Caring uk Weekly July 26

Children win home naming competition

TWO pupils from a Telford primary school have won a competition to name and brand their local care home.

Zoe Witkowska and Marcy Hodgson from Lawley Village Primary Academy scooped joint first prize for their entries, which were whittled down from dozens of local entrants.

Marcy, from year four, won a £50 prize for coming up with the new name of Telford Hall Care Home, while Zoe, from year five, won a £50 prize for her new logo design featuring two hot air balloons.

Both girls have been invited to the home next month to cut the official opening ribbon.

Zoe said: “My design was inspired by the town’s amazing hot air balloon festival and it’s great to see it now up on the outside of the building.”

Marcy added: “Zoe and I feel very proud to have won the competition. We walk past the care home every day as it’s just across the road from our school.

“As a school, we often pop in to chat to the residents and get involved with activities.”

Telford Hall Care Home was acquired by the Sandstone Care Group in 2022 and Fiona Brewin became its first registered manager last month. The 66-bed purposebuilt specialist nursing and residential care home prides

itself on its high levels of care and its strong sense of community.

The home, which was recently commended by the Care Quality Commission for making significant improvements across all areas of the home and was rated as ‘Good’ in the areas of Responsive, Caring and Effective, also received praise for its “kind and attentive staff” and the fact that residents were “happy and safe” and “supported to be as independent as they could be”.

Fiona, who has an extensive background in care including working as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner, said: “We had lots of lovely entries for our competition from staff and residents, Brownies and Lawley Village Primary Academy.

“Zoe and Marcy’s entries were fantastic and we’re really pleased they can cut the official ribbon next month. We’re also going to be using some of the other name suggestions in public rooms around the care home.

“We’re like an extended family here and we love listening to ideas from our residents, because it’s very much their home and we are guests in it.

“I’m so proud that residents see Telford Hall as a ‘home from home’ because that’s what we strive for.”

Annie Hardy, who turned 104 in June, has taken on Cancer Research’s Race for Life in Blackheath alongside her fellow residents and staff members of RMBI Care Co. Home Prince George Duke of Kent Court, in Chislehurst. Three residents and 12 staff members set off on the Home’s minibus to take part in the 3k event on Blackheath Common. They all donned personalised pink T-shirts, tutus and sun hats. At 104, the event’s organisers welcomed Annie when the team arrived and announced she was the oldest participant in the race. Throughout the race, crowds cheered Annie on as the home’s business relationship manager Fiona Hodges pushed her in her wheelchair. Collectively, the team raised more than £1,500 with Gift Aid towards Cancer Research.

Time running out for entries

OPERATORS 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 now 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.

These include everything from Quality in Housekeeping and Catering Team of the Year to Best Outdoor Environment and End of Life Team of the Year.

Event director Dominic Musgrave said: “We are really excited to be introducing the sixth 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 7 presented by television personality Emma Jesson.

Closing date for nominations is August 28th.

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Intergenerational choirs hits high note at village

AN intergenerational choir at the UK’s first fully integrated research nursery within a care setting, the Nursery in Belong, which is run by national charity Ready Generations and located at the Belong care village in Chester, has expanded to involve the local community after proving a hit with old and young alike.

Dubbed the ‘Sankofa Songsters’, the choir takes its name from the Ghanaian word meaning ‘to retrieve’, which is symbolised by a bird with forward-facing feet and its head turned backwards, carrying an egg in its mouth, representing the need to reflect on the past to build a successful future, a value that is enshrined in the nursery’s intergenerational curriculum.

Inspired by the nursery’s weekly intergenerational musical ‘stay and play’ sessions, residents came up with the idea of forming a choir together with the children.

Nursery manager Ruth Sandbach said: “The choir really has brought immense joy to village life. It’s particularly exciting that this is led by the residents and children.

“Even for people who might not be living with dementia, music has an almost unique ability to evoke joy and memories, which can help to maintain cognitive functioning and well-being.

“This is really helpful for people living with dementia and, of course, for our children as they develop their language and communication skills.”

Both initiatives are led by music teacher Amanda Wrigley, who runs music and movement sessions for schools, pre-schools and nurseries under the moniker ‘Live the Beat’.

Joyce makes a splash again after years out of the water

They are made possible with grants from Curious Minds North West, which aims to improve the lives of children and young people through participation in arts and culture, and Cheshire West and Chester Council Member Budgets.

Working alongside Belong’s intergenerational practice lead Sophie McKeon, the children and residents select the songs they wish to sing, including Edelweiss and Somewhere Over The Rainbow.

They have also chosen to incorporate drumming sessions involving a large gathering drum and smaller hand drums.

Members of the local community are now getting involved, with resident Shirley Heaton attending with her daughter Tracey, and the father of Amanda, who leads the sessions, also starting joining in.

Local pianist Pete Hardie, who volunteers at the community care village, has begun playing piano to accompany the singing.

A DORSET care home resident has spoken of her joy after she went swimming for the first time in years.

Joyce Ware took the dip at the Stour Connect hydrotherapy pool in Sturminster Newton and says she would love to spend more time in the water.

Supported by team members from Colten Care’s Newstone House where she lives, the former science teacher said her 45-minute private session rekindled fond memories from when she was a girl and as an adult in various locations here and overseas.

Joyce added: “I really enjoyed my time in the pool and it brought back so many memories. I didn’t want to leave.

“I could have swum for hours. If we could do this every week it would be amazing.”

In the 1920s, Joyce’s mother was a swimming coach and ensured she learned to swim from as a toddler.

As a girl she swam in Whitley Bay and, when evacuated to Keswick

during the Second World War, she enjoyed dips in the Lake District.

After the war was over, she worked as a science teacher in Egypt and recalls swimming in the River Nile’s warmer waters.

Newstone House companionship team leader Karlene Horswill said: “Joyce has been a lover of swimming since she was young and continued to swim until she came to Newstone House.

“She was originally with us for respite care and then became a longer-term resident two years ago.

“During a reminiscence activity, she revealed her love of swimming as a child in Whitley Bay and in Dorset when she moved here with her family.

“Stour Connect is our home’s chosen charity this year so we got in contact with them and arranged the session specially for her.”

Joyce was also accompanied by the home’s care co-ordinator Lucy England, who joined her in the sevenmetre-by-three-metre pool.

Cruise inspires thank you bonanza

WHEN dementia care specialist Richard Dempslake went on a twoweek cruise of the Mediterranean recently, he came back inspired to create a thank-you event for colleagues which proved a huge hit at his care home in Wellington, Somerset.

The activities co-ordinator, who works at Camelot House and Lodge, said: “Since the day I got back from the cruise I’ve been organising this afternoon – which we called our ‘Bonanza’ – sending invitations, selling bonus balls, advertising the events and writing up the plan for the day.

“It’s not often we blow our own trumpet, but I was thinking about my colleagues when I was away, and decided I wanted to have a really special event that would acknowledge the love and dedication this amazing incredibly hard-working team demonstrate every single day.”

At the heart of his Bonanza was an appreciation ceremony for staff, which also served to help residents and their families discover the huge

amount of work that goes on behind the scenes at the home.

Richard added: “We built the excitement in advance by involving residents in creating a backdrop for the stage, and we started off the day’s activities with a game, with prize certificates for the highest scorers, and a running commentary to give an authentic ‘cruise’ vibe.

“The afternoon was packed with activities that would appeal to our residents – a winning combination of games, refreshments and a

celebration – we knew they’d love it.

“After an engaging game of Scattegories came happy hour, with special cocktails like mojitos or sangria, as well as non-alcoholic drinks, all garnished with mint from our home garden and served over ice.

“Then once people had drinks to make toasts with, we had our staff appreciation ceremony – and it was so heartwarming to hear all the cheering and applause.

“We launched the ceremony the rousing Vanessa Amorosi song

‘Absolutely Everybody’ – the unofficial anthem for the 2000 Olympic Games – and I asked the audience to put their hands together as we invited colleagues to come on to the stage.

“Whilst staff were gathering I relayed a few facts about them, then I got them to share things about their jobs, how long they’ve been with Camelot Care and what they enjoy most about working here.

“This was a great opportunity for residents’ families to meet staff they don’t always see including our admin manager Ann, admin assistant Paul and maintenance manager Barry, and be introduced to our new home manager Zillah and operations manager James.

“Finally things were rounded off with a game of bingo, with half the proceeds going to the winner and half to the staff fund.

“After the event we had some lovely feedback from guests and I’d like to say a huge thank you to my colleagues on the activities team, Kathy Burge and Michael Rowe, who helped everything run smoothly.”

Joyce Ware with Newstone House care co-ordinator Lucy England.

Home kickstarts Chloe’s career

AN Ayr woman has found her calling in life thanks to a care home and a UK Government initiative.

Over the last year care assistant Chloe McMillan has undertaken training at Meallmore Group’s Greenan Manor in Doonfoot through the Kickstart Scheme.

The UK Government ran the Kickstart Scheme from September 2020 to January 2023 to help combat unemployment rates in people aged between 16 and 24.

Exotic animals visit care home for therapy session

A DRAGON, a tarantula and a snake were among the latest visitors to a Huddersfield care home – as residents took part in an animal therapy session.

Almost a dozen miniature creatures were brought to Aden Lodge in Clayton West by mobile petting zoo DB Animal Therapy.

Among the visitors was Rico the rabbit, Pablo and Robbie the tortoises, Leo the guinea pig, Smokie the hen, Maui the bearded dragon, Curly the tarantula, Pepper the hedgehog and Lily the snake.

Residents had the chance to meet, hold, stroke or just watch each of the animals as they were taken around the living room area.

Home manager Sarah Durham said: “These sorts of sessions have a wide range of benefits, helping to boost everyone’s mood, reduce feelings of stress and loneliness, ease anxiety, improve overall wellbeing and being a lot of fun.

“It was a lovely experience for our residents and staff to meet all the animals and we’d all like to thank Charlotte from DB Animal Therapy for bringing them to Aden Lodge and our activities coordinator Janice McNab for arranging the session.

“You only need to see the residents interacting with the animals and talking about it for hours afterwards to know how beneficial these sorts of therapy sessions are.”

Before the scheme Chloe worked in the hospitality industry and found it difficult to move sectors.

On starting at Greenan Manor in March, Chloe underwent three rotations to experience the different responsibilities in the home.

After completing 24 weeks split across food preparation, activities and care, Chloe found her passion lay in care.

She said: “I’d been interested in going into care after helping to look after my grandmother.

“I was lucky the Kickstart Scheme was operating when I was seeking a career change as it probably wouldn’t have happened otherwise.

“I feel very supported by my Greenan Manor colleagues, who are so approachable and continue to teach me so much.

“I love interacting with the residents and making their day that little bit better – this is it for me, care is my career.”

Care home manager Elaine Hughes added: “It’s been great to see how Chloe has thrived at Greenan Manor

and we look forward to continuing to support her professional development.

“The Kickstart Scheme has helped us engage a new generation and welcome them to the Meallmore family.

“It’s also presented a wonderful opportunity for young people to experience the different roles within our homes and find their place.”

In future Chloe plans to continue her training and hopes to specialise in conditions that affect the brain such as dementia.

Charity calls on Government to increase end-of-life care funding

A CHARITY that provides training in end-of-life care is calling on the Government to make more resources and training available for generalist frontline staff who care for people in the last years of life.

The Gold Standards Framework Centre says the provision of highquality end of life care must become a national priority as the trend towards people living and dying at home rather than in hospitals is likely to continue.

According to research commissioned by GSF, two thirds of people who expressed a preference say they would like to die at home or in a care home (67 per cent). But, the charity points out, unless more frontline health and care professionals receive specific end-oflife training and support to provide improved care – either at home, in care homes or retirement villages –the decline in hospital deaths will start to reverse.

This would lead to increased emergency admissions and hospital deaths, meaning people will be denied the chance to die at home or in their usual place of care.

Unlike some developed countries

where the majority of people die in hospital, the UK has seen a gradual reduction in hospital death rates – a positive trend that over the last 25 years GSF has contributed to through its end of life care training and accreditation programmes.

Keri Thomas, founder and chair of GSF, said: “If current trends continue, home and care home death rates are set to almost double by 2040 as hospital death rates decline further.

“But if end-of-life training and

support for staff in the community does not increase, we are likely to see poorer quality of care for the dying in the community along with increased numbers of hospital admissions and hospital deaths.

“This leads to increased hospitalisation and reduced access for acutely unwell patients, with the consequent clogging up of emergency departments and long ambulance waits seen in many hospitals last winter.

“Research confirms that more than 40 per cent of emergency hospital admissions of people from care homes are potentially preventable, and more could be enabled to die at home with better staff training and stronger support.

“More than 650,000 people died in the UK in 2022 including a nine per cent rise due to post-Covid excess deaths, with numbers set to rise further in the next 25 years.

“So failure to provide staff with adequate end-of-life care training will result in many more people experiencing poor care at the end of their lives, greater distress for their families and excessive hospitalisation.

“Investment in prevention through

proactive training can therefore reap benefits at practical, economic and humanitarian levels.

“This overuse of hospitals is not what we or the public wants to see happen.

“It’s imperative that the Government takes action now to ensure adequate resources are made available to ensure all frontline staff in any setting receive end of life care training, so that more people can live well and die well in a place and manner of their choosing.”

The charity says they have widespread public support, with two thirds of people (67 per cent) surveyed backing their call for the Government to provide more resources and training for end-of-life care as a national priority.

The research also highlighted a lack of public awareness around end-oflife care, with half those surveyed (50 per cent) admitting they had scant knowledge of the care and support available to them in the last years of life.

Almost two thirds (61 per cent) said they would appreciate a discussion with professionals about end-of-life care options available.

Keri Thomas

Maureen Metcalfe with Maui the bearded dragon (left) and fellow resident Mick Gore with Lily the snake.

Chloe McMillan

Home rated ‘Good’ in recent inspection

FIELD View Care Home in Blackhall Colliery, County Durham, has been rated ‘Good’ in all areas following a recent Care Quality Commission inspection.

The purpose-built facility providing residential care for up to 36 people is part of the Maria Mallaband Care Group. It was found to offer safe,and well-led care following an unannounced visit from a CQC inspector, receiving a ‘Good’ rating across both inspected areas of provision.

Care is also considered ‘effective’, ‘caring’ and ‘responsive’, with ‘good’ rating across these three other key inspection areas still standing from the previous inspection report, published in October 2021.

The inspector spoke with service users, their relatives, managers and other staff, as well as reviewing records kept by the home.

The report states: “People and relatives reported they found staff were skilled, knowledgeable and competent.” They also described staff as “available, extremely supportive, and very caring.”

It also notes that they were not only “satisfied with the service” but felt “staff always went above and beyond in delivering the care” and were “passionate about providing good care outcomes and took ownership of their practice.”

Home manager Tanya Hardy said:

“We have an incredible team here, and I am so pleased to see their dedication and compassion reflected so clearly in this report, especially in all the wonderful comments from those living here and their relatives.

“The happiness and wellbeing of those in our care is always our first concern, and our colleagues go above and beyond day after day to make sure they have the best possible experience, and the best care –nothing is too much trouble.

“I was already very proud of everyone here at Field View, but after reading this inspection report I am prouder than ever.”

The report also found that the leadership team promotes “a positive, person-centred culture.”

It added: “The registered manager, deputy manager and staff put people’s needs and wishes at the heart of everything they did. Staff understood their responsibilities and were held to account for their performance.”

“Promoting a positive culture that is person-centred, open, inclusive and empowering is so important to us –and foundational to the work we do,” Tanya said.

“We really do put people’s needs and wishes at the heart of everything –as this report points out. I am so pleased to see all our collective hard work recognised in this way.”

A RESIDENT at Millway House in Andover recently celebrated 70 years of marriage to his childhood sweetheart.

Graham Guppy, 91, and his wife Val, 92, met when they lived opposite each other as children and married in Cardiff in 1953.

Marking their milestone anniversary at the nurse-led care home, the happy couple enjoyed tea and cake and a weekend get-together with family and friends.

The husband and wife, who journeyed to Guernsey for their honeymoon in the early 50s on a small eight-seater plane, continued to satisfy their joint love for travel by visiting numerous countries across the world during their marriage – the Caribbean, America, and Canada to name just a few.

They have three children, five grandchildren and a great-grandchild on the way, and said their secret to a happy marriage was to always “work as a team”.

Home manager Claire Lousteau said it was heart-warming to be part of the couple’s anniversary celebrations.

She added: “70 years is just

remarkable, and it’s been wonderful to see Graham and Val celebrating with everyone here. A huge thank you to Millway’s excellent activities team for organising everything.

“Graham joined us at Millway in May, and it’s lovely hearing about his and Val’s life together.”

When Graham and Val marked their 50th wedding anniversary in 2003 they were thrilled to receive a card from Her Majesty the Queen.

Now, 20 years on, they have had a very similar card through the post, but this time from King Charles III. A Fife care home worker has braved a skydive to treat residents at Preston House, part of the Holmes Care Group, to new garden furniture. Manager Tracey Sayle challenged herself to take on a skydive to help deck out the home’s garden with a suite of new furniture ready for the summer months, with many residents looking forward to spending time outdoors chatting and basking in the sunshine. Tracey was able to raise more than £3,000, and a celebration was held by residents, relatives and staff at the home after she came back from her adventure. She said: “I’m delighted that I was able to raise this much money for the residents – it surpassed my expectations. I was definitely nervous before the skydive, but it was all worth it in the end to see the smiles on the residents’ faces.”

Home celebrates a decade of service

A HOME has celebrated its 10th anniversary providing care to older people and those living with dementia.

Owned and operated by the Meallmore Group, Antonine House in Bearsden held an outdoor party for residents, relatives and staff to mark the milestone occasion. The anniversary celebrations involved a garden barbecue prepared by the kitchen team. There was an Elvis entertainer in attendance who performed for the residents, relatives and guests. More than 80 people attended in total.

Amanda King, area manager for Meallmore, said: “The anniversary party was perfect, and we had a brilliant turn out; the residents, their families and our whole team really enjoyed themselves. Elvis – aka John – completely stole the show and had

people dancing and tapping away with big smiles on their faces.

“The staff did an excellent job at organising everything and I’m so thankful to them all. I’d also like

to say a big thanks to the kitchen team for putting on a great meal for everyone.”

Deputy manager Paula Ritchie was part of the original team when the

home opened a decade ago. Paula, along with four other members of staff who have also worked at Antonine House since it opened, was presented with a bouquet of flowers to commemorate the anniversary.

She added: “We’re one big family and the fact that most of our staff have worked at Antonine for over six years tells it all.

“I’ve been lucky to spend the last 10 years of my career with Meallmore and, ever since the care home opened, I’ve found it nothing but a beautiful place to work.

“I feel honoured to be employed somewhere with such a great culture and team of professionals. It’s a pleasure to care for the residents and welcome them and their families into our home.”

Resident Margaret Goodwin, who has lived at the home since it opened in 2013, also received flowers.