Caring UK Weekly April 2023

Ena recalls her meetings with King Charles

A WIDOW whose husband was killed in action during WWII has recalled her friendship with His Majesty King Charles III, the former Prince of Wales, ahead of his coronation on May 6.

Ena Mitchell became a member of the War Widows’ Association following husband Bill’s death, and formed a friendship with the then Prince of Wales.

Ena is now 104, and is the oldest resident living at Royal Star & Garter in High Wycombe.

The home provides loving, compassionate care to veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia.

Bill, a Dunkirk and D-Day veteran, was killed in Belgium in 1944 when the Bren gun carrier he was travelling in to fetch supplies for his unit was bombed.

Ena went on to join the War Widows’ Association, and got to befriend the future King when he became its Patron. She said: “I met him lots of times, he’s been wonderful to the War Widows’ Association.”

Ena remembers being introduced to Her Majesty Queen Camilla, formerly HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, by the Prince during a War Widows’ Association visit to Buckingham Palace.

She added: “We were

standing in a circle and he was introducing us to Camilla.

“One of our group told her she had four children when her husband was killed, and she (Camilla) was so kind and sympathetic.

“You couldn’t have met a nicer person.”

Ena would meet the Prince on several occasions, including at official functions at Highgrove House and Clarence House, and remained in touch with him after moving to Royal Star & Garter.

They would exchange letters and Ena added: “I also sent him a couple of architecture books I thought might interest him and got nice letters back. He is so friendly.”

Ena was a prolific fundraiser, collecting money for charities including Royal British Legion, NSPCC and Children with Cancer. In the 1970s, she was part of a War Widows’ Association group which visited Royal Star & Garter at its former Home in Richmond. She said: “I was so fascinated and impressed that I thought that this will be the charity that I’ll really work hard for.”

Over five decades, Ena has helped raise thousands of pounds for Royal Star & Garter, often asking for donations to be made to the charity on her birthday, instead of receiving presents.

Chair of Care England and Hallmark Care Homes, Avnish Goyal was awarded a CBE in her late Majesty’s birthday honour’s list and visited Buckingham Palace to receive the honour at a formal ceremony. Avnish, founder of family-run care provider Hallmark Care Homes, received the national honour for his services to social care and philanthropy and was presented the title by The Princess Royal. He was also recognised for his work during the pandemic with the largest representative body for social care, Care England, The Care Workers Charity and volunteer-led initiative; Championing Social Care.

Care home hosts art exhibition

CARE home residents in Solihull, unveiled their art exhibition in style to family and friends at Claridge Place. Th art exhibition took place with entertainment and plenty of cheese and wine.

Claridge Place incorporated the sensory painting method, involving a range of materials and techniques to create a textured and multi-sensory experience for the residents to showcase their skills. The organisation of the exhibition was a collaborative process from all members of the team, and was an important, meaningful activity for residents, and for families to enjoy.

Stacey Debney Webber, customer relations manager at Claridge Place, said: “Art sessions are important for our residents at Claridge Place. It empowers

them and gives them the opportunity to express themselves.

“It has had a positive impact or all our residents, particularly those living with a Dementia diagnosis. Over the past two months our residents have been working hard to produce some stunning art pieces for our exhibition.

“The residents at Claridge Place were proud to showcase their pieces and we received some wonderful feedback from families.

“The event gave the team, residents and their loved ones an opportunity to come together and celebrate. The exhibition gave our residents a sense of achievement, inclusion and pride.”

The residents were overjoyed to see their artistic talents on display and share their creativity with others.

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Home and hospice set to team up to provide lasting nursing support

A HERTFORD care home has donated vital funds to support a hospice’s work providing expert nursing support in people’s own homes.

Signature at Bentley House has donated £1,162 to Isabel Hospice, a Welwyn Garden City charity providing specialist palliative and end-of-life care to hundreds of people across eastern Hertfordshire each year.

Cassie Hinton, client liaison manager at Signature at Bentley House, said: “We regard Isabel Hospice as a close community partner and are delighted to support them in any way we can.

“Whilst we have previously provided donations to the hospice’s golf days and lights of love service, we were keen to provide this additional support as part of their fundraising objectives.

“Their nursing team have supported our residents in need of hospice care, and we are hopeful we can further extend our work together by assisting the hospice should they need to move people they support into a care home setting.”

The money donated by the care home is enough to cover the cost of a week’s worth of two-hour visits from Isabel Hospice’s Hospice at Home team, which offers advice on symptom control and specialist practical nursing care to people in their own homes, or usual place of residence.

The donation adds to an ongoing collaboration between Bentley House and Isabel Hospice, who provide specialist nursing care to the home’s residents.

The hospice is also embarking on lasting support to team members at the care home through delivering expert training sessions covering end-

Digger and dumper wish comes true for building site fanatic

of-life nursing care.

Whilst the hospice’s services are free to those who need them, guaranteeing its future care provision means the it must raise £7million every year through donations, fundraising events and income generated from its 16 shops across the county.

Donna Barton, Isabel’s community, corporate and events fundraising manager, added: “We passionately believe that every person nearing the end of their life deserves the skilled, compassionate care and support that the hospice is able to provide.

“We are therefore incredibly grateful to our friends at Bentley House for this generous donation, which will ensure those who rely on us can access our free services whenever and wherever they need them, whether that’s at our Inpatient Unit, in people’s own homes, or in a care home setting.”

AN 84-year-old care home resident had a birthday wish come true on a Salisbury building site.

John Parfitt, who lives at Braemar Lodge, donned a hard hat, hi-vis jacket and tough boots for the chance to sit at the controls of a digger and a dumper truck.

The visit was a hands-on opportunity to check progress on the Colten Care home’s forthcoming extension, Stratford Court.

In his working life, Watford-born John did a range of jobs including being an agency worker on various building sites, hence his interest.

With all safety precautions followed and under close supervision, he was thrilled with the visit.

“I’m happy as Larry,” he said after a few minutes sitting at the controls of the eight-ton digger.

“I’ve been looking across from Braemar Lodge, keeping an eye on how it’s all going and seeing the guys driving round.

“On my birthday in December I asked if I could come on-site and see it for real at a suitable stage and when the weather was good enough. Sitting here I just feel I’m in the right place at the right time. It’s comfortable and you have a sense of the power it can deliver.”

After being in the digger, John went to sit in a three-ton dumper truck.

He added: “This is lovely, a great chance to see everything from a different angle out in the fresh air.”

John, who has lived in Salisbury since the 1980s, was accompanied throughout the visit by site manager Paul Findlay, who explained how the controls on both vehicles work.

Paul said: “It was a real pleasure to give John such a great experience. I could tell he had been on building sites before. He had all the site banter.”

While John was enjoying himself in the digger and dumper, fellow Braemar Lodge residents Catherine Brighty and Pamela Rees were turning ‘detectorists’.

They took a metal detector to search for items under the rubble and mud in a small, safe area well away from the main construction site.

Although no treasure was revealed,

they found various pieces of metal including screws, nails, coins, wire, a drill bit, a tap and a battery.

The residents’ visit provided an opportunity to see how the build is developing since groundworks began in November 2022.

Stratford Court is on the site of a former charity-run care home which had been lying vacant before it was demolished in 2020.

The new extension will house 36 bedrooms, each with an en-suite wet room, split over three floors, including a garden floor. Accommodation will extend to 2,700 sq m or 29,052 sq ft.

As well as bedrooms, there will be plant, training and staff rooms and a second-floor guest suite. The main entrance and reception area will be accessed from road level.

The build programme is expected to last around 18 months, with interiors and fit out due in spring 2024 and overall construction completed in summer 2024.

When it is ready, some Braemar Lodge residents will move in while the original home undergoes a phased refurbishment with 49 new bedrooms, taking the combined capacity to 85 bedrooms.

Ian Heard, group director of construction at Colten Developments, said the construction will involve around 30 sub-contractor companies employing around 250 tradespeople.

“Everything needs coordinating to ensure the project is delivered on time and on budget,” he added.

“Every construction project has its challenges but we are a compact professional team operating under one roof and have the ability to make dynamic decisions.

“This is an exciting project for Colten Developments and we are looking forward to delivering another fine home to Colten Care.

“The most important thing on this project is to ensure that we keep any disruption to Braemar Lodge to a bare minimum so our residents aren’t impacted. Our site manager is in regular contact with the home to keep them informed on progress and any activities that may cause any disturbance.”

John Parfitt, 84, in the digger with site manager Paul Findlay, left, and Braemar Lodge companionship team leader Graham Ballard.

Cassie Hinton from Signature at Bentley House presents a cheque to Donna Barton from Isabel Hospice.

Family and friends joined Florence Chettle to mark her 105th birthday. A party was held at Barnfield Care Home to celebrate the milestone. Three generations of her family joined her for the day, when she received gifts, cake, and birthday cards – including her fifth from Buckingham Palace. In 1945 she married Frank Chettle, a headteacher at Tapton House School, in Chesterfield. They were married for more than 66 years before Frank passed away in 2011. The couple had three children, Helen, Jane, and Nick, and now have eight grandchildren and nine great grandchildren, who live around the world, in Canada, America, Australia, and the UK. Florence moved to Barnfield in March 2018, just one month before her 100th birthday.

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

WITH the country preparing for the official crowning of King Charles III this year, Bidfood has been focusing on further supporting the care industry by hosting a coronation party for the residents of Tunstall Hall.

Like Tunstall Hall, many UK care homes have had to operate with tight budgets, rising food costs and understaffed kitchens. The challenge increases when taking into consideration the varied dietary requirements of each resident, suffering from various medical conditions such as diabetes and dysphagia.

In the lead up to launching their latest care home guide, – ‘A Feast Fit for a King’, Bidfood’s culinary development chefs brought the guide’s Coronation-themed recipes

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

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

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

Bidfood customers can

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

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

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

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

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

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

Head chef wins national award

AN Ipswich care home is celebrating after its head chef was recognised at a national award ceremony for her outstanding contribution to the catering sector.

Caroline Lloyd, head chef at Care UK’s Prince George House, took home first place for ‘Unsung Hero’ at the 2023 Public Sector Catering Awards.

She said: “I’m over the moon to have scooped first place in the Public Sector Catering Awards this year.

Plymouth home wins praise from inspectors

A PLYMOUTH care home has been praised by inspectors from the Care Quality Commission in a new inspection report.

Ernstell House was rated as ‘Good’ across all five inspection criteria –namely, is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

And the new report made special mention of the “relaxed and happy atmosphere” in the home led by the ‘friendly and supportive’ staff.

Home manager Sandra Tucker said she was delighted that Ernstell House had obtained such a positive report from the CQC.

She added: “We’re so pleased to have received this report. Our dedicated staff strive to do everything they can to provide truly personalised and compassionate care for the people who live here.

“Our culture of care and compassion is at the heart of everything we do, that is the key to providing truly person-centred dementia care, and more complex neurological care services.

“I am so proud of the team, and I want to thank them for all of their

hard work and commitment. This new CQC report is a real group success.”

The unannounced visit took place at the start of February, and the inspection team spoke with six people who used the service about their experience of the care provided.

They also spoke with nine members of staff including the registered manager, clinical lead and homemakers (carers). They then subsequently spoke with six relatives following the visit.

The busy and varied activity programme in the 64-bedroom home was highlighted.

The gym and the physio rehab equipment at the home was also mentioned by the inspection team, particularly the equipment and adaptations to support the needs of people using the service.

Ernstell House features full en-suite bedrooms throughout, a spacious café bistro, a private dining room, a hair salon and nail bar, activity room/ bar, a cinema, spacious resident lounges, dining rooms and quiet lounges.

“I’m so proud of the team and all of their continuous hard work – we take great pride in delivering the best dishes for the residents here and we’re thrilled to see this recognised with a national award.”

The Public Sector Catering Awards recognise those working in and associated with catering in the UK care sector, as well as within the wider community, including universities, hospitals and armed forces.

Caroline, who joined the home in 2013, received praise for her residentcentred approach, with catering plans constantly evolving to meet each residents’ needs.

Each day Caroline and the catering team provide delicious, nutritious food. The choice and diversity of the menu is driven from feedback from

residents to ensure that they are offered meals they want.

As part of its dining experience, the home regularly hosts themed meals and events.

This has included a Valentine’s Day party complete with a three-course gourmet meal and decorated cake to celebrate the couples at Prince George House and their spouses.

Caroline is also committed to the home’s ‘Dining with Dignity’ initiative, where residents with special dietary requirements are fully catered for in a discreet and respectful manner.

The role that Caroline plays in ensuring this is carried out is vital, and includes supporting the training and development of colleagues too.

Judges noted Caroline’s dedication to consistently putting the home’s residents first.

Over the Christmas period in 2021, to ensure residents were kept safe from the transmission of Covid-19 and could be cooked for over the festive season, Caroline’s self-imposed isolation meant that she sacrificed spending Christmas with her family – cooking up quite the storm as she prepared 120 Christmas dinners with the help of a kitchen assistant.

Team raises more than £1,000 to fund tables

A TEAM of motivated staff from a Wellington care home has raised over £1,000 in sponsorship to help them realise their dream of buying two high-tech touchscreen tables for use by residents living with dementia.

The home had a week’s free trial of a ‘table tablet’ to see if the people who live at Camelot House and Lodge would enjoy it, and the kit was such a huge success the staff decided they had to have their own.

they are from and look up the street and house where they grew up, which is something they love to do again and again.

them new skills. Activities coordinator Roz Smith said: “We are so grateful that Bryan took the time out of his working day to offer this experience to our residents. They absolutely loved it, and there was a real sense of inclusion throughout.”

Camelot Care activities co-ordinator Richard Dempslake said: “Ideally we’d like to buy two of them, so seven of us underwent some pretty gruelling training in the hope that we could smash the sponsored 5k inflatable fun run in Exeter to raise the money we need.

“The kit will, for example, allow residents to check in with Google Earth to revisit the town or city where

“The tablets have big screens so residents can clearly read what’s on the screen. They’ll allow us to download games and puzzles to suit individual residents, and also enable them to enjoy video calls with friends and family, access websites offering community involvement and so much more.

“One of our sponsors has said how much her husband, who lives with us, will love looking at films of trains on heritage railways, which is exactly the kind of passion we want to help nurture for as long as possible.

“We’ve raised £1,100 in sponsorship so far and are hoping that more may still be pledged – we need £2,000 in total.”

Residents at Heatherfield House Care Home in Armadale were treated to an immersive workshop from Bryan Close, owner of local technology repair shop Close Calls. The group were entertained and educated by Bryan and his various devices, and enjoyed a lesson teaching them about the inner workings of a phone. They were able to explore the mother board and attempt their own repairs after watching Bryan at work. Bryan planned a detailed session for the residents, which engaged them and taught