Caring UK weekly

Issue 62 23.06.21

The weekly online newsletter for the care sector

Children help to combat loneliness

Call for Wales to make jabs obligatory A SOCIAL care leader has made a renewed call for coronavirus vaccinations to be made obligatory for care staff who work with elderly and vulnerable people in Wales.

Mario Kreft MBE, the chair of Care Forum Wales, said the idea had been given fresh impetus after it was revealed that vaccinations would in future be mandatory for care home and domiciliary care workers in England.

According to Care Forum Wales, the Welsh Government should be taking a stronger line and insisting that people working in care homes should have the jab unless they have a medical or religious reason not to.

A number of independent social care providers in Wales have already made vaccination a condition of employment for new recruits entering the profession.

Mario said: “We have been concerned about this issue for some time and have been pressing the case with the Welsh Government because an overwhelming number of our members want this to happen.

“The roll out of the vaccine has been a huge success but it would be a big mistake to think we are out of the woods just yet.

“The emergence of the new Delta variant which is so

much more transmissible than previous strains had added real urgency to this matter.

“In truth, the numbers in Wales are much better than in England and the Welsh Government must take credit for that.

“But this variant and any other mutant strains that might follow are posing a real risk to the health and well being of our residents, the majority of whom are elderly and vulnerable.

“While virtually all care home residents have been vaccinated, the inoculation is not a 100 per cent guarantee that they will not be infected.

“I think everybody who works in social care should, unless there’s a very good medical or religious reason otherwise, get the jab and importantly be ready for a culture where we might have to have this each year for some years to come.

“If the Welsh Government do not make it compulsory, there should be absolute clarity that people should take responsibility.

“At the very least, the code of conduct for people working in social care should make it clear there is an expectation for them to be jabbed.

“This is going to go on for some years so we have to make sure that people realise their responsibility.”

A Troon care home celebrated Father’s Day by decorating personalised ties with its residents inspired by photographs of their loved ones. Residents at Belhaven House made paper ties inspired by photographs of their own father figures and role models. Staff at the Mansfield Care home helped source the photographs by spending time with residents to talk about special memories and the important men in each of their lives. On the day itself residents enjoyed afternoon tea organised by the care staff with family members visiting throughout the evening to mark the occasion. Manager Fiona Hunter said: “We felt making ties would be both creative and symbolic; revisiting fond memories by talking about them while working with the photographs.”

Resident Netta Hastings is pictured with her creation.

A BIG THANK YOU

FROM ALL OF US TO ALL OF YOU FOR ALL YOU ARE DOING TO KEEP OUR MOST VULNERABLE SAFE AND HAPPY …

WE’RE IN AWE OF YOUR SELFLESS HARD WORK AND DEDICATION.

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DEMENTIA care provider Vida Healthcare teamed up with Saltergate Schools to bring joy and happiness to frontline workers and residents in support of Loneliness Awareness Week 2021.

This year’s Loneliness Awareness Week aimed to encourage people to talk about loneliness in an attempt to remove the stigma and shame around it.

To support the theme, the children sent handwritten letters for each resident and care worker across Vida Healthcare’s two homes; Vida Grange and Vida Hall.

They also handcrafted butterflies to brighten up the home and raise people’s spirits.

Managing director James Rycroft added: “The main role of a care home is to provide high quality care to its residents and create a positive living environment which promotes good wellbeing and reduces feelings of isolation and loneliness. This is something we’re proud to achieve at Vida Healthcare.

“We are so pleased to have had the support this year from Saltergate Schools to make our staff and residents feel extra special. The butterflies look fantastic and our residents and staff have all been really touched by the handwritten letters.”

Vida Healthcare is coordinating numerous CSR activities with local schools throughout the year, having previously teamed up with Rossett Acre to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society and later on in the year there will be a Christmas Carol event, which hopes to be held in person as Covid-19 restrictions continue to lift.

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Well Pharmacy partners with VCare Systems to help reduce pressure on the NHS Well Pharmacy, the UK’s largest independent pharmacy chain, is delighted to announce a new partnership with NHS approved HealthTech company, VCare Systems, whose medicine management solution has helped LYRHVIHW SJ GEVI LSQIW WMKRMǻGERXP] VIHYGI their medicine-related errors.

Care home residents are prescribed an average of seven medicines a day, with many taking 10 medicines or more daily. Care home residents also spend approximately two million days in hospital each year and account for approximately 250,000 emergency hospital admissions. Some 35%40% of these admissions* are thought to be avoidable through action such as tackling over medication.

VCare’s eMAR digitises the medication records of care home residents and communicates real-time information on missed, delayed, refused and administered medicines to the key personnel within a care home organisation.

This partnership will showcase VCare’s eMAR WSPYXMSR [LMGL WMQTPMǻIW XLI QIHMGMRI management process and aims to reduce avoidable hospital admissions and medicine errors in a care home.

VCare have spent years building strong foundations to deliver a fully integrated medicine management solution, which enables care homes and pharmacies to GSQQYRMGEXI QSVI IǽGMIRXP] ERH IǺIGXMZIP] with each other.

0I] JIEXYVIW FIRIǻXW SJ XLI WSPYXMSR include: • Mobile-First: as opposed to laptop-based solutions, VCare’s eMAR functions in all corners of a care home and can be used to record medicine administration at the pointof-care 24 hours a day. ƽ 4ǾMRI +YRGXMSREPMX] QIERW XLEX QIHMGMRIW can still be recorded in the system even when there is unreliable Wi-Fi connectivity.

• Complete Flexibility: as the solution is optimised to work with both original packaged medicines and blister packs.

• Group Reporting: enables care home group management to visualise medicine adherence of each of their homes on a single screen.

• Care Planning Integration: with VCare’s eMAR enables medicine information from :(EVIƶW I2&7 XS ǼS[ HMVIGXP] MRXS XLI GEVI planning system.

• 24/7 Support: means that VCare’s support team are on hand to help with any issues all day, every day.

Stephanie Walton, Well Care Home Sales Manager, said: “We are pleased to be partnering with VCare and highlight this fantastic digital solution to more than 350 care homes across the UK that we serve.

What sets us apart is we give an outstanding local community service through our pharmacy teams, who have strong and established local healthcare links. Ƹ;I LSTI XLMW TEVXRIVWLMT [MPP SǺIV GLSMGI to our care homes while also helping to simplify the medicine management process and ultimately reduce pressure on the NHS by decreasing avoidable hospital admissions and medicine errors and giving care home WXEǺ XMQI FEGO XS GEVI JSV XLIMV VIWMHIRXW ƹ EYVEFL LEL (LMIJ 4TIVEXMRK 4ǽGIV said: “When we speak to care homes, the fundamental aspects of our software that [I WXVIWW MW MXW ǼI\MFMPMX] ERH WMQTPMGMX] ;I LEZI HIWMKRIH XLI W]WXIQ XS FI ǼI\MFPI EW we want to be able to integrate Group or care home medicine policies, rather than force them to change their entire processes. We have designed the system to be easy to use so that users do not feel overwhelmed by MRJSVQEXMSR SZIVPSEH ERH GPYXXIVIH WGVIIRW ƹ For more information, about Well Pharmacy’s Care Home Service please contact carehomes@well.co.uk and for more information about VCare’s eMAR solution, please contact them at sales@vcaresystems.co.uk.

Visit: well.co.uk/carehomes | vcaresystems.co.uk *https://www.england.nhs.uk/2019/05/ army-of-nhs-experts-to-tackle-overmedication/

CARINGWEEKLY

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Home receives five-star accreditation for its food preparation and service A BECCLES care home is celebrating after being awarded a prestigious five-star environmental standards accreditation for food preparation and service.

Wellbeing Care’s St George’s Care Home is delighted with the recognition, having undertaken various improvements to its services in recent months to ensure residents’ health and wellbeing are prioritised and maintained.

The accreditation confirms that the care home is exceeding in several areas including how hygienically the food is handled and prepared, as well as the cleanliness of kitchen facilities – and that inspectors are confident standards will be maintained in the future.

Head chef Sandra Debenham said: “We are delighted to receive the recognition of a five-star accreditation. It’s a testament to the hard work of all our kitchen staff, who have gone above and beyond to ensure our residents remain safe and well.

“It’s been a difficult time for the care industry and hygiene procedures have needed to be reassessed and improved upon to maximise the safety of all the residents.

“We consider hygiene paramount in the kitchen area and have therefore prioritised this when preparing and delivering food services.

“We also believe that food and nutrition are of the utmost importance to our residents.

“We take great pride in the fact that we offer stable and healthy diets to our residents.

“Maintaining their health and wellbeing is our key objective, after all.

“We are over the moon that our hard work and efforts have been recognised, and we are excited to

Head chef Sandra Debenham. see what the remainder of this year brings.”

Recognising the importance of food and nutrition in the care residency, staff at St George’s work around the clock to ensure that residents are encouraged to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.

Achieved by incorporating a colourful variety of fresh fruit and vegetables into each dish, as well as daily provision of vitamins, St George’s serves residents on a personalised, day-by-day basis to maintain healthy body weight and balance.

Hydration stations are additionally available at the care home, offering residents a full selection of both hot and cold drinks, as well as smoothies.

Fresh fruit platters are also available for residents to enjoy, aiding their hydration and wellbeing in a fun and refreshing way, while providing them with portions of the recommended five a day.

For residents who would like to indulge in the

THE 2021

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occasional sweet treat, an array of milkshakes, ice creams and homemade cakes are available throughout the day, meaning sugary cravings can be satisfied.

Typically served in the lounge area, but also extending to the resident’s room if they prefer, these snacks can be enjoyed in a homely, safe environment.

St George’s also boasts a large dining room area, where breakfast and lunch are served. Here, residents are free to socialise and chat, sharing memories amongst themselves and engaging in general chitchat about the happenings in their dayto-day lives.

Behind the scenes, the catering team has been working hard in the kitchens to ensure this can happen.

They have introduced new cleaning schedules and implemented procedures such as wiping down phones, light switches and door pads to ensure infection control.

Alongside all their hard work within the care home, the staff have additionally been rushed off their feet with fundraising efforts.

Due to the continued lessening of restrictions, St George’s was able to hold ‘The Big Cupcake Event’ for residents and families, which aimed to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s Disease.

Homemade cakes and treats were distributed on trollies, which were taken around the residents’ bedrooms so relatives could enjoy the goodies on offer while raising money for a worthwhile cause. £263.22 was raised on the day, all of which will be kindly donated to the Alzheimer’s charity of their choice.

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CARINGWEEKLY

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Home installs age-busting signs as it looks to reimagine older stereotypes A SURREY care home has invested in a new set of signage in a bid to reimagine perceptions of older people – with traffic signs along its drive now depicting dancing couples, as opposed to the common image of stooped backed pensioners slowly crossing the road.

The Huntington & Langham Estate in Hindhead, which is made up of two specialist family-run care homes offering residential, nursing and dementia care, has replaced its previous signage to reflect the fact that age is no barrier to a joyful life.

With the estate accessed by a long driveway, the team wanted to create an early impression that would be seen on first arrival, which saw the signs commissioned to replace more traditional ‘elderly people’ signs.

The sign designs were inspired by the winning entry of a competition hosted by Centre for Ageing Better, which saw SwaG Design recreate the crossing sign with energy enthused older people.

Running with the theme, the Huntington & Langham Estate opted for people dancing together to emphasise the energetic, jubilant lives enjoyed by many of those living on the estate.

Charlie Hoare, director of the Huntington & Langham Estate, said: “Older people are all too easily pigeonholed as being frail, slowmoving and often simply weary of life.

“The truth is though that’s far from the case.

“In fact, if you had driven down our

One of the new traffic signs at the Huntington & Langham Estate. indeed their residency, should they drive last week, you would have had choose to live with us.” to be mindful of dozens of people The signs are reflective of the dancing in our car park during a lively estate’s approach to how it envisions outdoor concert. health and safety in general, which “There’s no such thing as being even applies to elements such as over the hill when you have so much infection control and Covid. life left to live and we wanted to Within the homes themselves, the emphasise that.” team look to apply an imaginative He added: “We loved the sign spin to create a more homely, examples that won the Centre for resident-friendly effect.

Ageing Better’s competition and For instance, when it comes to wanted to pay tribute with our own the clinical hand washing signs, the versions here on our private road. team have adapted them to look like “They’re amongst the first things a picture in a frame, with the hand people see when travelling up our washing instructions bordering a drive and we like to think it sets the black and white image from an old tone for the rest of their visit, or

movie.

This helps to take the clinical edge off the signs, whilst still conveying the necessary instructions.

Charlie added: “When you take a step back and reflect on your approach to care it helps to open up your mind to ways of adapting all sorts of things.

“It would be easy to simply take health and safety signs, print them out and put them up, thereby ticking the necessary boxes.

“The truth is though, whilst necessary in a care setting, people don’t have health and safety signs scattered around their homes under normal circumstances.

“By doing this, we look to ensure we deliver safe care but in a way that enhances a space rather than detracts from it, helping to create a truly homely environment.”

The homes on the estate are fully accredited as complying with The Butterfly Approach and Dragonfly Approach to care, which support those with dementia and nondementia respectively, and seek to put the individual at the heart of care provision by creating a personcentred care culture.

The care models value emotional intelligence, domestic household living, and the core belief that everyone has a unique story which has meaning and matters.

It is about putting the focus back on people and their emotions by helping carers access the interior world of the person they are caring for.

Group says governements have ‘betrayed social care’ A NEW report criticising the Government’s handling of social care is yet another damning indictment of the way it cares for the country’s oldest and most vulnerable, campaigners have said.

The Independent Care Group said the Government had committed betrayal after betrayal of social care, leaving at least 1.5m people without the care they need and many providers struggling to survive.

The report from the Public Accounts Committee said Covid19’s “devastating impact on the care sector” had emphasised that “care is not properly funded, lacks transparency and urgently needs reform.”

And it said that despite two decades of “white papers, green papers, consultations, independent reviews and commissions”, “reform has not occurred”.

ICG chair Mike Padgham added: “Here we have yet another damning indictment of the way governments have betrayed us over social care reform.

“How many times do we have to tell them the house is on fire before they call the fire brigade?

“We have been campaigning now for a generation and this latest report is

just the latest.

“But our fear is that the Government simply isn’t listening. Despite promising to get social care done, it just keeps pushing reform further and further down the road.”

He said reform had to come now.

“The situation is becoming critical,” Mike added.

“Many are now facing dire financial difficulties because their occupancy rates have not recovered since Covid19 and they have been battered by other soaring costs associated with the pandemic, including higher staffing costs, extra PPE costs and high insurance premiums.

“Providers who look after people in their own home through homecare – which is clearly a central plank to the Government’s future policy for care – are also suffering significantly.

“There have been provider failures already and more are inevitable unless action is taken urgently.”

“We must act fast, or we will not have a social care sector left to reform.”

Some £8bn has been cut from social care spending since 2010 and 1.5m people are now living without the care they need.

There are at least 120,000 vacancies in the care sector.

Resident Edgar Delay with his daughter Suzanne and grandchildren.

Home hosts emotional Father’s Day visits RESIDENTS and their families at a Northfleet care home were delighted to be able to spend some quality time together on Father’s Day. Families gathered inside and out at Dene Holm, safely visiting their dads and grandads to celebrate the special day.

The drizzly weather didn’t put anyone off, as visits took place both inside and outside, in line with government guidelines.

“And after a difficult start to the

year, to be able to hold hands and exchange cards and gifts, was a truly special occasion for all.

General manager Christine Hutchinson said: “We had some very emotional visits from families who were over the moon to be able to at least hold their dad’s or grandad’s hand and spend quality time with him.

“Last year, the only visits we were able to have were through the window so it really was wonderful to see so many happy reunions.”

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CARINGWEEKLY

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Volunteer makes Girton greener LAURA Moretti, a 13-year-old student of St Mary’s Senior School in Cambridge, has been volunteering in the gardens of Abbeyfield Girton Green independent living apartments.

Girton Green consist of 76 one, two and three-bedroom apartments where older people can live independently, while receiving extra care should they require it.

There are a range of amenities available on-site, including a resident-run coffee shop, computer suite and a luxurious spa, with many activities run regularly, including film club in the on-site cinema, jazz club and trips to the seaside (Covid19 restriction permitting) – all of which are run with the approval of a residents’ committee.

The scheme is managed by The Abbeyfield Society, which provides independent living apartments, supported living schemes and care homes for over 8,000 older people in the UK and worldwide.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of Abbeyfield. Abbeyfield’s founder, the late Richard Carr-Gomm OBE, was also their first ever volunteer, giving his time to help lonely and isolated older people.

Today, more than 60 years later, 4,500 volunteers continue his legacy, bringing their skills and personality to Abbeyfield houses and homes to ‘make time for older people’.

One of Abbeyfield’s youngest volunteers, Laura, is currently completing her Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

She said: “As a 13-year-old student of St Mary’s Senior School I was given the opportunity to work towards my Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

“The Award involves helping the community, becoming fitter and

Betty Hampton knitted woollen hats for the ‘hug me’ jars given to team members during National Carers’ Week.

Laura Moretti developing new skills, and then planning, training for and completing an expedition.

“There are Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. For the Bronze Award this year I have had to complete six months of a skill and three months of a sport and volunteering as well as an expedition.

“For volunteering, as I really love gardening at home, I asked if I could help in the Abbeyfield garden,” Laura added.

“I live just around the corner and thought it would be good to volunteer locally.

“I was delighted to be given the opportunity at Abbeyfield and started volunteering in October 2020. I’ve been coming on Saturday mornings (when we were not in lockdown) and planted daffodil bulbs, helped weeding and planting the raised beds, planted some gladioli bulbs and freesia bulbs and helped with general weeding and pruning.

“I am looking forward to helping prepare the hanging baskets.”

‘Thank you carers, you’re amazing’, say residents TEAM members who care for hundreds of residents at homes run

by Colten Care have been treated to some well-deserved praise and pampering.

In celebration of National Carers’ Week, staff in all job roles were honoured for their ‘one-team’ dedication and hard work at each of the provider’s 21 homes in Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and West Sussex.

They enjoyed homecooked cakes and pizzas, afternoon teas, a visiting ice cream van and residents’ good wishes shared in cards and poems.

A specific role was celebrated on each day, ensuring recognition for nurses, healthcare assistants, companions, chefs, kitchen staff, waiters, housekeepers, gardeners, maintenance staff and reception administrators.

At homes such as Braemar Lodge in Salisbury and Outstanding-rated Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst, Hampshire, residents prepared, decorated and presented dozens of ‘hug me’ jars each with a signed, personalised gift tag.

Inside were sweets, lollies, tea bags, sachets of hot chocolate or coffee, tea lights and thank-you notes.

Woodpeckers resident Betty

Hampton even decided to knit woollen hats for some of the jars.

She said: “I wanted to make them extra special.”

At Fernhill, Colten’s Outstandingrated dementia care home in Longham near Bournemouth, staff in different roles were invited to a bacon and sausage bap breakfast served by colleagues from the companionship team.

Companionship team leader Kate Morris added: “It was an ideal way to help our staff team feel really appreciated, especially given how hard they have worked all through the pandemic.

“They were very grateful.”

At Avon Cliff in Bournemouth, residents wrote heart-shaped messages of thanks on a noticeboard in the foyer.

And holding up individual word cards, residents at Bourne View in Poole spelt out a collective message in a video greeting, posted on YouTube at Celebrating Carers Week at Bourne View.

It read: “Thank you carers for your hard work and looking after us. You are amazing and fantastic. Thank you from all at Bourne View.”

The theme for Carers’ Week this year was ‘Making care visible and valued’.

High-tech device installed A ROCHFORD care home is helping keep residents’ minds active and occupied with the installation of a hi-tech interactive table which offers a wide range of apps and games.

The table, which is like a giant tablet and brings an extra dimension to video calls with families, has enhanced Stambridge Meadows’ virtual live entertainment programme, as well as helping combat isolation during the Covid pandemic.

Manager Patsy Munyard said: “We saw this interactive table on social media and thought it would be a

fantastic addition to the home’s amenities. It is proving great for stimulating the residents’ minds and encouraging social interaction with one another as well as their friends and families with improved video calls.”

It is proving popular with residents with the varied activities including being able to view the streets they were born on and track how they have changed during the years or being able to visit favourite holiday destinations.

They can also watch videos and play interactive games.

Shaw healthcare (Group) Limited has announced the appointment of Russell Brown as only the second chief executive officer in the organisation’s history. Russell will take up the role in November, when the present CEO and Shaw’s founder, Jeremy Nixey, retires at the end of October after more than 40 years at the head of the organisation.

Russell joined Shaw healthcare 13 years ago as chief financial officer during which time he has directed a transformation in the finances of the group, which now has a significantly strengthened balance sheet. He also oversaw the legal and financial negotiations which led to the company becoming majority-owned by its employees, through an Employee Ownership Trust, in May 2020.

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