanted a change of setting after a prolonged period of isolation throughout the nation’s first official lockdown.

Having sold his house and yearning for a sense of community, Hilmar quickly rediscovered his passion for writing in a supportive and thriving environment that he now proudly calls home.

He said: “These short poems arose spontaneously in my mind within minutes of certain experiences.

Recently, they have been reflective lockdown-evoked poems.

“Others are from earlier times and particularly, a wonderful wife who transformed my life for 44 years and left a grief-filled chasm when she died. I hope that these short ‘smidgens’ will provide ideas and feelings to share and discuss, and maybe even trigger dreamy thoughts in the reader’s mind.”

The multi-talented writer also puzzled over the relationship with God, scientific explanations of existence, and even toyed with ideas about artificial intelligence.

His memoirs will also be completed and available to buy later this year.

Residents go for gold in Winter Olympics CARE home residents across Scotland kicked off their own version of the Beijing Winter Olympics with a range of specially adapted activities from seated ice-hockey to stationary skiing.

Complete with their own opening ceremonies, Renaissance Care residents from around the country will be taking part in the fortnight long event which was created by staff to encourage mobility, fitness and wellbeing as part of the group’s ongoing focus on increasing the quality of life within the homes.

The Renaissance Care Winter Olympics comes as the snowball effect of a successful summer Olympics held in the homes in July.

The event will see 16 care homes take on a range of sporting games designed to suit the abilities of residents building fitness, confidence and team spirit.

Contenders will be going headto-head or working with a team in a number of sports including stationary skiing, designed to improve arm strength and stamina, seated ice-hockey, to develop aim and team-work, and indoor curling, to increase hand-eye co-ordination and independence.

Operations director Yvonne Mackenzie said: “Just as our summer Olympics, this campaign has underlined the extra lengths our staff go to ensure the residents in their care not only are well and staying fit, but are having fun and enjoying life to

Resident Nancy Chisolm gives stationary skiing a go. the fullest.

“The Winter Olympics is the first of many events we have scheduled for our residents throughout the year to encourage physical activity and mental wellbeing, and if the creativity and effort of this campaign is anything to go by, this year will be a fun-filled one for all.”

‘Snow’-body has been left out of the fun across the group, with those who prefer to spectate working with staff over the past couple of weeks to make sure the event goes off without a hitch.

Crafty residents and staff have been busy creating signage for the occasion, placards with messages of support for the sports-people, and have even turned areas in the home to apres-ski chalets where spectators and athletes alike can enjoy a hot chocolate.

Residents and staff at Royal Star and Garter decorated their homes to celebrate Chinese New Year. Flags and gold and yellow bunting were put up to welcome the Year of the Tiger. At its Surbiton home, residents made Chinese lanterns and decorated hats. In the afternoon they took part in a quiz and an adapted Tai Chi session with traditional music. At High Wycombe, residents took part in Chinesethemed word games and bingo, while in Solihull there were also fun activities for residents to enjoy. All three homes served up lunches which included stir-fried rice, spring rolls, hoisin duck, shredded beef, fortune cookies and prawn crackers.

Chinese New Year was celebrated with traditions old and new by residents at a specialist dementia care home in Wellington, with lantern decorating, tea-tasting, a chopstick challenge and pan pipes. Camelot House and Lodge activities co-ordinator Richard Dempslake said: “We made Chinese New Year into a proper celebration for the people with dementia we support because the colour, sounds, tastes and opportunities for fun and creativity they can get out of it make it too good an opportunity to miss. We’re entering the Year of the Tiger, so in the lead-up to the day we worked with them to make tiger-striped Chinese lanterns, which they thoroughly enjoyed, ensuring we also took the activity to those residents who prefer to remain in their rooms so everyone would feel involved.” The Chinese New Year celebrations are part of a year-long programme organised by the activities team.

Staff and residents at Cherry Trees Care Home in Rotherham welcomed the Year of the Tiger with an oriental banquet and Chinese New Year activities. Inspired by the Chinese tradition, the home was decorated with bunting and homemade hanging red lanterns. Residents Helen Moakes and Joan Leadbeater thoroughly enjoyed building the beautiful lanterns and gifting lucky red envelopes to their fellow residents and carers to wish them “sun nin fai lok” (Happy New Year). Traditionally offered with money inserted inside the ornate red pocket, envelopes are typically gifted to children and elderly people on important occasions, such as Chinese New Year, as a way to send good wishes.

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