Caring UK July by Script Media

July 2012

incorporating The Number One magazine for the care sector

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Report calls for ‘cultural shift’ for care By Dominic Musgrave LEADERS in the health and social care sector must drive a ‘major cultural shift’ to tackle the underlying causes of poor and undignified care in England. That is the main message contained in 'Delivering Dignity', the final report from the Commission on Improving Dignity in Care for Older People, an independent group set up by the NHS Confederation, Age UK and the Local Government Association. The report received widespread support following a month-long consultation, with feedback from more than 230 health and social care organisations, patient groups and individuals across the country. The commission has recommended a number of ‘always events’ – things which it says should never be forgotten and should be considered as basic rules for the delivery of dignified care. These include introducing formal and informal feedback from older people and their carers to improve practice. It also urges the Government to ensure that every person receiving care is protected under human rights legislation. Currently only those people whose care home place is arranged by their local

authority are granted this protection. In a joint foreword to the report, the commission co-chairs, from Age UK, NHS Confederation and the Local Government Association say: “Delivering dignity will mean changing the way we design, pay for, deliver and monitor care services as the numbers of older people in care continues to grow. “Alongside the consistent application of good practice and the rooting out of poor care, we need a major cultural shift in the way the system thinks about dignity, to ensure care is person-centred and not task-focused. “This will require empowered leadership in the care home, as well as a lead from boards and senior managers. It will also mean changing the way we recruit and develop staff working with older people.” A joint action plan from the three organisations will provide practical solutions to the recommendations to help support care home leaders and to encourage change in the way the system designs and delivers care for older people. Other recommendations include an evaluation of the way staff assess patients’ needs to allow adequate time to understand and record preferences of older people.

Resident receives Royal response

Sir Bruce Forsyth was the special guest at Sunrise Senior Living of Virginia Water’s 10th anniversary celebrations. Bruce, a local resident, dropped by for a cup of tea and entertained the audience with jokes, stories, singing and even some tap dancing and, before leaving, he was presented with a specially commissioned Heart and Soul Award by the company. The awards are usually presented as part of Sunrise’s employee recognition programme for staff that go above and beyond the call of duty. Picture credit: Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

A BURTON-upon-Trent care home resident who wrote to the Queen had a surprise reply on Her Majesty’s behalf. Penny Manning wrote the letter a number of weeks ago to congratulate the Queen on her 60 years’ service to her country, and on all the wonderful celebrations happening during 2012. However, staff and residents were shocked when a letter from Buckingham Palace dropped through their letterbox and landed on the doormat of the home. The letter expressed gratitude for Penny’s ‘words of loyalty and support’ along with a number of pictures of the Queen from the last 60 years. Manager Anne-Marie Robinson said: “Penny just wanted to congratulate the Queen, she didn’t for one minute expect a response.” See pages 20-23 for a full round-up of Jubilee events held in homes.

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Sector welcomes appointment of CQC’s new chief By Dominic Musgrave THE care industry has welcomed the appointment of David Behan as the inspectorate’s new chief executive. David, who is currently the director general for social care, local government and care partnerships at the Department of Health, will replace Cynthia Bower. He said “I am delighted to have been given this opportunity to run the organisation that takes action where services are poor and unsafe, whilst providing assurance that our health and care services are fit to achieve quality outcomes for people which are amongst the best in the world.” As well as working at the Department of Health, he has also served as president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and as director of social services for Greenwich, Middlesbrough and Cleveland councils. National Care Forum executive director Des Kelly said it was a ‘dream appointment’ for the CQC and that the association looked forward to working with them in a new era.

He added: “David is hugely respected in the sector and will bring considerable credibility to the role. “Transforming CQC into an effective regulator is an immense task and to implement the reforms recommended in the performance and capability review will require strong management and skilled leadership as well as the support of staff.” These views were echoed by ECCA chief executive Martin Green, who added: “David has a good track record in regulation and we hope his appointment will mark a new beginning for CQC and an opportunity to establish regulation as an essential element of a quality care system.” And Andrea Sutcliffe, chief executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence, said his appointment will help to build confidence in CQC’s contribution to driving up quality. She added: “David’s breadth of knowledge about social care and regulation, combined with his experience within the Department of Health, will be a real asset for CQC. “The whole social care sector will be delighted that someone with his understanding of social care has been given this important role.”

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Editorial Group Editor: Judith Halkerston Tel: 01226 734639 jh@scriptmedia.co.uk Healthcare Editor: Dominic Musgrave Tel: 01226 734407 dm@scriptmedia.co.uk Reporter: Helen Williams Tel: 01226 734694

Actress Carey Mulligan has been unveiled as the Alzheimer’s Society’s newest ambassador. The Bafta-winning star of films such as Pride and Prejudice, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and Never Let Me Go joined people with dementia and their carers at the ‘Rest-Bite’ service in Kentish Town. She has chosen to support the charity as her grandmother Margaret, known as Nans, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2004. Her appearance came as the Alzheimer’s Society published new statistics which found that 44 per cent of people currently know or used to know someone with dementia. Picture credit: cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com

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Home marks 23rd birthday TANGLEWOOD Care Home in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, celebrated its 23rd anniversary with an afternoon of entertainment and a special buffet prepared by head chef Andy Whitworth and his team. Staff, residents and their families and friends were invited to join the celebrations as was everyone in the Horncastle area. A special book was compiled for the occasion containing testimonials and comments from those close to Tanglewood. Matron Gillian Vernon said that the anniversary party presented the perfect opportunity to thank those in the community for their continued support of the home. She added: “The afternoon provided an opportunity for people to turn back the clock over the past 23 years and many enjoyed browsing through the album.”

Schools help celebrate CARE provider Carebase celebrated National Dementia Awareness Week with children from local schools. Each of the group’s homes across the South of England and East Anglia arranged an afternoon of activities with pupils from neighbouring schools, with the children visiting and exchanging information about themselves with the residents. This included their favourite hobby or pastime, which was written on piece of card and then attached to balloons and launched into the sky.

Fiona in running for award after living as a resident By Dominic Musgrave THE manager of a London care home has been nominated for a national award after spending a week living as a resident in order to gain greater insight into the experience of older people in care. Fiona Saadat, who runs Central & Cecil’s 45-bed Cecil Court in Kew, has been recognised in the 'Management Excellence' category of the Laing & Buisson Independent Healthcare Awards. Fiona used a week of her annual leave to live in every section of Cecil Court, including the dementia unit, during her week spent as a resident in Summer 2011, with staff drawing up a daily care plan and risk assessment based around her ‘needs’. She also cut contact with her family and friends so she could fully appreciate the isolation sometimes felt by people living in care, using her experience to make even more positive changes to the care and support she and her care team provide for older people. Over the last 12 months, Fiona has organised many other innovative projects including the conversion of an activity room

Fiona Saadat with resident Norman Hardy. into a 1950s/60s style ‘reminiscence room’ with typewriter, sewing machine, dressing table and furniture to aid reminiscence for residents with dementia. She has also asked staff to create an album of photographs and memorabilia for each resident as part of their personal care plan. Fiona said: “I feel privileged to be nominated by Central & Cecil for the Management Excellence

award. I feel shocked and delighted that such confidence has been expressed in me, and I hope I can justify this in the future as well. “It's such a wonderful feeling to be appreciated and I feel very lucky to be a part of the Cecil Court team. I know they have been putting in a lot of extra time, and the results are paying off. “I'm so happy to see hard work resulting in such success and this nomination is not only for me but for my team and my line manager as well. I would like to thank all the residents who’ve given me inspiration every day with their smiles and laughter. I would also like to thank the relatives and professionals who nominated me.” Fiona has many more events in the pipeline including a royal party for the Diamond Jubilee and a summer garden party. Her award nomination was supported not only by Central & Cecil staff but also Cecil Court residents and their relatives, and local healthcare professionals. Winners will be announced at a gala dinner on September 18.

CARINGNEWS Resident Bill Bolitho and staff nurse Ruth Whymark lock up the old Halstead Lodge home for the last time.

Residents and staff excited by move to their new home RESIDENTS at Care UK’s Halstead Lodge bid farewell to their old home and said hello to the new one they helped to design. The company made it a special priority to ensure that residents and their relatives were not only consulted thoroughly and sensitively, but also took an active part in helping to design the new home – which has been named Colne View. The new facility, which is close to the centre of Halstead in Essex, boasts a retro-themed room, library, coffee shop, hair and beauty salon and cinema, all based around its own indoor ‘village centre’. The home’s manager, Heather

Choat, said: “Everyone was very excited about the move and it went without a hitch. “We did it over a period of three days to ensure no one was stressed and residents were also reassured by the fact that the Halstead Lodge team members moved to Colne View with them.” “My team members are very excited about the move as the home has been purpose-built to ensure they can help residents lead an active life, keeping up their hobbies and interests.” Colne View will offer specialist residential and nursing care for up to 70 people.

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Top designer drafted in to create garden By Dominic Musgrave A SHROPSHIRE care home has enlisted the help of one of the country’s leading garden designers to create a prize-winning sensory garden for this year’s Shrewsbury Flower Show. The Uplands at Oxon nursing home has taken on Caspar Gabb to design the Uplands Sensory Garden, which will be one of the competition gardens at the event in August. After the show it will be taken to the Uplands where it will remain as a permanent feature in the grounds. Caspar, who runs his company Natural Elements Design from his Bridgnorth home, is a former Chelsea Gold medal winner whose clients have included Sir Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Robbie Williams and opera singer Katherine Jenkins. Mandy Thorn, managing director of Marches Care, which operates both the Uplands at Oxon nursing home and the Uplands Day Centre, said she was delighted he has agreed to head the project. “We are extremely excited about the garden and it is great to have Caspar on board,” added Mandy. “Not only is he a Chelsea Gold winner who is obviously a leader in his field, but more importantly he has completely understood and embraced the brief. “Obviously it would be wonderful if the garden wins the competition in August but it will also have the long-term benefit of being an integral part of the Uplands giving enormous pleasure to its many visitors.”

Mandy Thorn and Caspar Gabb with the design for the Uplands Sensory Garden Caspar said he was thoroughly enjoying the challenge of designing what he hopes will be a prizewinning garden for the flower show. “We have submitted the design and brief to Shropshire Horticultural Society and we are pleased to say it’s been accepted,” he added. “As the name suggests this garden is about stimulating all the senses which will have a positive emotional response for its visitors. “So as well as the visual stimulus of the plants and other features, there will also be textures, sounds, smells and even tastes which can be enjoyed by those who walk through it.”

Anniversary tea dance RESIDENTS, relatives and staff of Abbotsford Care homes celebrated their 25th anniversary with a 1950s tea dance at Beveridge Park Hotel. The event was enjoyed by almost 100 residents from across the seven care homes in Fife, including special guests including councillor Judy Hamilton of Kirkcaldy Labour party and councillor Andrew Rodger of Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss villages Independent party and David Torrance MSP of Kirkcaldy SNP party.

At the event, event organiser Poppy Lansdown launched the dementia reminiscence pod which she has been developing, and this will now be sited at Bayview in Methil, Fife for everyone to visit and enjoy. It includes a variety of items from the 1950s including a working record player and radio. There are books and small trinkets which have been included to try and help develop the memories of the residents within the care homes.

Have you got a story for us? Call our news team on 01226 734407 or email dm@scriptmedia.co.uk

CARINGNEWS

Charity claims families paying ‘top ups’ that should be free By Dominic Musgrave THOUSANDS of families in England may be paying councils millions of pounds a year for care home places that should be free, it has been claimed. The families are having to ‘top-up’ their elderly relatives’ care home fees because some councils refuse to pay the full market cost themselves, according to a report by older people’s charity Independent Age. Councils are required to provide an appropriate care home place to elderly people with few assets but the maximum rate they will pay in England is on average £4,521 a week, compared to an average real cost of £5,242. Around 55,000 families pay top-up fees, and Independent Age says it has seen cases where families are asked to pay up to £300 a week extra for care that should be paid for by the council.

The charity’s report ‘The real cost of care’, outlines five ways the care home funding system penalises the average older person and their family, and also shows how it is a postcode lottery. It goes on to claim that some councils in England are willing to pay over £900 a week for care home places while their neighbours pay less than £400. “It is unfair that family members are left to plug the gaps for fees that councils should be funding,” said Independent Age director of policy Simon Bottery. “It happens because care funding is terribly complicated and in many cases relatives simply don’t understand the system. “We understand that councils are themselves struggling to find the money to fund care. This situation is further proof of the need for the government to radically reform care funding, along the lines recommended by the recent Dilnot Commission.”

Residents at a Walsall care home welcomed several animals to their home as part of National Pet Month. Pelsall Hall Care Home celebrated the event with visits from animals including owls, a lizard and a skunk from the Gentleshaw Wildlife Rescue Centre at Eccleshall, rescue dogs from The Greyhound Trust, and a miniature Shetland Pony named Tickle from the Phoenix Children’s Foundation. Steve Brookes, manager at Pelsall Hall, said: “Animal visits break down so many barriers and we saw all residents, including those with dementia, were interacting with Tickle and talking about memories of pets they used to own.” Resident Muriel Green is pictured with Tickle

Journey down memory lane IT was ‘all aboard’ for the start of National History Month at Care UK’s Kingsleigh care home in Woking as the residents and team joined in an afternoon of celebration of buses and local history. The star of the ‘On The Buses’ afternoon was Robert Peters, the relative of a resident and a former bus driver with London and County buses. Residents and team members also joined in by reading poetry.

Activities co-ordinator Pauline Dolan said: “Peter handed out oldfashioned tickets to the audience before the talk began and then he told some very entertaining stories about his time as a driver and about the history of the routes he used to travel.” “The residents had a lot of fun. Most of them have lived in the area all their lives and Peter’s stories triggered happy memories as well as being entertaining and informative.”

CARINGNEWS

£5m development to create 90 jobs LEEDS-based operator Silk Healthcare has announced plans for a £5m development of a purposebuilt 83-bed care home in Barnsley. Mapplewell Manor will be a new residential care home and senior centre specialising in dementia care and is due to open its doors in February 2013. It will bring approximately 90 full and part time jobs to the area. A funding package has been secured to support the construction of the new care home, which consists of loan facilities arranged by The Royal Bank of Scotland’s Healthcare team and £500,000 from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund – a £1bn fund launched by the Coalition Government to provide support for sustainable economic growth and private sector job creation. Angela Swift, managing director of Silk Healthcare, said: “We are very excited about the construction of Mapplewell Manor and work is underway after the demolition of the previous Greenside Care Home. “We are looking forward to expected completion in February 2013 and bringing not only superb facilities

Artist’s impression of Mapplewell Manor and care to elderly residents but new job creation to the Barnsley area. “Mapplewell Manor will be a luxurious care home that will provide dementia care at an affordable price. It also offers a great addition to the local community with a high quality day centre for the elderly. Silk Healthcare is a family run business established by Angela Swift in 2009 after the opening of the firm’s first care home Reuben Manor.

Her commitment and high standards were rewarded within months of the opening when Angela was voted the Most Outstanding New Entrant to the Over 50s Housing Awards. Mapplewell Manor will be the group’s third care home in addition to Reuben Manor in Teesside and Heather Grange in Burnley. A fourth home is also planned for construction in Colne, Lancashire next year.

Green-fingered youngsters lend a hand RESIDENTS from Richmond Village Nantwich welcomed the help of a handful of young keen gardeners from a nearby primary school to sow the seeds for ‘Wildflowers in the Woodlands’. This year’s RHS scheme to sow wildflowers for the future was helped along enthusiastically by both residents and children alike. The ground was prepared previously by Richmond’s Gary Lawton – who created four patches of land in the shape of a square, circle, triangle and diamond. Doug Butterill of the Nantwich In Bloom committee was on hand to make sure all went smoothly. The flowers will be monitored to see which patch grows the most and quickest and the children will be returning in a couple of months to see the outcome.

Pair re-elected CHRISTOPHER Jackson and Andy Hollingshead were re-elected chairman and vice-chairman of NASHiCS respectively. Their term-of-office runs for two years from the end of June until 2014.

CARINGRENEWABLE ENERGY

Harness energy to save money THERE is a rich source of energy around us which has the potential to benefit everyone. As one of the leading suppliers of renewable energy systems Retherm has learnt to harness this energy to help many businesses and householders save money on their utility bills. Whether it is heat generated in a kitchen or bathroom, solar energy, wind power or energy stored in wood pellets, Retherm can harness it. Over the last six years, Retherm has grown from a one-man band to one of the largest installers of renewable

energy systems. It offers a full design and installation service for many of the most popular renewable technologies. Retherm has installed air source heat pumps for Dignus Healthcare in Wolverhampton, providing a green source of heating and hot water. One benefit is the low temperature of the heating system which is safer for residents. Care home owner Ammer Sandhu said: “The system has been wonderful. It requires minimal maintenance and has proved very economical to run.”

Installing panels could halve costs An Ashington care home is the proud owner of the first all-electric car to join the company’s vehicle fleet. Woodhorn Park, a Barchester run facility, has taken delivery of the environmentally friendly Nissan Leaf – a five-door hatchback electric car. Kevin Inns, transport manager for the group, said: “We are already operating several petrol and diesel hybrid vehicles and want to embrace the innovative alternatives that are available on the market, too. This will be an ideal vehicle to operate out of Woodhorn Park, especially as there are several charging points in the area with Nissan being a local manufacturer.” Senior carer Vicky Mallaburn is pictured with Barchester’s energy and environment manager Ben Collard and transport manager Kevin Inns and the Nissan Leaf.

A HERTFORDSHIRE-BASED energy consultancy and renewable energy expert is encouraging care homes to invest in solar energy. Welwyn Garden City’s Just Energy Solutions says this is one of the most effective ways of reducing energy bills, especially for ‘24/7’ high energy use buildings such as care homes. It also provides homes with an additional income through the Government’s Feed-in-Tariff. Neil Ring, commercial director at Just Energy Solutions, says despite the recent cut to the government Feed-in-Tariff for solar energy, the

return on investment of anything up to 15 per cent is still attractive. Care homes spend an average of around 60 per cent of their overhead costs on heating and lighting. Care home owners do not have to install solar power systems across the whole of their building to see the benefit – they only need to fit panels on those areas experiencing the highest energy usage. The feed-in-tariff works by paying for electricity generated whether it is used or not. The new rate is 21p/kWh.

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Homes work hard to win oral health awards By Helen Williams STAFF from Dundee Community Dental Service visited two care homes in the city to present NHS Tayside’s Oral Health Award, a new programme aimed at improving the oral health of residents. The accolade is a local programme developed by the oral health improvement team within NHS Tayside and adapted from the national Caring for Smiles resource, which was launched in June 2010. Care homes are invited to work towards the award, which recognises good practice and requires the care homes to achieve 10 criteria, including having daily care plans, appropriate resources, access to a dentist and oral health champions. Dental health support worker Gemma Bain presented Bridge View House and Menzieshill House care homes with the prize. She said: “Staff in Bridge View and Menzieshill care homes have worked hard over the past few months to meet the criteria. “I look forward to working with other Dundee care homes to encourage participation and promote oral

health issues.” The award encourages care homes to include new oral health standards as part of the residents’ care packages with the support of oral health professionals who offer training to care home staff throughout Tayside. NHS Tayside’s Community Dental Service has been working in partnership with care homes across Tayside for many years to ensure that their residents receive appropriate daily oral care and dental treatment. Donna Kirk, principal coordinator of national dental strategies, said: “We have been working with care homes across Tayside offering support and many care homes have now received their award which is supported by The Care Inspectorate and Scottish Care. “This is a great accolade and again demonstrates the high standards of care available in care homes.” Has your care home taken part in a similar scheme? Let Dominic Musgrave know by calling 01226 734407 or email dm@scriptmedia.co.uk

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‘No money’ claim is in contravention of High Court ruling By Helen Williams

The Duchess of Gloucester unveils a plaque at the newly refurbished Halliwell Care Home.

Royal visitor attends reopening HRH The Duchess of Gloucester reopened the newly refurbished Halliwell Care Home in Tunbridge Wells. The facility is one of nine managed by Elizabeth Finn Homes Limited, which are owned by the charity Elizabeth Finn Care, for whom the duchess is a patron. The refurbishment of Halliwell has resulted in an increase in the overall size of the home from 50 to 64 bedrooms with sitting rooms, a dining room with panoramic views over the garden and activity accommodation.

In addition, the gardens have been expanded to include a landscaped, terraced garden with wheelchair friendly paths. Chairman Richard Down said: “The accommodation, the communal areas, where residents can relax and socialise, and the gardens have created a fabulous home-fromhome experience for all the residents.” Irene Cornford, who has been a resident at Halliwell for more than three years, presented Her Royal Highness with a posy to commemorate her visit.

A NORTH West care association has been told there is no money to pay for the shortfall and backdating of care fees frozen by its local council – in direct contravention of a High Court ruling that says “no money is not an excuse”. Members of Sefton Care Association met with care minister Paul Burstow, John Pugh MP, Sefton Borough Council chief executive Margaret Carney and other officials in Westminster, but before they could put forward their case, they claim the “there’s no money” line was delivered. SCA spokesman Dan Lingard said: “As soon as that was said we realised that not only was our meeting a waste of time, but also that the situation had not been properly researched. “As the meeting was conducted under Chatham House Rules, we can’t say who said there was no money – but it was said nevertheless. Sefton council has already defied a High Court ruling and told care home owners and the borough’s vulnerable that it will be freezing care fees for both 2011/12 and 2012/13, a dispute which led to SCA committee members being invited to Westminster to discuss the issue.

“But what people in the meeting seemed to have lost sight of is that the High Court ruling in November 2011 said that lack of resources is no excuse for not fulfilling care obligations.” In paragraph 90 of the ruling, His Honour Judge Raynor QC, sitting as a judge of the High Court, quoted an earlier precedent and ruling: “In paragraph 46(2) of his judgment in the Forest Care Home case, Hickinbottom J stated: ‘In deciding whether a person is in need of care and accommodation, an authority is entitled to have regard to its own limited financial resources. However, having set that threshold and found that a particular person surpasses it, an authority is under an obligation to provide care and accommodation in fulfilment of its section 21 obligations (under the National Assistance 1948), which is a specific duty on the authority owed to an individual, not a target duty: lack of resources is no excuse for nonfulfilment of that obligation…’ Dan added: “In other words, no money is not an excuse – care obligations must be fulfilled, and they are not being fulfilled by a freeze in care fees, which, given inflation and other factors, means that not only have care fees been frozen – they’ve actually fallen.”

CARINGNEWS

County council acted unlawfully over fee freeze – High Court Mayor of Lancaster Paul Woodruff opens the new sensory garden at Nazareth House with his wife Di.

Mayor unveils new sensory garden MAYOR of Lancaster, councillor Paul Woodruff, officially opened the new Margaret Coulston sensory garden at Nazareth House care home in the city. The event was attended by residents and their relatives, staff, Friends of Nazareth, Robert York CEO of Nazareth Care UK and members of the regional team, as well as sisters and residents from local Nazareth Houses in Liverpool, Manchester and Blackburn. The purpose of the garden is to provide individual and combined sensory opportunities for the residents, which includes scented and edible plants, water features and a seaside area. The garden is named after Margaret Coulston, who donated the land to Nazareth House in 1900.

A GROUP of Devon care providers has succeeded in a judicial review action against its local authority in relation to its decision setting elderly care home fees for the 2011/12 financial year. The group of five care providers, all with homes in the county, was represented by QualitySolicitors Burroughs Day’s specialist social care team in a case that was heard in the High Court (Administrative Division) at the Birmingham District Registry. The operators involved were Southern Healthcare (Wessex) Ltd, South West Care Homes Ltd, South West Residential Homes Ltd (a wholly-owned subsidiary of South West Care Homes Ltd), Forde Park Care and Palm Court Nursing Home. Handing down his judgement, The Honourable Mr Justice Singh granted relief

in the form of a declaration that the county council had acted unlawfully by failing to consult properly with providers when making its decision to freeze care home fees for the second year in a row for 2011/12. He also ordered the authority to pay half of the claimants’ total costs, with a first instalment of £40,000 to be paid within 21 days. Alan Beale, MD of South West Care homes Ltd, said he hoped the court’s ruling would encourage the authority to engage with care providers when going through the feesetting process in the future. He added: “We are very pleased that the Court has found in our favour. The actual cost of providing high quality care has risen dramatically over the past few years and it is an issue affecting the whole care industry. “It is our absolute priority to

provide high quality care tailored to the needs of individual residents, giving them dignity and respect, and ensuring they have as much control over their care plan as possible. However, as well as rising costs to manage, we live in a part of the country with an ever-growing population of older people, many of whom have increasingly complex needs. “Given that Devon County Council froze the fees it paid for residents it placed in our care for two years in a row, it has been more and more difficult to maintain a high quality of care. We hope that the Court’s ruling will encourage DCC to engage with care providers in Devon when going through the crucial feesetting process in the future, and we look forward to working with the Council to provide the best possible care for Devon’s older people.”

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New £8m home earns praise from TV doctor DOCTOR Hilary Jones praised the ‘kindness, compassion and attention to detail’ of a new £8m dementia care home in Winchester. The Daybreak presenter and medical author was speaking at a public open day at Colten Care’s St Catherines View home where he met the first residents to move in. Eighty jobs have been created at the home which enables residents to live in five small house groups with a high degree of ‘person-centred’ care. Hilary was shown around the 56bed home by the group’s managing director Ian Hudson and home manager Ann-Marie Medd. Ian said: “The environment in a home can greatly reduce the stress and anxiety which can come with dementia. “As well as our investment in this purpose-built new setting, we devote a substantial part of our overall training budget to dementia care education.” St Catherines View is Colten Care’s 19th home and the third to

Colten Care MD Ian Hudson with Dr Hilary Jones on a restored Massey Ferguson tractor in the grounds of St Catherines View. specialise in dedicated dementia care. Hilary viewed several of the home’s themed rooms, all designed with dementia in mind. They include a world map room where residents can reflect on where they have lived and travelled. There is also a wildlife hide for viewing birds and other ani-

mals in the landscaped grounds. Bournemouth University’s School of Health and Social Care has recently accredited Colten Care’s two other dementia care homes as ‘practice development units’, traditionally an NHS ‘badge of honour’. Plans are in place to put St Catherines View through the same accreditation process.

Remembrance rose garden is unveiled SKELMERSDALE care home Birch Green has unveiled a colourful new Rose Garden of Remembrance. The purpose-built facility, which provides nursing and residential care for 74 older people, has established the garden to provide a comforting area for people to use to remember their loved ones. Ken Nolan, chairman of Springhill Care Group, operator of the home, was on hand to cut the ribbon and officially open the facility, joined by Birch Green general manager Catherine Shawarby, residents, and Ron Stoneley and Eric Newall, whose late wives were both residents at the home. The garden has been opened to coincide with Dying Matters Awareness Week, an annual event run by the Dying Matters Coalition, a group dedicated to promoting public awareness of death and bereavement. Staff at Birch Green are promoting the concept of ‘Living Well’ and breaking the taboos about talking about end-of-life issues. Catherine said: “The garden is designed to allow people to walk around, sit in quiet contemplation, or sit and chat with friends. We designed it to be an enjoyable place to while away the hours, or simply to pass through. There is also room for people to place a rose to remember a loved one.”

CARINGNEWS

Student to host mini-Olympics for residents Amberwood House resident Ellen Smith presents the handmade bookmarks to pupils at Parley First School.

Residents reminisce with primary school pupils FIVE residents from a Dorset care home visited a nearby primary school to talk with the pupils. The visitors from Colten Care’s Amberwood House in Ferndown, who all began their education in the 1920s or early 1930s, presented year four pupils at Parley First School with a dozen laminated bookmarks they designed and decorated in their regular arts and crafts sessions. In the school library, old and young discussed how the learning environment has been transformed through technology. With guidance from teacher Liz Young, pupils asked questions they had prepared about the classrooms of yesteryear. They also showed the visitors their PE kit, laptops, maths

books and homework projects. Colten Care activity organiser Janey Lloyd said residents enjoyed making the bookmarks to help promote pupils’ reading, while preparing for the visit had got them talking about their old school memories. She added: “Intergenerational activities such as this one are so valuable. Watching the interaction of those involved is a joyful experience. “The usual dynamics of the group, or reactions of an individual, can really change and it seems to bring out the best in everyone. “We’re really thankful to the school for the hard work the pupils put in and we’re going to maintain our links so we can make more visits in the future.”

A UNIVERSITY of Bath student is hosting a mini-Olympic Games for older people in the city as part of her studies into active ageing. Charis McKenna, a Coach Education and Sports Development undergraduate from the Department of Education came up with the idea for the event after speaking to residents of the Bridgemead Nursing Home in Bath about their views of the Games and sport in general. She found that many of the residents were excited by the Olympics and had a sense of pride that the University of Bath was playing a part by hosting the Paralympic preparation camp as well as offering a base for many of the competing athletes. Charis decided to organise the event so the residents could feel more involved in the Games. She said: “I wanted to challenge the perception that sport is for young, athletic people. There is a lot of focus on getting young people moving in order to tackle childhood obesity but 2012 is also the European year of active ageing and solidarity between

generations and I wanted to engage with older people’s views on sport. “The Olympic Charter says that ‘the practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport in accordance with his or her needs’, but some people can be marginalised. “The people I spoke to expressed a lot of interest in the Games and thought it was great that the University was playing a part.” The event will include archery, lifting and throwing games and table tennis. All of the residents are invited to take part along with their families and nurses. The home will be decorated with Olympic rings and torches and the residents will be presented with medals and certificates by twice GB Bob Skeleton Winter Olympian Adam Pengilly, who trains at the University of Bath. Charis said: “The idea of active aging is not so much about the health benefits of exercising, although I am sure there are some, but about having fun and encouraging older people to stay active.”

Garden project starts IVYBANK care home in Kings Norton has received overwhelming support from volunteers who work at a local recruitment business to help re-design its garden. Employees from Primetime Recruitment, which has a longstanding relationship with the home, joined residents, family members and staff to help clear out the grounds. The care home, which is part of the Bondcare Group, also enlisted the help of garden designer Lucy Bravington. Lucy has offered

her time to fully re-design the garden, which will include interactive areas and water features to help stimulate residents. Ivybank manager Ann Norris said: “It’s fantastic that people are giving up their valuable time and resources to help us make the garden beautiful and interesting for our residents. “I am thrilled that work has started on the garden and I will be delighted when we hold an official opening later on in the year.”

Woking’s newest care home, The Grange, has welcomed its first residents. The nine-bed boutique nursing facility has been added to the living options at purpose built retirement village Mayford Grange. Paul Walsh, managing director of care and operations for Retirement Villages Ltd, said: “The opening of The Grange introduces a new tier of living options for those keen to enjoy the lifestyle and surroundings on offer at Mayford Grange but requiring specialist care.”

CARINGNEWS

Home takes part in national study By Dominic Musgrave A GREENWICH nursing home is taking part in a national study to find the most effective training package for teams to help people living with dementia. Riverlee is one of 16 homes across the country chosen to take part in the trial which aims to develop a successful training package that can be rolled out nationally which improves the mental health of, and reduces the need for medication in people living with dementia in care homes. It is being funded by the Department for Health’s National Institute for Health Research and is being carried out by NIHR WHELD (Well-being and Health of People Living with Dementia) at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Kings College London. Leading the study is Professor Clive Ballard, chief investigator for NIHR WHELD. Four members of the care teams from each home have been chosen to be ‘dementia champions’. These staff will receive the WHELD training and then will disseminate this to their colleagues so it is rolled out across each home. Riverlee’s champions are activities leader Kate Miller and care assistants Stellah Ajok, Pat Naïve and Robert Barrett. WHELD research therapist Apricot

Hulse, who is carrying out the training at the home, said: “The study is looking at what interventions make a real difference to the quality of life of those residents living with dementia, for example is it increasing exercise or giving staff additional training in communication skills? “All of these interventions have previously been found to have a positive outcome individually. This study is about trying to identify, through the different training packages, what combination of training works best. “It may identify that – as long as solid person centred care training is in place – additional training may not make that much difference to residents. It might be that the homes getting training in person centred care alone have the best outcome.” Research therapists have been working with the home’s care teams and relatives of the residents taking part in the study, who are each at very different stages of their illness, to assess their mood, behaviour and general quality of life. These will be assessed throughout the project and then again when it finishes in August. There are around 15 residents from each home taking part in the study. It will be completed in August and the findings will then help to develop a larger, randomised controlled clinical trial.

John Telfer, managing director of Inspiring Business Performance, presents the Investors in People Silver award to Karen Cooper, manager at Mount Ephraim House.

Karen receives top accolade A TUNBRIDGE Wells residential home has been presented with a prestigious national award for demonstrating a degree of excellence in the way it develops and supports its staff. Mount Ephraim House, part of the Greensleeves Homes Trust, was awarded the Investors in People Silver award at a celebratory ceremony held at the Freemasons’ Hall, London. Home manager Karen Cooper said: “We are delighted to have successfully attained the Investors in People Silver award. It formally recognises the fact that we believe in and have a

clear strategy for the learning and development of our 40 members of staff. We take great pride in planning our employees’ career path and provide them with the support and training they need to improve.” As well as demonstrating that the employees at Mount Ephraim could learn and develop effectively within the home, the management also had to prove they have a clearly defined strategy for improving performance. To ensure that the home continues to improve during 2012 and beyond, Karen will help the team work towards the requirements for the Investors in People Gold award.

CARINGDIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS

Care homes nationwide held events to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Caring UK features a selection of them in this four-page picture special.

Staff and residents at Eventide in Liskeard, Cornwall, decorated the front of the home to welcome the Olympic torch and as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The home also held a pet show. Residents enjoyed a day of classic cars when a vintage car rally took up residence on their care home’s lawns as part of celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Stretton Hall nurse manager Lindsey Marren said: “It is such a privilege to support the jubilee year in a really historic way, and to be able to host the cars at our nursing home. Our residents really enjoyed admiring the vehicles and getting into the jubilee spirit.” Residents Audrey Hartley and Pamela Passant are pictured with Lindsey and one of the historic vehicles.

Residents at Reside Care Homes made crowns and tiaras in the run up to their Jubilee party and parade. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee was a big event in both of the group’s facilities in Southbourne and Christchurch, where they celebrated with decorations and bunting, live musical entertainment and a buffet party with family and friends all invited.

The oldest resident of Marlborough Court in Thamesmead, London lit the care home’s Jubilee Beacon watched by staff, relatives and guests and assisted by manager Maggie Candy. Annie Turnham, 102, was guest of honour at the occasion at the only selected beacon site in the area, overlooking the River Thames. She said she remembered Queen Elizabeth’s coronation which “did not seem so long ago” – when she was 42. A perpetual candle in the home’s reception represents the Diamond Jubilee beacon event.

CARINGDIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS

Message trees mark festivities SEVEN Jubilee message trees were decorated as part of the festivities at Pendine Park in Wrexham. They have been festooned with postcards designed and drawn by residents, relatives and staff. After months of work, all the postcards have now been laminated and tied to the trees to mark the monarch's 60 momentous years on the throne. They are providing a colourful backdrop to the Jubilee parties at each of Pendine Park's seven care homes. The royal project has been masterminded by the group’s artist-in-residence Sarah Edwards.

She said: “We wanted a special Diamond Jubilee project that could involve every single resident across the seven homes. “The residents made the cards themselves or the activities team made them for them. “They included collages, drawings or photographs on the theme of the jubilee, with a message to the Queen or memories associated with the Queen. “The Jubilee Message Trees have been festooned with the flags of the Commonwealth which is close to the Queen's heart and a big part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.”

A Warwickshire care home left a lasting legacy for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee when it planted a tree. Bromson Hill in Ashorne planted the cherry as part of the Queen’s Jubilee Woods project – an ambitious scheme to plant six million trees across the country. The tree was sited near the entrance to the village next to the sign for Ashorne and stands alongside one planted there previously for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. The home also hosted a traditional street party with afternoon tea and a reminiscence session.

Party hats dusted off at home RESIDENTS from the Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society in Banstead, Surrey, many of whom remember the 1953 coronation and the 1977 jubilee, took a trip down memory lane at a street party. The home, which provides dedicated accommodation and nursing for former seafarers, and non-seafarers when able to, organised a festival of

music, socialising, sandwiches and cakes in the communal garden. The care home recently opened a new dementia unit to care for up to 36 patients with the condition. The Society also creates ‘memory boxes’ for every resident which contain trinkets and photographs from their past to be used as memory prompts.

CARINGDIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS

Millbrow care home in Widnes had five different events to celebrate the jubilee, including a garden makeover by volunteers and a concert. The home, which showed the coronation on a big projector screen, had its own pearly queen Marjorie Taylor who helped the mayor and mayoress of Halton to plant a commemorative tree. Residents also enjoyed a ‘crowns and tiaras’ party where the boys’ brigade band played, and a traditional street party.

Radbrook nursing home in Shrewsbury celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by creating a delicious homage in the form of a right royal cake. Residents of the home run by Morris Care all consulted on the design and ingredients of the diamond shaped fruit cake, which was then created by Radbrook cook Anne Butt.

Queen thanks Olive for corgi poem Spirits were not dampened at Greenacres residential home in Banstead, Surrey, when its jubilee street party had to be moved indoors due to bad weather.

THE Queen has written to a resident of Sunrise Senior Living in Weybridge, Surrey, to thank her for penning a poem about her reign. Called ‘The Corgis’ Diamond Jubilee,’ the verse was written by

Olive Cowlin through the eyes of the Queen’s pet corgis. Olive, who turned 84 on the last day of the Jubilee river pageant, received happy birthday wishes from the Queen and thanks for the “delightful verses.”

CARINGDIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS

Group’s chefs taste success By Dominic Musgrave RESIDENTS at Sanctuary Care homes across the country tasted mouth-watering dishes lovingly prepared by four of the organisation’s chefs after they won pride of place on its Queen’s Jubilee menu. Marcella Field, who is a chef at Oxfordshire’s Watlington and District Nursing Home, Daniel Perks and Chris Hill from The Rosary Nursing Home in Bridgwater and Ian Harris from Ivydene Nursing Home in Ivybridge all entered winning recipes into the organisation’s culinary contest. Following a cook-off, where judges confirmed the courses indeed tasted as good as they sounded – they starred on Sanctuary Care’s Queen’s Jubilee Celebration Menu, which were prepared by chefs in its 47 care homes. Two of Marcella’s dishes got tastebuds tingling. Her Celebration Soup starter is a delicious blend of Bramley apples, cheddar cheese, celery and onion, and her Royal Bacon Clanger main course is a suet baked pastry filled with bacon, leeks, onion and sage, served with a rich chive sauce. Ian’s Jubilee Queen of Puddings is a meringue with a creamy raspberry biscuit base. Another winning pud was Chris’ strawberry shortbread stack, while his colleague Daniel Perks prepared a starter of mini

Dottie Donaghy Sanctuary Care’s Regent Care Home (Worcester) activity leader Kelly Smith with resident Sylvia Bolter. haddock fishcakes with watercress and homemade tartar sauce. Karl Evans, Sanctuary Care’s hotel and catering services support manager said: “The quality of the winning menu shows how talented and creative the chefs in our homes truly are. “The winners not only embraced the theme of celebration, but included seasonal foods which our residents love. “It is wonderful to see that our teams have such inspirational ideas for dishes that are focused on the

needs of their residents who they cook for on a daily basis.” The winners all submitted written recipes, which were judged on a range of criteria, including innovation, nutrition, balance and of course taste, before they were invited to cook them at sponsor Unilever Food Solutions’ head office in Surrey. As well as meeting the criteria above, they also had to include a key ingredient – Meadowland Cream – which is produced by Unilever Food Solutions.

Royal role for resident Dottie RESIDENT Dottie Donaghy was crowned ‘Queen for a day’ as part of jubilee celebrations at Glebe House in Kidlington, Oxfordshire. Dottie won the royal reception in a competition organised by the home, part of the Orders of St John Care Trust. She was crowned, presented with flowers and gifts and treated to a special meal with her family, and later opened the home’s garden party.

Making sure staff have right values will be ‘tough’ – claim By Dominic Musgrave CARE home owners must start to plan now or they may struggle with the government's announcement that when recruiting carers they need to show that their candidates have ‘the right values’, it has been claimed. That is the warning from Michael Slade, managing director of employment law specialist Bibby Consulting and Support. He says that unsurprisingly, given the spotlight which care homes are under, the government wants them to do more by assessing and measuring the candidate's levels of compassion at an interview or on an application form. Michael added that it will be essential for owners to have more detailed

policies in place that are worded in such a way as to encompass all the value requirements. “The employer should now be looking at the candidate as a whole and their value system must now be a key part of this assessment,” he said. “This is going to be an extremely difficult area for care homes to manage. Firstly, who is going to say what the correct values are that a carer should possess? Secondly, how on earth do you measure them, rank them and compare them? “Are we really asking recruiters in care environments to introduce a whole new layer of assessment criteria into the recruitment process? If this is the case, then they need assistance from the government or the CQC to help them understand specifically what they

expect and how they can achieve this.” He also called on the government to consider how it can help employers prevent candidates who know what such checks involve by preparing in advance so they tick the right boxes. “Without guidance from the government, care homes are going to have their work cut out,” added Michael. “While we wholeheartedly support the need to get the right people in the right jobs, the government must not introduce further regulation without help and support for employers to meet these new obligations.” What do you think? Let Dominic Musgrave know by emailing dm@scriptmedia.co.uk or telephone 01226 734407.

Caring UK Commerce section brings you all the latest property, business and training news every month.

In this issue: Brighton home

sold off market Page 29

Work on centre

almost complete Page 31

Home higlighted

at award ceremony Page 32

You can now follow us on Twitter at caringuk

CARINGCOMMERCE Advertiser’s announcement

Brighton home sold off market HAZELGROVE nursing home in Brighton is registered for 37 clients and recently completed full refurbishment of its 35 en-suite ground floor bedrooms. The home was sold with the benefit of further planning to increase registration to 50, with B&K Partnership acting for the buyer. Due to the quality of the asset, 100 per cent purchase funding over a 25year term was achieved, and the purchaser’s sector experience and track record ensured that banking terms GVA Property Consultants has promoted Tom Harrison MA, MRICS to associate in their independent healthcare business unit. Tom (pictured right) joined the firm in 2004, and is a chartered surveyor specialising in the healthcare business sector. He provides valuation and consultancy services to corporate, third sector, private and banking clients, plus insolvency practitioners. Director of healthcare valuation, Adam Burchell, said: “In addition to his technical and business valuation expertise, Tom has demonstrated his versatility in successfully handling the recent sales of Rosevilla and Winterbourne View for Castlebeck, following the controversial BBC Panorama expose.”

were competitive – many banks were keen to support the acquisition. Ben Jones of B&K said the deal took four months. He added: “At this time, finding the right asset and achieving maximum bank funding in the healthcare sector is not easy – experience counts. “The purchasers put their trust in me to make an acquisition happen and we found an opportunity of suitable quality through our database and contacts.”

CARINGCOMMERCE

Work on centre almost complete By Dominic Musgrave WORK is nearing completion on a 13bed unit for people suffering with early onset dementia at Hatzfeld House Care Centre in Blidworth, Nottinghamshire. The family-run centre, which specialises in caring for people with dementia, is expanding its provision for people under the age of 65 by opening a new state-of-the-art facility in the grounds of the existing 23-bed residential home. The unit, aimed at promoting semiindependent living, will consist of 13 studio flats each with its own bedroom, seating area and flat screen TV and en-suite wet room. In addition to the flats the building will have a communal kitchen, dining area and spacious lounge with flat screen televisions and comfortable sofas. There will also be a day care centre on the first floor with lift access, a full size pool table and a Nintendo Wii. The centre will be used for a wide range of activities including dementia support group and residents’ book club meetings. Care centre manager Jessica Poznanski said they want to encourage residents with working age dementia to lead active and fulfilling lives.

She added: “The extension will provide much-needed facilities for people in Nottinghamshire and the rest of the East Midlands who want to retain their independence but benefit from 24-hour on-site care. “Many dementia care services in the county only cater for people over 65, and where services are open to younger users these may not be appropriate to their needs. “Our new facility, however, has been designed specifically with the needs of younger people in mind and we want it to feel like a beautiful home from home. “Residents will have their own front door and will be able to invite their friends and family round to visit. We want to encourage people to lead as independent a life as possible.” Jessica added that the new building has already attracted a lot of interest from the local authorities and private individuals, some of whom have already reserved a flat. The centre will also have a specially designed sensory garden with a summer house, patio areas, dementia paths and raised borders and a new therapy room offering holistic treatments including massage, aromatherapy and reflexology. Email your stories for the Commerce section of Caring UK to dm@scriptmedia.co.uk

Hallmark Care Homes marked Dementia Awareness Week by launching its first care home specialising solely in dementia care. The new home in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, was officially opened by Southend on Sea mayor, councillor Sally Carr. Facilities include a ‘his and hers’ hair salon, IT suite, a shop, spa therapy room, and even a pub. The 60-bed home’s gardens have also been specially designed. Hallmark managing director Avnish Goyal is pictured with mayor, councillor Sally Carr and local councillor Graham Longley.

CARINGCOMMERCE

Home highlighted at awards ceremony Outlook Care and construction company R G Carter Ipswich held a ground breaking ceremony for a new specialist nursing home in Colchester. Work on the innovative 66bed Foxburrow Grange is scheduled for completion in March 2013. City Mayor Coun Helen Chuah officially welcomed the scheme, which will bring first class dementia and complex nursing care together and provide over 70 new jobs in the area. The home will comprise two units of 15 bedrooms on the ground floor, specifically designed for residents with dementia, and a further 36 bedrooms on the first floor for nursing care. Councillor Helen Chuah, Mayor of Colchester, is pictured with Outlook Care chief executive Penny Taylor and R G Carter Ipswich director James Wilson.

Eddie’s knowledge and expertise second to none EMANUEL A Dribble, better known in the business transfer market as Eddie Dribble, has been in the care home transfer agency business for around 40 years. His extensive knowledge and expertise is second to none in negotiating a satisfactory conclusion for many long standing clients In 1972 he founded and subsequently developed the care home division, of the then national transfer agents Luxton and Lowe Limited. Since that time he has personally travelled the length and breadth of the British Isles inspecting and evaluating every type of care home. No matter what size and what cost he has negotiated sales to a range of buyers, which include large companies and single private individuals. He has established a reputation throughout the industry which provides a truly personal service, always remaining fully confidential. Luxton and Lowe Limited were taken over in 1991 by a large London property agent. At this time to keep the personal service and confidentiality, which was also his strict code of practice, Eddie decided he needed to form his own private transfer agency to continue to provide a high quality individualistic service. Since this time he has continued to serve the industry with his own brand of personal and confidential negotiations and keep his commission rates at a competitive level. To this day care homes of every size and description and in every location are continuously required for a list of carefully vetted applicants. Enquiries: Telephone 020 8942 0852.

THE state-of-the-art redevelopment taking place at a Lancashire care home was highlighted at a major building awards ceremony. The landmark development at Springhill Care Home in Accrington, which includes a new specialist care centre, was praised for its high standards of construction and workmanship in the recent North West Regional Building Excellence Awards 2012. Following the judging, Springhill walked away with recognition, from among the more than 1,000 projects put forward, as a finalist in two award categories: Best Community Building Award, and Best Small Commercial Building. The awards are run by Local Authority Building Control, the membership organisation

representing building control departments in authorities throughout England and Wales. Springhill was nominated by staff at Hyndburn Council. Ken Nolan, chairman of the Springhill Care Group, said: “We were delighted to have been chosen as finalists in two categories. “To be picked as one of more than a thousand nominations for this recognition is great news, and shows the impact the redevelopment at Springhill is having despite work only now entering the final phase.” The care group, with homes in Lancashire, Merseyside and Bristol, was shortlisted for its ongoing work to redevelop Springhill Care Home. Phase three involves the remodelling and refurbishment of the older, Victorian parts of the building.

Grayson seeks ‘fresh challenge’ GRAYSON Taylor has stepped down as managing director of Taylor National to pursue new challenges. Company chairman Hamilton Anstead will assume day to day responsibility for the company, and will be supported by June Willoughby and Hayley Hughes. Hamilton said: “After three years service, Grayson has decided to step down and look at fresh challenges in

the sector. We are very grateful to him for his expertise in getting the company off the ground and his hard work over the period. We wish him well for the future.” Grayson, who has worked within the care sector for the last 32 years, added: “My career has taken a different direction and I feel is time to move onto new opportunities and challenges.”

CARINGDEMENTIA

New extension complete

The new extension at Old Hastings House.

AN eighteenth century care home building, acquired by the Magdalen and Lasher Charity in 1981, has been extended following a £1.5m fund being committed to the project. English Heritage and Old Hastings Preservation Society, following a review of the development plans produced by John D. Clarke Architects, backed the specialist, dementia wing extension to Old Hastings House. The architecture project involved the creation of a new extension linked to the existing house, but as a separate wing, largely self-sufficient and with its own architectural identity and unique outlook across the town.

The company that cares SATURN Sales & Services Limited partnered with Intercall Nurse Call Systems in 1993 and is the main dealer, supplier, installer and maintainer for Intercall 600 and 700 ranges of nurse call equipment. Whether you have four beds or 140, Saturn can tailor the system and its many features to suit how you want to run your business. The 700 series is available with full speech facilities from rooms to any of the discrete visual display units throughout the home, a powerful aid in allowing staff to communicate quickly between each other when requiring assistance. Intercall provides residents call and staff

assistance, together with full staff emergency levels of call including staff location and staff presence facilities. Remote call pendants are available using the system’s built-in infra red receivers. Saturn also has a large range of dementia and EMI equipment to aid with care of residents, from bedroom door monitoring, bedroom movement sensors and bed monitors to full dementia bedroom controllers with room lighting controls. With the new IP based systems power supply, all calling events are logged and stored to provide a complete audit trail of all system activity including staff night visit checks.

People urged to read Syd’s story By Dominic Musgrave THE UK’s newest and third largest provider of residential care for older people is encouraging its 14,000 staff and 10,000 residents to read ‘Journey into Loneliness’, a story by the husband of a resident who was diagnosed with dementia. HC-One chairman Dr Chai Patel CBE was so moved by the article that copies have been distributed to all homes to demonstrate the affect kindness has on residents and their families and provide comfort to others living with dementia. The author, Syd Mayne, wrote ‘Journey into Loneliness’ when his wife moved out of their marital home to Springfield Bank. The article charts the life he shared with his wife of 56 years, and the struggle their family went through after she was diagnosed with dementia. The article also details the dedication of staff at the facility. Chai said: “I was incredibly humbled when I first read Mr Mayne’s moving article. It underlined for me exactly the type of care we aspire to provide throughout all our homes, not the

poshest or the plushest, but the kindest. “I felt that Mr and Mrs Mayne’s story should be shared with all HC-One staff, so that together we can all work on improving the lives of those residents and their families who are living with dementia. “The staff at Springfield Bank have gone above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that Kate is well cared for and that Syd’s doesn’t have to worry. “This is the blueprint we want all of our homes to offer every resident.” The HC-One board were made aware of the article by the company’s newly appointed service development managers, who have been visiting care homes since the company launched in November. Syd also recently spoke at the Dementia Care: The Way Forward conference in Maidstone organised by Script Events in association with Caring UK magazine. Other speakers included Barbara Pointon MBE and NCA chief executive Sheila Scott OBE. Further conferences are planned for later in the year in Barnsley and Blackpool.

CARINGSPORT

Fitness expert Julie Robinson with DVD stars Monica and Gordon.

Carer recommends DVDs A CARER at a Leeds residential home has commended a series of exercise DVDs for older people. Louise Summers, who works at Rosewood Court, said the ‘Move it or Lose it!’ DVDs had “worked miracles” for residents including Jim, who is 90 and has not been able to get out of his chair or walk for seven years. Louise said: “Jim and fellow residents aged 73 to 90 get together once a week for a class using the DVDs. They were reluctant at first but now all of them have seen a massive difference. Even family members have commented on

how good the exercises have been both physically and emotionally.” The series is presented by fitness expert Julie Robinson who has spent most of her life teaching exercise to older, less mobile people. Her routines are all fully endorsed by the Centre for Healthy Ageing Research headed by gerontology expert, Professor Janet Lord. According to The British Heart Foundation, the greatest fear for people in their 50s is loss of independence through failing physical and mental health - yet one in 20 people over 65 cannot remember when they last exercised.

Trainer provides workout for people of all ages THE XTrainer is SportsArt's universal piece of fitness equipment that provides an independent dual action, low-impact cardio/strength workout for people of all ages and fitness levels, from one compact space saving unit. The sleek frame and step-through design enables the comfy seat to be effortlessly and safely mounted, whilst the starting resistance is low enough for beginners, with 20 adjustment levels enabling users to intensify resistance – making it easy for any user to enjoy the XTrainer according to their individual fitness level.

For even more comfort and a custom fit, the XTrainer also offers a patented reclining seat back that adjusts for anyone, regardless of size. The XTrainer combines independent lower and upper body resistance to provide a total body workout, better than any other cardio product such as the recumbent cycle, treadmill and dual action elliptical trainer. Where space is at a premium or budgets limited, the SportsArt XTrainer has provided the optimum fitness solution for small gyms in hotels, rehabilitation centres, retirement and residential homes.

CARINGNEWS

Staff to attempt flying challenge to raise funds By Dominic Musgrave

Group learn more about PETALS care

STAFF at a West Midlands housing group will reach new heights when they take part in a sponsored 40ft aerial adventure challenge. Leanne Bell, Angela Causton, Janine Hayes and nine other members of staff from the Accord Group, based in West Bromwich, are aiming to raise £500 for Dementia UK by taking on the High Ropes Aerial Adventure Course at Sandwell Valley. The team, who work in Accord’s care and support department and at Tipton Extra Care Village, will scale a climbing tower and use a high-wire to tackle obstacles including bridges and hanging vines as part of the tough two-hour challenge to mark Dementia Awareness Week. Leanne Bell, senior personal assistant and dementia champion at Accord, said: “Dementia UK is a charity very close to our hearts as we provide care and support to older people with the condition across the West Midlands. “We are hoping to raise £500 for the charity and importantly raise awareness of dementia and break down some of the stigma associated with the condition.” As part of Dementia Awareness Week, a number of other care homes managed by the Accord Group will

SOMERSET Care played host to a group of health and care professionals from Spain, who came to learn about the company’s ‘PETALS’ dementia care. The visitors were from Mutua de Terrassa, Barcelona, a not for profit care organisation. They first visited Somerset Care in 2011 after hearing about its dementia care through Bradford University, with whom the group work closely. They requested a return trip this year to look at Somerset Care’s latest developments in the field, in particular its work on dementia care environments and personalisation of the service. Jane Lynch, assistant director of residential care and dementia care specialist, said: “Somerset Care is very proud of its dementia care service and is pleased to show its work off to colleagues in the care sector. “We hope that our visitors have found their visit to some of our ten dementia care units useful, they have told us how impressed they are and that they intend to go back to Barcelona and implement some changes to the way they deliver person centred dementia care.”

The staff taking part in the sponsored aerial adventure challenge, from the left: Leanne Bell, Rupender Malhi, Marie Garrett, Sarah Hill, Sarah Holl and Chantelle Holloway. also host events to mark the campaign. In Wolverhampton, Showell Court Social Centre in Low Hill will run a special reminiscence session to encourage older people to share memories from their pasts over a lunch. And at Silver Birches care home in Chelmsley Wood, staff will host a barbecue and entertainment afternoon, where residents’ friends and family will be given information about

dementia. Angela Causton, dementia care manager at Accord, said: “It’s so important to raise awareness of dementia as it can have a huge impact on not only the lives of those with the condition but their family and friends too. We hope that by taking part in this challenge we can raise funds to help improve the quality of life for all those people who are affected by dementia.”

CARINGNEWS

Regent Care Home’s receptionist Helen Jackson, her daughter – care assistant Ruth Jackson and the home’s activities leader Bridie Gray.

Walk raises money for garden THE team at a Worcester care home put their best foot forward with a sponsored 10-mile walk to raise money for a garden revamp. Around 12 members of the team at Sanctuary’s Regent facility walked from the home to the Camp Inn at Grimley to help fund the building of raised flower beds at the home in St John’s, where green fingered residents, especially those in wheelchairs can sit and enjoy a spot of light gardening. Acting manager Laura Wilkes said: “We have a lovely garden at Regent,

but we need raised beds as our residents love to tend to the flowers. This will allow everyone, including those in wheelchairs, to enjoy a spot of gardening. “The team are so dedicated and did the walk on their day off to create a beautiful area that all of our residents can enjoy. “Gardening is such a therapeutic activity, especially for our residents with dementia, so we are really excited to see how much we can raise to build this special area for them.”

CARINGHOMECARE

New service created in Bradford TWO North West based care companies have created a personalised home care service in Bradford. Regency Health Care Ltd and Cherish UK Ltd have formed an alliance that they hope will transform care in the home within the city. The Regency Cherish Alliance will provide support across all sectors, faith groups and communities. The new alliance was formed as a result of continued enquiries for a high quality person centred care service within the Bradford area that responds to the different needs of the communities and faith groups. Fayyaz Chauhdry, director of RCA, said: “From our base in Bradford we have been inundated with requests for a care service that understands the needs of the different cultural and faith groups within our community. “No two people are the same, however, there is a ‘standard practice’ to home care that does not take into account a person’s preferences, feelings or belief and this is not acceptable.” He added that their aim is to allow clients to maintain their independence and dignity.

Good design can beat stigma, claims expert By Helen Williams GOOD design can beat the ‘stigma’ that blights some assistive technology products, according to a health design expert. Guy Smallman, commercial development director of Coventry University Health Design & Technology Institute, said products to help older people, those with disabilities and chronic health conditions, should be just as ‘funky’ as any other consumer item. “People don’t want a product to remind them that they are older or have a disability. And they don’t want something that hasn’t been designed for them. For example, a lot of older people with dexterity problems are given baby cups – of course they won’t use them.” HDTI supports the development of innovative community healthcare products. It focuses on the ageing population and people with disabilities and chronic health conditions, providing design, prototyping and user-centred product evaluation. Customers are companies developing new technologies in the field, the NHS, and entrepreneurial individuals.

Guy Smallman Guy said that assisted living devices often suffer from a limited appreciation of aesthetic design and an ignorance of consumer perception. He said: “The stigma associated with disability products is the biggest barrier to their adoption.” Among the HDTI’s latest collaborations is the ‘Rock Me,’ a non spill drinking cup conceived by a

professional carer. The Institute is also working on design and evaluation of health and wellbeing smartphone apps for service users and social care professionals. Guy said: “Most good ideas come from end users. Frequently, however, they don’t have the financial resources to develop them and are considered high risk by banks. They may also lack the skills or appetite to set up a new business and that’s where we come in. We help develop the design and reduce the risks associated with new product innovation.” Qualifying companies are eligible for five days consultancy support from HDTI, free of charge. The Institute has worked on products from innovative walking aids to a singlehanded games controller, ‘toggle’ shoelaces for people with dexterity problems and a physiotherapy device for people with multiple sclerosis. Guy said: “We help companies avoid expensive mistakes. One company was all set to start manufacturing a new product when we tested it with a group of their target customers. The group completely rejected it. That was difficult to tell the company but it stopped them wasting £100,000.”

CARINGPRODUCT NEWS

Future of homes under spotlight at new exhibition Bathing firm joins in 80th birthday celebrations GAINSBOROUGH Specialist Bathing joined more than 1,400 leading industry figures to celebrate the Building Centre’s 80th anniversary where attendees enjoyed a number of shows, including a visit from HRH The Duke of Gloucester. The manufacturer of assisted bathing solutions, which has taken a permanent exhibition space at the contemporary Building Centre, welcomed visitors to its stand to be part of the birthday celebrations. Managing director Gordon Farmiloe

said: “Our exhibition space at the Building Centre means that our core professional customers, industry policy-makers, as well as overseas visitors see at first hand the state-ofthe-art developments in the increasingly important area of assisted bathing. “We have a number of our most popular and high-tech baths on show developed for a range of assistance needs for the home, hospital or nursing home situation including the Ascot and Cambridge Plus designs.”

Firm plans to expand BUSINESS Rescue – which regularly hears reports of cash flow problems within care homes – is undertaking national expansion plans for its long established company. The organisation says care homes complain of costs rising out of all proportion, banks not helping despite government directives, and more personal debt being taken on as a ‘stop gap’ funding measure. Business Rescue helps by taking an ailing business and providing expertise to address problems,

stabilise debt, reduce creditor pressure and suggest the best way forward. It urges businesses not to “bury their heads in the sand,” particularly at a time when HM Revenue & Customs is hardening its attitude due to the need to place more cash into government coffers as quickly as possible. The company, which is not an insolvency practitioner, gives each business bespoke attention and can arrange a free confidential initial consultation.

Haigh drives environmental performance and efficiency HAIGH Engineering has completed a three-year programme of investing in more fuel efficient vehicles for servicing, sales and delivery – as part of ongoing environmental improvement. With a fleet comprising 20 vans and cars, the result is a seven per cent improvement in efficiency with additional benefits from better route and job-planning software. Haigh successfully renewed compliance to the Environmental Management Systems ISO 14001, with zero non-conformities, following a recent visit from certification organisation SGS. The company's aim is to ensure that quality and environmental credentials are not just boxes to be ticked, but along with a strong health and safety record, are at the core of running a solid business and

delivering for customers. Haigh Engineering's David Brown said: “Modern vehicles and fuel efficient engines allow us to deliver this improvement without compromising any of our team’s day to day processes. Vehicle emissions improvement is just one strand to our demonstrable environmental strategy. “We are committed to minimising environmental impacts at every stage, from production through to service through to products in situ." The company has plans to further improve efficiencies in logistics with a programme to reduce the average CO2 emissions from the car fleet. A target of 113 g/km has been set which will deliver increased environmental benefits and work towards the company reducing its carbon footprint.

THE future of the care home sector comes under the spotlight at the newly launched Naidex Care event – when new CQC chief executive David Behan will be keynote speaker. David, whose full title at the Department of Health was director general for social care, local government and care partnerships, will speak at the event on October 18. He will discuss the Social Care White Paper and what it means for the future of adult care and care homes, a sector currently facing an increasing number of challenges. Naidex Care, which will be colocated with Naidex South, has been launched by the organisers of Naidex, the UK’s largest group of disability exhibitions. They claim the new trade event will provide an ideal sourcing, learning and networking platform for home owners, care managers and care providers within the private, not-forprofit, social enterprise and central government care industries. It will also offer key buyers the chance to source and test a variety of up-to-the-minute care products, ranging from bathing equipment and medical supplies, through to training and IT systems. The show will also host a comprehensive conference programme which aims to promote best practice, tackle the latest industry related issues, and encourage the spread of innovations which will improve the quality of patient care in the UK. Seminars will run throughout the

two-day event and visitors can expect to hear from influential speakers such as professor Alistair Burns, national clinical director for dementia care at the Department of Health, who will be chairing a panel debate on the future of dementia care. Des Kelly, executive director of National Care Forum, will also chair a panel debate focused on developing greater personalisation of care, a prominent issue throughout the care sector. Sarah Pickup, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services will be dealing with what the care sector must do to cope with the ageing demographic of the nation and Dr Graham Stokes, director of dementia care at Bupa Care Services, will give his views on aspiring to an outcomes-based approach to dementia care. Other speakers include Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society and Janet Bell, owner of Spring Mount care home in Bradford. All professionals who attend will benefit from free CPD accreditation. Naidex Care takes place on October 17 and 18 at London’s ExCeL.

Effective infection control from Electrolux Professional CARE home providers must recognise that hygiene and infection control remain key criteria for exceptional care performance. Healthcare providers face the challenge of hygiene and infection control on a daily basis and can often be misguided on the most effective methods. NHS guidelines for healthcare laundries stipulate thermal disinfection as the most effective method of infection control. Electrolux Professional Laundry Systems is a world leader and at the forefront of technology. Healthcare establishments can rest assured that the best defence against the spread of micro-organisms and cross infection can easily be achieved by using a Barrier Laundry System. Keeping linen clean requires excellent and consistent practice and discipline. Using Electrolux Barrier Washers makes this simple. Dirty linen is loaded on one side and clean linen is unloaded from another door opening into a separate room, giving functional separation and assisting in risk analysis and bio-

contamination control under European Standards. By creating a functional separation between clean and soiled textures throughout the whole laundry process, the Barrier Concept represents the optimal way to ensure the highest standards of cleanliness and avoid the risk of recontamination.

Furniture firm has more than half a century of experience SOUTHERN Contract Furniture is a design led manufacturer that has more than 50 years’ combined experience of supplying high quality contract furniture to the healthcare industry. By providing excellent service, design and quality, Southern Contract Furniture builds close and long lasting relationships with its customers and our range includes an extensive collection of in-house designed chairs, sofas, tables and other specialised items of furniture for the healthcare market. Southern Contract Furniture specialise in the supply of lounge, dining, bedroom, conservatory and garden furniture for the healthcare industry. They welcome visitors to their factory/showroom, just off junction nine of the M27 in Park Gate near Southampton to observe the manufacturing processes and view a selection of chairs, sofas and tables displayed in their showroom. Enquiries: Visit www.scf-ltd.com or telephone 01489 576555.

Architects specialising in care home sector FLOWITT Architects specialise in care homes, special needs and quality residential projects, including new build care homes, extensions and refurbishment. The business assures care home owners that it can maximise the potential of their home, and that it has a thorough understanding of current CQC standards - and of the need for businesses to continue running while building works are carried out. For a no obligation consultation call 01483 578 480 or visit www.flowittarchitects.co.uk

CFS Carpets offer a wide selection of healthcare carpets AS well as the extensive range of contract carpets and carpet tiles, CFS Carpets has a wide range of impervious backed broadloom carpets that are heavy contract – ideal for the healthcare industry. Featuring plain and patterned designs and a wide colour bank, these ranges are competitively priced and have excellent cleaning properties and a 10-year guarantee. Hanbury Care Design, featured in the picture, has a modern colour bank and a matching plain range available too. Sample folders of all the healthcare ranges are available in carpet and flooring along with a selection of other healthcare flooring solutions. CFS Carpets are part of Carpet andFlooring, one of the UK ’s largest flooring distributors. Large stocks of all ranges are held, along with a selection of other healthcare flooring solutions. Deliveries can be made within 24 hours to mainland UK .

Take a fresh look at Grahame Gardner CARE home image experts Grahame Gardner Ltd have undergone a makeover of their own – this time enhancing their online presence with a brand new website. www.grahamegardner.co.uk has long enabled customers to order online, but the new website goes a step further, showing stock levels and allowing customers to track their orders online. The slick new design is intuitive to navigate and gives users complete details of all Grahame Gardner products and services. This new site includes a sophisticated search function so that customers can search using a number of criteria, readily finding the garment that matches their specific needs. Grahame Gardner have invested significantly in their online capabilities over the years, and this advancement makes their website the most comprehensive to date. The ecommerce element of the site has also been streamlined to include fewer steps but without compromising the site’s security. Enquiries: Telephone 0116 255 6326 or visit www.grahamegardner.co.uk

Why care home owners call in outside help HOW does a care home owner with multiple sites ensure consistency of quality across locations when they can’t be there? Michael Slade, managing director of employment law/health and safety specialist Bibby Consulting & Support, says just one troublesome employee or issue can tarnish the reputation of a whole group. “The only way is to bring in specialists – people on the ground who set benchmarks and constantly monitor them, who can competently carry out a gap analysis of each site and highlight which are doing well and which don’t meet standards.” Health and safety of the environment, practices and procedures is paramount for staff and residents and includes checking everything from the fabric of the building to assessing fire exits, making sure floors are not wet, that bed rails work properly, that water temperatures avoid scalding, and that windows are properly latched. These measures not only prevent people from getting hurt but protect the company's reputation and directors from prosecution. The good news is that care home owners don’t need to do it all on their own. Michael said: “Our approach is not about simply covering their backs – if you get all these processes in place you improve quality of care and the environment everybody works in, so you are more likely to keep staff who feel valued and invested in. It’s not about keeping inspectors happy either – most companies don't have a problem with inspectors, they just want to make sure they are doing everything right and continuously getting better at what they do.” A major benefit of using an external advisor such as Bibby is that they can go into homes unannounced and carry out an inspection as if they were the authorities themselves. Other companies do an inspection, put systems in, then return a year later to check everything. But Bibby works through the year with care home owners and managers not just to be compliant but to improve. Michael said: “We are a vital extra pair of eyes and an additional resource to stop them running into problems.” Bibby’s trainers and support line advisors focus on the Health & Social Care Act, Care Quality Commission regulations, social services interaction and employment risks. Michael added: “Care home managers are great professionals but their strengths may not lie in managing paperwork or processes for dealing with staff. The range of support we can offer is a valuable addition to any management team.” Enquiries: Telephone 08453 100 600 or email Katy.Vaughan@bibbycas.com

Enquiries: Call 01527 511860 for more information or for samples log onto www.cfscarpets.co.uk

Simple solutions

Leading risk management software supplier

SINCE 1982, Colne (Lancs) based, Richards Residential Supplies have concentrated upon supplying simple solutions to common nursing home problems. The new WACMAT® adheres strongly to this tradition. With its ultra absorbent cotton pile and 100 per cent waterproof backing, the remarkable WACMAT® is an ideal accessory where spills may occur. Used as a commode mat, in bedrooms or bathrooms, the WACMAT® ensures full carpet protection. Then, after use, simply machine wash and tumble dry! It’s that simple... The WACMAT® will then be clean and odour-free, ready to perform time and time again. Alternatively the flat-laying WACMAT® can be used as an entrance mat, saving you hundreds of pounds in rental costs alone. Enquiries: Telephone 0800 074 3749

DATIX is the leading supplier of patient and resident safety software for health and social care risk management, incident reporting and adverse events. Datix gives care home managers the information they need to build a complete picture of risk in their organisation. Datix can help to improve safety for residents and staff, while reducing administrative overheads. From small care homes to large groups, Datix plays a key part in the corporate governance of the organisation. Key features of Datix for social care include: Management dashboards which display information on the organisation’s risks in a clear, simple format. Sophisticated alerting mechanisms that give care home managers early warning of potential trouble spots. Flexible views of risk management information, allowing risks to be shown by particular care home, department or even an individual resident. Security of access to information, restricting managers to viewing only data that is relevant to their care home or area of interest. Enquiries: Contact 020 8971 1971 or email info@datix.co.uk

CARINGPRODUCT NEWS

Making meals the highlight of the day MEAL times are the highlight of many care home residents’ days, says contract caterer Elior, and therefore something which should be at the heart of every care home’s offer. Elior’s healthcare development executive Robin Comerford said: “As a specialist caterer with experience of the sector, our dedicated health care division can help homes provide tailored support. We know that some residents face a challenge of consuming enough calories, and finding new, exciting ways of doing this isn’t easy.” Elior’s Provision Plan enhances the experience of the resident and ensures nutritional needs are met. It provides a wide range of specialist diets, and includes resident-specific boxes of easy-to-eat finger foods that can be accessed by each resident when they need them. The plan also provides training and support in conjunction with Age UK. Through a structured programme, catering staff learn about health and nutrition, principles of person centred care, texture modified food production and nutritional support in care homes.

Danfloor wins industry award DANFLOOR not only provides a fantastic range of healthcare carpets but a flooring solution that is award- winning and fully BRE certified. For the fifth year in a row, danfloor has been awarded the CFJ Flooring Industry Award for Best Broadloom Carpets, which clearly demonstrates customers’ loyalty and commitment to a quality product that offers outstanding performance, resistance to soil and stains and a ten-year wear guarantee. The Equinox and New Generation collection, part of danfloor’s healthcare range, has also received BRE certification. The company’s impressive Green Guide ratings, ranging from A+ to B, reflect how it monitors the environmental impact of its products and provides independent verification of work it has undertaken to enhance its environmental credentials.

Simplicare opens its first store

Burfords sell Essex facility IN 2009, Essex businessman Michael Chittenden went to Australia where he visited a state of the art care village. On his return, he decided to find a suitable site and build a similar home in his own county. Michael built Silversprings, a 64-bed home with all single rooms and ensuite wetrooms which was finished in a New England style and stands in four acres of private landscaped grounds. He imported handmade furniture from around the world for the public rooms and commissioned individual curtains and bedspreads for each bedroom. By 2010 the home was opened and now offers arguably some of the best accommodation available. Due to

More than just gloves GLOVEMAN Supplies Ltd own their own latex plantations and glove producing factories in Sri Lanka as well as producing their own nitrile gloves. The company source the best producers for vinyl and synthetic gloves and are also carving the way forward in introducing new gloves and ranges with their R&D team – but Gloveman Supplies are more than just gloves. They source some of the best prices and care supplies in the UK. Their range to care home and domiciliary carers includes polythene aprons, paper products, cleaning chemicals and laundry products, infection control, hand gels and foams, waterless bathing, along with safety and firstaid and patient handling equipment.

Product range launched BADGEMASTER, the UK’s leading manufacturer of engraved, ready-towear employee name badges, has launched a new product range. ‘InstaBadge’ enables employers to create instant, re-usable name badges for new starters. The wearer’s name is held within the badge rather than engraved onto it, so employers can control costs by re-using the badge frames when staff leave. The new range includes nine different styles, all available in any base colour and with space for company logos and corporate designs. InstaBadge overcomes the draw-

backs often associated with re-usable name badges. The wearer’s name is printed on card or paper and is held secure and level behind a protective front, so there will never be any lop-sided printing or peeling corners. Badgemaster can provide free label production software to help customers print names professionally. The InstaBadge also has a health and safety advantage, in that its unique patent protected design combines the fastener as an integral part of the badge and so prevents the pin ever becoming detached.

other business commitments, Michael decided to sell the home and in May 2011, he instructed Paul Burford to confidentially market Silversprings to a select number of operators. Shortly afterwards and with no disruption to the home, a sale was agreed to Medicx Healthfund who are leasing the business to Care UK. Paul said the deal was among his most interesting and the home one of the best he had seen in 25 years in the industry. “We were thrilled to be given the opportunity,” he added. “I am pleased that Michael’s confidence in our fledgling company has been borne out, and it is quite clear that experience, contacts, credibility and service are paramount.”

SIMPLICARE has launched its first combined retail store and recruitment offices in Brighton – as part of a plan for further centres nationwide. The centre offers one of the most diverse ranges of services and products available in the sector, all under one roof. It will soon be supported by a comprehensive online webshop, to provide care homes, medical practices and all customers with an essential single source of care related services and products. The centre provides care and disability products and services in tandem with a domiciliary and care recruitment agency, to make purchasing more efficient without sacrifices on quality or cost. Simplicare Centre director Laurence Faulkner said: “To meet current demand, the NHS and private care industries are under many pressures including staffing levels, budgetary restraints and the ageing population. Simplicare Centre provides a central hub to address many different aspects of care provision for individuals and organisations.” The centre was opened by Paralympic gold medal hopeful Sophia Warner.

Adapting to trends POPULATION trends are triggering an increase in the specification and purchase of disability equipment - and specifiers are having to adapt. Total Hygiene, Britain’s biggest manufacturer of toileting solutions for the less able, reports that life expectancy in the UK has reached its highest level on record and that disability is also on the increase. In addition, one child in 20 under the age of 16 is disabled. As a result, sales of disability equipment in the UK have increased by over 92% in the last ten years and total market size increased by 9.2% last year. Simultaneously, new codes of practice on inclusive toileting have come into being, emphasising the need for specifiers to know types of equipment available, and where to obtain best value. Total Hygiene has responded by extending its range to deliver an offering that creates a stylish room and a well-functioning accessible bathroom, toilet and washroom. The Complete Bathroom Collection comprises the latest products such as height adjustable washbasins and baths, enabling the user to maintain independence and dignity - or for a carer to assist with minimal input but optimum hygiene. The facility, which includes Clos-o-Mat ‘wash and dry’ toilets, hoists, and body driers, can be used in both domestic and commercial environments. This ‘one stop shop’ for products is enhanced by Total Hygiene’s 50 years’ experience, complemented by in-house advice, installation and maintenance.

Beaucare kitchen floor cleaner BEAUCARE® Medical Ltd is the UK’s premier supplier of hygiene, medical supplies and equipment to individual care homes, care home groups, hospitals and NHS Trusts. Our new kitchen floor cleaner is a concentrated multi-purpose cleaner, developed to give high powered performance with economical dilution benefits. It is fully biodegradable and non flammable. Highly effective at removing ingrained grime and oils from vinyl, wood, metal, plastic and other types of services. Specifically designed for the care home market, to tackle kitchen and utility facility floor surfaces. We have an extensive hygiene and janitorial range providing a solution for all purposes, ensuring high levels of cleanliness and infection control. Enquiries: Telephone 01423 878899, email service@beaucare.com or visit www.beaucare.com

Sam Gompels, managing director of Gompels HealthCare Ltd and global buying expert for the care sector, looks at the European markets and how they affect your business.

Can a crisis in Europe be good for the care sector? OUR friends in Greece and France have both opted for a change of Government. They are disgruntled with the austerity measures imposed by the European Union and have voted for politicians who are promising to reduce the cuts and start spending again. While there are stern warnings from Germany to respect fiscal restraints, international markets have reacted with alarm at the electoral outcomes. Strategic uncertainty has resulted in further Euro turmoil. There is more concern in another part of Europe. Bankia, the third largest bank in Spain, is being bailed out by the Spanish government â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the same government that is being bailed

Business

Mobility Healthcare

Signs

out by the Germans. Now I might be wrong, but when the bad news keeps flowing and one domino leans on another domino, there comes a point when with just a little shove, they all fall over. So what does all this mean to you and the way you run your care home? Not a lot in the short term but, as one currency goes down, others go up. Some of that rise has happened to our beloved currency, the Great British Pound. If the pound remains strong then it is safe to assume that everything purchased from outside the motherland, from energy costs to disposables, will be a little cheaper. Now when I say cheaper, that does not necessarily mean lower. Often

Computer Software

Sam Gompels. the effects are more subtle and it might simply mean that prices do not rise much in the next six to 12 months.

Recruitment

Care Home Software

Looking at a specific case in point, as the Euro gets weaker and the Pound stronger, we at Gompels have moved some of our purchasing to Europe. A strong pound means a favourable Euro exchange rate and the products that are priced in Euros come into our warehouse at a lower price. As always, we like to pass these savings onto our customers. Those of you who get our catalogue will notice that, over the last few months, we have been able to reduce the price on many key lines. This is largely because the rise of the pound not only makes your holiday in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Costa Del Bankruptâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cheaper, but also reduces the price of your hand towels and gloves.