Caring UK Weekly February 15

Campaigners call for tariffs for social care

CAMPAIGNERS are calling for national tariffs to set the price of social care packages to end the current unfair squeeze on providers.

The Independent Care Group says setting such national tariffs would protect care providers and give them a fairer price to deliver services. The call comes after the president of ADASS, Sarah McClinton admitted that “Councils have squeezed down prices paid to providers over many years”.

ICG chair Mike Padgham said: “It is good to see the president of ADASS give this honest account of what is happening to care providers.

“The price paid by local authorities to care providers has been squeezed and squeezed for many years to the point where it no longer reflects anything like the true cost of looking after people in their own home or supported living or in care and nursing homes.

“The end result is that providers are being pushed out of the market, especially with the added pressures of the Covid-19 pandemic, dire staff shortages and spiraling costs.” He added he understood the pressures on local authorities who had themselves been chronically under-funded by successive governments.

“The current funding regime

Care group’s 2023 charity is revealed

AIR Ambulances UK has been confirmed as Trinity Homecare Group’s charity for 2023.

is brutal and unfair with government cuts hitting local authorities hard and pitting them in a fight with providers to buy care at the lowest possible price,” Mike added.

“This is the worst possible scenario in which to provide care for our oldest and most vulnerable people.

“Low fees, combined with the Covid-19 pandemic, the current staffing crisis and rocketing costs are combining to push providers to the edge of survival.”

Alongside a national minimum wage for care staff, the ICG is calling for national tariffs to be set which all care commissioners had to adhere to when buying care packages.

“At the moment we have a postcode lottery of care, with providers paid different fees up and down the country,” he concluded.

“This sets providers against local authorities when we should all be working together to provide the best care.

“National rates would remove the need for local negotiations which are both timeconsuming and divisive.”

These suggestions were part of the Five Pillars of Social Care Reform document which the ICG published last autumn.

It sets out what the ICG believes are the actions required to save the sector.

There were surprise visitors at Orchard Care Homes’ Lofthouse as two furry fellows arrived to provide some sensory animal therapy for all. The alpacas, owned by Altraka, based in Shipley, were led around the home and interacted with everyone there, creating excitement as everyone petted the fluffy duo. Unit manager Sarah Golden-Hill said: “Care isn’t only about that physical help that people need, but about ensuring they are also supported with their emotions too. It was wonderful to see the way the two alpacas interacted with our people and for them to meet everyone around the home. It is so important for everyone to feel connected with the world around them, especially those with reduced mobility, visual impairment or living with dementia.”

All staff members across the group had the opportunity to nominate a chosen charity, with nominations being received for a variety of thoroughly deserving causes, all with their own special meaning to individual staff members.

Air Ambulances UK is the national organisation championing, supporting and representing the lifesaving work of the 21 air ambulance charities. Their vision, in collaboration with their members, is to ensure the best possible chance of survival and patient outcome for everyone in need of lifesaving prehospital care.

Andrew Needham, CEO of Trinity Homecare Group, said: “It’s important that as an organisation we live our values, but also that what we care about includes our wider community.

“Together we can make a positive contribution to how many people Air Ambulances UK are able to help.

“I want to thank everyone of our team for the many nominations we received for our charity of the year. They are all extremely worthy of our support.

“There were personal stories which were very moving and for every nomination a lot of passion shone through.”

The Trinity Homecare Group teams are now collating ideas for fundraising events that will take place throughout the year in support of Air Ambulances UK.

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Operator onboards its new employee engagement app

NATIONAL Care Group has unveiled its new employee engagement app in partnership with Engage Solutions Group.

The ‘Engage’ app will be rolled out to 2,400 colleagues working across 150 sites in England and Wales – forming part of a wider digital transformation project that has operational and cultural cohesion at its heart.

People director Claire Leake said: “The app presents us with the opportunity to create one digital world for National Care Group, removing the barriers that come with distance, the absence of corporate email for our frontline colleagues, and reliance on analogue processes.

“For the first time, we can connect every single colleague not just to the National Care Group brand and to central support, but to each other too, regardless of location, creating a community experience and collaborative culture.”

Colleagues can now check the latest news and updates, book holiday, check their payslip, read and acknowledge new policies, tap into wellness resources, and even ‘preboard’ as a new starter – all via the digital app.

Role-based groups for sharing best practice can be generated on-thego, whilst colleague recognition and support is able to be shared through in-app ‘Thank You’ cards highlighting

National Care Group’s core values. Suggestions and feedback will form a continuous two-way dialogue between users and app managers.

Claire added: “With one app we can move closer towards achieving our mission of unlocking the potential of those we support and our colleagues.

“It’s great that the technology is so easy to use and manage; but even more so the collaborative relationship we have established with Engage will support us not just to launch the app, but drive the project to develop further capabilities, strengthen our internal community and empower each National Care Group colleague.”

Charity thanks home for ‘year of kindness’

A HOMELESSNESS charity has thanked residents and staff at a Chichester care home for raising hundreds of pounds to help its work.

Stonepillow said the support from Colten Care’s Wellington Grange will go towards the running costs of its busy hub in the city which was used by 225 people in need last year.

After they nominated Stonepillow as their charity of the year for 2022, residents and staff at the home organised a series of fundraising initiatives including a dog show and collections of donated clothes and toiletries.

Two team members braved a sponsored overnight sleepout in the grounds of the home, while resident Jill Christison spent many winter hours knitting eight woolly hats for Stonepillow clients to wear.

Attending the home to accept a cheque for nearly £600, Leigh Stroud, Stonepillow fundraising manager, said: “We’re so grateful for the support that Wellington Grange has given us throughout our year-long partnership.

“It’s not only the financial donations that help but also the practical items as well, like the hand-knitted hats to help keep our clients warm.”

Residents revel in experience

A TRIP to see the Eden Project’s immersive winter music and light experience put a twinkle in the eyes of residents living with dementia in a Plymouth care home.

On two separate occasions, staff at Butterfly Lodge in St Budeaux helped those they care for to wrap up warm and headed west in the home’s mini-bus for an out-of-the-ordinary sensory treat.

Sarah McCaffrey, deputy manager at Butterfly Lodge, said: “The smiles on the faces of our residents said it all. “They adored the music and were also totally absorbed by the incredible

illuminations in the Rainforest Biome.

“A sensory experience like this offers an immediate reward to people living with dementia, and can also remind them of happy times in their past.

“It was totally worth the effort, just to be with them while they were so enjoying themselves. Thanks to my colleagues Paul Hutt, Kelly Tennant, Su Fuller and Kirsten Bradbury for helping to make this possible.”

The installations they went to see featured an 11-piece orchestra and vocalists dotted around multiple stages in the Mediterranean Biome, and an ethereal light show.

Leigh said the support from Wellington Grange would be used in the charity’s Chichester hub which last year served 3,379 hot meals to 225 people.

She added: “It’s a really important place, open seven days a week throughout the year, where clients can come and receive hot food, do their laundry, have a hot shower or a haircut, and arrange healthcare and GP appointments.

“The help from Wellington Grange will contribute to our ongoing running costs. We thank all the staff and residents at the home for their kindness in making us their chosen charity for the year.”

Companionship team leader Heather Pearce was one of the staff members on the sleepout along with Flo Dudley-Barritt who has since joined the Stonepillow team.

Heather said: “It was so lovely to be able to hand over a cheque to Stonepillow, knowing all the hard work for the year has gone to such a worthy cause. It made sleeping in the garden very much worth it.” Wellington Grange’s chosen charity for 2023 is Chichester District Foodbank.

Residents at RMBI Care Co. Home Devonshire Court in Oadby were all of a flutter when some friendly feathered visitors came to visit. Elvis, a Eurasian eagle owl and Fletcher, a tawny owl, delighted residents who were only too happy to give them a stroke. Activities coordinator Fiona Collins said: “We wanted to do something new and fun for our residents to ward off the winter blues, so we invited these beautiful creatures to our home. It was a fantastic way of bringing nature and the outdoors into the home on a cold winter’s day.”

Claire Leake

Wellington Grange resident Jose Allman with donated clothes and toiletries ready to hand over to Stonepillow.

Residents Brian Pepper and Jeanette Tate are pictured getting to know Elvis the Eurasian eagle owl.

Violet Lee, a resident at CHD Living’s King’s Lodge care home in West Byfleet, recently celebrated her 101st birthday with fellow residents and staff while being serenaded by a local entertainer. A special delivery of flowers and cake from Morrisons supermarket made for a lovely afternoon tea for all arranged by wellbeing coordinator Michelle Woodyat, while more than 101 handcrafted birthday cards from children at Byfleet Primary School decorated the home. As her birthday fell on a weekday, a second celebration was planned for the weekend in the home’s ‘pub room’ so that she could mark the occasion with her two daughters, two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Children have played a huge part in Violet’s life as she was a dinner lady at a local school as well as working in the canteen at Brooklands College for many years.

Carer Kayleigh returns favour for her former head teacher

A RETIRED head teacher at a Kent care home is being cared for by a former student, while also assisting another caregiver with her Open University studies.

Dorothy Latham, a resident at The Old Rectory, a branch of ACI Care that specialises in residential, respite and dementia care, is continuing to teach the next generation, despite retiring from the profession almost 30 years ago.

She said: “I can’t think of one single best moment in my career – I had many happy and jolly occasions.

“Teaching is very rewarding, it gives you a good feeling when you know you have helped children to achieve, but now being cared for by a former pupil is lovely, and it has a proper family feeling about it.”

Starting her career in 1955, she joined Baldwins Hill as a primary school teacher for Surrey County Council, before later moving to Kent County Council to teach at Dymchurch County Primary School, where she met Kayleigh, who now cares for her at The Old Rectory.

Despite working in education continuously for 56 years, Dorothy, still affectionately known as Miss Latham, is still passionate about teaching and educating.

As well as seeing a former pupil on a daily basis, she also mentors registered manager Kelly Parker,

helping her with a history degree at the Open University.

She added: “It’s lovely to see Miss Latham so passionate about her career, even now after all this time.

“She has devoted her whole life to education and continues to offer a helping hand, and I’m lucky that I get to experience it first-hand. It’s something we both look forward to, and find really rewarding.”

During her expansive career Dorothy was appointed head teacher of Dymchurch Infant School, a senior lecturer at Christchurch College of Higher Education (now known as Canterbury Christchurch University), and later became headteacher of Dymchurch County Primary School once the two local schools amalgamated again.

Alongside her work, she also spent time educating herself and spent a year at the Cambridge Institute of Education to study Advanced Primary Education, before studying at university where she gained a first class BA in psychology – specialising in children’s memory and learning –and graduated with a Master’s degree, dedicating one day a week from her work to her studies.

After retiring, Dorothy kept herself busy and went on to lecture at Canterbury Christchurch University for a year, and later worked as a school inspector.

She then got a position with the Ministry of Education, assessing classroom assistants who had completed a special diploma at university, before fully retiring at the age of 77.

Now aged 88 and residing at The Old Rectory care home, Dorothy likes to read history magazines, work on her laptop, write letters to friends and is currently working on her biography.

Hand drying is crucial but the options on offer are failing us

By Dr Salomé Giao

WE want to contribute to the conversation by shedding light on a step in the hand hygiene process that itself plays a very important role but one that crucially remains little known: hand drying.

Effective hand drying is key to ensuring that clean hands stay clean –if it doesn’t happen there are hygiene risks: it is known that wet hands can pick up more bacteria than dry ones. Moreover, damp hands can transfer up to 1,000 times more bacteria than dry hands, while wiping hands on clothes can add bacteria to washed hands if the clothes aren’t clean. We need to ensure that people are

able to wash and dry their hands properly.

Bacteria cannot be visualised by the naked eye, so instead imagine glitter.

Now imagine you have one damp hand and one dry hand, you put both hands in the glitter and what happens? Your wet hand will be covered in glitter while the dry one will pick up less.

The process mimics the difference between wet and dry hands interacting with germs and bacteria, we just can’t see it with the naked eye. But the big problem isn’t that hand drying options aren’t provided in washrooms. It’s that the options on offer can in fact cause hygiene problems, alongside environmental challenges, and cost concerns.

Traditional solutions present big problems

Many shared washrooms will offer one of two hand drying options – or in some instances both: electric dryers and, or paper towels.

The hygiene issues that can arise from warm air dryers begin with design issues, such as physical buttons, long dry times, and other technological limitations – a lack of air filtration being a common problem.

This can not only impact hygiene practically but may also be a concern

when using warm air dryers. According to the 2021 Dyson survey on washroom attitudes, 40 per cent of respondents in the UK are concerned that the physical button on warm air dryers is a hygiene issue, while the use of unfiltered, unclean air to dry hands is a concern for 24 per cent. This could become a deterrent to use them and leave the washroom with wet hands.

Improvements for hygiene, business and environmental needs

It’s clear that the hand drying solutions often available in workplaces, educational settings, hospitality – we could go on – are in need of an upgrade.

Dyson Airblade™ hand drying technology places hand hygiene,

the reduction of CO2 emissions, and cost efficiency at the forefront of its design.

Dyson hand dryers are engineered to alleviate the public’s key washroom concerns and prioritise hygiene through touch-free design and HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters capturing 99.95 per cent of particles as small as 0.1 microns.

Effective hand drying is a key part of effective hand hygiene, but the options too often in use are problematic. We need raise awareness about the importance of effective hand drying, and promote hand drying solutions that improve hygiene, reduce business costs and CO2 emissions.

n Dr Salomé Giao is the lead scientist at Dyson Professional.

Dr Salomé Giao

Resident Dorothy Latham and former pupil Kayleigh.

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Louise reveals her pioneering treatment trial journey and £7,000 of fundraising support

EVERY year there are around 3,200 new cervical cancer cases in the UK, equating to nearly nine every day, while in 2022 the World Health Organisation reported that it is the fourth most common cancer among women globally.

Back in July 2021, Louise Broadbelt, a member of the team at Signature at Esher, was among those women who were diagnosed.

After undergoing a hospital procedure for a separate matter, Louise was shocked to hear that she had suspected cancer.

From here, she was immediately referred to The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, where it was confirmed that she had Stage 3 Cervical Cancer.

Discussing her diagnosis, Louise said: “Being told you have cancer absolutely rocks your world. It’s a huge shock and your immediate thought is – am I going to die?

“My main concern was I couldn’t leave my teenage son, husband and family as I didn’t know how they

would cope if they lost me.

“It was devastating but everyone I spoke to said I couldn’t be under the care of a better hospital. I knew I was in the best hands being at The Royal Marsden.”

It was at this leading specialist cancer treatment and research centre that Louise received much of her care, from radiotherapy to chemotherapy and brachytherapy. After this rigorous round of treatment she was able to enrol onto a clinical trial for immunotherapy, a pioneering treatment that uses a person’s own immune system to fight cancer.

Louise willingly accepted, eager to take the opportunity to not only aid in her own battle but contribute to research that could improve treatment for countless cervical cancer patients in the future.

Today, she continues to be a patient of The Royal Marsden and is proud to be a part of the trial.

“I feel very lucky to have been offered the opportunity and really hope it makes a difference,” Louise

added.

“I also thought that taking part in this trial could help other patients like me in the future.”

Symbolic of her commitment to helping advance research into cancer and motivated by the fantastic people working at The Royal Marsden in Sutton who have cared and supported her, back in June 2022 Louise took to the skies for a charity skydive.

This proved to be a huge success, raising more than £7,000 for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity’s Oak Cancer Centre Appeal.

She said: “I would never normally have wanted to jump out of a plane as I’m scared of heights, but I wanted to do something positive for The Royal Marsden and to give back something for all the amazing and exceptional care I have been shown.”

The money raised by Louise’s skydive contributed towards The Royal Marsden’s new Oak Cancer Centre.

This facility will speed up the translation of world-leading research

into breakthroughs in treatment and care, transforming the lives of cancer patients at The Royal Marsden and beyond.

Speaking about Louise and her remarkable journey, Gabriela Smith, general manager at Signature at Esher, said:

“We’re all extremely proud of Louise – she is a true inspiration to us all.

“Louise is creative and inventive, particularly with the amazing seasonal displays she produces for residents to feel involved with the wider world.

“She brings joy and smiles to our home and residents.

“Over the last two years she has been through a lot, with so many appointments, scans, and treatments.

“Yet, despite this, she has been so cheerful and positive all the way through. Her contribution to helping advance research into cancer, both through her participation in a leading clinical trial and the incredible amount of money she raised through her skydive is incredible.”

Find out how to reduce costs and improve efficiencies in the kitchen at conference

HEAD to the Eastside Rooms in Birmingham on February 28 to learn more about how apetito’s care home meals service goes beyond providing great tasting food.

apetito works in partnership with care homes across the country to reduce costs, waste and labour requirements, whilst still delivering high-quality, nutritious meals for residents.

At its stand apetito will be serving some of its most popular dishes developed by its team of in-house chefs and dietitians.

You’ll also be able to find out more the award-winning range of IDDSI compliant texture-modified meals and apetito’s revolutionary Finger Food Bites, which bring back dignity and independence to dining for residents with dementia.

General manager of apetito’s care home division, Richard Woodward, explains why you should come and visit apetito’s stand:

“The cost-of-living crisis is impacting on care homes – we know

that every penny counts to maintain services at the highest standards,” he added.

“And there are solutions that can help homes reduce their costs in the kitchen without any loss of quality

and that is what we are keen to talk about and show visitors first-hand, how homes can enjoy excellent mealtimes that are easy and stressfree.

“We know that for homes to buy

ingredients and cook meals on site is fraught with pressure right now as prices are volatile, staffing resources can be a challenge (and increasingly expensive), and meeting the personalised dietary needs of residents and inspectorate requirements, can be stressful and time-consuming.

“We’re proud that our service not only ensures homes can deliver a diverse range of delicious meals that residents love but also crucially saves them time and money in the kitchen.

“A warm welcome awaits visitors who head down to our stand to enjoy some food and find out more about how we can support them, deliver efficiencies and ensure quality mealtime.”

Make sure to visit apetito at the show to meet its team, ask any questions and find out more about how its service can work for your care home.

To find out more about apetito’s care homes meal service call 0808 239 2399

visit

Advertiser’s announcement

Retirement village hosts first Swedish weaving workshop

RESIDENTS at a retirement village in Northampton were given the chance to try their hand at some Swedish weaving as part of the crafting craze that has taken over since the pandemic.

Home’s residents knit city’s ‘longest scarf’

STAFF, residents, friends and family of a Liverpool care home have teamed together to knit what they believe is the city’s longest woollen scarf – long enough to reach twice as high as the iconic Royal Liver Building.

Oak Springs has spent January knitting and stitching together a giant wool patchwork scarf which stretches all the way along the home’s corridor and back.

The scarf has been knitted to celebrate Dignity Action Day #DAD2023 which is an annual opportunity for health and social care workers and members of the public to uphold people’s rights to dignity and provide a truly memorable day for people who use care services.

Registered manager Andrea Lyon said: “We wanted to do a dignity day with a slightly different approach this year.

“The idea was to capture people as individuals by asking them to knit squares in various patterns, giving them the freedom of choice to create their own designs, use their own colours and choose different textures of wool to represent them.

“We offered staff, residents, families, and external professionals the opportunity to add their own choices to our scarf knitting too and we have been busy this week attaching all the

sections together – wrapping them around us all to bring us together as one community.

“The scarf is symbolic, allowing us to recognise that all our residents are individuals and have their own preferences and choices, but everyone is cared for in the same caring way.

“We have been absolutely blown away by the support we have had from staff, residents, family and friends and the local community to our project.

“Everyone has worked so hard over the past three weeks to knit their own individual squares for the scarf and, when we measured it, we couldn’t believe it was 340ft long and still growing.

“I think we’re going to have to relabel the day Dig-KNIT-y Day.

“To celebrate the Dignity Action Day workshop we invited everyone who has helped in the project in to see the finished scarf.

“It will then be divided up and made into blankets and donated to Liverpool Women’s Hospital and a local homeless charity.”

The group also received knitted donations from staff at Liverpool’s John Lewis, The Reader’s Knit and Natter Group charity and a local Girl Guides and Brownie group.

Richmond Villages Northampton put on the workshop for its residents, which was so well-received that it is due to become a regular event.

Swedish weaving is the latest DIY endeavour to be explored within the village, with plenty of other crafts being part of its extensive activities programme.

This craft involves a special basket weave-style fabric called monks’ cloth, originating from the United States, where this genre of craft is more popular.

The session was led by activities manager Chris Rayatt, who learned the craft in 2012 and has honed his skills ever since.

He said: “It was great to see our residents so enthusiastic about our Swedish weaving class.

“We host a plethora of activities here at Richmond Villages Northampton, and putting a smile on the faces of our residents makes them all

worthwhile. Such is the community spirit within the village, there’s no surprise that there was such a high take-up for the first Swedish weaving workshop.”

As he has continued to perfect his hobby, Chris founded a Facebook group called Swedish Weavers Around the World, which he continues to run today.

Such was his passion for the craft that residents at Richmond Villages Northampton requested a masterclass session from Chris himself.

The clamour for a Swedish weaving class within the retirement village was so great that there is already a waiting list for further sessions to be scheduled.

Improve infection control with a simple solution

BIOMETRIC facial recognition technology has the potential to significantly improve infection control in care homes.

This technology uses facial recognition software to identify individuals, allowing care home staff to clock in and out of their shifts without the need for physical contact.

One of the biggest concerns in care homes is the spread of infectious diseases among residents and staff.

With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to minimise the risk of transmission.

Fusion Face Pass can help to achieve this by eliminating the need for staff to touch shared surfaces such as clocking in machines or timesheets. This can greatly reduce the risk of cross-contamination and the spread of germs.

In addition to improving infection control, biometric facial technology can also help to improve efficiency and reduce the administrative workload for employees.

in for another.

Fusion Face Pass allows for automatic data entry that is processed via the Fusion Care Management system which in turn passes timesheet information through to payroll and HR departments.

This is a huge advantage as it allows for the automation of paperwork.

It was a day to

care home resident and WWII veteran John

100th

By using this technology to clock in and out, staff members can quickly and easily record their hours worked without the need to fill out paper timesheets or use shared clocking in machines or screens.

This can save time and reduce the risk of errors in recording hours worked.

A further benefit of Fusion Face Pass is the total elimination of buddy punching, where one employee clocks

Overall, biometric facial recognition technology can be a valuable tool for improving infection control and streamlining operations in care services.

It can help to reduce the risk of disease transmission and simplify administrative tasks, allowing staff to focus on providing high-quality care to residents.

It is a cost-effective investment that can have a long-term positive impact.

To find out more visit the Fusion eCare website at www.fusionEcare.com or give the Fusion team

Advertiser’s announcement

remember when

Bicknell celebrated his milestone

birthday recently. To mark the achievement John first got stuck into a morning opening a myriad of gifts and cards, including a much-anticipated letter from King Charles III celebrating his accomplishment. Alongside this, he was also surprised with a message from Marcus Gayle, a former Premier League and Jamaican international striker who played at John’s lifelong team, Brentford FC. John was then treated to an afternoon tea party at Signature at Southbourne, where he enjoyed a range of food, drink, and a birthday cake freshly prepared by the catering team at the care home. The highlight of his birthday celebrations were his granddaughters Katherine Bicknell and Joanna Tomlinson performing a recital for him and his guests.