Caring UK Weekly February 22

The weekly online newsletter for the care sector

Group unveils recruitment campaign

BLUEBIRD Care has launched a new recruitment campaign that aims to demonstrate how rewarding a care career can be.

The campaign, which will run for the duration of 2023, seeks to showcase how working in care can be more than just a job.

Underpinned by a national TV advert, over the next several months the homecare provider will be sharing numerous outstanding care assistants’ stories and career journeys from across their network.

The campaign highlights the importance of Bluebird Care’s values and ethos, which make care much more than ‘just a career’.

Among the individuals is Carl Yee-Lim, a former war hero in the British Army who since joining his local branch has gone from strengthto-strength. Symbolic of his unrelenting care and compassion, in 2022 he earned the honour of Bluebird Care Carer of the Year.

“I feel like I’ve broken down the barriers that some customers may have about having a male care assistant, and it’s very important to me to treat my customers with respect and dignity,” he said.

“I love my job. I like to see the smiles on the faces of my customers and for me that’s the biggest reward of all.”

Bluebird Care is a network of over 200 home care franchises across the UK and Ireland that provides care to help people to maintain their chosen lifestyle from the comfort of their own homes.

These visits cover a variety of services, from personal care and companionship, to home help, 24-hour live-in care and highly personalised care plans. With an increasing ageing population, and with more people choosing to receive care at home, Bluebird Care is eager to attract naturally caring individuals, like those whose stories are set to be shared, to join the care sector and make a real difference in the lives of others.

Marketing and communications director Hannah Banfield added: “This integrated recruitment campaign aims to showcase the amazing team of care assistants we have across the Bluebird Care network and highlight that it really is more than just a career in care.

“We want to spread the word about how rewarding a career in home care can be and the difference our care teams make to our customers lives, day in and day out.

“We would encourage anyone interested in joining one of our teams to visit our dedicated page.”

Residents at a retirement village in Nantwich will be sharing a story with children from a local primary school to mark World Book Day 2023 next week. Richmond Villages Nantwich will be welcoming pupils from Wistaston Academy on Friday, March 3, with residents reading to them their favourite short tale. The retirement village has encouraged its residents to share stories with the children that they were fond of in their own childhood. While celebrating World Book Day, Richmond Villages and its residents hope to help inspire the next generation with a love of books and reading.

Ed Balls joins conference line-up

ED Balls has joined a stellar line-up of experts, younger people already working in care and interactive performers at ‘Who Cares?’, the first national care careers conference on March 7at Royal College of GP’s, Euston Square, London.

The broadcaster, writer and former politician will talk about his experience working in a care home for a BBC documentary to encourage hundreds of young people aged between 14 and 19 years of age to consider a career in care.

He said: “Caring for older and disabled people is one of the most important jobs in our society – and will become even more so as our population ages.

“That’s why we need to do more to encourage young people in schools and colleges to plan careers working in care.

“Attracting students is key to developing

the workforce of the future and building better care.”

The conference and exhibition, which has been organised by Hallmark Foundation and Working Options in Education, aims to highlight the range of jobs available and the different routes into working in care.

Current speakers at the event include Professor Deborah Sturdy CBE, chief nurse for adult social care at the Department for Health and Social Care and Liz Kendall MP, shadow minister for care.

Exhibitors will show how care is changing and provide first-hand experiences for students planning their career.

Many more schools and colleges will also join the event via livestreaming.

The national event is sponsored by Advinia Care, Precious Homes, Sahara Care, Regent Group and Hemraj Goyal Foundation.

Care supervisor’s decade of service marked by group

BLUEBIRD Care Essex West has recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of senior care supervisor Michelle Westacott.

Michelle joined the operator in 2013 after witnessing first-hand the delivery of home care and support to her husband’s grandmother. Inspired by this experience, Michelle made the decision to take a completely different direction in her career and joined Bluebird Care Essex West as a care assistant.

She said: “I am incredibly proud of this achievement. I entered the care sector a decade ago after witnessing first-hand the incredible impact home care can have on a person. It was a complete change of career path, but one I am so happy I made.

“The most satisfying part of my role is that I can meet so many different and interesting people.

“Learning about their lives and finding ways in which to support them so that they can continue to be as independent as possible is great. I find so much value in supporting them with the small things we often take for granted every day.

“Now, 10 years on, I still love my job – it is a way of life for me.”

Despite having no previous experience in care, the team recognised the core caring qualities Michelle possessed and her motivation to help others.

This proved to be the right decision and since this point Michelle has thrived.

Within two years Michelle was well

Operator is committed to ‘Dementia Promise’

ORCHARD Care Homes has launched Dementia Promise, a new initiative which aims to be a catalyst for a shift in attitudes towards dementia care across the UK.

on her way to a successful career in care. In 2015 she progressed to the role of care supervisor, where she was given the responsibility to not only meet with new customers and help formulate the most impactful personcentred care plans that were tailored to meet their individual needs, but ensure these were consistently reviewed, updated and delivered upon.

Alongside this, Michelle has also completed her NVQ Level 2 in Heath and Social Care and BTEC Level 3 diploma in Management.

To mark Michelle’s milestone moment at Bluebird Care Essex West she was presented with a personally engraved trophy and a bouquet of flowers by director Kevin McCormack.

Carer walks 10,000 steps a day

A CARE home support manager from Norfolk has accomplished an impressive feat, on her feet, after raising more than £400 by walking 10,000 steps a day in January.

Mollie Hunt, regional sales support manager at Ivy Court in Norwich, raised the money for Age UK after deciding to show that physical activity is important at any age.

Mollie completed the steps locally, walking around the home and its

gardens, where she was supported by staff, residents and their families.

Mollie said: “We try to do one charitable event per month.

“It was also an opportunity to help shift the Christmas bloat so I thought what better way to raise money for charity and to be active.”

She raised £410 in total and recently presented a cheque to Holly Harrington, fundraising and events coordinator at Age UK.

The group, which has 23 care homes, is committed to challenging the negativity and inequalities often experienced by people living with dementia in care homes.

It has found there is often a reluctance from care homes to accept people who have heightened levels of psychological distress responses which can be expressed through their behaviour.

Hannah Miller, dementia lead at Orchard Care Homes, said: “Frequently, vulnerable people are referred to care homes by external partners using language that describes them in predominantly negative terms – challenging, aggressive and so on.

“This language lays the foundations of how the person is seen and thus initiates negative thinking about them from the outset. This needs to change across the sector.”

Through its commitment to ongoing changes in dementia care the group, which is now fully digital, has committed to training every colleague in three levels of bespoke, evidencebased training; and continues to increase investment in technology, recruitment, and care home environments.

Hannah added: “Our Dementia Promise aims to break the mould of what care home life has become across the country and sets out to ensure people’s care and support is firmly grounded in who they are and their abilities.

“This contrasts with common practices which often focus on inabilities and blanket risk mitigation. Through our initiative we seek to enable life to be as normal as

possible for people – with them being encouraged to thrive and live life to the full.”

Orchard’s Dementia Promise aims to:

n Remove conscious and unconscious stigma associated with dementia.

n Encourage others across the sector to stop using derogatory, blaming language.

n Promote genuine collaboration –and provide people with dedicated communication lines with a dementia specialist, regardless of whether they use Orchard’s services.

Orchard’s designated dementia communities, Reconnect, are also expanding as part of this Dementia Promise.

With four established communities already in the North East, West Yorkshire and Warrington, and more planned for the future – the group strives to enhance wellbeing overall, by providing individualised, nurturing, and holistic care; focusing on identity, meaningful occupation and positive risk-taking.

A higher staff ratio within Reconnect communities ensures social needs and engagement opportunities are met successfully as more time is available – thus significantly reducing anxiety and distress levels.

As such, Orchard has recorded a decline in safeguarding referrals and use of psychotropic medications, plus a decline in polypharmacy.

In addition, weight loss has reduced, as has the pain burden through using PainChek technology – which uses AI to help assess pain levels at the point of care.

Orchard is encouraging others across the sector to follow suit and take steps to change language used in care, which significantly impacts on dementia care culture and behaviours.

An Army veteran who helped Alan Turing and his team crack enemy Enigma-coded messages during WWII has celebrated her 100th birthday. Annie Downey, who has been known all her life as Nanza, lives at Royal Star & Garter in Solihull. She celebrated her birthday with a visit from family. She also received a card from His Majesty The King, and enjoyed a party with other residents at the Solihull Home. Nanza’s deeds were recognised in 2010 when she received a signed certificate from then Prime Minister David Cameron. Nanza later worked as an accountant for Sun Alliance in Hall Green, Birmingham for a number of years until retirement.

Michelle Westacott with Kevin McCormack.

Hannah Miller (seated) with Orchard’s Reconnect team in Sunderland.

Jordi obtains Award for high standards of care

JORDI Sirera, national clinical governance lead at RMBI Care Co., has achieved the prestigious title of Queen’s Nurse by The Queen’s Nursing Institute.

The title demonstrates a commitment to high standards of patient care, learning and leadership.

Nurses who hold the title benefit from developmental workshops, bursaries, networking opportunities and a shared professional identity.

Jordi said: “Those who know me well would say that I am very passionate about upholding the reputation of nursing in social care.

Care group making progress on pledge to plant 1,000 trees

FORTY team members from across Oakland Care’s have come together for a range of volunteer tree planting events across Essex.

The group’s efforts were undertaken in collaboration with the county council’s Essex Forestry Initiative, a five-year programme launched in October 2019 that commits to planting around 375,000 trees in the county, equivalent to the size of 210 football pitches, through a £1million initiative.

The programme also provided an opportunity for Oakland Care to take a major step towards its own pledge of planting 1,000 trees per year.

Over the last 12 months Oakland Care has retained its status as the only carbon neutral care group in the UK for a second year running and achieved Level 3 certification by Green Mark – the highest grade awarded by the sustainability specialist.

Chief executive officer Joanne Balmer and her team have also introduced a range of inclusive and effective green initiatives, which have brought team members and residents together for a collaborative cause that creates a long-lasting impact in social

Residents at Cedar Falls in Spalding were overjoyed to receive a visit from Michelle’s Animal Petting Party. Michelle and her menagerie regularly visit care homes and provide the opportunity for residents to handle and be tactile with pets. She brought along her cat Milly, Shih-Tzu Mitsey and rabbits Oakley and Thumper. Petting the animals brought back happy memories for residents and encouraged conversations about family pets. Home manager Jo Montague said: “It was lovely to see how these joyful little animals brought such happiness to the day. Residents loved being able to fuss over them in the comfort of the home. It was great to hear everyone chatting and laughing together. Pets really are the best therapy.”

care and beyond.

She said: “It was a truly fantastic day. I am incredibly proud of all our team members across Oakland Care who came together to support at the various tree planting events throughout Essex.

“It was a perfect way to continue our sustainability journey into 2023, and a big step towards achieving our goal of planting 1,000 trees every single year.

“Importantly, it was a true example of everybody’s commitment at Oakland Care to work as one as we look to demonstrate how our sector can be a positive force in the fight against climate change.

“We want to continue encouraging other providers to push ahead with their own journey to improve sustainability, through partaking in initiatives such as this.”

This culminated in the successful launch of a new strategy promoting green initiatives across its eight care homes in September.

Eager to maintain its momentum into 2023, this tree planting initiative represents a strong start for the care home group and the first of many environmentally focused activities planned for the year ahead.

“To become a Queen’s Nurse I had to complete an in-depth application form with various references from registered nurses that I support, line managers and residents.

“The Queen’s Nurse Institute then reviewed the application and, following a strict selection process, they awarded me the title. These initiatives help me to provide better leadership to the nurses as well as to progress in my career.”

Jordi became a registered nurse in 2014 and has extensive experience in social care.

At RMBI Care Co. he has worked as senior nurse, deputy manager and clinical lead before becoming the national clinical governance lead. He also has a degree in forensic anatomy and pathology.

To Jordi, the best thing about being a nurse is the satisfaction he gets

when residents achieve positive outcomes thanks to his commitment.

“It could be something simple, such as having a nice chat with a resident, or something more complex, such as liaising with different teams to ensure residents receive the best nursing care,” he added.

“Most of the time, you are on your own. You make your own clinical decisions about the care of residents based on your knowledge, training, skills and the facts presented, and you have to be confident in your actions in order to obtain the best results.”

Mayor opens new home

MAYOR of Warrington, Councillor

Jean Flaherty, officially opened a new care centre in Lymm, Cheshire. The latest care facility to be opened by Altrincham-based care home operator New Care, Statham Manor will provide residential, 24-hour nursing, dementia and respite care.

Working closely with the local authority, Statham Manor has been expertly designed by both architect and clinical lead to ensure it delivers care from a state-of-the-art new build property that ensures a safe, secure and comfortable home-from-home for residents.

Jean and her husband were welcomed by Statham Manor registered manager Farai Hanyane and her deputy Hannah Sparks for a guided tour of the facility and introductions to the new team before cutting a red ribbon to declare the home officially open.

Farai added: “It was wonderful to finally open this home and welcome our first residents, and we were thrilled to have the Mayor join us on opening day.”

Featuring 66 fully furnished bedrooms, each with a private en suite wet room, plus a selection of communal lounges, reading rooms and dining rooms, spa-assisted bathrooms, a nail bar, hair salon, access to landscaped gardens from the first floor and a terrace to the second floor, residents will enjoy person-centred care, freshly prepared nutritious meals and a daily programme of wellbeing activities.

Recruitment is well underway, with Statham Manor expected to create approximately 100 local jobs over the next 12 months across multiple roles including nurses, carers, hospitality, housekeeping, wellbeing and activities, maintenance and catering.

Jordi Sirera

Ashford

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Sarah Wild has been appointed by New Care as the wellbeing co-ordinator at Wilmslow Manor Care Centre. In her new role she is responsible for creating a weekly person-centred activity programme for residents to include both oneto-one and group sessions. Sarah is also tasked with developing community links and organising enjoyable events with family participation. He key objective for the next 12 months is to ensure Wilmslow Manor is very much integrated into the local community and that the care home is recognised for its varied and fulfilling activities programme. Sarah is also a qualified mental health nurse and has gained a qualification in Namaste Care.

Athena Care Homes has welcomed project manager Richard Shaw to the business. Richard joined in January and will lead the estates team as the business looks to continue its growth. He will be overseeing the larger refurbishment projects, assisting with service contracts, tenders and capital expenditure projects, as well as future expansion developments for the business. Richard qualified as a building surveyor 25 years ago and has experience working for both care providers and construction companies. He has more than 20 years’ experience in the healthcare sector, working as property and estates manager. Richard said: “I am excited to join Athena at this time and see the business moving forward. The refurbishment of Milton Lodge at Ashlynn Grange has been successfully completed and now we are looking ahead to our next projects.”

Bollywood moves energise grateful resident Nalini

A TASTE of Bollywood magic delighted a talented dancer and her fellow residents at a Winchester dementia care home.

Nalini Bhagwat asked staff at the Colten Care facility if they would make her New Year wish come true to revisit some Bollywood dance moves.

to ear and danced away for nearly an hour to songs including Kya Baat Haii, Chogada, Meri Jaan, Pasoori and many more.

Parklands Care Home in Alloa, part of the Meallmore Ltd group, has announced the appointment of new care home manager Shelley Watters. The 62-bed facility cares for residents with a range of support needs including dementia and palliative care. Shelley joins Meallmore with almost 20 years of experience in the care sector. In her new role,she will oversee the management of Parklands, including ensuring that staff continue to provide the highest quality care for residents. Shelley started her career in care as a care assistant. Since then she has become well established in the industry, with a total of seven years of care home management experience. During her career Shelley has also been a freelance health care trainer, working with private healthcare companies to deliver moving and positioning and first aid training.

Signature at Reigate Grange has announced the appointment of a new general manager, leading a team which supports up to 95 residents on a permanent basis. Michelle Gray has been appointed as the care home’s manager, and brings an extensive background of more than 30 years’ experience in social care and nursing, having worked in the private sector and the NHS, in both clinical and management roles. Her move to Reigate Grange marks the third care home under her management, and adds to her strong clinical track record built in Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People, Kingston Hospital and Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals.

Companionship team leader Laura Sheldrake used social media to invite any Bollywood practitioners in the community to make contact if they wanted to come in and dance with Nalini.

The call was answered by dance teacher and University of Winchester business student Vaishnavi Singh.

A visit was arranged and amid great excitement on the day, grandmother Nalini had her hair done and dressed up in her own pink salwar kurta.

Vaishnavi arrived at the home coincidentally wearing a pink kurta, so the pair’s outfits matched perfectly.

Laura said: “When Vaishnavi started dancing and showing her skills, Nalini didn’t take long at all to get up from her chair to dance along. She had been so excited ahead of the visit.

“She is always dancing and trying to teach us Bollywood moves so it was great to give her the opportunity to get up and dance with someone who, like her, dances authentic Bollywood.

“They both looked amazing and danced to so many songs together. Vaishnavi was so good with Nalini, letting her lead on most of the dances and joining in with her.

“Nalini didn’t stop smiling from ear

“We are so thankful Vaishnavi reached out. She really made Nalini’s wish come true and the other residents absolutely loved it. Some of the staff and residents who were watching even got up and joined in with the pair of them.”

Vaishnavi, who has previously given dance tuition to children, said: “It was a pleasure to offer my help to make Nalini’s wish come true. She is a fantastic dancer and we both had so much fun. I really enjoyed getting to know her and talk about our culture.”

Although born in Kenya, Nalini spent most of her early years in Pune in the Marathi-speaking Indian state of Maharashtra.

She learned classical Indian dancing as a child and was good enough to be invited to perform in front of Marathi aristocracy.

Laura now plans on arranging for Vaishnavi to come in every couple of months to dance with Nalini.

She added: “It was a joy and privilege to help make Nalini’s dream come true. The visit was a chance for her to reminisce about dancing days gone by.

“We find that the freedom of movement in dance can improve residents’ moods and is good for physical wellbeing. This was an afternoon full of expression, smiles and laughs.”

Operator signs up to Community

ANCHOR has become the latest member of Business in the Community, the Prince’s Responsible Business Network, and joins more than 600 businesses who are committed to achieving greater social and environmental impact.

BITC has members across the UK, who are working with communities to create thriving places for people to live and work.

Lisa Pearl, Anchor’s people director, said: “We’re delighted to be joining Business in the Community. We’re committed to supporting our colleagues and residents to ensure

our housing and care locations are integral parts of local communities.”

BITC brings businesses together to tackle some of the biggest issues facing communities across the UK to create a fairer and healthier society.

This has been at the core of BITC’s agenda since it was founded in 1982 and earned the support of the then Prince of Wales, who became the organisation’s Royal Founding Patron.

Since then, BITC has campaigned to reduce inequalities across the UK focussing on race, gender, wellbeing, climate action and access to employment and skills.

Nalini Bhagwat with Bollywood dancer Vaishnava Singh.