Caring Weekly April 10

Recruitment award win for homecare firm

A SCOTTISH homecare company has won a prestigious recruitment award, crediting its innovative approach to getting new care professionals on board and meeting the increasing demand.

Dubbed ‘the Oscars of the Scottish recruitment industry’, the s1jobs Recruitment Awards recognises all aspects of recruitment and retention across several sectors.

Seven Home Instead offices across Scotland collectively won ‘best in-house team’, triumphing over organisations including NFU Mutual and Barchester Healthcare.

Suhail Rehman, owner of seven Home Instead offices across Scotland, said: “The social care sector been in high demand over the past few years. As with so many businesses, your team is integral to its success and recruitment has been a priority for so many. We knew that to enhance our recruitment we had to be creative.

“Thankfully, it has performed incredibly well and we are so pleased that what we can offer our teams at Home Instead is so important to people looking for a job. We have attracted some enthusiastic care professionals to join our strong team, who care passionately about the support we provide to older people.

“We’re honoured to be win an s1jobs Recruitment

Awards, along with well-known organisation such as ScotRail. It’s a credit to our fabulous team, and I can’t wait to see what else they achieve over the coming years.”

The Covid-19 pandemic led to home care’s popularity increasing, which meant that there was an increased demand for more care professionals.

Home Instead rose to the challenge and launched a campaign encouraging people to consider working in care who haven’t previously, inspiring them to start a career and give so much to others.

The s1jobs Recruitment Awards was impressed by Home Instead’s recruitment campaign, which promoted care as a career route for people in other sectors, such as retail and hospitality, who want to try something new. Exploring new channels, such as TikTok, Home Instead showcased its job opportunities to more audiences.

While growing the recruitment team from three to seven, Home Instead saw a significant improvement in its recruitment and retention rates. Applications increased by 62 per cent, while employee turnover reduced to 35 per cent. The number of care professionals increased by a third, from 306 to 422 across the whole group of offices in Scotland.

New home ‘what village needs’

AN MP described a new care home in a former Barnsley mining village as ‘exactly what the village needs’ as he performed the official opening ceremony.

The 66-bed Sid Bailey care home is on the site of the former fire station in Brampton and local MP John Healey said he had kept a close eye on its construction, having visited the site several times in the last year since planning approval was granted. He said: “This home is a wonderful facility that is creating jobs for local people and is making excellent use of a site that had been left derelict since the fire station closure. It is exactly what Brampton needs.”

Around 60 jobs are being created at the home which makes use of eco-friendly technology such as solar panels and

ground source heat pumps.

Home manager Sue Ravenhall added: “The home is industry leading in every way, from the bespoke individual centred care to the design of the building.

“The new building has been designed to include everything residents need to live a busy and comfortable life, from accessible sensory gardens to spacious en-suite wet rooms, and even a hair salon on site.

“The home has been thoughtfully and tastefully decorated throughout, so the residents can feel truly at home.”

Sid Bailey Care Home is part of the Danforth Care Home Group and also includes amenities such as a cinema, library, coffee shops, sensory garden and an on-site beauty and hair salon.

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Residents from a Dorset care home followed a countryside trail to a picturesque New Forest viewpoint in the company of three alpacas. The party from Colten Care’s Newstone House in Sturminster Newton set off from the animals’ outdoor pen in Sandy Balls holiday village, taking them on a path up to the True Lovers’ Knot sculpture overlooking Fordingbridge and the Avon Valley. The alpacas – Pip, Dude and Chino – were led by Newstone House residents Joan Drake and Winnie Marriott under the guidance of Away Resorts’ activity leader Curtis Munson.

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Group appoints its youngest manager

BLACK Swan’s newest and youngest care home manager has taken up her new role.

Now aged just 24, Chloe Boon started with the operator in September 2016 as an apprentice care assistant aged just 17.

She said: “I’d never done care before and felt welcomed into the home and discovered the role of a carer.

“I then moved over to the activities co-ordinator role, before becoming a senior care assistant.

“In 2018 the opportunity came up to become a trainee deputy manager. I learned so much valuable knowledge in that role and in 2019 I progressed to deputy manager.

“Alongside my experience in my previous roles, Black Swan supported me with my Level 3 and 5 Diplomas in Health and Social Care to further my knowledge, and I then became a peripatetic deputy manager, where I developed wider experience of other Black Swan homes and teams.”

Black Swan provides care and support to up to 46 people at The Beeches care home in East Harling, South Norfolk.

Chloe added: “When the opportunity came up for the manager’s role at The Beeches, I knew that the time was right for me and I’m really excited to be joining our outstanding-rated team at the home.

“I’m so grateful for the support I have been given throughout my career with Black Swan.”

Regional manager Amanda Bensly added: “At just 24, we are really proud

Residents celebrate 72 years since saying ‘I do’

A POOLE care home staged a magical anniversary party for two of its residents who were celebrating 72 years of marriage.

Colten Care dedicated dementia home The Aldbury is home to Valerie and Bill Sharp, who married in 1951 after first meeting at a dance in Hull.

during Bill’s time in the Navy, living in Portsmouth and then Dartmouth. Their first son Steve was born in Hull and their second son David was born in Devon.

And when Bill left the Navy they settled in Poole where their daughter Sarah was born.

to be appointing Chloe to the care home manager role at The Beeches.

“She’s been with our Black Swan family for more than six years and has so much experience in different roles.

“She’s already a big asset to us and it shows all our staff that we have a career pathway to support them to develop and grow with us, and to find a long-term, successful career in social care.”

Dancers trip the light fantastic

YOUNG dancers have been proving that Wigan’s ‘got talent’, with their hard work and creative flair starring in their own show for the town’s older community at the Belong care village.

Twisting, twirling and tapping their way to impress their ‘judges’, the twinkle toes, aged three upwards, displayed an array of ballet, modern, and contemporary routines before finding themselves on the receiving end of rousing applause from their audience. Later, they enjoyed a glimpse of fame, signing autographs and taking questions at the aftershow party.

Sophie Walls, area manager at Belong at Home Wigan, said: “Our customers thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

“It’s our job to offer them a helping

hand in their homes and facilitate enjoyable experiences and this time, it’s thanks to the children and their beautiful, confident performancesthey were superstars.

“We’re pleased to host this community get together and help the performers grow their confidence; our customers loved offering their own advice and memories of their dance days. I’d say it was golden buzzers all round for our guests.”

Community support workers from Belong at Home, which provides a domiciliary care service to people in the wider community, as well as those living in the village’s independent living apartments, invited the talent from KAM Performing Arts Academy to entertain customers with the unforgettable experience.

The Aldbury’s Café had been specially decorated for the party with hearts, flowers and photographs taken at the couple’s wedding and during their many happy years together.

The festivities started with the reading of a congratulatory telegram from King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla and was followed by a special lunch, presents, music and laughter.

Bill and Val met when he asked her to dance. He later walked her home and revealed he had just joined the Royal Navy, before asking if she would write to him.

Val thought Bill must be older than her, as he was in the Navy, so she lied to him about her age and aqreed to write.

Bill had several long postings, up to two-and-a-half years long, but they continued to write and still have their letters.

During one shore leave they decided to get married and tied the knot on March 31, 1951 at Saint Saviours Church in Hull.

They moved about the country

They had many happy holidays in Malta, France, Spain and the Greek Islands, always wishing to be close to the sea. They also had a little sailing boat at Poole Harbour.

Over the years they have shared many interests including music and have supported Poole and Parkstone Singers, where they have many friends.

Bill was also a keen sportsman, playing squash well into his eighties, and being the oldest squash champion in Poole.

Bill, now 94 and Val, 92, have lived at The Aldbury since December 2022.

They have six grandchildren: Becky, Neil, Claire, Charlotte, Hannah and Joe. And nine great-grandchildren: Connor, Dylan, Fin, Tom, Jack, Millie, Tarna and Xander.

The youngest addition RalphieGeorge was just 14 weeks old at the time of their anniversary.

Lunch was prepared by the home’s chef Izabela Turczyn-Kuzma, who also baked a pink anniversary cake. In the afternoon the Viva Voce choir visited.

The secret to a long life is the occasional glass of red wine, according to 105-yearold Merseyside care home resident Winnifred Kennan. The centenarian celebrates her birthday with her favourite tipple every year at Aaron Grange in Huyton with Roby. Having moved to the care home in October 2017, she has marked all five of her post-century birthdays with a big bash organised by staff. This year was no different,as the care home was decorated with balloons and bunting, a buffet lunch was provided, and Win danced away to music from her favourite singer, Dame Vera Lynn. She was joined by her family, friends, and fellow residents for the celebration, when she also opened her fifth card from Buckingham Palace.

Chloe Boon outside The Beeches in East Harling, South Norfolk.

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• Turnover: 2023 £4.10m - 2022 £3.80m - 2021 £2.02m

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Theatre company brings musical cheer to home

A THEATRE company has been delighting residents at Durban House in Romsey with a special production that brought together songs from some popular musicals of the 1940s, 50s and 60s.

‘Carousel’ recently visited the nurseled care home to perform its ‘That’s Entertainment’ show, which featured musical numbers from 42nd Street, Carousel, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Half a Sixpence, and many more.

The company’s shows are specifically written for residential homes and day centres across the country, and for those living at Durban House it was a special nostalgic treat.

Setting up in the Romsey care home’s lounge, Carousel whisked residents back to a time when they were enjoying the selection of hit musicals for the very first time.

Lucy Harrison, general manager at Durban House, said: “To be able to enjoy this special performance from the comfort of our lounge here, has been incredible.

“A big thank you to Carousel for coming along. It has been fantastic to see all our residents singing and clapping along to songs they know and love.”

Carousel Theatre was founded in 2006 by Emily Wade and Griff Mellhuish, who have more than 40 years of theatrical experience between them.

Its shows are all 45 minutes long and its actors are seasoned professionals, many of whom have worked in the West End, regional touring theatre, film and television.

Emily added: “We always make sure our performances are as visually and mentally stimulating as possible by using brightly coloured costumes, puppets, props, and jokes, and we sing songs from musicals that everyone will recognise.

“We had a fantastic time at Durban House and were made to feel very welcome.

“It was brilliant to see both residents and staff getting involved, and we’re already looking forward to our next visit.”

Residents at RMBI Care Co. Home Shannon Court in Surrey enjoyed a visit from Giant Schnauzer Rex to mark National Pet Month. Being the deputy home manager’s dog, Rex is a regular at the facility. However, this visit was special as it was his first birthday party. The residents were delighted to meet the affectionate animal, who was happy to be petted and stroked. Kata Beauchemin, one of Shannon Court’s activities coordinators, said: “Rex is much loved by a lot of our residents. He had a squeaky toy cake, an edible birthday card and some gifts. Meanwhile, the residents enjoyed some cakes to celebrate his first birthday.”

Resident Brenda Austin is pictured with Rex.

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Protecting care workers in the twindemic

By Professor Martin Green OBE

AS WE brace the cold of winter, the flu season is now upon us. This year we have a fear of what is described as a ‘twindemic’ of both Covid and flu. Recent data shows that there are more people currently in hospital due to flu than there are because of Covid, and these deadly viruses are a great threat to everybody who lives or works in care services.

Another aspect of the current wave of both flu and Covid is that because of restrictions and the wearing of masks, many people have not been able to build up immunity.

There is an expectation that this flu season may be one of the worst unless we take some serious and very swift action to mitigate transmission.

Over the last few weeks, the Department of Health and Social Care have been urging people to vaccinate against the flu and ensure they are fully up-to-date on their Covid boosters.

There is some good news as the new Covid booster and the current flu vaccination are very effective in protecting people from the worst excesses of these viruses.

There has long been a tradition of care staff vaccinating against the flu, but we must ensure that as many people who work in care services get this vaccination.

The vaccination process for people who use care services is very well developed, and the vast majority of

those in care have the flu and Covid vaccination.

The figures for staff could be better, and there needs to be a really clear push to get vaccinated as many people as possible before the worst excesses of the winter flu virus hit the UK.

The task of getting people to understand how deadly both flu and Covid are is made more difficult because many of the restrictions that we used to have are now gone for the majority of people.

We have seen the opening of hospitality venues, and people can

now travel and socialise in the same way they did in the past.

While this is a positive development, it does, of course, mean that staff in care services (and many service users) will now be much more exposed to the possibility of getting either Covid or flu.

The Covid pandemic highlighted the importance of infection control and ensuring that the buildings within which care is delivered have the highest level of hygiene and cleanliness.

The pandemic made us understand the important role that our domestic teams play in keeping residents and staff safe, and this understanding should lead us to prioritise cleaning regimes throughout every care service.

We are lucky that several really great products offer the highest level of protection against viruses. Not only do they provide protection, but they are also easy to use and enable domestic staff to be confident that once they have cleaned a surface, the area will stay clear of germs for some time.

P&G Professional has several products specifically designed for commercial use that offer the highest hygiene and virus control level. What is also good to know, from the point of view of care providers, is that many of these products have been developed from brands that are known and recognised in the domestic market.

This can help people to have faith in the brand, and people who use services are confident that these products are effective.

For example, when used according to label instructions, Flash Professional Multi-Surface Cleaner offers disinfection and fast contact time to kill 99.99 per cent of bacteria and viruses in as little as 15 seconds, including SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid.

The ease of use of many of these products also provides the most efficient way of ensuring safety, enabling staff to spend more time supporting residents.

Products such as Ariel Professional also ensure that linens are as clean and germ-free as possible, have familiar household smells, and are known to residents and their families.

This enables the care setting to have a feeling of home, as well as a safe environment in which to deliver care. The use of Fairy Professional in dishwashers also assures people that crockery is clean and germ-free.

This will be a very tough winter, and we expect there may be much risk from the flu and Covid.

However, care services can be assured that a range of projects available to them will mitigate this risk and make outbreaks of flu or Covid as low as possible.

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

Shackletons unveils its latest collection

THE classic Clarence collection of upholstered armchairs and sofas has been extended with a new contemporary design, the Clarence Fluted.

The Clarence Fluted is a modern and contemporary take on the traditional Chesterfield design. The collection features the characteristic roll arms and low back of the iconic Chesterfield design but has an elegant, fluted back and arms for a cleaner, softer look.

All of Shackleton’s upholstered furniture is handmade at our factory in Yorkshire.

Our talented craftsmen and women tailor each piece of furniture using time-honoured skills and techniques to achieve to the highest levels of comfort and quality.

Our design and development teams have enhanced the classic Chesterfield look and improved the comfort by introducing additional traditional furniture making techniques.

Gill Reed, head of creative at

Shackletons, said: “We feel it is important not to lose sight of furniture classics, so with this in mind we designed the Clarence Fluted collection as an evolution of the classic Chesterfield.

“The extended range provides interior designers the opportunity to specify a statement piece of furniture that is contemporary and highly appropriate to a wide range of healthcare, senior living environments and modern design schemes.”

Alongside, the fluted design, the original Clarence collection with the deep buttoned back and feature studding has been updated to incorporate additional design features, including button detailing to the border and an extra rolled upholstery feature under the seat cushions.

The Clarence and Clarence Fluted collections can be seen on the Shackletons website at https://www.shackletonsltd.co.uk/ product-category/upholstered/clarence/

Care Show organisers announce Retirement Living Show launch

CloserStill Media has announced its latest social care event launch, the Retirement Living Show, taking place on October 11 and 12 at the NEC Birmingham.

The Retirement Living Show will be a trade show for professionals working in the rapidly growing sector to come together, network and discuss key topics.

From raising finance, finding land, construction, looking at how to market business models to attract clients, understanding legalities, architecture to affordable living. Attendees will hear from retirement living providers, major developers, legal firms, banks, suppliers and many other experts.

The show will include two conference theatres, 16 sessions, and will be free to register and fully CPD accredited.

Co-located with the Care Show, by registering for the Retirement Living Show, attendees will gain access to both events incorporating 150 conference sessions and hosting more than 200 suppliers in the joint exhibition hall.

Michael Corbett, portfolio director

at Closerstill Media, said: “With the care sector ever evolving and learning best practice from other countries, we see the increasing demand of retirement communities in the UK.

“As a natural extension to our current elderly care offering, within the award-winning Care Show, we believe the Retirement Living Show will invite another community of this amazing industry to share knowledge and experience and improve the lives of every UK resident as we grow older.”

Prospective delegates can sign up to receive the latest information and news on the Retirement Living Show by registering their interest at: https://bit.ly/3GYVrS0

The CloserStill portfolio includes some of the fastest growing and multi award-winning events, including such as the Care Show, the Occupational Therapy Show, Clinical Pharmacy Congress, The Dentistry Show, The Pharmacy Show and Acute & General Medicine.

The Financial Times FT1000 Index has named CloserStill the fastest growing exhibition organiser in Europe.

Operations director Emma featured in Influential Businesswoman Awards

OPERATIONS director at Barnsleybased Wolf Laundry, Emma

Toas, has received the Most Influential Commercial Laundry Businesswoman 2023 (UK) Award in Acquisition International’s Influential Businesswoman Awards.

The Influential Businesswoman Awards aim to showcase the most outstanding and inspiring businesswomen from around the world, and Emma’s win is a true reflection of her hard work and driven determination.

She said: “I’m elated to be recognised in the Influential Businesswoman Awards and I’d like to thank Wolf Laundry for nominating me.

“In the last year since joining the Wolf team I have worked to streamline operations ensuring that customers have a consistently positive experience from Wolf.

“During this time, I have managed the acquisition of

another business, fully integrating both this and another previous acquisition into the Wolf business model.

“Commercial laundry is a typically male dominated industry however Wolf is lucky to have a number of very capable and talented women among the ranks.

“I’m incredibly excited about the future and playing a key role in Wolf’s continued growth.”

Acquisition International’s independent judging panel asks that awardees demonstrate expertise within their given field, dedication to client service and satisfaction and above all an ongoing commitment to excellence and quality in a merit-driven approach that gives commendations based on nominees’ own contributions.

Emma’s award demonstrates not only her own entrepreneurial spirit and influential leadership with more than 20 years of experience

in developing and implementing innovative and leading-edge strategies in her industry, but also that with which she gives to commercial laundry experts Wolf.

Fast-growing Wolf Laundry has more than 30 years’ experience within the laundry sector and provides bespoke commercial laundry equipment across the UK to heavy users including care homes, universities, and holiday parks.

Wolf Laundry director Dan Riley added: “Huge congratulations are in order to Emma who has been recognised in the Influential Businesswoman Awards.

“Being able to recognise the achievements of female leaders in our business and in the industry is so important.

“We hope that Emma continues to be a trailblazer and innovator for Wolf and a role model to others that may follow in her footsteps in our field.”

Emma Toas

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