April 2016
no.238 • £4.75 incorporating The Number One magazine for the care sector
Speakers are revealed for conferences
By Dominic Musgrave
THE line-up of speakers has been revealed for Caring UK’s first conferences of the year in Newcastle and Blackpool in May. The Elderly Care: Leading the Way events takes place at Newcastle Racecourse and Herons Reach Hotel, Blackpool on May 18 and 19 respectively. Care England chief executive professor Martin Green OBE will begin the event at Newcastle, followed by a representative from Skills for Care. Prior to the mid-morning break the CQC’s head of inspection north Ros Sanderson will give an update from the inspectorate. Following refreshments, Eddy Fishwick from FISC Healthcare will kick off proceedings with a talk entitled ‘Changing the way the industry works’, which will be followed by a presentation by Bunty Malhotra, CEO of Malhotra Group PLC and director of local operator Prestwick Care. The final two confirmed speakers at the event to date will be Sean Hughes, dementia care expert at Stirling University’s Dementia Services Development Centre, who will be discussing its work, and Care Protect MD Philip Scott.
The following day at Blackpool will be started by Nadra Ahmed OBE, chairman of the National Care association. She will be followed by Brian Groves from Skills for Care, with CQC head of inspections Robert Tovey rounding off the session with an update from the inspectorate. After the break Springhill Care group chairman Ken Nolan will follow Eddy Fishwick, with Sean Hughes also speaking. Philip Scott will bring proceedings to a close. Further speakers and subject will be confirmed in due course. Caring UK editor Dominic Musgrave said: “As you can see we have once again put together a stellar line-up of speakers who will talk about a range of topics throughout the day. “With the exhibition running alongside and the opportunity to network, this conferences is truly not to be missed, and I would urge all care home and domiciliary care operators and managers in the area to attend this event. Further events are planned to take place on July 13 at York Racecourse and on October 5 and 6 at Holiday Inn, Plymouth and Cheltenham Racecourse respectively. n Full details on pages 15 and 16.
Success for Stafford dementia care home
More than a dozen people from Belong’s care village in Atherton took a trip down memory lane as they went on a visit to Salford Museum’s Lark Hill Place. They were accompanied by members of staff for a tour around the recreated, Victorian era, northern street, which was created in 1957 when many of central Salford’s shops and houses were being demolished. The visitors got to relive and share some of their own experiences, with the cobbled streets and authentic shop fronts bringing back an array of memories from their own lives. And the Lark Hill tour proved a hit with visitors, who said they enjoyed walking around the old style shops, which included music and toy shops, a pub, and an old fashioned corner shop selling food, household items and sweets. Elsie Kirman and Yvonne Parkes are pictured enjoying Salford Museum’s Lark Hill Place.
LIMEWOOD, the dementia care home at Northfield Village in Stafford, has achieved the highest possible rating from the University of Stirling’s standards for people with dementia. The University of Stirling’s Dementia Design Audit Accreditation offers a full expert audit service which leads to an independent Dementia Design Audit Certificate. Limewood, which has 59 en-suite bedrooms, has received the gold rating. One of the key good practice guidelines is to ensure a good use of colour or contrast, as it can help people with sight loss and dementia to find specific rooms so they can continue to live independently. Bedroom and bathroom doors are colour-coded at Limewood, so that users can easily find the right rooms. Julie Harding, director of business development for Choices, who operate Limewood, said: “We’re thrilled that Limewood is one of only nine dementia centres across the UK which holds this accreditation. “Throughout every stage of development we always aimed for excellence, and winning the gold award is testament to this.”
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Care provider partners with arts organisation By Dominic Musgrave THE Orders of St John Care Trust is collaborating with The Courtyard, Hereford to bring a unique arts project engaging with older people to Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. Funded by Arts Council England and The Baring Foundation, the ‘The Making Of Me’ project was pioneered by The Courtyard, Hereford and has been running in Herefordshire care homes for the past four years, aiming to improve quality of life for care home residents by encouraging creative participation and developing communication by using dance, drama and poetry. Working with internationally renowned specialists – Diane Amans, John Killick and Liz Postlethwaite – nine local artists will be mentored on how to use their art form in care settings, engaging hard to reach residents and those with cognitive and communication difficulties. These artists will run the new projects at eight different care homes for ten weeks at a time, working alongside local arts centres. Victoria Elliot, OSJCT’s principal care
‘The Making Of Me’ project has been pioneered by The Courtyard. consultant (research and innovation), said: “As an organisation, we provide a great deal of training and support for our care teams in relation to care related
issues, but far less in relation to the arts. “Care teams have really benefitted from the learning and role modelling opportunities shared with them by the professional artists across all three disciplines, plus the dedicated training sessions. “We are indebted to The Baring Foundation, Arts Council England, and The Courtyard, Hereford for this project. As a charity, we do not have the financial resources or the professional arts networks and experience to deliver poetry, drama and art of such high calibre over such a sustained period of time as 30 weeks.” Penny Allen, adult participation manager at The Courtyard, Hereford, added: “We have been running projects of this kind in Herefordshire for the last five years, but never over such a long time period with one organisation. “It has been wonderful to see the positive impact the project has on everyone involved, from the residents and the staff to the artists and even the volunteers who take part. “We are proud to be giving older people the chance to try new creative experiences in this exciting project.”
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New forum to help protect vulnerable people launched Steve Perryman officially opened a new conservatory at Sunningdale House Care Home in Honiton. During his visit the former Tottenham Hotspur player and current Exeter City FC director of football met with residents and their families before signing a shirt, which will go on display at the home. Sunningdale activities co-ordinator Jonathan Leperer said: “As many residents have heart conditions and Steve himself has recovered from serious heart problems, it was a fitting tribute for Steve and the residents. We can’t thank Steve enough for his time and support, it was a truly wonderful atmosphere and a great time had by all.”
Community rallies to support residents A STRATHAVEN care home has raised more than £400 for its residents, with the help of the local community. Collisdene Care Centre raised the total following a series of fundraising events, which included linking up with a supermarket and raising money through tombolas and raffles. All money raised went towards the Residents’ Comfort Fund, which helps fund additional activities and trips out for residents. Dawn McCormick, home manager,
said: “I would like to thank everybody who has been involved with our fundraising initiatives, as without their support, there wouldn’t have been the opportunity to raise such a significant amount of money for our residents. Our staff are always looking at ways to support our residents and their initiatives are always well received. We are looking forward to involving members of the public with even more events and activities at the home and in the town.
CARE providers in Peterborough and the city council have come together in a ground-breaking initiative to ensure consistent high quality care is the norm. Peterborough Providers’ Forum has been established to enhance communication, to protect vulnerable adults and provide an efficient and quality service to local residents. The pioneering project brings together top executives from the council, health trusts, such as the ambulance service, and senior directors from care providers to work towards the Government’s vision of integrated healthcare. The Forum was initiated by PJ Care and Peterborough Care when the care providers became increasingly unhappy with the quality of communication with Peterborough City Council, particularly in regards to the adult safeguarding process which was being revised following the introduction of the Care Act. Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, was asked to chair the initial meetings He said: “I was asked to chair the Forum at a time when the relationships between care providers and the local authority were very poor
and I was asked to get involved to see if we could work cooperatively to improve relationships. “The forum has made extremely good progress, and as a result of its formation, the relationships between care providers and the local authorities have been transformed. Great credit for this needs to go to the chief executive of the Council and her senior officers, and all the care providers who have come together to improve communication and relationships.” The independent board that oversees adult safeguarding in Peterborough now includes two representatives from the Forum, enabling the views, skills and experience of the private sector to add to the on-going drive for Peterborough to be the safest city in the UK for people in care. Chair, Johann van Zyl, added: “We welcome this opportunity to have frank and open discussions with the council as well as other public health and social care organisations. “The most important part of an integrated health and social care system is the patient and we are all working towards improving our services with them in mind.”
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Surf’s up – Lottery grant helps older people get online By Dominic Musgrave
Staff at Woodgate Residential Home in Tonbridge granted a wish for a resident and former train signaler to take one more trip aboard a classic steam train with the support of The Wish Appeal. When he followed in his father’s footsteps working as a signaler at Sevenoaks Rail Station as a young man, Tom Hillier had no idea he would develop a lifelong love for steam trains. Now living at the residential home, 93-year-old Tom is still a big fan of the retro railway, so staff granted a wish for him to take a trip aboard the Spa Valley Railway. Accompanied by care staff and his son and daughter, Tom made the journey to Tunbridge Wells West Station to have his wish granted. The group boarded the heritage train and enjoyed a scenic journey to Groomsbridge, tucking into a lunch of fish and chips along the way.
Sadie delights with music reminiscence RESIDENTS at The Grand Care Centre in West Bridgford, Nottingham, have enjoyed a vintage music session with a difference from award winning international cabaret artist and accredited musical therapist, Sadie. The musical therapy session illustrates The Grand’s focus on enablement, in facilitating an environment where the residents remain as independent as possible for as long as possible, continuing with many of the passions and pastimes they enjoyed before going into care.
Group reservations manager at The Grand, Dawn Collett, said: “Music is a wonderful therapy for our residents, enabling them to really relax for a couple of hours. It is also a great way to bring everyone together and encourage them to reminisce and share their memories without being too sad or sentimental. Sadie is a fabulous performer and she really took time to develop a set that met the needs of our residents.” Opened last year, The Grand is a state-of-the-art 82-bed care facility.
HANOVER Housing Association has been exploring different ways of encouraging its residents to enjoy the benefits of going online. According to the ONS, 67 per cent of over 55s regularly use the internet, with the figure dropping to 35 per cent for those over 75. While there has been a huge growth in the use of smartphones across the UK, and with access to the internet in many household now commonplace, there are still many consumers who have limited access to the web, often due to affordability and a lack of digital literacy. Thanks to a partnership between Hanover and We Are Digital training, residents at Hanover Court in Colindale were awarded a grant of £8,550 by the Big Lottery Fund Awards for All Programme and a further £2,000 through Hanover’s own community grant programme, Greenshoots. The funding has enabled Hanover residents to purchase 20 refurbished laptops, install a BT phone line for internet access and has covered the cost of broadband at the property for the next two years.
It has also enabled residents to attend a We Are Digital 12-week training course and provided 10 hours of private tuition for anyone unable to attend group sessions due to ill health. Kevan Forde, head of service improvement at Hanover Housing Association, said: “With more and more social interaction taking place online, we wanted to make sure Hanover residents were suitably equipped and trained to take advantage of the learning and connectivity opportunities that the web brings. “Thanks to the Big Lottery Fund we’re able to encourage residents to get online, where they can go about enhancing their social and support circles, as well as gain better access to essential services and activities.” The Big Lottery Fund supports the aspirations of people who want to make life better for their communities across the UK. They are responsible for giving out 40 per cent of the money raised by the National Lottery for good causes and invest over £650million a year in projects big and small in health, education, environment and charitable purposes.
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Sheffield Wednesday NCS teenagers with Hill Care’s Simon Shires and Marcia Crossland.
Owls’ teens entertain residents TEENAGERS from the Sheffield Wednesday National Citizen Service Youth Board entertained the elderly as part of NCS Action Day. Residents at The Laurels and The Limes Care Home were treated to manicures and nail painting, a Norman Wisdom comedy sketch and a movie afternoon with the young adults. Around 10 volunteers, all aged 16-years-old, also spent the day chatting to the residents, serving tea and coffee as well as ice cream and popcorn for the movie. Manager Simon Shires said: “Our
residents thoroughly enjoy chatting to young people when they come into the home – and we are incredibly grateful to them for giving up their time. “Working with the football club’s Citizenship Service has great benefits for the young volunteers and our residents, who enjoy the chit-chat as much as the activities. “One of our residents even played for the Sheffield Wednesday reserve team, as a right back alongside England player Ron Staniforth, so I’m sure they will have a lot to talk about.”
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Rhoda holding Barchy Bear (Barchester’s Charitable Foundation’s mascot) and Rocky the labrador, who sits by Rhona as she cycles.
Resident plans cycle for charity A CARE home resident who has cerebral palsy and is registered blind has challenged herself to cycle the total distance from Edinburgh to Buckingham Palace (412 miles) to raise money for a charity helping older people and other adults with a disability. Rhoda Gourlay will complete the gruelling journey on a cycling machine at Drummond Grange Care Home in Lasswade, where she lives. She will cycle a bit each day until she reaches her 412-mile target. The cycle will raise money for Barchester’s Charitable Foundation,
a charity that helps older people and other adults with a disability across England, Scotland and Wales by offering grants of up to £5,000. General manager Eleanor Wilson said: “What Rhoda is setting out to achieve is amazing and she’s a real inspiration to all of us. She’s always looking for ways to help raise money for Barchester’s Charitable Foundation, which is why she’s the home’s ‘Foundation Champion’, but this is without a doubt her biggest challenge yet.” Rhoda hopes to complete her cycle by the summer.
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A homecare company founded by a mum-of two after she experienced poor care when she lost both her parents in the same year has become the first London homecare provider to receive an Outstanding rating from the CQC. Caring UK reports.
‘Outstanding’ rating a dream come true for owner Clare CLARE Jefferies established Home Instead Senior Care Wimbledon & Kingston five years ago to provide homecare and companionship to older people to help them continue to live in their own homes as long as possible. After losing her father to Motor Neurone Disease and her mother to cancer within seven months of each other, Clare was inspired to start her own homecare company. Having seen an endless stream of different faces visiting her parents, carers with little time, who didn’t know her loved ones, their strengths and weaknesses, she was inspired to make a personal stand for quality homecare provision in London. She set up Home Instead Senior Care Wimbledon & Kingston to see care delivered with dignity and with continuity of carers who would have the time to get to know the people they were looking after – a model of care described as relationship-led with visits that last a minimum of one hour. Today, Clare has 130 elderly clients
and as a local employer has a team of almost 100 CAREGivers who deliver the quality and standards she believes in. Together the team provided 50,000 hours of personal care, home help and companionship in 2015 across Wimbledon & Kingston. She said: “My parents would be so proud of the fact that the homecare company I’ve built in their memory has been rated Outstanding by CQC. “Receiving the highest rating possible and becoming the first homecare provider in London to receive an Outstanding rating is a dream come true for what I set out to do, to change the face of ageing. “I believe in care that passes the ‘mum test’ – the standard of care that you’d be happy for your own loved one to receive. “From my own personal experience, it’s care that would pass both the ‘mum’ and ‘dad’ test that I’m dedicated to, with the commitment of my care team. “When my parents needed care I often dreamed of having another me, a ‘carbon copy daughter’ who could
help look after them just the way I would do, with kindness and dignity. That’s the kind of care we deliver at Home Instead Senior Care each day.” Clients and their relatives told inspectors that the service was extremely well managed and that they felt safe with the support they received. People were involved in developing and deciding their care plans and told inspectors that their views were listened to and respected. When Clare started Home Instead, she had a dream of making a dementia friendly community too. She’s achieved that goal by launching memory cafes for people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia, social events with activities designed to stimulate reminiscence conversations. And when the Alzheimer’s Society lost its funding for an initiative called Singing for the Brain, Home Instead stepped in to sponsor the group. They didn’t want to see it disappear as they knew it was a vital part of so many people’s lives locally.
Home Instead Senior Care Wimbledon and Kingston founder Clare Jefferies.
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Homecare provider in best companies listing By Dominic Musgrave SWEETTREE has been highlighted as a leading UK employer after being named the 35th best company to work for by the Sunday Times. Now in its 16th year, the Sunday Times Best Companies league table recognises ‘the cream of Britain’s happy and motivated workforces’. SweetTree was ranked 35th in the 250 to 5,000 employees category, beating off stiff competition from over 1,000 businesses and organisations that were put forward for this year’s list. All the rankings are based entirely on employee feedback, and factors looked at include leadership and management, wellbeing, personal growth, pay and benefits. Survey results revealed that 85 per cent of employees believe that they benefit personally from the training provided through the SweetTree Care Training Academy, ranking the company second overall in this category. Barry Sweetbaum, SweetTree’s managing director, said: “Since the company was founded in 2002 we have focused on providing the highest quality care possible for all our clients. “At the heart of this has been a commitment to recruiting the best carers, who are skilled and passionate about what they do. “We invest heavily in the ongoing training and development of all team members and through the SweetTree Training Academy, provide industryleading training programmes that aim to help all our staff to realise their full potential. “Demand for our specialist home care services
SweetTree managing director Barry Sweetbaum and director of operations Nicki Bones receive the award. – both in London and Richmond – continues to grow, so we are always keen to hear from carers who may be looking to join a company that truly values their professional development.” This is the second time SweetTree has featured in the league, with the company being ranked 18th in 2012. n Home Instead Senior Care was ranked number 56 on the Sunday Times 100 List in the Best Small Companies to Work For category. Established by husband and wife entrepreneurs Trevor and Sam Brocklebank – the franchise business’ national office has been based in Warrington for the last nine years.
Home visited by Icelandic nursing team
RESIDENTS and staff at a Manchester care home received a visit from nurses from Iceland. Thirteen nurses from Morkin Care Home in Reykjavík visited residents at HC-One’s Brookdale View in Newton Heath as part of their four-day visit to the UK. The aim of the trip was to exchange ideas between the two care homes and to broaden horizons and learn from one another. The nurses spent time shadowing members of the care team at the home in order for them to learn what a typical day consisted of. The nurses enjoyed a buffet lunch with staff and residents, speaking to them about Icelandic culture and traditions. The home manager from the neighbouring HC-One facility Averill House, Andrew Woodward, also met the team from Reykjavík. Home manager Laura Riley said: “Everyone at Brookdale View thoroughly enjoyed the visit from the nurses, especially the residents, who had a great time speaking to them about their culture and traditions.”
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Operations director wins outstanding accolade at Women Ahead Awards
By Dominic Musgrave
Brian Lane
Brian to lead homes’ chefs
HALLMARK Care Homes has appointed Brian Lane as head of its chef academy. Brian, who has over 42 years’ cookery experience working for luxury hotels, yachts and Michelin star restaurants, hopes to raise the profile of food in the care sector. He plans to do so by supporting 15 Hallmark Care Homes’ head chefs with their menus, working alongside them in the kitchen and creating cookery workshops where the chefs can gain further knowledge and improve their existing skills. Brian brings with him over 11 years healthcare experience working for Barchester, where he held a similar role. He said: “I am looking forward to mentoring and motivating Hallmark Care Homes’ chefs to deliver outstanding, exciting and wellpresented food for the residents.”
BALHOUSIE Care Group, a leading provider of quality residential care for the elderly in Scotland, is celebrating after its operations director, Louise Barnett, picked up the award for outstanding contribution to a business at the Women Ahead Business Awards in Dundee. This achievement comes after Louise, who joined the group three years ago and took over as operations director last June, introduced a number of new processes that have helped to offer the right level of support to staff in each of the provider’s 25 care homes. These new initiatives have galvanised managers and the wider teams, helped to retain and develop staff and has resulted in a five per cent growth in care home occupancy. Beginning her career as a qualified nurse, Louise joined the care home sector 17 years ago. She said: “I am honoured to have won this award from Women Ahead. I know it sounds like a cliché, but this achievement has really been a team effort and I’m delighted to be able to take the opportunity to recognise the effort and commitment of our care home managers and the wider teams throughout Balhousie Care Group. “Change is not always easy, but it
Balhousie Care Group operations director Louise Barnett with her award. has been fantastic to be able to see the way all the teams throughout the organisation have embraced the new initiatives we have been implementing.” Kirstene Feenan, marketing manager at Balhousie Care Group, added: “There has been a companywide transformation at Balhousie over the past 12 months and it’s
largely down to Louise and her leadership of our teams. “Our new strategic plan has given staff a clarity and consistency of focus. Louise fully deserves this award as her contribution to Balhousie Care Group truly has been outstanding. “We couldn’t be more proud of her achievement.”
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New complex to create 60 jobs
A new initiative has been set up to give employees of a Lancashire-based care group a bigger say in the way the organisation is run. Employee Voice has been created by the Springhill Care Group, which operates three care homes and a supported living service, to increase engagement between all members of staff and senior management. Staff will be given the chance to submit thoughts and suggestions on a range of issues relating to the way the homes are run via a confidential feedback form. Once a month, nominated members from each department will meet to present and discuss the collective feedback. One member will also get the chance to attend the Springhill Care Group’s monthly board meeting, to represent and be a voice for staff. Ginny Perkins, head of human resources for the Springhill Group, said: “Staff are our most valuable resource, and we want to provide them with an effective way to put across their views on how our services operate.”
A NEW elderly care complex being constructed by charitable housing organisation The Abbeyfield Society is set to create about 60 jobs thanks to a funding package from Yorkshire Bank. The 84,000 sq ft facility which is being built on the former Bingley hospital site will offer 47 one and two bedroom extra care apartments, a 30-bed specialist dementia centre and a day care centre. The complex will also provide a central hub with coffee bars, lounges, restaurants and a hairdressing salon – all of which will also be open to the local community in addition to residents. It is expected that the facility, which is due to be completed in Autumn of this year, will create about 60 new jobs including care staff, nurses, catering staff, cleaning staff and administration support. The complex will also be seeking local volunteers who wish to donate their time and skills. The deal was delivered by Gail Fielding, director in health and social care, Yorkshire Bank’s Leeds-based specialist and acquisition finance team. The Abbeyfield Society, based in St. Albans, is an international charity celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. The organisation looks after about 8,000 people in nine countries including the UK where it operates 521 sites. The average age that
Richard Virr, director of development at The Abbeyfield Society, Gail Fielding, relationship manager at Yorkshire Bank, and Jackie Bradfield, CEO of Abbeyfield The Dales. service users access Abbeyfield care increased to 87 in 2010 from 65 in 1990. Jackie Bradfield, CEO of Abbeyfield The Dales, said: “We’re really looking forward to opening our new Bingley site. “As well as offering fantastic high quality care services to the community we will have a positive impact locally in lots of other ways, from supporting new jobs to implementing a volunteer network
that has the potential to enrich people’s lives. “We strongly believe in recruiting local people into local jobs to provide local services. People who join us will have the opportunity to develop their career and learn from our existing staff. “We have one employee who started as a care assistant and is now a house manager and another who began in administration support who has been promoted to quality manager.”
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Staff recognised on National Employee Motivation Day
Councillor Geof Garwood unveils the new rooms with staff at Chelmer Valley Care Home.
Councillor celebrates Chelmer Valley Care Home investment
CHELMER Valley Care Home has travelled back in time and created a tropical paradise following recent work by the staff to its environment. The home welcomed members of the community and Councillor Geof Garwood, Broomfield Parish Council’s vice-chairman, to the home as it celebrated developments in a number of communal areas at the home, which will benefit its residents further. The care home has created a ‘Reminiscence Room’ which features memorabilia from the 1930s and 1940s, including nostalgic newspapers and records, typewriters and posters. A new indoor garden area has also been formed, featuring a new bench and plants, and, in addition, the residents have a new beach setting complete with shells, sand
and decorative anchors, so that all residents are able to enjoy the garden and beach even on the wettest days. Sharon Daley, peripatetic manager at Chelmer Valley Care Home, said: “The home looks fantastic following this latest improvements, which will continue to support our residents’ caring needs. “The refurbishment will allow our residents to relive fond memories from their childhoods in our new Reminiscence Room, in particular, as well as relax in calming environments in the indoor garden and beach areas. “We have a comprehensive activities schedule for our residents, which has been bolstered by the new areas. It is an exciting time for everyone here at the home.” Chelmer Valley provides nursing and residential care, as well as palliative, dementia and respite care, for up to 140 elderly residents.
CARE home staff across Derbyshire were treated to a day of pampering as part of National Employee Motivation Day. The Hill Care Group, which operates care homes in Bakewell and Chesterfield, treated its employees on the UK’s official day of celebration for staff, recognising their hard work and dedication. Burton Closes Hall, Springbank House, Barnfield, and Holmewood care homes offered staff pamper sessions, massages, motivational workouts and therapies. Awards were also issued to members of staff identified by residents, relatives and colleagues for their efforts throughout the year. Kim Bibby, regional manager for Hill Care homes across Derbyshire, stepped away from her regular job and supported the home managers throughout the day as a way of showing her appreciation.
She said: “National Employee Motivation Day is our chance to recognise the amazing work of our staff, including nurses, carers, housekeepers and managers and other home based support staff – everyone who helps to take care of our residents and make them feel at home. “We are incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication Hill Care staff deliver day-to-day across our homes and a day of pampering is the least they deserve. “We also wanted to use the occasion to give our residents and their relatives the chance to award staff and show them the work they do makes a huge difference to the lives of so many.” Wendy Waddicor, managing director, and Mandy Vernon, operations director, served food throughout the day to the staff at head office as a way of showing their appreciation.
Home keeps residents hoppy RESIDENTS at a care home in Paisley are hopping with delight after a surprise visit from some special furry guests. Bupa’s Braemount care home welcomed a visit from local petting zoo Bunny and Co, which provided residents with the chance to meet and greet a selection of animals, including rabbits, guinea pigs, ducks and chickens, as part of a pet therapy session. Animal-assisted therapy has been shown to have significant benefits for care home residents, particularly those with dementia, as
physical contact with the animals is therapeutic, stimulates a social response and reduces stress. Kate McConville, home manager, said she was delighted with how well the pet session was received. She added: “It was a really entertaining day for everyone involved and all the residents adored having the animals with us at the home. “As well as being fun and interesting, animal therapy is also especially beneficial for our residents as it is relaxing and can also be a very social activity.”
Deprivation, isolation and boiling frogs By Tanya Clover IT is almost two years since the 2014 Cheshire West ruling on Deprivations of Liberty and their Safeguards (DoLS), brought to life brilliantly by www.39essex.com There is also a fabulous resource page from SCIE, which gives us Deprivations of Liberty at a glance. Prior to the ruling there had been growing concern that the existing DoLS were not being applied often enough. In December last year the DoH’s commented that the Law Commission’s four-month consultation had received positive engagement from professionals, carers and service users across the country. The Law Commission expects to publish a final report with their recommendations and a draft Bill in 2016. I for one shall look forward to this. If you have a mind for figures and a soothing drink at hand you might take time to scour the Health and Social Care Information Centre.
The HSCIC is tasked with collecting and collating data from Councils with Social Services Responsibilities on Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards at a case level on an annual basis. The latest figures were published in August last year and show results from April to June 2015 available here. 93 out of 152 councils submitted returns showing that 33,000 applications had been received between April and June 2015. According to HSCIC figures the volume of applications has been steadily rising since the Cheshire West ruling. Of those 33,000 applications received 7,200 (22 per cent) were granted, 2,400 (seven per cent) were not granted and 23,300 (71 per cent) were not yet signed off by the Supervisory Body or were withdrawn. While I am encouraged that more applications are being made, we need to be mindful that every application is a request to lawfully deprive a person of their liberty. In a previous blog that I did for Helen Sanderson Associates I wrote about the distressing neglect of Mr
Dvorcaz, an 84-yearold man living with dementia. I wrote that “depriving a human being of their liberty should never be undertaken lightly, and any decision Tanya Clover to do so should rest heavily on our collective conscious”. Within the Cheshire West ruling Lady Hale’s position is the only conscionable one in a free society: “a gilded cage is still a gilded cage. Two years on and there remain many cages for adults at risk and not all of them gilded. Many within the profession have been following the ongoing court case in Bristol. The systematic and unchecked abuse of people living with learning
disabilities by care staff. The press reports makes distressing reading. One might ask how such abuse is possible in this day and age. Peter Senge (1990) wrote The Fifth Discipline detailing seven reasons why organisations fail to learn from their mistakes. One of those reasons is the Parable of the Boiled Frog. Senge was not writing about health and social care yet what he wrote is so apt. Senge explains that you can’t boil a Iiving frog. If you tried to put it into boiling water the frog would jump out. But, he tells us, you can boil the frog by putting it into cold water and gradually turning up the heat. The frog grumbles a bit at every little change but soon adapts, soon settling back to enjoy the sauna. Eventually, the frog is boiled; cosy and content in the water. Does that sound familiar? We are there to wake up the frog; in a subtle and collaborative manner point out “you’re boiling. For heaven sake wake up and change.” n Tanya Clover is the lead consultant at Clover Care Consultants.
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www.sky.com/business
Spring sunshine or April showers? Sky keeps residents entertained whatever the weather
WITH spring well and truly in the air, the promise of fairer weather provides the perfect opportunity for care providers to encourage the people they support to enjoy some fun and original activities. Whether the sun is shining or the April showers are pouring there are some great forms of inspiration for indoor and outdoor activities to be found in Sky’s spring schedule. Wildlife programmes, which are hugely popular with older people, can be used as inspiration to get residents out and about in the garden to spot local plants and birds. However, if the weather doesn’t permit, sports such as tennis, football and bowls can inspire gentle indoor exercises. Why not organise a game of chair football to get residents in the mood for one of the exciting final matches of the Premier League? For all residents, regular exercise improves cardio-respiratory and muscular fitness, bone and functional health and reduces the risk of unhappiness and cognitive decline. If planned with enough thought, care homes can deliver activities that have the additional benefit of complimenting and enhancing
therapies that residents are already undergoing. For those residents living with dementia, cognitive and psychosocial therapies are proven to be highly effective treatment methods. For example, recent research by UCL explored the effectiveness of dementia treatment therapies, and suggested that Cognitive Stimulation Therapy can be a highly effective intervention which leads to the improvement of the memory and quality of life
of people living with dementia. Care home staff can complement such therapies with activities that are designed to stimulate memory and improve fitness, by thinking creatively about how to engage residents. As the population ages, the number of people living with dementia is going to increase; care homes can turn to modern technology that is at their fingertips to provide new and exciting activities for residents that not only keep them
entertained, but which also complement existing therapies to promote overall health and wellbeing. By joining popular programmes with innovative activities, it’s even easier to encourage the people you support to get active, whether the sun is shining or the rain is pouring. To find out more about how Sky can help your care, contact James Tweddle, sales director at Sky Business. james.tweddle@sky.uk www.business.sky.com or 07557 847 381.
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Silver surfer Joy, 90, leads care home’s internet revolution By Dominic Musgrave
A GREAT grandmother is spearheading a group of silver surfers at a care home – and she even completed a virtual climb of Mount Everest. Retired medical secretary Joy Storey is among the residents of Penpergwm House, in Abergavenny, who enjoy internet shopping, chatting on social media and cyber travelling to far flung destinations all at the touch of a button – thanks to new iPad classes. Activity coordinators at Penpergwm House, a member of Care Forum Wales, have launched the weekly hour-long iPad session to familiarise residents with touch-screen technology and social media communication. The classes have been such a hit that some of the residents have even purchased their own iPads and are busy exploring the benefits of shopping and internet gaming all from the comfort of their own room. Others have become roving reporters, contributing to a new monthly newsletter using their new-found IT skills and digital photography knowledge. Participants are provided with an iPad but can bring their own along if they choose – and many have treated themselves since joining the class. Among the many benefits the class offers is improved hand mobility and dexterity by using and manipulating the touch screen, enhanced social interaction between residents and their external family and friends,
the ability to trace their family tree and genealogy, brain and memory stimulation through using mind teaser games and greater camaraderie with one another. Registered owner and managing director Priscilla Llewelyn said: “Overall there is always a wonderful sense of achievement and elation at the end of each session as service users’ appreciate what they have accomplished. Celebrating each individual’s success, however small or personal to them, is a very important part of it. “We find that weekly improvement has been very interesting too; even when a client doesn’t believe they have used the iPads before – they are evidently familiar with using the device. “The classes provide the service users with a wonderful opportunity to not only continue to build on their lifelong learning opportunities that we care so much about at Penpergwm House, but there are also multiple additional benefits as well.” A team of residents is now involved in the production of The Penpergwm Paper – a monthly newspaper for circulation between residents and their wider friends and family. The editorial team, comprising mostly of residents, including an 82-year-old editor, Joy Seaton, and two staff members, meets fortnightly to discuss and share new ideas for content as well as regular features such as ‘thought of the month’ and ‘poetry corner’ as well as care home news.
Resident Mary Fagan with daughter Frances Ngrath at the special afternoon tea.
Mum’s the word at Canterbury home A NUMBER of sons and daughters joined their mothers at Connors House Residential Home on Mother’s Day, where they celebrated with a special afternoon tea. The Canterbury residential home was full to the brim with residents and relatives celebrating the importance of family with one another. Staff had done an excellent job of decorating the home with banners and balloons, as well as setting the tables with the finest cutlery and finishing with some beautiful flowers. The residents and their guests were invited to dine on a delicious afternoon tea of freshly prepared sandwiches, cakes and biscuits, whilst
they nattered away with one another and sipped on cups of tea. Bev Furr, activity co-ordinator and Sara Bond, a carer at the home, organised the afternoon, and Sara’s mum even came along to the event, so they could spend some quality time together on Mother’s Day. Christine Devlin, home manager, said: “The afternoon tea was a great success and everyone who came along said they had a wonderful time. “One of the most beneficial things about living in a care home is that when our residents’ relatives visit, they can enjoy spending quality time together, not worrying about appointments or medication, it really is lovely to see and to be a part of.
Innovative new group is music to residents’ ears
A Lancashire care home is serving up regular support for the community on issues relating to dementia. The Dementia Café initiative has been set up by Springhill Care Home in Accrington, to provide information and advice for relatives and friends of residents, as well as anyone wanting to learn more about the condition. Springhill is welcoming people into the home on a monthly basis to discuss issues and share knowledge and experiences over a cup of tea or coffee. Bernadette Bennett, service manager at Springhill, said: “We want people to know they don’t have to face the difficult challenges of dementia alone. By providing a place where people can come and share their experiences or learn more about the condition, we hope to create a network within a supportive environment which people can rely on.”
AN Ayrshire care home is offering a unique form of therapy which is hitting all the right notes with its residents. Every fortnight a group of residents from Bupa’s Claremont care home in Whitletts, Ayr attend a remedial music group at St. Quivox Parish Church, which offers the opportunity to have a sing-along and meet and mingle with other care home residents in the area. The music group, which runs every second Tuesday from 2pm to 4pm, aims to encourage elderly residents from the local community to sing a selection of seasonally-themed songs, such as Scottish classics for Burn’s night and traditional Irish tunes for St Patrick’s Day. All in attendance are also urged to participate rhythmically as they sing, and play a variety of musical
instruments, including tambourines, coconut shells and maracas. Kevin Pexton, activity coordinator at Bupa’s Claremont care home, said: “The music group has just started up again for the New Year and I’m keen to have as many of our residents attend as possible as there are so many benefits to be had. “At Bupa, we strive to create and join in with innovative and inspiring activities to provide the best quality of life for our residents and the vocal and instrumental side of the music group is particularly advantageous as it can be especially therapeutic. “However, even if certain residents don’t want to join in with the singalong, they can still enjoy themselves by having a bit of a dance and generally meeting and socialising with those from other care homes in the community.”
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Providing high quality care for residents living with dementia is a challenge that most care home operators are facing on a daily basis. Kate Lane, a project manager with Shaw healthcare, looks at how a dementia-friendly approach to the architecture, design, layout and interior specification at one of its newest care homes has started to pay dividends for residents and staff.
Designing for dementia CARING for residents living with some form of dementia or cognitive impairment is fast becoming front and centre in the thinking of lots of care home operators, especially those like Shaw that run facilities that specialise in providing dementiafocused services. Working with residents living with dementia inevitably means developing strategies that involve additional and specialist training for staff, implementing good mentoring programmes and organising rotas so that additional assistance is on hand when required. However, one of the most interesting areas of development has been in re-thinking the design of care home environments so that they lend themselves better to the needs of residents. Shaw healthcare runs a facility called Wellesley Road in Camden, north London, having recently taken on a care contract from the local authority. As a new facility, there was an opportunity to start with a blank sheet of paper and create an environment that is not only practical, but plays a positive role in addressing some of the issues that many residents who are living with dementia face on a daily basis. There is certainly no one-size-fitsall solution and research continues to throw up anomalies between the experiences of different people
Wellesley Road care home in Camden.
living with dementia. At Shaw, we have tried to incorporate our own experiences of providing dementia care and we are constantly looking at feedback from residents, families and the staff who are working day-to-day in our environments. One of the first areas we considered for Wellesley Road was the “flow” of the care home environment. Clearly defined pathways with continuous flooring, especially throughout communal areas where residents tend to spend the majority of their time, help them move around with purpose and confidence. Wayfinding is further supported by clear and consistent eye-level signage, providing visual clues to aid navigation and provide reassurance and a layout that avoids “cul-desacs”, adding “roundabouts” or “points of interest” at the end of pathways where appropriate. Gentle tonal changes are used between room thresholds as certain forms of dementia can lead to stark changes being perceived as steps or drops. The impact of colour and tone on residents living with dementia are key considerations right across the environment. Light switches and plugs at Wellesley Road have contrasting colour plates, bathroom and bedroom doors in particular are bold in colour, with toilet and sink units backed by contrasting tiles. Furniture is also bold in colour
Kate Lane and provides a contrast to the flooring and wallcoverings, allowing residents to plot a clear route to their destination. There is also evidence that designing individual pieces of furniture with contrasting colours and tones – for example, trimming a seat edge, arms and back - can aid navigation and prevent accidents. This follows for stair edges and drops in levels. Wallcoverings and floors are specified in warm, solid colours with matt finishes, avoiding busy patterns, elaborate designs or highly reflective surfaces that can be confusing or over-stimulating for residents who have difficulties with visual perception. We have tried to design in as much natural daylight as possible to reduce confusion of waking at different times of the day or night. Natural light also enhances depth perception and spatial awareness amongst residents and therefore artificial lighting that best replicates natural daylight is specified throughout the home. We know that older people, irrespective of whether they suffer from dementia, can be affected by heightened sensitivity to glare in brightly lit areas but also lower visual ability in dim light and a slower reaction to changes in light. This means that lighting, colour and tone all have to be used in tandem to
create the best possible environment but, as everyone’s experience of dementia is different, we need to recognise that however we shape the built environment, we cannot always fully mitigate issues faced by people affected by dementia. Accessories, fixtures and fittings are also areas where attention to detail and forward planning can make a difference to the day-to-day lives of residents. Taps, door handles and light switches are kept to a traditional style to ensure that the use remains clear to a person who may be unfamiliar with modern or unconventional accessories. Some residents can also get confused when seeing their own reflection as they might not remember their age or who they are, so we tend to avoid mirrors or position them where they can be masked. Wellesley Road is not exclusively a ‘dementia home’ but does need to cater for people who may have some form of dementia or visual degeneration. It is for this reason that we have developed a space which embodies dementia friendly design and is used as a therapeutic tool called the Enriched Opportunities Programme. The space includes a ‘museum wall’, reflecting familiar meaningful scenes from the local area as well as items of meaning that can be handled by residents. In developing the environment at Wellesley Road, we have used a combination of dementia-friendly design principles and dedicated dementia areas, all of which have been informed by a growing body of research, together with years of experience and feedback from residents. However, we are still very strong on our philosophy of ‘home first’ and ultimately strive to create an attractive, welcoming environment within which our teams can provide care that enhances the lives of all our residents, whether they are living with dementia or not.
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In-house pharmacist would bring many opportunities and benefits By Shiraz Khan THE Royal Pharmaceutical Society recently reported the NHS could save £135million a year by employing pharmacists in care homes. Many care home residents take a range of medicines every day, and the management of this process is currently being undertaken by carers and nurses. The current relationship between pharmacists and care homes is that pharmacists will dispense and deliver the medication to the care homes, but will have little input on when a resident may need their therapy amending, despite pharmacists being the experts in medicines. There are many limitations with this existing dynamic, including the need for a regular medicine review, as stated in the RPS report. Without a regular review from healthcare professionals of what drugs are needed, there are many implications which can cause a lower quality of life and costly unnecessary admissions to hospital. Having a pharmacist responsible for the whole system of medicines in each care home would certainly bring many opportunities and benefits.
This relationship between care homes and pharmacists is essential in improving the safety of the residents and waste reduction, which is why it is an integral part of the Well Careplus service. The findings from the RPS report are strong and I agree that pharmacists should have a more active involvement within care homes; however the solution may not necessarily be to have one on-site. There is definitely a need for systematic changes, as having a pharmacist’s input is crucial in helping to improve medicine management. However, this can happen in a more cost-effective and efficient way through the introduction of technology. As stated in the RPS report, three quarters of residents are exposed to a minimum of one potential medicine administration error, while a recent study by the School of Pharmacy at Cardiff University found errors to be as high as 13 per resident per week. This demonstrates a need to improve medicine management, which could happen through the introduction of a digital medicines management system, such as the Well Pad. This would not only help
Shiraz Khan to bring pharmacists and care homes closer together but would save the NHS money without the need of a pharmacist on-site and the associated cost. Well has recently launched a new device called the ‘Well Pad’, which uses a unique barcode system to give the correct medicine to the correct resident. The pad creates real time support for carers and pharmacists, helping to proactively manage each resident’s medication. Having a pharmacist come in to a care home for medicine reviews only produces a snapshot of a moment
in time, however, the use of the Well Pad can monitor the care home’s performance by the second. Cardiff University’s study demonstrated the tablet’s reliability and key benefits; across the care homes in the study, returned medicine wastage was reduced by 55 per cent and missing medication administration entries on the residents’ records dropped by 80 per cent. The Well Pad eradicated 21 out of 23 types of errors relating to medicine management, identified prior to the implementation of the tool during the study; intervening to prevent further errors from occurring and ultimately reducing significant risks to patient safety. It’s clear from the RPS report that a change needs to be made to current medicine management in care homes, however there are other options to explore rather than introducing a pharmacist into each care home. By introducing technology, such as the Well Pad, this allows ongoing pharmacist support, without excessive costs, while bringing the relationship between carers and pharmacists closer. n Shiraz Khan is head of Careplus customer experience at Well.
Foreign language workshops help tackle dementia A STIRLINGSHIRE care home has introduced an innovative series of workshops designed to help residents fight the effects of dementia. Balhousie Wheatlands care home in Bonnybridge is helping tackle the disease by offering a range of foreign language workshops. Run by a newly formed social enterprise, Lingo Flamingo CIC, the tailored sessions help residents with early forms of dementia to improve communication, cognitive development and inter-personal skills, as well as build their confidence. Running for 12 weeks, the workshops have included German classes, music sessions, learned memory techniques, rhyme and reason, word association as well as an array of other activities. Many of the instructors leading the workshops are either international students or refugees. This is part of Lingo Flamingo’s wider vision to facilitate more opportunities to bring together younger and older members of the community, as well as bring together different cultures and backgrounds. Lingo Flamingo founder Robbie
Norval has seen the impact foreign language workshops have had on those living with dementia. He said: “I have worked in care homes in the past and have seen how isolating and lonely life can be for people living with dementia. “Working with languages in other countries highlighted to me just how empowering language based workshops can be for those living with the disease, from helping to improve memory capacity, to offering a safe and inspiring place for people to enjoy themselves.” The workshops are not curriculum based, with a focus on enjoyment and building confidence through praise-based learning. Grace Sloan, home manager, added: “Lingo Flamingo’s foreign language workshops have proved very popular with many of our residents. It is fantastic to see how they respond to the activities and the enjoyment they get out of every session. Dementia can be a very isolating and frightening illness and we are delighted to be working with Lingo Flamingo to help residents use these inspiring techniques to help slow down the effects of the disease.”
Residents of Belvedere Manor care home in Colne received an unexpected, generous donation of £100 from Lynne Smith, the daughter of Jean Fraser, one of the residents. Lynne donated the money to say thank you for all the care shown to her mum. The staff and residents at Belvedere Manor decided to buy an apple tree for the gardens at the home. Lynne recently planted the tree in the gardens, and residents were invited to hang their wishes in the form of butterflies on the tree. When the wish has been fulfilled the butterflies will turn to gold. Home manager Joanne Shapcott said: “We asked the residents how they would like to use the kind donation and they were keen to have more trees in the gardens. We are extremely thankful to the family for their generous gift.”
Land Girls fly the flag at home RESIDENTS at The Magna Care Centre in Wimborne enjoyed an afternoon of nostalgia when singing duo The Land Girls entertained them with wartime songs. Among their repertoire were classics such as ‘Bugle Boy’, ‘I’ll be with you in apple blossom time’ and ‘White cliffs of Dover’. Residents joined in with the singing and waving of Union Jack’s, in true
wartime spirit. Cheryl Teuber, activities co-ordinator at Magna Care Centre, said: “Music is uplifting and is increasingly being used to help boost mood, self-esteem and quality of life. “It was both nostalgic and fun – our residents hugely enjoyed being taken back to their youth, reviving memories and singing along to wellloved tunes.”
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Care company goes it alone as it leaves franchise brand AN established care company in Telford has left the franchise group it launched under and will invest £250,000 in improving services and expanding across Shropshire. Steve Harris set up Carewatch (Mid Shropshire and South West Staffordshire) 16 years ago but has recently bought out the franchise and will run his Stafford Park-based firm as a standalone company, Sentinel Care Services. He has made the move in order to further develop technology in care, expand the area he serves and offer more services. Steve said: “We are moving ahead faster than Carewatch currently allowed us to do so. “Over the last year or so we have introduced paper free working for our staff with the launch of an app and we are exploring the possibility of more assistive technology for our customers, this was signed off by Carewatch but I feel as a standalone business we can provide much more and change the way we work. “Our aim is to become a reactive domiciliary care company where we go to our customers when they need us, not for the half-an-hour or so scheduled on our timetable. “We also want to expand beyond
our territorial boundaries throughout the county, which we were prevented from doing so as part of the franchise group.” North Shropshire areas such as Wem and Steve’s home town of Whitchurch are a target. The company also covers parts of Staffordshire and he hopes to expand into Stafford and North Cannock as well over time. Steve currently has 88 staff and 160 customers. The development will see his company completely rebranded with a £250,000 investment in new products, services and switching to the new name Sentinel Care Services, a new logo, new uniforms and website. The rebrand will be phased in over three months, but he insists it will not affect any current contracts. “We work with both Telford & Wrekin Council and Shropshire Council as well as public authorities in Staffordshire and private customers in both counties, none of their services will be affected by this move,” Steve added. “We will continue working in just the same way we do at the moment with the same staff but the name of the firm will be different.”
Residents from St George’s Hall and Lodge in Darlington made winter accessories and created posters and banners to help prepare staff for a nine-mile walk, which raised £320 for the British Heart Foundation. Seven members of staff ventured along nearby Yarm Park bypass towards Morrisons in Morton Park, where they were catered for during their rest stop with a warming drink in the café. In preparation for the walk, residents used red yarn to make pom-poms for the walkers’ woolly red hats and created heart-shaped posters, which raised awareness for the charity on their walk. Heading back to the home through the village of Middleton St George, many donations were made by the friendly neighbourhood. Pictured are Jackie Malton, activity coordinator, Helen Marsh, part of senior care, Sue Simpson, the hairdresser at the home and care assistants Kizzpy Park, Venka Gibson, Angie Cooper and Tina Letten.
Resident’s show wish comes true AN East of England care group has launched a new initiative to make its residents’ wishes and dreams come true. Sohal Healthcare has rolled out Sparkle across its facilities in Cambridge, Essex, Suffolk, Kent and Peterborough. The first recipient was Gill Barsby, a resident at Maxey House in Peterborough, whose dream of watching a show in London was fulfilled. Director of the home
Jazz Singh spoke to Gill personally and discovered that she had always wanted to go to London to watch a show, and felt disappointed that this may not happen due to her age and mobility. With Sparkle, the group believes that even if a person is in care, they should still have dreams and ambitions. Jazz took Gill to watch Phantom of the Opera after afternoon tea.
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CARINGNEWS
Scientifically proven dry steam vapour technology D&S SYSTEMS has formed a working partnership with OspreyDeepclean: the only company within the cleaning industry to invest in independently validated scientific research into the validity of dry steam vapour as an effective tool for sanitising and decontamination. In close cooperation with TNO (an independent scientific research facility in the Netherlands) and University College of London Hospitals, OspreyDeepclean devised a study to investigate and validate the safety, suitability and efficacy of DSV in daily and periodic cleaning practises. The study focused on the decontamination of ‘risk’ contact surfaces for patients and staff and the potential hazard of contaminant dispersion and aerolisation. DSV technology is simple to operate and turns an everyday cleaning regime into an effective deep clean. It neutralises odours from soft furnishings and carpets and it can be used to remove stains without the need for chemicals (including those caused by coffee and bodily fluids) Surfaces are left sanitised, decontaminated and dry; ready for immediate use as the inbuilt vacuum removes any water residue. Hard to reach areas are no issue for DSV either.
As the National Living Wage is officially introduced this month, Ellen Brown, divisional manager care homes at apetito, looks at how homes can mitigate the impact of this ...
Are you ready for the National Living Wage? WHEN Bupa wrote down the value of its elderly care business by almost £300million last month, it will have come as no surprise to operators that the National Living Wage was among the reasons why. Of course, care home owners and operators wouldn’t dispute that employees should be paid a fair wage – after all, while incredibly rewarding, care work can be physically and emotionally demanding at times and often involves long hours – but how are they going to meet these increased costs? Exploring the options While Bupa is making a case to the Government that local authority fees will need to increase to cover this additional cost, I think it’s fair to say that the potential for any additional support from the state can’t be relied upon. Care homes could look to increase their budgets by raising their own costs, but the challenge of funding care is an obstacle many families are already struggling with.
Another possibility would be to cut costs by losing staff members, but this will inevitably have a detrimental impact on the level of care that homes are Ellen Brown able to offer their residents. Therefore, a key focus has to be launching an efficiency drive to identify where other savings could be made without compromising on quality. A helping hand As Living Wage employers ourselves, we’re only too aware of some of the challenges homes are now facing. However, the support we offer could not only lower catering costs significantly, but actually deliver other benefits too.
Working with a specialist food provider is proven not only to increase resident satisfaction, but also deliver tangible savings. Being able to offer a broader choice of meals with portion sizes to match, reduces food costs by cutting down on waste. There are also savings to be made on labour costs, by removing complexity in the kitchen and reducing the time spent preparing meals. This can often save homes tens of thousands each year. We fully empathise with the repeated requests by the care home industry for the Government to step up and provide the support that is so desperately needed. However, in an age of austerity, we also need to be realistic. Looking to where we can drive efficiency without impacting on quality needs to be at the top of everyone’s agenda.” n To book a FREE tasting session with the apetito care homes team, visit www.apetito.co.uk/care-homes. Or, for more information call 0800 542 2631.
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Altro approves Duplex DUPLEX is a leading industry expert in the supply of commercial high-performance cleaning machines, recognised and trusted throughout the UK and globally and dedicated to ensuring that our machines provide advanced cleaning solutions. When you purchase a Duplex machine you can rely on exceptional cleaning power, build quality and ease of use. When it comes to safety flooring, Altro provides highperforming, long lasting solutions where the risk of slips and trips must be minimised such as health and social care environments. Although safety flooring can be amongst the most demanding types of flooring to clean and
maintain, Altro provides the best solution when it comes to slipresistant safety floor. Until recently Altro has not approved any particular machine to clean their specialist flooring. So, after testing the Duplex machine we were very proud when Altro approved it for cleaning and maintaining Altro slip-resistant floor coverings without the need for chemicals. At a recent sales meeting Duplex was introduced to the Altro sales force in a fun and informative manner, allowing them to use a Duplex and see for themselves what amazing results can be achieved on Altro flooring. Enquiries: Email info@duplex-cleaning.com
Helping make NHS toilets safe
A NEW report claims that UK hospitals and clinics are putting disabled people and their carers at risk by not providing appropriate toilets. The toilet access report – Making a Case for Fully Accessible Toilets Within the NHS – says toilets in NHS buildings have been found that are unsafe, and that fail to ensure the dignity, safety and wellbeing of patients, staff and carers. Further, of the 206 acute and mental health Trusts, only 42 have a basic Changing Places assisted accessible toilet for people who need a carer’s help. Clos-o-Mat has already put in place solutions to help NHS Trusts address their toilet provision. Its white paper, Provision of Changing Places Toilets in Hospitals and the Healthcare Industry, provides unbiased advice on legal requirements and good practice guidelines, according to all relevant documents – Equality Act 2010, Building Regulations Approved Document M, BS8300:2009. “Research shows some 30 per cent of NHS users in the UK are disabled, and hospitals are
the second most inaccessible buildings for them,” said Kelvin Grimes, Clos-o-Mat’s Changing Places project manager. “Legally, any service provider has to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to the built environment that would put someone at a substantial disadvantage, and those adjustments should be made in anticipation of a need being demonstrated.” Those adjustments include suitable toilet provision. Provision of toilets is a basic human right, under the European Convention of Human Rights, yet is, according to the toilet access report, the most overlooked human right. Kelvin added: “We go to the toilet on average eight times a day. Think how long we spend in a hospital, even for a routine outpatient appointment; the chances are you will need to use the toilet.” Enquiries: Copies of the white paper are available for free download from Clos-oMat’s website www.clos-o-mat.com or via http://www.clos-o-mat.com/images/downloads/hospitals_wp.pdf
38 www.requiredsystems.com
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Iolanda Ramos, domestic assistant at Emberbrook, receives her award from Jennifer Young, director of operations for the North and Jeremy Richardson, CEO at brighterkind (left) and Jane Hall, laundry assistant at Hall House, with her prize and Debbie Baker, director of operations, South and Jeremy Richardson (right).
Staff recognised by national awards By Dominic Musgrave
A CARE home worker who averted disaster when a fire broke out and another who brightened up the lives of her residents and colleagues, despite traumatic events in her own family, have been recognised in the first national awards for employees of care provider brighterkind. Jane Hall was working as a laundry assistant at Hallhouse Care Home in Kilmarnock when a fire started as a result of a fault in electrical
equipment. She thought and acted quickly to isolate the gas supply, close doors to contain the fire, call the emergency services and help to ensure that residents were safe. In addition to receiving an award from brighterkind, she was commended by the emergency services and the Care Inspectorate for averting a potentially life threatening situation. Iolanda Ramos, a domestic assistant at Emberbrook Care Home in Thames Ditton, where she has worked for more
than 10 years, has won the appreciation and affection of residents and colleagues for her tireless dedication to the people in her care. She always volunteers to help out and often works extra hours which she does not claim for. Iolanda brightens up the day for everyone around her with her cheerful and sunny personality. Earlier this year her husband was involved in an accident that resulted in life changing injuries and, although she helped him through his
rehabilitation, she did not let this diminish her commitment to her residents. Jane and Iolanda were invited to a conference and gala dinner by Jeremy Richardson, CEO at brighterkind. He said: “These awards celebrate outstanding commitment and performance and Jane and Iolanda are well deserving winners who exemplify the best in care. Our slogan, which encapsulates our values is ‘love every day’ and they help to bring its meaning to life.”
New manager’s role for Matthew SOMERSET Care has appointed Matthew Brook as care manager of its Taunton Community Services team. He has been exposed to the care industry from a young age, accompanying his mother in the car as she went out delivering care and support to people living in their own homes in the Chard and Langport area. In 2012, Mathew was offered a position as planner for the Chard Community Services team, helping to roll out the Independent Living Team package across the area. He was promoted to community team supervisor in November 2014 and was seconded to support the business in other locations, sharing his expertise and knowledge. Matthew applied for a secondment position as the Taunton care manager in August 2015 and was offered the position on a permanent basis recently. He said: “I’m really pleased to have been appointed as care manager, the Taunton community team are really
Matthew Brook great and I feel proud to be working with them. “I remember helping out by walking a former manager’s dog as a child and have fond memories of accompanying my mother in the car on her visits. “Having been aware of care services from a young age I feel that I have a good understanding of social care and how it has changed over the years.”
Augustus Court care centre invited local MP Alec Shelbrooke to present the staff team with their successfully completed training certificates to celebrate the home opening its doors to the public. As well as taking the time to get to know the team, the MP also took the opportunity to have a look around the £5.7million luxury home in Garforth, which will create 40 new jobs for the local area. Manager Mary Usher added: “I firmly believe that training is the cornerstone of a robust and successful care home and we invest heavily in ensuring that all of our staff are fully prepared for their roles.” Run by award-winning Meridian Healthcare, the home is one of seven in the company’s Premiere Collection.
The new CQC Essential Standards – call now to arrange your free trial ALL our Policy/ Procedures have been brought into line with the new 2014 Legislation and to make it even easier to demonstrate compliance we have developed a module that shows you how to meet each of the five new categories. Enquiries: To find out more call 01236 782477 visit www.requiredsystems.com or email peter@requiredsystems.com
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New owner for city home Page 43
Providers urged to fix the roof while sun is shining
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A touch of ‘Ground Force’ Page 47
Company announces new partnership AWARD-winning care provider Hallmark Care Homes has announced a new partnership with the former directors of Baxter and King Construction and together launched a joint company, Goldfinch Developments. The new venture will see the group and the former directors of the reputable care home construction company, work together on the development of all Hallmark Care Homes’ future projects and with other selected care home providers. Managing director Avnish Goyal said: “The former directors at Baxter and King have an excellent reputation in the industry and bring with them over 25 years’ experience working on innovative care home design and construction projects across the UK. “We are looking forward to working with them more closely and putting their talents to good use.”
The developments team at Hallmark Care Homes led the discussion with former director, Kevin Storey after Baxter and King went into voluntary administration in January. Negotiations were quickly concluded and saw the Goldfinch team working together on the first joint project just two weeks later. Kevin added: “It makes great sense to combine our skills to build a new brand in care sector development. “Together we will build Hallmark Care Homes’ premium quality new homes, and work for other carefully selected operators to deliver their schemes, using our extensive experience to optimise designs to achieve value engineering benefits. “We are already talking to a number of our previous contacts and will no doubt be soon announcing more new projects for the Goldfinch Development team.” Goldfinch Developments’ first
Hallmark Care Homes’ finance director Ram Goyal, managing director Avnish Goyal and land and development manager Sue Earrey with Kevin Storey and Geoff Baxter. project will be Hallmark Care Home, Chamberlain Court, a 72-bed, luxury care home, which is scheduled to open in early 2017. Facilities will include a cinema, hair salon, café and therapy room as well as being surrounded by spectacular
landscaped gardens. Chamberlain Court will also feature a unique celebrations restaurant on the third floor of the home with an adjoining terrace, which will enable relatives to have a meal with their loved ones on a special occasion.
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Hazeldene Nursing Home in Sheffield.
New owner for city home SPECIALIST care property consultant HPC has sold Hazeldene Nursing Home in Sheffield to new operators. Hazeldene is a purpose-built property which provides 60 en-suite nursing places for elderly residents with dementia. The home, which is located in the Darnall area of the city, has been bought by an existing care home operator, Hermes Care. HPC director Ian Wilkie, who acted for vendors S&S Healthcare Ltd, said: “Hazeldene has been owned by the directors since it opened in 1995 and
had only become available due to retirement. “It was imperative for our clients that they received sound advice throughout the sales process and that the welfare of the residents and staff was protected at all times. I am pleased to confirm that a successful sale was completed to an experienced operator who will take the home forward in the coming years.” The acquisition of the Hazeldene will complement Hermes Care’s seven other operations in South Yorkshire.
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Care home providers urged to fix the roof while sun is shining By Simon Bentley
Delphine Court in Cockerton, County Durham.
Delphine Court leased to specialist operator DC CARE has completed the lease of Delphine Court, a former residential care home in the village of Cockerton, County Durham. The property had been a residential care home run by a charity for a number of years, before being bought by Graeme Shaw. He completed a substantial refurbishment of the building and contacted DC Care to find a new operator to lease the property to. DC Care found a specialist operator looking to establish a service in
the area, for clients with a range of learning disabilities, in a supported living environment. Alison Taylor, specialist business appraiser at DC Care, who handled the instruction, said: “I am delighted that we were able to help Graeme find a suitable tenant for Delphine Court. “He was keen to ensure that a reliable operator was found and that the building continued to serve the local community. We found an operator very quickly and terms were agreed.”
Innis Mhor care home in Tain.
Homes to expand to meet ‘unprecedented demand’ By Dominic Musgrave TWO Highland care homes are set for expansion, less than two years after opening, in a bid to meet the growing demand for care provision for the elderly across the region. Independent care home provider Parklands Group is set expand its facilities at Muir of Ord and Tain, built at a combined cost of £5million and opened in June 2014. A further six bedrooms will be added at each care home, increasing their capacity to 40, in a project costing £1million. Three full time equivalent jobs will be created at each care home as a result of the expansion. Work on the expansion will start in April with the rooms due to open to residents in October. The company is currently awaiting the outcome of its application for a new 40-bed care home in Fortrose, submitted last year. Ron Taylor, managing director of Parklands Group, said: “Since we opened our new care homes in Muir
of Ord and Tain we have been struck by the huge demand for quality care provision across the region. The interest has been unprecedented and both homes now have an extensive waiting list. Our £1million investment will certainly help meet some of this demand. However, it is clear that much more needs to be done to expand care provision across the Highlands. “The situation in Fortrose is particularly serious given that its only care home closed last year. We hope that our proposal for a new 40 bed care home, which has won strong backing from the community and local elderly groups, will ultimately be approved so that we can begin to address the desperate shortage of care provision in the area.” Meanwhile, Parklands Group is about to start work on a new 40 bed care home in Grantown. Construction work will begin in the spring, with the new home due to open its doors to residents around March next year.
INSURANCE is a cost you cannot avoid altogether, but you can minimise it with good risk management and good maintenance to keep your claims to a minimum so we, in turn, can negotiate the best terms on your behalf. Nearly half of the claims Howden receives from care homes are for material damage - often caused to buildings, equipment, possessions, supplies and vehicles as a result of bad weather or wear and tear leading to leaking water tanks, blocked drains and exploding radiators.1 The Spring and Summer months are the perfect opportunity to tackle essential care home repairs and maintenance checks – fixing any damage caused by last winter’s series of storms and checking all the fixtures and fittings. It is always prudent to have a rolling programme of preventive maintenance and to keep grounds, buildings and equipment tidy and reduce the chances of something going wrong in the first place. It also makes your business look more attractive which appeals to residents, their families and new visitors. Behind every insurance claim is unwelcome disruption to a business, so here are our Top Tips for maintenance, based on what we know about real claims care homes make: 1. Do not skimp on roof inspection and repairs, or this could cost you heavily in the long term and always contract a professional. Have your gutters cleared regularly. Check for cracked, broken or missing tiles or damaged chimney to prevent rain seeping in. 2. Examine pointing and brickwork on external walls and make repairs where necessary to prevent water ingress. Look for cracks in the seals around doors and windows. 3. Your exterior lighting is important to avoiding slips, trips and falls so make sure everything is in order and has not been affected by rain or snow. Check that automatic external security lights function properly. 4. Clear the garden and remove tree branches that may have come down in windy weather – this can
Simon Bentley be a tripping hazard and looks unattractive. Have trees inspected and cut back if necessary. 5. Search for damage to paths or car parking spaces – you may be need to fill in cracks, resurface or sealcoat. If damage is severe, more serious maintenance may be needed. 6. Check internal plumbing and hose connections to appliances. Inspect all radiators and their valves and, of course, pay special attention to any ‘hidden’ tanks and pipework in the loft. Keep a record of your maintenance work. Insurers may not pay claims in full – or at all – if damage was caused by lack of maintenance. One other maintenance check should be on your insurance policy: are you fully covered, including loss of income in the event of ‘business interruption’? Has your broker been in touch to check that it has been updated with any changes in your circumstances or just assumed you will renew? Have you been advised on risk management? And are you very clear who to call in an emergency? 1. CHIS claims report 2013: An analysis of nearly 300 claims which CHIS received in 2013. n Simon Bentley is business development manager at Howden Care division (previously CHIS & PrimeCare Insurance)
Sales manager’s role for Josh FAST growing care company SureCare has appointed a new franchise sales manager. Josh Farrer, son of the firm’s owner and managing director Gary, has been brought on board. He has an extensive background in sales and marketing. Josh will be leading a new recruitment drive to identify ambitious people keen to become SureCare franchisees. Gary, who acquired the Chesterheadquartered business from
Housing & Care 21 in November 2014, said: “I am delighted Josh has agreed to become SureCare’s new franchise sales manager. I am extremely proud of the fact that SureCare is once again a true family business. “We also want our franchisees to feel they are joining a family when they come on board. “Buying a franchise is a big investment and it is important to know that you are going to receive the support you need every step of the way.”
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A touch of ‘Ground-Force’ By Christine Cooper
WITH National Plant a Flower day kicking-off the Spring season recently, it also marked the start of garden activities, making a good time to reflect on the external aspects of care homes. It’s hard to think about gardening as you look out the window at thick layers of snow and stormy weather but after months of dreary skies, your residents will be looking forward to seeing the vibrant colours of your perennials. There is a nervousness that inhibits the full use of outdoor space, especially for residents with mobility issues and dementia. However, to the contrary, the therapeutic effect of accessing dementia friendly outside environments is hugely beneficial so long as the landscaping is designed with care. The first priority of any care home garden must be safety. For residents with limited mobility or dementia this means wide, clear pathways with smooth surfaced paving. While feature paving and ornamental gravel are attractive, for residents they can be trip hazards and may heighten confusion for dementia sufferers. Having routes around your garden that not only have interesting focal points but have a natural flow back to home will help with navigation.
Of course, you need to make sure that you have secure perimeters to the garden. Without careful design, this could feel imprisoning so take care to make sure your home is freely and easily accessible from inside the home, creating open aspects with any gates as far out of visibility as possible. Clever landscaping will help them to blend with the perimeter, perhaps via strategically placed trellis fencing. It’s commonly agreed that 1.6m is the optimum height for your perimeters to protect your residents’ privacy, keeping them secure, without feeling trapped in. With LNT Care Development’s purpose built facilities, we go a step further, using the natural light from the garden to integrate into the home. Through large, full length windows, overlooking the external landscape of the home, it creates a feeling of space and reminds residents they are still connected to the outside world. For those less mobile, they can still take advantage of the space even when indoors, looking out over the attractively designed raised flower beds. Once you have the dementia-friendly layout of your garden arranged, it is then for the fun part of landscaping – planting. The Alzheimer’s Society has been unequivocal in the beneficial impact of gardening for residents. Amongst the many benefits they list are
Christine Cooper improved sleep patterns, hormone balance and behaviour. Not to mention that gardening is a past time which most residents will have partaken in during their lives. With the use of raised beds, your residents can really make your care home their home by helping with the adornment of the garden, enhancing their connection with the care home surroundings.
Their level of ability will impact on how much they can contribute but if organised effectively, planting can be a social as well as physical activity. Working together, residents and staff can create beautiful designs which ignite different senses. Plants such as grasses and bamboos have a pleasing acoustic quality as the wind gently brushes through on a summer’s day and the scent of herbs can trigger memories of youth. With clever planting choices you can create multiple opportunities for activities, perhaps picking the fruits of your labour or drying flowers for scrap books – non-poisonous berries are also likely to attract birds and bring some wildlife to your back door for your residents to watch. Be sure to avoid any plants that may irritate or prick your residents. If you are looking to expand your care home portfolio, make sure to look at the external aspects of your home. It is easy to get pre-occupied with the inside space and design but please do remember that your residents are moving in with you to enable them to be more active and engaged in the outside world safely, in a way they could not if they were on their own. By ensuring you have a well landscaped garden, you can significantly improve their quality of life. n Christine Cooper is projects director at LNT Care Developments.
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CARING PRODUCT NEWS
Refinance for Chanctonbury Healthcare Limited is agreed
Greenhill Manor in Merthyr.
Home receives Wales’ top score in national residents’ survey TEAM members, residents and relatives at Hallmark care home, Greenhill Manor in Merthyr, are celebrating after the home received the highest score for Wales in a nationwide survey. Now in its fourth year, the Your Care Rating survey is the country’s largest and most authoritative survey of care home residents. The nationwide survey gives residents a voice, and is an insight into how well care homes perform. Over 20,000 residents in 963 care homes across the UK took part in the 2015 survey. In Wales, almost 800 residents in 29 care homes aired their views. The results show the specialist dementia, nursing and young physically disabled care home was given an overall performance rating score of 96.1 per cent, which compares favourably to the Wales average of 89 per cent. All residents surveyed also said they were happy with the care and support they receive, that team members
understood them as an individual and that they treated them with kindness, dignity and respect. Mark McCole, general manager, said: “We are delighted that Greenhill Manor was ranked the highest in Wales. Our scores across all four themes are really positive, which show that the people who matter most, our residents, are very happy with the care they receive. “My team and I are strongly committed to the home and foster an atmosphere of care and support, which enables our residents to live full, interesting, independent and active lives.” Douglas Quinn, chairman of Your Care Rating, added: “The care home sector often receives a negative perception in the UK, but our latest findings paint a broadly positive state of UK care homes. “Our annual survey gives those who are in the best position to judge the standard of care, the residents, a chance to air their views.”
CHANCTONBURY Healthcare Ltd is a local expert provider of private care homes for the elderly in East Sussex. Barry Sinclair and his family have been in the care home industry for over twenty years. Chanctonbury Healthcare Ltd currently owns three high quality care homes located in East Sussex: Alfriston Court, a luxury care and nursing home in the peaceful village of Alfriston. Oaklands Court, a purpose built nursing home in the beautiful Sussex Weald, with Ashdown forest close by. Queensmead, a purpose built residential care home in the town centre of Polegate. Sean Hurden from Chandler & Co, who secured funding for the refinance of the group, said: “Barry Sinclair is a highly experienced and successful care home operator and it was a great pleasure to work with him and his whole team on this exercise. “The restructuring of the group’s finances was not straightforward,
however a new lender was eventually engaged to support Chanctonbury Healthcare’s future expansion plans and we very much look forward to working with Chanctonbury Healthcare again in the future.” Of the assistance Chandler & Co provided, Barry added: “There is no doubt that Chandler & Co are the best brokers within the industry. Over the last 10 years I have been completely satisfied with every element of their professional service and attention to detail. “We were looking for the best finance deal to expand and refinance our care home business last year and now we can move forward in 2016 with our plans to expand, thanks to Chandler & Co.”
Glasgow Roadshow in April REGISTRATION for Care Roadshows 2016 events opened recently and have already seen floods of care professionals book onto the specialist trade shows which are taking place across the UK. The first of the five events will be held at Glasgow’s Hampden Park Stadium on April 19 and will host a mix of suppliers covering a wide range of products and services for all areas for the care sector. Exhibitors including Advanced Health & Care, Boots, Citation and Stannah will be on hand to offer
advice and information on how they can help your care setting flourish. Also meet headline sponsors Quality Compliance Systems at the show and discover how they can help you deliver great care while easily meeting compliance and quality assurance standards. The seminar and workshop programme for the event offers four informative seminars from industry leaders and two interactive hands-on workshops from Oomph! Wellness that offer ideas to keep residents active and moving.
One of the UK’s largest not-for-profit care home providers has appointed a new chief executive to lead its team. Formerly operations director for the Trust, Dan Hayes has been appointed as the charity’s permanent chief executive, having been fulfilling the role on an interim basis since September 1. Chairman of OSJCT trustees, Don Wood, CBE, said: “In accordance with best practice, we have undertaken a rigorous and transparent process to recruit our new chief executive. This has involved all trustees and included input from our residents. The board of trustees has been very impressed at the way Dan has led the executive team over the past four months and re-energised the Trust.”
Shaw healthcare income and credit control team and their Consumer Collections Team of the Year award.
Group wins second finance award Hotels offer first class experience A CARDIFF-based healthcare provider has won its second national finance award in three years. Shaw healthcare’s income and credit control team was named consumer collections team of the year by the Chartered Institute of Credit Management at its annual British Credit Awards ceremony in London. The team won the In-house collections team of the year award in 2014 and this year beat off competition from a global financial company to take home the accolade, which recognises businesses that have made significant improvements to their financial collections over the
past 12 months. The CICM was formed more than 75 years ago and is Europe’s largest professional organisation for the credit and collections industry. Julia Keane, income and credit manager at Shaw Healthcare, said: “The last year was one of the most challenging periods of time within the care sector for decades, with a drop in NHS and local funding coming alongside the increase of the minimum wage. “Despite this, Shaw’s finances have remained steady, which is a testament to the dedication and commitment of my team.”
SAFEHANDS Holidays has specialised in the delivery of all aspects of care for the past 19 years, and is able to offer a range of unique care solutions to all our clients regardless of age or disability. Confidence and commitment from investors and managers throughout the company has seen Safehands grow into a substantial multi-million pound care orientated business. Our mission statement is ‘to transform the life opportunities of people with disabilities, improving outcomes, allowing equality and increasing involvement and inclusion in society that will empower them as individuals’.
Both our hotels occupy enviable positions with panoramic sea views of the Great British coastline. Both hotels have undergone a complete renovation and refurbishment programme costing over £7m, enabling us to provide guests with a choice of accessible accommodation you can rely on. Both of our venues offer a first class hotel experience where you can be assured your every need is catered for, in a fully accessible environment with caring and dedicated staff. Specialist equipment hire, fully accessible travel solutions, bespoke care packages are all available at affordable rates.
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CARINGINDUSTRY NEWS
Chubb becomes approved technology adviser and provider to Housing Association
Shackletons completes work on £7m centre of excellence SHACKLETONS has completed work on a new 71-bed £7million centre of excellence for dementia care in Caernarfon. Called Bryn Seiont Newydd, the ventre is the brainchild of Pendine Park’s owners Mario and Gill Kreft, who turned to Shackletons to help them with furnishing it. Providing a better quality of life and enriching lives for residents, and creating a pleasant working space for employees, Shackletons focused on relaxation, privacy, stimulation and communal living complementing the centre’s idyllic setting within five acres of tranquil gardens and countryside.. Creating a homely feel and a family environment that would meet the specialists needs of gender, age, and dementia sufferers, Shackletons developed and adapted a series of bespoke seating, bedroom and dining furniture to support people have as much independence as possible. The small details were also taken
care of with specially designed and developed memory boxes and strategically placed bespoke artwork in selective colour schemes to assist residents with wayfinding. Mario, who is also the chair of Care Forum Wales, which represents the independent social care sector, said: “We are very proud of the centre of excellence for dementia care. Our aim here is to provide a world-class home that will become the focus for community-based care in the area. It will be the hub for other services including respite care, day care, memory clinics and outreach services supporting people in their own homes. Sarah Thompson, regional sales manager at Shackletons, added: “It was a pleasure to be able to assist in creating this wonderful care environment and offer my knowledge and experience to ensure the specification met the expectations of all concerned, particularly the residents.”
Dorgard legally holds your fire door open EVERY care facility wants to encourage independent mobility of their residents, but heavy, cumbersome fire doors restrict free movement. By law fire doors should not be wedged open. It is, however, all too tempting to do just that, wedge the fire door open to allow residents and visitors to move around with ease. This practice is illegal and will allow a fire to spread quickly through a care home, endangering the lives of
residents, staff and visitors. To solve this age-old dilemma simply fit a Dorgard to your fire doors. The Dorgard will hold your fire door open in any position, legally. It ‘listens’ for the fire alarm and, on hearing it, releases the door and allows it to close. The use of Dorgard ensures that you will not be prosecuted for breach of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which could otherwise lead to a heavy fine or imprisonment.
CHUBB Community Care has been awarded two significant framework agreements with Consortium Procurement, the national procurement service of the Northern Housing Consortium, to deliver the latest technology-driven care solutions to organisations throughout the UK. Chubb, a leading provider of solutions to support independent living and provide peace of mind for carers, is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX). The two agreements confirm Chubb as an approved framework partnership to recommend products relating to technology enabled care solutions and design installations; and to provide and install Chubb products and TECS services to all NHC member authorities, housing associations, housinChubb Community Careg trusts and arm’s length management organisations. TECS includes telehealth, telecare, telemedicine, tele-coaching and self-care in providing care for patients with long-term conditions that are convenient, accessible and cost-effective. The product recommendation and design framework agreement covers all categories of technology including: personal health; safety and well-being; environmental protection, including products and technologies that protect from intruders and environmental hazards such as fire, flooding and carbon monoxide; and data trans-
mitting and receiving equipment and services, for example Chubb Community Care’s CareUnity®. The second framework allows Chubb to tender for all NHC TECS service contracts, covering: installation; service, maintenance and repair; call monitoring; and control centres. The framework agreement has resulted in one significant new contract win with Bolton at Home Limited to install the Chubb® Care System into eight of the organisation’s sites. Enquiries: Members of the Consortium can learn more about Chubb’s offerings at http://www.northern-consortium.org.uk/ or http://www.chubbcommunitycare.co.uk/.
Claim VAT back on your home even if you are not VAT registered
IT is true, care providers can reclaim VAT worth about £3,000 per bed for any residents who stayed in your home between 1993 and 2002 paid for by the local authority. You don’t have to be VAT registered to make a claim. We can usually find the information required with minimal disruption to your business. How is this possible? Well in 2002 a care provider called Kingscrest challenged the view held by HMRC and won. There is no cost to you unless we are successful. Typical claims: 50 beds – £240,000; 40 beds – £170,000; 287 beds – £1.25m. And the best part is that you get the money in your bank account before you pay us. Don’t forget the tax repayment is free of tax – it is extra profit.
Enquiries: Call 01233 640985 and ask for Howard to find out more.
Simple solutions
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 odourfree, 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.
Market leading fall prevention ALERTA Medical is a manufacturer of robust, high quality fall prevention and wander management mats, known as Alertamats, proactively helping care providers to deliver improved patient safety and care. Developed and proven with the end user over many years, Alerta Medical fall prevention Alertamats have been designed to withstand heavy use and far outlast other mats on the market. Therefore we pride ourselves on superior quality and reliability – resulting in significant cost savings and peace of mind for care providers. Alerta Medical has created the Deluxe Alertamat – the world’s first genuine carpeted fall prevention mat. The Deluxe Alertamat comes with a luxury carpet finish available in four colours to blend with an existing room theme and provides a distinguished look for the care environment. The Deluxe Alertamat benefits from a long lasting welded seal and strong wiring, and has been proven to endure many years of continual use in care homes.
Beaucare’s Beauwash™ range
This makes the Deluxe Alertamat exceptional value for money when compared to the low quality six and 12 month floor mats that constantly need to be replaced. We offer a comprehensive range of fall prevention and wander management mats, compatible with all main nurse call systems and complimented by a number of accessories. Enquiries: Call 08452 088 097, email sales@alertamedical.com or visit www.alertamedical.com
BEAUWASH is an efficient, cost effective and eco-friendly laundry cleaning products range, specifically formulated with healthcare establishments in mind. It is cleverly designed to provide superb cleaning performance at lower temperatures, shorter wash cycles and kill bacteria at just 30°C, providing a more sustainable laundry cleaning process in terms of overall running costs and for the environment. Available in powder or liquid form: 10kg tubs, 5lt, 10lt or 20lt liquid containers. When combining
the laundry liquid with automated dosing systems, it creates one of the most efficient laundry solutions available on the market today. Beaucare also offers advice on the most efficient way to run all healthcare laundry needs and provides expert fitting and maintenance of automatic dosing systems by its own service engineers. Enquiries: Call 01423 878899, email sales@beaucare.com or visit www.beaucare.com
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Specialist takes up role at Midlands provider
By Olivia Taylor
A CARE specialist has taken up a new role as operations director of Shropshire’s leading provider of care homes. Debbie Price has joined Coverage Care Services, which runs 14 homes across the county. She previously led Shropshire Partners in Care, a not-for-profit organisation that represents more than 200 independent nursing, residential and domiciliary care companies, for five years. Prior to that, she was the organisation’s care liaison officer for five years. As operations director, Debbie will be responsible for delivering the strategic vision of Coverage Care through operational activity, supporting management and implementing new ways of working. In another move, Diana Wall, the former manager of New Fairholme in Oswestry, has taken up a new role as clinical lead manager. Her job is to oversee the delivery of nursing care. Diana joined Coverage Care as a junior staff nurse nine years ago before becoming nurse manager of the dementia centre at its Lightmoor View Care Home in Telford.
Debbie Price, the new operations director at Coverage Care Services, and Diana Wall. She went on to manage New Fairholme, an 88-bed care home, which opened in April 2013. David Coull, chief executive of Coverage Care, said the two new appointments would further strengthen the organisation’s management team. He added: “I am very pleased to welcome Debbie to Coverage Care. Knowing her work through Shropshire Partners in Care, I am certain Debbie will play a key role
in helping us to maintain the high standard of care that we provide in all our homes as well as contributing to the continuing development of Coverage Care and the service we offer Shropshire residents. “Diana’s experience as a nurse and home manager will bring a valuable insight as the clinical lead.” Coverage Care Services is Shropshire’s leading independent care home provider, run on a not-forprofit basis.
Stephanie to manage new luxury home HADRIAN Healthcare Group has appointed Stephanie Dyson as manager for their newest luxury care home in Oulton, Leeds. Oulton Manor is due to open in April, providing first class residential and dementia care for 77 residents. The group currently owns and operates five luxury ‘Manor House’ care homes in Yorkshire and the North East. Stephanie gained a degree in clinical sciences at Bradford University and a Masters degree at Durham University which focussed on the care of residents with dementia. She began her career in care as a senior care assistant and has experience in health and social care training as well as care home management. Stephanie said: “I’m recruiting the team at Oulton to provide the highest standard of individualised care. Our aim is for all our residents to enjoy their life with us, supported by highly motivated staff in comfortable, beautifully designed surroundings. We will be holding open days in April so people can meet our staff and see the accommodation.”
Hanover receives 91 per cent satisfaction
A NATIONAL housing provider for the over 55s known for its commitment to resident well-being and innovation has achieved 91 per cent overall satisfaction rating in its latest independent Star Resident Satisfaction Survey. The report stated that the majority of residents believe Hanover is still
providing an extremely good housing service. The survey was commissioned as part of the retirement housing provider’s regular assessment of resident satisfaction, and to assess whether the organisation needs to make changes to the current service provision provided to residents.
An East Riding housing development known for its strong commitment to the health and well-being of older people has become the latest destination to be visited by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu. The visit was part of the Archbishop’s Pilgrimage of Prayer Witness and Blessing around the Diocese of York. The six-month walking pilgrimage sees him meeting and praying with people along the route which is to finish at York Minster on May 22. Located in the sleepy village of North Cave, Hanover Court has established itself as a community hub which holds regular communion services for residents and has established a landscaped garden where residents grow their own vegetables.