Caring uk Weekly April 8th

Group invests in training at its new branch

A HOMECARE provider has invested thousands of pounds in training as part of its commitment to continuing to provide the best possible service to clients.

Westmorland Homecare’s

Preston branch, which opened in December last year, provides care to enable vulnerable and often frail people over the age of 18 to live independently in their own home. It has just opened a special Care Training Academy at its premise n the city.

It includes a room which simulates a client’s bedroom, complete with a profiling bed, rise and recline chair, a hoist with slings, a walking frame, commode and slide sheet.

While one trainee homecare assistant acts as a client, a trainer can teach another moving and handling, washing and dressing techniques and how to transfer a client in and out of a wheelchair and on and off a commode.

“The aim was to create a simulation room that was no bigger than an average client’s bedroom so our new staff gain a realistic insight into the work they will be doing and the potential challenges they might face,” said Russell Crossley, a director of Westmorland Homecare.

“All trainee homecare assistants go up on the hoist themselves so they can gain understanding into what it feels like for a client to use such equipment. This helps them to empathise with the clients who they then visit.”

All trainee staff take part in a

two-week training programme at the new Care Training Academy run by the branch’s co-ordinator for training and recruitment Lisa Fisher.

That includes a mixture of theory and practical training. They learn basic skills, such as helping a client to eat, cleaning dentures and dealing with catheters and pads.

They also learn safe medication administration from level one, where staff prompt clients to take medicine, through level two where staff administer medicine following NICE guidance to level three, which requires specific training for tasks such as administering eye drops.

Trainees also shadow an experienced member of staff, such as a team leader, on visits to clients.

After successfully completing the training programme the new staff receive The Care Certificate.

“Social care is an extremely rewarding career but staff need to feel supported in their role within the community,” added Russell.

“Through our bespoke training programme we aim to prepare new staff as much as possible for what goes on in a care environment, rather than teaching them by showing them online videos.

“The ethos of Westmorland Homecare is to provide the best possible care and to look after our staff. Our training means that when homecare assistants go out to see clients they feel confident and comfortable and are properly equipped to deliver care to the highest-possible standards.”

Wycombe since it opened. She said: “It’s wonderful to share this special anniversary with the residents and staff, and recognise those people who have worked with us for five years. All staff are dedicated to providing the very best care to residents. We look forward to celebrating many more anniversaries together.” Among those also at the party were Royal Star & Garter chief executive Andy Cole and director of care and wellbeing Shirley Hall.

Awards nominations now open

CARE businesses wanting to put themselves forward for recognition have been urged to enter the Caring UK Awards in partnership with Virgin Money.

Nominations for this year’s event are open at www.caringukawards.co.uk

The awards, organised by Script Events in partnership with Caring UK, 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.

Event director Dominic Musgrave said: “We are really excited to be introducing the seventh Caring UK Awards – nominations are coming in and our events team is already busy

ensuring that this year’s event is bigger and better than ever.

“Obviously, our main aim is to recognise and honour the best in our wonderful care sector and showcase the innovation and dedication that goes on every day so please share your successes and tell us about your hard work and initiatives by sending in your nominations … it’s a real privilege to read them.”

A shortlist in each category will then be drawn up, with winners chosen by an expert industry panel.

Trophies will be handed out at a glittering ceremony at the Athena in Leicester on Thursday, December 5.

The closing date for entries is September 2.

A High Wycombe care home has celebrated its fifth anniversary with a little help from Elvis. The party at Royal Star & Garter included live music from Elvis impersonator Gary Roman. Long-serving staff also received a framed certificate in recognition and thanks for their five years of service. The 74-bed Home is also a firm favourite within the local community, receiving regular visits from personnel at RAF High Wycombe, and pupils from local schools. Home manager Reggie Ballos is among the staff who has worked at Royal Star & Garter in High

Residents’ lanterns illuminate Saltburn’s Valley of Light

ELDERLY artists toured Saltburn’s Valley of Light after creating some of the exhibition’s illuminations during a craft session at their care home.

Residents at Hazelgrove Court were among visitors to Valley of Light at Saltburn Valley Gardens.

For the residents, however, the tour was an opportunity to see their hard work among the constellation of light installations.

Activities coordinator Sharon Lewis said: “I loved being able to get our residents involved in this project. They always amaze me at what they

can achieve. I’m extremely proud of them.

“They made wonderful lanterns that were then turned into illuminated bunting.

“To go see the Valley of Light when our bunting was all lit up was amazing. It was a magical night.”

Valley of Light was organised by Stellar Projects and created in collaboration with Redcar and Cleveland residents, commissioned by Borderlands and funded by Arts Council England, Creative People and Places.

Group in national gold standard first

HC-One has become the first care home provider to achieve the National Preceptorship Interim Quality Mark Award for meeting the ‘Gold Standard’ criteria six months after its Nursing Preceptorship Programme launched.

The care provider was awarded the prestigious title after meeting the National Preceptorship Framework Gold Standard criteria on their programme.

HC-One showed a strong effort to create a “competent, confident, and committed” nursing workforce that can learn, reflect,and develop.

The operator launched its Nursing Preceptorship Programme last September, designed to develop and support new members of the nursing community, while also aiming to boost the recruitment and retention of nurses during sector-wide shortages.

Head of nursing Sharon Burlace said: “We’re extremely proud to be the first care home provider to be awarded the National Preceptorship Interim Quality Mark.

“This is testament to the commitment for excellent preceptorship from our nurses, regional and operations teams, who have supported and encouraged the development and progress of our preceptorship programme from the start just six months ago.

“Preceptorship has been described in recent nursing press as more important than ever to ensure a variety of nurses at all levels are supported and encouraged to develop their confidence and competence.

“We’ve already supported 120 nurses in the organisation through our workshop to become preceptors.”

The concept of preceptorship has

been described as more important than ever, and the Nursing and Midwifery Council advocates a period of preceptorship for newly-qualified nurses and those registering in the UK for the first time.

HC-One’s Gold Standard Preceptorship Programme was designed by the senior nursing team in line with the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Principles of Preceptorship, the NHS Gold Standard Framework for Preceptorship and Scotland’s Flying Start Programme.

Six months after the Nursing Preceptorship Programme was launched, it has already supported c.120 preceptors at HC-One through its workshop which has produced c.60 preceptees. HC-One is continuing to roll out its Nursing Preceptorship Programme, with four jobs available across Scotland and three across

England. HC-One’s preceptors include experienced nurses working in care homes and regional teams, who have enjoyed the chance to work closely with and guide preceptees in their career journey.

The programme takes an individualised approach to support each preceptee and there is no set timeline.

However, the operator expects most newly qualified and newly registered nurses and nursing associates to complete their preceptorship within six to 12 months.

Preceptees work through an individual learning plan with their preceptor to develop skills, confidence, and their practice.

Before becoming a nurse in charge of a shift, preceptees work with their preceptor to sign off on clinical and leadership competencies.

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Prestigious Chief Nurse Team Award for Suffolk care home

IT HAS been celebrations all round for the team at Stowlangtoft Hall Nursing Home who have received a prestigious surprise award from England’s Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care Professor Deborah Sturdy.

The team was given a Chief Nurse Award in recognition of the work it has done to support student nurses on placement.

Home manager Sally Chilvers said: “We were all taken aback to receive this award from Professor Sturdy.

“It was particularly special to have with us on the day a graduate nurse who joined our team having come on placement here, and a student nurse who we are supporting in her final year placement.

“These nurses are the future of social care and we are proud to champion them.”

The award was made following a nomination by the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board who have worked closely with the home to support access for

student nurses into social care as part of their training.

Over the past year the team has welcomed both student nurses and nursing associates, totalling close to 800 practice hours.

To mark this achievement, Professor Deborah Sturdy and Lisa Nobes, chief nurse for the area, joined the team at Stowlangtoft Hall for the surprise presentation, which was completed virtually.

Alex Ball, who oversees workforce development for Stow Healthcare Group, and who received a Gold Award from the Chief Nurse for her own contribution, added: “I am so proud of this recognition, both personally, and for the team at Stowlangtoft Hall.

“We work hard to dispel the myths and promote rewarding careers in nursing and social care.

To be nominated externally by our colleagues at the integrated care board is what makes this recognition all the more special.”

Charity renews status as Living Wage Employer

BRUNELCARE has announced its third year as a Living Wage Employer and will increase wages for all of its 1,100 dedicated employees.

As of April 1, 2022, the 83-year-old Bristol-based charity officially became a Living Wage Employer with all employees being paid at, or above, the real Living Wage.

Now, as of April 1, 2024, Brunelcare employees will be paid a minimum of £12 per hour regardless of their age, representing an increase to the charity’s minimum rate of pay of more than 10 per cent for the second year in a row.

The Government’s national living wage currently stands at £11.44 per hour (£8.60 for employees under the age of 21).

This means that Brunelcare’s lowestpaid colleagues have received a 46.16 per cent increase since March 2020.

Chief executive Oona Goldsworthy said: “In 2022, Brunelcare achieved accreditation as a Living Wage Employer.

“This meant that no colleague at Brunelcare would be paid less than the real Living Wage.

“Our team has been doing such an

Rex is top dog at care home

WHEN John Cutting’s mother Violet moved into a dementia care home in Wellington he was regularly accompanied on his visits by his 10-year-old Alsatian dog, Prince, and this proved to be the start of an ongoing involvement between John, his dogs and the care home.

Violet passed away in 2020, followed by Prince in 2021, but dog-lover John acquired an Alsatian puppy, Rex, later that year, and last May he resumed his visits to Camelot House and Lodge for the benefit of the other residents.

John said: “Dogs have always been a huge part of my life and seeing Prince, being able to stroke him and talk to him, brought so much pleasure to my mum and the other residents.

“It was seeing the benefits to residents that inspired me to start volunteering with Therapy Dogs Nationwide with Rex.”

Therapy Dogs Nationwide assesses volunteers’ dogs to make sure they are sociable, have a sound temperament, resist the tendency to paw people and are generally suitable as therapy dogs.

John said: “I met our assessor in a Tesco car park and hadn’t realised she’d been watching when other people approached us and made a fuss of Rex – she could tell what a big softie he is.

“We had to have a second assessment before he was approved because at our first meeting she witnessed him jump up and put his paws on my chest, but she said she knew he had what it takes to be a great therapy dog, and she was right.

“After further training it’s clear to see how sociable and reliably wellbehaved Rex is, and I’m so pleased to be able to share the joy of having a dog with the lovely folk at Camelot House.”

In his early working life, John served with the Police in Cheshire and says he always had a good working

relationship with police dog-handlers and their canine colleagues.

Having now returned to his native Somerset for retirement, John is a member of the patient participation group at his local GP surgery, and considers he knows his way around the local health provision.

He said: “I have only good things to say about the team at Camelot House and Lodge, and I fed this back to the inspector from the Care Quality Commission when one of my visits to the home coincided with theirs.

“The staff are totally focused on the wellbeing of their residents: they treat them all with love and they respect their individual quirks and preferences.”

John and Rex visit Camelot House and Lodge once a month, make fortnightly trips to Tiverton Hospital where they visit patients on the general wards and John has also been taking Rex to medical centre flu vaccination clinics since he was four months old.

integral job, particularly during the years leading from the pandemic, and their pay rates should reflect the vital work they continue to do.

“I am thrilled to announce that for the third year running, we are a Living Wage Employer.”

Set by the Living Wage Foundation, the real Living Wage has been independently calculated according to the actual cost of living.

Brunelcare became a Living Wage Employer in 2022 after discussions that started in 2019 and is a member of the Bristol Living Wage City Action Group, leading by example to demonstrate to other employers the benefits of paying the real Living Wage.

Brunelcare is based in the South West, a region where almost a fifth of all jobs (18.1 per cent) pay less than the real Living Wage – around 424,000 jobs.

Despite this, the charity has committed to pay the real Living Wage and deliver a fair rate of pay for the hard work and commitment their teams deliver in supporting vulnerable people in a range of care settings every day.

Resident Patricia Hill, Rex and John Cutting.

Residents at Lofthouse Grange and Lodge Care Home in Wakefield welcomed some furry friends in the shape of a family of alpacas. The fluffy visitors were brought to the home, part of the Orchard Care Homes group, by Orion Tree as part of a sensory connection initiative. Home manager Krzysztof Bialczyk said: “Many of the people in our community are animal lovers, so they were overjoyed to cuddle some alpacas. This is exactly what we aim to do; provide our residents with those activities and sensations to trigger happy memories from their past, giving them comfort to their lives now.” The home has recently undergone a refurbishment and now comprises two communities – Lofthouse Grange, which provides 24-hour residential care, and Lofthouse Lodge, which specialises in caring for people living with dementia.

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Visit more than 25 exhibition stands showcasing the latest products. Speakers topics will include:

• An update on the care sector and the way forward.

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• Recruitment and staff retention.

All delegates receive:

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Pedal to the metal as resident June goes full throttle

AN 87-year-old care home resident had a ‘grand prix’ wish come true when she drove a racing car round several laps of the UK’s fastest racetrack.

Motor sport enthusiast June

Swindell told carers at Colten Care’s Salisbury care home, Braemar Lodge, of her lifelong desire to don a driver’s crash helmet and take the wheel of a competitive car at speed.

They contacted the team at Thruxton Circuit near Andover who laid on a special driving experience for the delighted former secretary.

After a safety briefing, June had her first taste of the track by completing five laps in a silver Porsche Cayman accompanied by an instructor. She was then fitted with a helmet and guided into the driving position of a bright orange single-seat Sports 2000 racing car.

Track staff padded up the back of the driver’s seat so June could safely reach the pedals.

She did a couple of laps, touching 80mph and waving to onlookers including Braemar Lodge companionship team member Kelly Bartlett and Colten Care minibus driver Nick Meyers, who had brought her to the circuit.

Kelly said: “June is an experienced driver, with a car of her own that she

still drives regularly, but this was a different experience altogether. It was the first time in her life that she had driven a racing car, something she’s told us she’d thought about often.

“As she waved to us at the end of the second lap, she missed the direction to go back into the pits, so ended up doing an extra lap! I don’t know if she meant to or not, she was just having so much fun.”

After her solo stint, June accepted an invite to be the passenger in an even faster two-seat Ford Focus ST sports car driven by one of the Thruxton team.

The pair reached speeds of up to 100mph going into corners and more than 130 mph on the straight.

Residents flying high after aviation museum visit

RESIDENTS of Hook’s Old Raven Housemwho spent a career in the aviation industry are flying high after a visit to the Army Flying Museum.

Eight residents at the care home, which is operated by Healthcare Management Solutions, were treated to the trip as part of its colourful schedule of activities, which includes regular trips out to local experiences and entertainment, as well as a packed itinerary of in-home happenings.

Manager Anne Turner said: “It was so lovely to see our residents so engaged and hear all of their stories during their visit to the Army Flying Museum.

“Their memories brought the exhibits to life in a way that was truly special. This trip wasn’t just a visit; it was a nostalgic journey for many of our residents, reminding them of the adventures and camaraderie they experienced in their aviation careers.

New Care has strengthened its management team at Wilmslow Manor with the appointment of Jo Hassey as deputy manager and Bobby Head as head of care. In her new role, Jo is tasked with supporting the home manager, overseeing new resident admissions and any discharges, as well as being responsible for the general wellbeing of the residents and team at Wilmslow Manor. Previously a clinical nurse, Jo has achieved several accreditations during her care career, including RGN, DlpSin and V300 Nurse Prescriber. For Bobby, the welfare of the residents at Wilmslow Manor is her priority, ensuring they receive safe, effective, dignified person-centred care, all whilst living a fun and fulfilled life at the care home. Bobby not only supports residents, but also the staff, helping to create a positive environment within the home from which all will benefit.

A social care group in Yorkshire has appointed a new manager at one of its care homes in the region. Ed Robinson joins Prospect House in Goole, which is owned and managed by HICA Group. He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the role and his extensive background in social care and positive behaviour support will enhance the home’s person-centred approach to care. Prospect House provides care and support to adults with a learning disability with services tailored to the individual needs of its residents. The facility specialises in supporting those with complex needs and takes a holistic approach to ensure every resident is given the appropriate care they need to achieve their full potential. Ed previously worked at Moorview Care in Hull.

Witnessing our residents reconnect with their personal histories was a truly memorable experience.”

The outing was an opportunity for the home’s residents to reconnect with their past and share memories of working in the aviation industry or with the armed forces.

The residents included former air traffic controllers, pilots, aviation mechanics, and even one resident, Royston Swatten, who received an MBE for his services to the industry following a career in aviation design.

The Army Flying Museum tells the story of British Army Flying from the early days of military ballooning to the modern Army Air Corps.

Highlights of the collection, housed in a purpose-built hanger, include a Sopwith Pup – an example of a singleseat fighter introduced in 1916 -and a Lynx helicopter which broke the world speed record in 1972, alongside around 40 other aircraft.

Aria Care Group has appointed Paul Wright as its new group hospitality manager, focusing on laundry and housekeeping. aving previously worked in hotels and restaurants, he spent a large part of his career at Unilever as a senior development chef, latterly looking after the elderly care sector, designing food for people living with dementia, as well as designing courses for care groups. Most recently, he was regional hospitality manager at another care group, where he honed his skills in the approach to laundry and housekeeping. As group hospitality manager at Aria, Paul will oversee the implementation of new cleaning schedules, developing a ‘Hospitality From the Heart’ housekeeping and laundry framework and introducing Aria Care’s new Housekeeping Academy to support its teams with the opportunity to develop and achieve NVQ qualifications. In addition, he will also lead on the launch of the group’s nKind plantbased cleaning system in the coming months.

Aurem Care has appointed Daryl Martin as its new regional director (north). Daryl brings more than two decades of specialised healthcare experience to the role. Starting his career as a registered general nurse, Daryl has dedicated 21 years to the sector, with a focus on the care of older people. His journey, rooted in the NHS, has seen him work as a registered nurse for 18 years, where he also completed a degree module in elderly care. Daryl’s new role at Aurem Care will see him oversee five homes, with an anticipation for further growth. His responsibilities will be centred around providing effective and inspirational leadership to the homes’ teams. He is set to ensure that resources are used both efficiently and effectively, enhancing the care journey for the operator’s residents.

Motor sport enthusiast June Swindell.

Alfred Naudi and Terry Holdsworth in the cockpit of a helicopter.

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