August 2011 no.183 • £4.75 In association with By Dominic Musgrave A GROUP that represents more than 80 care homes in Birmingham has failed in its attempt to force the city council to increase the fees it pays. Similar to the successful case brought by operators against Pembrokeshire council, Birmingham Care Consortium applied for a judicial review into the council’s fees policy, but this was rejected at the High Court by Mr Justice Beaston. He said a judicial review would be premature when the council was still considering how much it should pay the homes in the current financial year. Social Services bosses have not increased care rates since 2008, and pay approximately £54 a day to homes looking after residents with dementia. Plans to save £15 million by cutting home care fees by an average seven per cent are also under consideration by the council. The consortium’s secretary Les Latchman said many of its members claim they are in danger of going out of business following a three-year payments freeze by the council - but the judge said there was no evidence to support this. He added: “We were initially disappointed not to have been given permission to proceed to judicial review. The judge did not criticise anything in our approach, other than that we needed to wait and let the council finish its review work. “We are happy to do that now, as the process of applying to the court for a decision has forced the council to clarify a number of issues that were unclear and to make a number of important concessions. “The judge also recognised that our case involved matters of public interest, especially for residents and their families. He said it was a difficult case, and acknowledged that we as care home owners fully recognise the difficult budget decisions the council must take. “The council has also acknowledged openly that an independent industry expert is needed to analyse the quite complex financial arrangements involved in operating care homes in today’s regulatory and inflationary climate. “We also welcome the opportunity to look at the council’s financial records as the ‘open book approach’ is two ways.” ■ Are you feeling the effect of council fee cuts at your care home? Let Dominic Musgrave know by emailing [email protected] or telephone 01226 734407. Association’s judicial review attempt fails Dame Vera Lynn has officially opened the new wing of a care home on the outskirts of Brighton. The forces sweetheart (pictured with owner Zoe Bates) cut the ribbon on the development at Valerie Manor which has more than doubled the home’s registration to 23. As well as the new bedrooms, the new wing at the 17th century former manor house also includes a conservatory, staff room, laundry, two communal bathrooms, dining room and kitchen. Picture: Guy Standen Mario aims to bring opera to Wrexham A CARE organisation is championing a project to bring opera to the streets of Wrexham. Pendine Park has teamed up with Welsh National Opera to help promote the cutting edge three-year programme. They are among the first of the WNO’s Community Champions to be unveiled in North Wales, and it is hoped that a further nine will be signed up over the next 12 months. Wrexham Street Songs gets under way in September and WNO, which is based at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, want to involve the whole community. Proprietor Mario Kreft said: “The project certainly chimes with the work we are doing at Pendine Park where enjoyment of the arts is helping to improve the quality of life for our residents. “It’s great to see WNO reaching out so that even more people in the community can be part of this exciting project.” incorporating The Number One magazine for the care sector
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August 2011
no.183 • £4.75
In association with
By Dominic Musgrave
A GROUP that represents more than80 care homes in Birmingham hasfailed in its attempt to force the citycouncil to increase the fees it pays.
Similar to the successful casebrought by operators againstPembrokeshire council, BirminghamCare Consortium applied for ajudicial review into the council’s feespolicy, but this was rejected at theHigh Court by Mr Justice Beaston.
He said a judicial review would bepremature when the council was stillconsidering how much it should paythe homes in the current financialyear.
Social Services bosses have notincreased care rates since 2008, andpay approximately £54 a day tohomes looking after residents withdementia.
Plans to save £15 million by cuttinghome care fees by an average sevenper cent are also under considerationby the council.
The consortium’s secretary LesLatchman said many of its membersclaim they are in danger of going outof business following a three-yearpayments freeze by the council - butthe judge said there was no evidenceto support this.
He added: “We were initiallydisappointed not to have been given
permission to proceed to judicialreview. The judge did not criticiseanything in our approach, other thanthat we needed to wait and let thecouncil finish its review work.
“We are happy to do that now, asthe process of applying to the courtfor a decision has forced the councilto clarify a number of issues thatwere unclear and to make a numberof important concessions.
“The judge also recognised that ourcase involved matters of publicinterest, especially for residents andtheir families. He said it was adifficult case, and acknowledged thatwe as care home owners fullyrecognise the difficult budgetdecisions the council must take.
“The council has alsoacknowledged openly that anindependent industry expert isneeded to analyse the quite complexfinancial arrangements involved inoperating care homes in today’sregulatory and inflationary climate.
“We also welcome the opportunityto look at the council’s financialrecords as the ‘open book approach’is two ways.”
� Are you feeling the effect ofcouncil fee cuts at your care home?Let Dominic Musgrave know byemailing [email protected] or telephone01226 734407.
Association’sjudicial reviewattempt fails
Dame Vera Lynn has officially opened the new wingof a care home on the outskirts of Brighton.The forces sweetheart (pictured with owner ZoeBates) cut the ribbon on the development at ValerieManor which has more than doubled the home’sregistration to 23. As well as the new bedrooms, thenew wing at the 17th century former manor housealso includes a conservatory, staff room, laundry,two communal bathrooms, dining room and kitchen.
Picture: Guy Standen
Mario aimsto bringopera toWrexhamA CARE organisation ischampioning a projectto bring opera to thestreets of Wrexham.
Pendine Park hasteamed up with WelshNational Opera to helppromote the cuttingedge three-yearprogramme.
They are among thefirst of the WNO’sCommunity Championsto be unveiled in NorthWales, and it is hopedthat a further nine willbe signed up over thenext 12 months.
Wrexham Street Songsgets under way inSeptember and WNO,which is based at theWales MillenniumCentre in Cardiff, wantto involve the wholecommunity.
Proprietor Mario Kreftsaid: “The projectcertainly chimes withthe work we are doing atPendine Park whereenjoyment of the arts ishelping to improve thequality of life for ourresidents.
“It’s great to see WNOreaching out so thateven more people in thecommunity can be partof this exciting project.”
incorporating
The Number One magazine for the care sector
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3CARINGNEWS
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Golfing residentsget in the swingwith new courseTWO golf mad residents at aNorthamptonshire care home aredesigning its own pitch and puttcourse in the grounds.
Seagrave residents Ronald Fowlerand John Sweeney’s passion for thegame is as strong as ever, which hasled to them creating the nine-holecourse at the Avery Healthcareowned home in Corby.
Manager Sharon Goodall said theidea for the new development wasbrought up at one of the home’s reg-ular meetings.
She added: “They were both keenplayers for many years, and whenthey suggested to our activitiesorganiser that we could build ourvery own course for them in the backgarden we thought it was a terrificidea.
“The course will bring an added funelement to the home’s activities pro-gramme, plus it will get them outsideinto the fresh air when the weather isnice.
“Many of our residents have beeninvolved in the project, and we willbe welcoming their families and
guests along to visit us so we canshow off our new facility. Staff andresidents are also very excited.”
The home is located next to a bowlsclub and opposite a rugby club, andSharon said there are plans to turnanother part of the grounds into amini bowling green for the residentsto play.
She added: “They love watching thebowls so we thought that down theline we could create a little green sothat they can have a go themselves. Itwill also be accessible for those resi-dents in wheelchairs.
“Activities play a major part of life atthe home, and we always do our bestto act on the residents’ requests.
“Some of things we put on hereinclude exercise and movement,massages, quizzes, a chef’s cornerand arts and crafts.
“We also recently held an exoticfruits session including the likes ofsharon fruit, which was really inter-esting because many of the residentsonly really knew about bananas,apples and oranges.”
RESIDENTS and staff at a care home nearKidderminster were putting on the Ritz whenthey enjoyed a special afternoon tea.
Staff at Westley Court dressed in traditionalwaitress outfits to serve the residents afternoontea Ritz style – in the best china.
Activities co-ordinator Charlie Cook, who wasone of the waitresses, said fresh cream sconesand cakes were also on the menu.
She added: “We are always looking at new waysto entertain our residents and often have eventsto stimulate them.
“In the past we have held events such as giantScrabble games, tropical parties and pyjamadays. This time we decided to give them a realtreat and bring the Ritz into our care home.”
Carer Charlie Cook and resident Jean Watson
Putting on the Ritz ...
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CARINGNEWS4
Reprieve forSheffieldcare homesBy Dominic Musgrave
TWO Sheffield care homes that facedclosure amid a funding crisis are tobe kept open, it has been decided.
NHS Sheffield wanted to withdraw£2.8m of top-up funding for BirchHome at Chapeltown and WoodlandView at Norton.
However, after a four-monthconsultation its board voted to re-commission the homes for dementiapatients with complex care needs.
A transitional agreement meansexisting residents who do not havesuch needs will be able to stay at thehomes.
NHS Sheffield chairman TonyPedder said: “We made this decisionafter the consultation indicated thatthe skills and experience of the staffcould be deployed to enable BirchAvenue and Woodland View, in thefuture, to become homes only forthose people with complex careneeds.
“This change will remove the needfor the historic ‘top-up’ arrangementsand provide a better system ofpayment to ensure tax payers’ money
is being spent fairly and efficiently.“It is our responsibility as a Board,
on behalf of all Sheffield residents, toseek to achieve value for money onall our items of expenditure. In sodoing, we do appreciate that thisconsultation has been particularlystressful and worrying for staff,residents and their families.”
NHS Sheffield said therecommendation approved by theboard meant ,none of the 100 currentresidents of the two homes will haveto move into other homes’, a concernthat residents and their family andfriends voiced as one of their biggestworries as part of the consultation.
Dr Richard Oliver, a GP in northSheffield, said: “The decision to seekto re-commission the homes asproviders of enhanced care is greatnews for the city.
“With an ageing population it'smore important than ever that we getthe care we provide for older peopleright. As homes for people withdementia who have complex careneeds, they will provide high qualitycare to the people who really needit.”
A RACCOON, skunk, pygmyhedgehog, various snakes andbearded dragon lizards were amongthe visitors when a Crewe care homewelcomed ‘Safari Ste’.
The animal encounter at The Elmswas arranged through Home Safari aspart of the residents’ animal therapyprogramme, which has so farincluded a donkey visit, a creepycrawlies display and the raising of 10newborn chicks.
The residents embraced the wholeexperience, holding and stroking as
many of the animals as they could.Some preferred to watch, enthralled,from the sidelines as their fellow,braver residents interacted with thecreatures.
Home manager Annette Russellsaid: “The visit was a huge successwith the residents. I can’t get overhow brave they were, much braverthan I or any other members of staff.
“They took a real interest inlearning about the creatures, andhave been talking about theexperience ever since.”
‘Safari Ste’ with resident Mary Tarr and two bearded dragon lizards
Home welcomes ‘Safari Ste’
Six staff at an Otley care home have raised £1,000 for the local hospice by taking partin a 16-week weight loss challenge. With the help of colleagues, residents and families,the team from Anchor’s Teal Beck House has collectively lost seven stones 5lbs in aid ofSue Ryder Care’s Wheatfields Hospice. Teal Beck House staff June Laurenson, TracyMcKeown, Jan Morgan, Stephanie Clarkson, Dawn Hopkins and Donna Newsomme arepictured presenting a cheque to Chris Normington with the equivalent amount of weightthey have lost shown in potatoes.
Keynote speaker is namedfor NCA annual conferenceDIRECTOR general of social careDavid Behan will be the keynotespeaker at the NCA’s annualconference this September.
The event, which takes place at therecently refurbished Britannia Hotelin London’s Docklands onSeptember 27 and 28, is expanding
to offer three different work streams:dementia care, learning disabilitycare and, new for this year, nursingcare.
Other speakers also lined upinclude Erin Bonitto and CQC chairDame Jo Williams.
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Harrogate Bupa resident Jeffrey Cooper enjoys some Punch and Judy action with LucyAlbone.
Care groups have brought the seaside to those residentswho are unable to make a trip to the beach. DominicMusgrave reports.
BUPA’S ‘Great British Seaside’ weeksaw the care homes hosting themedparties for their residents, completewith deck chairs, bingo and fish andchip suppers.
Staff at the care homes also calledon local people and organisationsthat can provide any seaside-relatedfun to bring the virtual holiday to life– from Punch and Judy entertainersto ice cream vans and even donkeys.
Lucy Albone, Bupa Care Homes’national activities executive, said:“Many of our residents are unable totravel to the seaside, so we want tobring all the fun of Britain’s favouriteday out to them.
“Recreating a trip to the seasidebrought back many happy memoriesfor our residents, as well as makingsure there was a real holiday atmos-phere for everyone involved.”
At Barchester’s Mariott House andLodge in Chichester the residentsenjoyed a taste of the exotic whenthey embarked on a virtual cruise toSpain, Italy and Greece thanks to itsstaff.
The home became HMS Mariott forthe day when they went on a tastingtour of the three countries.
Decorations for the cruise weremade by residents and staff leadingup to the event and they also enjoyeda host of cruise-themed activitiesincluding making cocktails, cookingpizzas and decorating crockery in aGreek style.
The day finished with a strawber-ries and cream afternoon when they
‘arrived’ back in Blighty.
General manager Theresa Shellsaid: “HMS Marriott has been a hugesuccess and has been about takingour residents and staff on virtual tripto different countries.
“Along the way we joined togetherand shared memories of the resi-dents’ past visits to these countries.
“It has combined with our postcardfrom around the world club and ithas been great fun for everyone.”
And residents at Ideal Care Homes’Brackenfield Hall in Frecheville werealso treated to an afternoon of sea-side activities from the 1930s and 40sas part of the recent DementiaAwareness Week.
The ‘Remember When’ event wasput on by performer Joanne Brunt,who specialises in entertainment fordementia audiences.
Manager Dawn Martin said: “Usinga box of costumes from the specifiederas and props from the ‘at the sea-side’ subject, residents were able totouch, wear and engage with differ-ent items, some of which we rarelysee today.
“Items included cloth sun hats,children’s sun suits, old fashionedbuckets and spades complete withsandcastle flags; small suitcases withbrown paper luggage tags, sticks ofrock, windmills, post cards, andboxes of sand and shells.”
� Get in touch with Caring UK withyour care home’s themed event byringing Dominic Musgrave on 01226734407 or email [email protected]
Homes bringseaside funto residents
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CARINGNEWS6
The manager of a care home who says his mum has been the biggest influence on his careerhas won a top accolade. Dominic Musgrave found out more.
NEIL Dominy was namedoutstanding individual at CareSouth’s annual awards ceremonyafter being nominated by his staffand colleagues for his infectiousenthusiasm.
The Alexandra House managerwas introduced to the sector by hismum, who also worked in a carehome for many years, anddedicated his win to the team atthe Poole home.
He joined the home 18 monthsago from another Care South site,and since then has transformed itsfortunes and overseen a majorrefurbishment project.
Neil said: “I’ve brought in a fewchanges including looking at howwe could market the homeeffectively to improve on the lowoccupancy levels that it had when Ifirst joined.
“We did it by speaking to otherhealthcare professionals, makingthem aware that I was new in post.We also did things with the districtnurses and held meetings forrelatives and friends because wefind that word of mouth has led tomany referrals.
“I also restructured themanagement at the home and gavethe staff defined job roles so theywere clear about what wasexpected of them. I’ve been quiteopen on the changes so both theyand the residents feel a part of it,and our staff are going to go
through regular appraisals fromnow on.”
The chairman’s award foroutstanding individual is given to astaff member who has shownoutstanding excellence in carryingout his or her duties. Neil waspresented with the award and aprize of a week’s holiday for two bychairman Felicity Irwin at theceremony held at the LifeboatCollege in Poole.
Prior to joining Care South, Neilspent 10 years working with youngadults with physical disabilities.
He added: “It was very flatteringto be nominated by several people,but I didn’t think I stood a chanceof winning. It was an honour towin the award and I’m currentlydeciding where to go on holidaywith the voucher.
“But we won’t be resting on ourlaurels and are looking atdeveloping our dementia care byworking with David Sheard atDementia Care Matters andlooking at the Butterfly project.”
Other winners at the ceremonywere: Resident/service user – JulieDavies (Somerset and West Dorsethomecare team); best admin team– Simon Powell and Seb Naulin(IT); achievement in care supportservices – Jennifer Webster(activities organiser, Maiden CastleHouse, Dorchester); best care team– Leybourne House(Bournemouth).
Neil follows in mum’s footsteps
Neil Dominy receives his award from Care South chairman Felicity Irwin
Kids taught to paint asgenerations swap skillsA RESIDENT at a Kent care home hasbeen teaching children from a localschool to paint.
Marise Edlin, who has lived atConnors House in Canterbury fortwo years, held the session for the sixpupils from St Thomas’ CatholicPrimary School as part of the annualAbbeyfield Week, which this year hada generational skills swap theme.
The children set up an art studio onthe lawn at the home, before paintinga variety of pictures includingdepictions of rugby games, petrabbits and garden landscapes.
Manager Christine Devlin said:“Since moving to Connors House,Marise has once more become aprolific painter, and a lot of creationsadorn the walls around the home.”
Individuals recognisedat annual staff awardsMORE than 80 care workers andoffice staff in Lincolnshire have beenrecognised for their individualachievements at an awardsceremony.
The Orders of St John Care Trustheld its annual staff awards at FosseHouse care home from its 16 carehomes across the county.
Denise Booth from HartsholmeHouse, Lincoln was presented withthe prestigious employee of the yearaward for her excellent training, care and leadership skills for bothresidents and staff by Nigel Stourton, former chairman of thetrustees.
Husband and wife team John andLinda Wass, from Digby Court,Bourne took home the unsung heroaward for their commitment tofundraising and entertainmentactivities, which they have helped toco-ordinate on a voluntary basis overthe last 17 years.
Maria Fryer, activities co-ordinator,
also from Digby Court, was presentedwith the employee (over 25) award.
Brenda Stephenson from FoxbyCourt in Gainsborough received along service award for 30 years at thecare home, while Joyce Duerden,Fosse House, Lincoln; CherylRobinson, Skirbeck Court, Boston and Anne Wynne, PatchettLodge, Holbeach were also presented with awards for 25 years’service. Foxby Court care home inGainsborough was also awarded aspecial commendation for itsexceptional medicationmanagement.
A number of staff also receivedNVQ, City and Guilds, SupervisoryManagement, Degrees in HumanResource Management, and Pitman2000 shorthand awards, which were presented by the company’scounty director for Lincolnshire,Richard Durance and Jill Hughes,trustee.
Burgan ranked 27th in leagueMARIA Mallaband Care Groupchairman and CEO Philip Burgan was ranked 27th in theannual ‘Management Today’
league of the UK’s top 100entrepreneurs.
This follows on from his inclusionin last year’s list also.
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By Dominic Musgrave
BUSINESS is now booming at aCarlisle care home that was threat-ened with closure before it was takenover by its new management team.
So much so that work has recentlybegun on a new 32-bed extension atCroftfield, which had an embargo putin place before consultants WrightCare Home Solutions were called into help two years ago.
Within four weeks of them takingover the running of the 22-bed facili-ty the number of requirements hadbeen reduced from 12 to three, itsrecommendations from 16 to zero,and its star rating increased from‘poor’ to ‘adequate’.
Julie Roper, the home’s responsibleperson, who has been a keen figurein the home’s change of fortunes,said: “The foundations have beenlaid and we are all looking forward tothe new state-of-the-art extensiongoing up, which the builders hope tohave complete by the end of the year.
“All of the new rooms will be en-suite, and there will also be newlounge and communal areas for theresidents. We haven’t decided what toregister it as yet. There has been talkof possibly dementia care because
there is a need in the area, but noth-ing has been confirmed.
“The plan after that is complete isto also upgrade the main buildingwith a new laundry and kitchen.”
One of the home’s conservatorieshas recently been transformed into areminiscence area complete with itsown sweet shop stocking traditionalfavourites such as bonbons, sherbertdips, jelly babies, cough candy andmarshmallows.
Julie added: “The reminiscenceroom has a lot of old things that theresidents’ families and friends as wellas staff have donated.
“These a Singer sewing machinethat I managed to pick up, a rotary
dial telephone, gramophone, bookson wartime, fashion, food, popularbrands, and a replica WWII gasmask.
“The sweet shop is an extension ofthat and also has its own traditionalweighing scales. It has all been puttogether to give the residents some-thing else to do, and has been reallywell received by people living here.There is definitely a difference in theatmosphere around the place.”
The home recently celebratedDementia Awareness Week with aseries of activities including makingmemory boxes and albums, teadances, sing-a-longs, quizzes, paint-ing and drawing. Staff dressed up tocelebrate a different decade also.
New team turns fortunesaround at troubled home
Wright Care’s senior operations manager Julie Roper with Croftfield’s acting managerVelda Jameson.
Shoppingmall opensat home ...for a dayRESIDENTS of a NeedhamMarket care home splashed the cash and went wild in theaisles when a shopping mall opened in their home fora day.
The event at Barking Hallincluded stalls selling clothes,jewellery, cards and cakes, aswell as a pharmacy, to treat residents who are unable to take shopping trips intotown.
Activities co-ordinatorHeather Dadds said: “Evensomething as simple as being able to choose a card for a relative’s birthdaymeans a lot to them, so thisgave them that freedom for theday.
“It’s the first time we’d heldanything like this so it was really positive to see a greatturnout.
“We’ll be looking at doingsimilar activities in the futurewhich will continue to benefitour residents.”
Home introduces cinema, sweet shop and tearoomAN old-fashioned cinema, sweetshop and tearoom are just some ofthe features residents at a Wiltshirecare home are now able to enjoy.
Stratford Court in Salisbury, run bythe Orders of St John Care Trust, haslaunched its new ‘Stratford Walk’facility following an £80,000 redevel-opment.
The seven-seater cinema at the 48-bed specialist dementia home willscreen classic films every evening, aswell as showing a different moviethroughout the day.
A former day care room has alsobeen transformed into a tearoomthat replicates a 1960’s cafe, while the
sweet shop will sell a selection of old-fashioned favourites – bonbons, jellybabies and humbugs – to help toevoke memories of bygone days.
The hair salon, run by relief carerLinda Wykes, is by comparison,gleaming chrome and leather.Appointments can be booked forperms, shampoos and sets, or a sim-ple trim.
The development was the brain-child of the group’s operations man-ager Colin Titcombe, who wanted toprovide areas that have a meaningfulpurpose.
Service development director DianeBowden said: “The new development
has been well received by the resi-dents, and has also inspired otherpossible ideas for the home, includ-ing fruit and vegetable, newspaperand flower stalls.
“As an organisation we are commit-ted to improving person-centred carefor our residents, through a numberof initiatives including life stories,reminiscence sessions and the cre-ation of destinations of interest inour homes.
“We are committed to the reductionin the inappropriate prescription ofantipsychotic medication in line withthe National Dementia Strategy, andwe have had great successes already
at Stratford Court. “We have managed to remove all
reliance on antipsychotics and we arealso seeing a reduction in the use ofnight sedation and hypnotics.”
The grounds of the home have alsobeen transformed, with four allot-ments, raised beds and a pottingshed. An orchard has been createdwith several fruit trees, blackberrybushes and a grape vine. Residentswill be able to use the produce tomake pies and preserves to comple-ment the range of garden producegrown on the allotments.
‘Stratford Walk’ was officiallyopened by the mayor of Salisbury.
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CARINGNEWS10
Creating activity ideas forresidents…from your TV setRECENT feedback from broadcaster Sky hasrevealed that care homes across the country areincreasingly using their television sets to conductactivities for residents.
Activities coordinators are taking advantage ofthe vast array of TV content available to createfun and stimulating ways to keep residentsengaged. Sky TV offers a number of genres acrossits satellite TV subscription ranging from news tosport and documentaries to music and muchmore.
With the football season just around the corner,the Sky Sports channels provide a greatopportunity to plan weekly quiz nights basedaround sporting matches which can be a greatway to encourage interaction between residents.
Holding debate groups to discuss thoughts onspecific documentaries from the HISTORY, Bioand Discovery channels can bring residents intothe communal room for a bit of friendly banter.
Organising events around TV content is alsoproving to be a great success. Recent examplesinclude the Royal wedding and the climax of thefootball Premier League season.
Creating a festive atmosphere by decoratingcommunal areas, serving themed food and drink,and arranging activities can work together toensure residents really get into the spirit andthoroughly enjoy the day.
Preparing weekly television schedules andsignposting TV highlights for the week ahead forresidents can provide them with choice, and is an
effective way to encourage residents to visit thecommunal lounges.
Feedback from care homes also suggests thatSky TV content offers additional benefits.Showing TV in communal areas can help toestablish friendships and companionship.Residents could find they share similar intereststhrough programming from NAT GEO WILD,Animal Planet and Sky Living.
Not only does TV content offer residents a greatway to keep up to speed with world news andevents as well as providing entertainment acrossvarious genres, it offers care home staff andmanagement with a valuable resource to helpplan activity filled days.
With the added bonus of a current price offerespecially for care homes, now could be a greattime to offer Sky TV to your residents
THE newly married activities co-ordinator at a Warwickshire carehome showed off her dress toresidents who were unable to makethe church ceremony.
Newly-wed Jackie Tudor, whoseprevious surname was Vernon, woreher wedding dress at Bromson Hillafter returning to work following ahoneymoon in the Maldives.
Most of the 40 staff attended thewedding, with care home nurse JoPomeroy preparing the flowers andcolleague Jan Westerland doing thewriting for the place settings at the
reception. Another colleague, LindaEdgar, was Jackie’s maid of honour.
Jackie, who has worked at the homefor eight years, said: “I didn’t want therest to feel left out – they’re like anextended family to me.
“I’d like to have got them all therebut that just wasn’t possible. And theyloved it when I walked down thestaircase in my dress. About 14 of theresidents waited at the bottom of thestaircase and I went to the rooms ofthose who were unable to comedownstairs. It sparked some nicereminiscing about wedding days.”
Newly-wed Jackie shows herwedding dress to residents
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CARINGNEWS12
CHERYL Harvey took the helm at theprivately-owned Hinstock Manor inMarket Drayton back in March, havingpreviously managed two other homes.
And, since doing so, she has made aseries of changes to the care plans andlife stories to make them more person-centred and individual.
She told Caring UK that one of thefirst things she did was make JessJenkinson, who previously held anadmin role within the home, herassistant.
“All of the care plans have beenchanged so they are all about theindividuals and are person-centred,”said Cheryl. “The life stories enable usto know as much as we can about theperson, and the head social worker atShropshire county council has said shehas never seen anything like them andis happy that any agency worker coulddeliver the care required just from thedetails we have on file.
“We have involved both the residentsand their relatives in the entire processof putting these documents together
because it is key for us to know howthe individual would like to be caredfor rather than how we think theyshould be.”
An extension at the home, whichmore than doubled its size from 23 upto 51 beds, was opened last year byEngland’s 1966 World Cup winninggoalkeeper Gordon Banks.
The home has also recently retainedInvestors in People status for itscommitment to its workforce.
Cheryl added: “Following theopening of the new rooms the targetwas to be full within two years but,thanks to word of mouth, we have onlyfour rooms remaining.
“My main job when I came here wasto get everybody working togetheragain as morale was pretty lowbecause the staff had been without amanager for a few months and neededsomeone to give them clear directionof where they were going. Thankfullyeverybody seems happy now and areall working towards the same goal.
“We have such a good team and it is
so nice to hear the residents and theirrelatives praise them when we askthem for their feedback.”
The manager of a Shropshire care home is quickly making her mark on its running since takingover just three months ago. Dominic Musgrave reports.
ACTIVITIES and food are keyissues at Hinstock Manor, as theyare at most care homes.
Monthly residents’ meetings areheld to discuss the running of thehome, and Cheryl said they aimto please as much as possible.
She added: “In the life storieswe do for the residents we askthem what ambitions anddreams they have and we aim tomake as many as possible cometrue.
‘We have to draw the line atsome but, for example, oneresident liked barges so we took atrip out to the canal to see them.We come up with a fewsuggestions and these andanything else the resident canthink of are discussed at themeetings.
“The residents also have a sayin what food they like to see onthe menu. They still like the goodold fashioned food that theywould have cooked at home, butwe do put pasta dish and the oddcurry on as an alternative.”
Cheryl Harvey and Jess Jenkinson withtheir Investors in People certificate
Makingambitionsand dreamscome true
Cheryl and her teamring the changes ...
12 19/7/11 16:10 Page 1
13 Mayfair - Mandy 20/7/11 10:36 Page 1
CARINGNEWS14
THE new facility at Beckside inNorth Hykeham, on the outskirts ofLincoln, was the brainchild of careassistant Pam Edison-Franklin, andopened by mayor of the town TonyHillier.
Manager of The Orders Of St JohnCare Trust run facility Vanessa Gilltold Caring UK Pam came up withthe idea for the transformationafter attending a meeting led bythe home’s dementia championCherry Treadwell.
She added: “Pam is really greenfingered and decided she could dosomething with the courtyard,which had become overgrown andwas rarely used.
“She drew the plans and whenshowing them to the residentsasked them what their favouriteflowers and plants were to makesure she included them in thegarden.
“I told her to go ahead with itwhen she approached me and ithas snowballed from there. She hasspent hundreds of hours puttingthe garden together and, as soon as
she has finished a shift, she goesand gets changed and heads outthere.”
The garden has become a majortalking point for the residents, withsome even offering to help.
Vanessa added: “One gentlemancalled Basil rarely used to leave hisbedroom or join in any activity butonce he saw what Pam was doing
he spent hours out therereminiscing about when he used tohave his own garden.
“Others just enjoy sitting outthere on one of the benches in thesunshine looking at the flowers andsome of the other little featureswith an ice cream or a cup of tea.”
Work has now begun on turning asecond smaller courtyard area intoa seaside themed area completewith its own beach hut, while plansare also being discussed aboutwhat to do with an unusedactivities room.
“We want to turn it into areminiscence cafe which willhopefully be manned by one of ourvolunteers and will create a niceatmosphere,” added Vanessa.“Years ago it was used for activities,but we are now deciding what todo with it for the residents. Wehave also been in touch with thelocal arts college to see if theywould like to get involved with theproject, perhaps by creating amural on one of the walls orsomething.”
A Lincolnshire care home’s new sensory garden has been opened at a specialceremony. Dominic Musgrave found out more.
Pam Edison-Franklin cuts a ribbonwith resident Basil Priestley.
Pam making everythingin the garden rosy ...
Book full ofrecipes andmemoriesA CARE group has compiled a cookbook full of its residents’ favouritemain courses, desserts and cakes.
All the recipes listed in GreensleevesHomes Trust’s ‘Residents Recipes’book come with touching memoriesof childhood, parenthood and familygatherings.
They vary from traditional Welshcakes, Victoria sandwich cake andcottage pie to more creative onessuch as Marie’s Spanish omelette andIrmela’s sauerkraut.
The book costs £4.99, with all theprofits going towards the wellbeing ofresidents across the group’s homes.
First aid trainingfor home staffA SHERBORNE-based care home hasrecently held several first aid trainingsessions for its staff.
Southern First Aid Training initiallyran a three-day first aid at workcourse for the staff at Eastbury Housefollowed by a moving and handlingworkshop aimed at updating the staffin the use of specialised equipment,for example fabric turn tables, hoists,transfer belts and mangar cushions,as well as basic handling principles tohelp avoid staff injury, particularlyback problems.
14 19/7/11 16:10 Page 1
15 Beaucare 19/7/11 14:30 Page 1
CARINGNEWS16
THE manager of a Leeds carehome says she has noticed adramatic difference in the eatinghabits of her residents afterchanging the colour of thecrockery.
Susan Barber, who runs MeridianHealthcare’s Amber Lodge inLeeds, changed the colour of thecrockery for the residents whohave dementia to red afterattending a specialist trainingcourse.
She said: “I recently attended adementia training course where itwas brought to my attention thatpeople with dementia often find itdifficult to see light-coloured foodon a white plate.
“The reason behind this is due tothe visual confusion that can occurfor people with dementia, whichmay result in a person havingdifficulty seeing similar colourstogether.
“The Alzheimer's Society hassuggested solutions for this such asputting contrasting coloured foodstogether on a plate.
“Apparently brightly colouredcrockery can produce profoundimprovements in nutrition, dignity,socialisation and the reduction ofweight loss, amongst others.”
The benefits derive from both thecontrast between the colour of thefood on the plate – so thatresidents can see the food moreclearly, resulting in eating morefood and feeling confident abouteating – and the contrast betweenthe plate and the table, whichenables people to clearly see theedge of the plate, allowing them totarget food more easily on the platethus eating more.
Susan added: “I can really see thedifference in the eating habits ofresidents. It is amazing to see howsuch a relatively small change canmake a big difference.”
� Have you noticed animprovement in residents afterdoing something similar at yourcare home? Let Dominic Musgraveknow by emailing [email protected] ortelephone 01226 734407. Resident Peggy Dent
Crockery change boostseating habits in home
Managerpresentedwith awardA CARE group’s regional vocationaltraining manager received her awardfor excellence from the Duke ofEdinburgh at a special ceremonyheld at Buckingham Palace.
Barchester Healthcare’s Lisa DiFonzo was one of 100 people to bepresented with a City and GuildsMedal Award for Excellence, whichrecognises exceptional work bylearners and tutors through theircontributions and efforts in theirparticular specialism.
Lisa was also recently awarded theTallow Chandlers Award for excellingas a trainer in the healthcare arenaand has also been put forward for aLions Award.
Garden partyMINISTER of state for housing andlocal government Grant Shapps got ataste of life as an elderly person whenhe joined residents of Hatfield CareHome for a Big Lunch-style gardenparty.
MP for Welwyn and Hatfield GrantShapps was taken on a tour of theSanctuary Care run home by groupdirector for care and support SteveWood, director of care Len Mertonand manager Sally Kalaiarasu beforehelping launch a £60,000 minibusappeal.
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CARINGNEWS18
SOCIAL care costs should be cappedso people do not face losing largechunks of their assets, theCommission on Funding of Careand Support recommends in itsfinal report Fairer Care Funding.
Council-funded home help andcare home places are currently onlyoffered to those with under £23,250of assets.
But the report by economistAndrew Dilnot which wascommissioned by the coalitionGovernment last year recommendsthe threshold should rise to£100,000 and a £35,000 lifetime capon costs would be "fair".
Andrew said the issue of fundingfor adult social care had beenignored for too long, and that thereport’s proposals would cost theState around £1.7billion.
“The current system is confusing,unfair and unsustainable. Peoplecan’t protect themselves against therisk of very high care costs and risklosing all their assets, including theirhouse. This problem will only getworse if left as it is, with the most
vulnerable in our society being theones to suffer.
“Under our proposed system,everybody who gets free supportfrom the State now will continue todo so and everybody else would bebetter off.
“Putting a limit on the maximumlifetime costs people may face willallow them to plan ahead for howthey wish to meet these costs. Byprotecting a larger amount ofpeople’s assets, they need no longerfear losing everything.”
The report also recommends that:People should contribute a
standard amount to cover theirgeneral living costs, like food andaccommodation, in residential care.
An awareness campaign should belaunched to help people understandthe system and engage with it.
Carers should be supported byimproved assessments which aim toensure that the impact on the careris manageable and sustainable.
The deferred payment offer shouldbe extended so it is available toeveryone, wherever they live.
Martin Green, ECCA chiefexecutive, welcomed the report,saying the commission had done agreat job in identifying that thecurrent system is ‘broken’.
He added: “This report canredefine how we fund care for thenext 50 years and it is incumbent onus all, whether in Government or inother stakeholder communities, todo all we can to ensure that itsrecommendations areimplemented.”
But Anchor chief executive JaneAshcroft said the question now iswhether the Government has thecourage to take on therecommendations.
She added: “Funding social care isone of the most serious issues facingour society today, with a currentsystem which is so complex that it isalmost impossible for people tonavigate and consists of significantinequities.
“While a partnership approach,such as that suggested by the Dilnotcommission, to funding care maymean greater costs for the
Government, the figures quoted area drop in the ocean compared to thebillions spent on the NHS.”� What do you think? Let DominicMusgrave know by [email protected] or ring him on 01226734407.
The care sector has been giving its verdict on the long-awaited report into the way adult socialin England should be funded in future. Dominic Musgrave reports.
Jane Ashcroft
Report calls for socialcare cost capping
THE recently-unveiled Dilnot reporthas been met with criticism fromseveral leading industry figures, whoclaim it will make no difference to thecurrent funding crisis.
Frank Ursell, chief executive of theRNHA, welcomed the proposals in thereport, but said the introduction of a£35,000 cap on individuals’contributions will do nothing to solvethe crisis that threatens to closehundreds of nursing homes across thecountry in the next few years.
He added: “We see two major, butunresolved, issues looming over thesocial care sector despite Dilnot. First,how are we going to close the hugegap between what local authoritiespay for residential care and what itactually costs care homes to providethat care? Dilnot says nothing aboutthat, other than to make a very generalcomment about more money beingneeded for social care as a whole.
“Secondly, how are we going to stopcare homes going bust in largenumbers in the next two or three yearswithout an injection of extra cash bythe Government, accompanied by afirm instruction to local authoritiesthat the money must be used to plugthe care home funding gap and not bediverted to other council projects?
“Again, Dilnot says little or nothingabout this. From the point of view ofan individual who needs care, it isgood news that the Dilnot report hasrecommended that anyone with assets
worth less than £100,000 should nowreceive full local authority funding oftheir care costs. But that doesn’t helpto expand the size of the funding potitself. It simply reduces the financialburden on individuals.”
The criticism was echoed by JudyDowney, chair of The Relatives andResidents Association, who describedthe report as an ‘interim move’. Shesaid there needed to be a ‘fight for auniversal system’ where everyonepools the risk and which is available tous all when we need it.
“Most elderly people in care homesare there because they have serioushealth needs and it is outrageous thatwe deem it unacceptable to bear thecosts of this insidious disease when wepay freely and continuously for otherillnesses such as cancer and heartdisease,” commented Judy. “TheDilnot proposed cap on contributionswill only cover the ‘care’ element of theresidents’ needs, it will not cover any‘board and lodging’ and Dilnotestimates that these costs alone willcome to £7-10K per annum.
“The state pension will barely coverthis amount. This is hardly the FairerCare Funding that we were promised.
“Additionally, the insuranceproposals are doomed by the reportitself – all previous attempts havefailed – why should people bepersuaded to take out insurance whenthey can’t or won’t save for theirpensions?”
Criticism for Dilnot“An important development from the proposals, if accepted by Government, is thatthey will allow insurers, banks and pension providers to offer products at affordableprices to meet care costs. “This certainty should entice financial services companies to offer insurance tocover care costs – an important new market for such companies given the ageingof the population. “The previous attempts to provide insurance products failed because of the highcost of such insurance policies, with what was an open-ended liability. The milliondollar question is whether Government would seriously consider this proposalwhich does have a significant cost to the State and which will keep growing overtime.”
Peter Gatenby, senior actuary at Mazars LLP,and advisor to the last government on long-term care
“It is vital that the coalition government, having hosted this commission, listens toits findings and implements its suggestions. “The speculation that the report will not receive official backing due to the financialcost is worrying – this would be a huge missed opportunity. Care funding is not aproblem that can be swept under the carpet and not one that will go away. “The Government must act now and ensure these problems are not simply passedon to future generations. There is not a care crisis yet, but we are on the brink ofone if these recommendations are not carried through.”
Jonathan Bruce, managing director,Prestige Nursing and Care
“In our evidence to the Dilnot Commission we proposed that board, lodging andhotel costs should be separated from care costs so the service user in paying theirown board and lodging can choose where that is provided to suit their individualcircumstances. We are pleased to see this is one of the Commission’srecommendations.“We are concerned though that the report proposes at recommendation that £7K-10K would be sufficient to meet all the costs of accommodation, food, laundry,activities, quality of life etc. We would think this is an unrealistic position to take.There will be many areas that will have to be extensively discussed in the comingmonths but we are sure the report is a very good start, and that the public debatewhich will now ensue, will and must lead to a workable and affordable consensus.”
Nadra Ahmed, chairman, NCA
What they said ...
18 20/7/11 11:10 Page 1
19CARINGNEWS
Will Andrew Dilnot’s reportrecommendations change anything?BBBByyyy LLLLeeeeoooonnnn SSSSmmmmiiiitttthhhh
ANDREW Dilnot’s recently pub-lished recommendations to reformthe funding of social care have beenwelcomed by most in the sector, aswell as by government and theopposition.
The question of how to fund andprovide social care to an increasing-ly ageing population is only going tobecome more vital over the comingyears. After all, we currently have750,000 older people living withdementia, and this figure is set todouble over the next 30 years.
How we care for, and fund the careof, these older people must beaddressed now, not in two, three orfour years time.
The recommendations in Dilnot’sreport certainly go far in proposing arealistic solution.
Capping the amount people willhave to pay for their care at around£35,000 will reduce the risk of indi-viduals having to sell their homes topay for spiralling care, and allowthem to plan for their future.
Crucially, the cap also provides thecertainty needed to allow the insur-ance industry to offer policies thatcover social care, which would neverhappen if the costs were open-ended.
However, caution is needed inoverwhelmingly welcoming the pro-posals. Some elements seem to havebeen ill conceived with details lack-ing for various elements of the rec-ommendations.
Firstly, the cap can be seen to giveadvantages to the very well off, forwhom £35,000 would be a tiny pro-portion of their overall assets.
At the other end of the spectrum,Dilnot has proposed that if you havejust £40,000 in assets you will stillhave to pay £9,000 towards your care– a whopping 22 per cent of yourwealth.
Linked to this issue is the question
of family responsibility. A failure totake family wealth into accountcould spur accusations that the taxpayer is subsidising the inheritanceof already-wealthy offspring whocould have paid for their parents’care themselves.
It is also unclear how pensionerswill meet the ongoing cost ofaccommodation, food and heating,which in my experience are likely tobe far higher than Dilnot’s expected£10,000 per year.
Not to mention the £2billion com-mitment required from theGovernment to carry out the recom-mendations.
These are all details theGovernment must consider whendrafting a social care bill in the nearfuture.
Despite mine and other people’sreservations, the Government has the potential to transform thesocial care system for the better andfinally create a system which is equitable and transparent.
It will be a tragedy if this once in ageneration opportunity to reformthe system is wasted or very few ofthe recommendations are acted on.
� Leon Smith is chief executive ofNightingale care home
Leon Smith
If you’d like to advertise in Caring UK contact our sales team on 01226 734333
Royal visitor opensdementia facilityHRH The Princess Royal unveiled a plaque to officially open anew dedicated dementia facility at a Surrey care home for for-mer seafarers.
The Princess Royal Annexe at The Royal Alfred Seafarers’Society’s Weston Acres sheltered housing and residential carecentre near Banstead will cater for up to 36 residents sufferingwith the condition, and has been specifically designed toinclude features enabling care to be tailored to highly individ-ual needs.
The home offers specialised dementia support from trainedstaff meaning residents don’t have to travel off-site to accesscare at hospital.
Other facilities included a sensory garden, which acts as asafe haven for residents to access fresh air, as well as handmassage and reflexology, proven to aid relaxation in dementiapatients.
Memory boxes have also been installed by each resident’sroom including items such as photographs, medals and trin-kets to aid recognition and independence.
19 21/7/11 17:10 Page 1
CARINGHOMECALL20
WHEN Dhanus Ramdharry and VijayMootyen purchased WoodlandsLodge on the outskirts of Barnsley ithad zero stars and the inspectoratewere recommending it should beclosed.
But the business is now thriving,and the new 20 en-suite beddevelopment which also includes akitchenette and communalbathrooms, has also created 20 newjobs for the area.
Dhanus told Caring UK that thetransformation is due to a lot of hardwork from the team.
He added: “When we first looked atbuying the home the regulator askedus if we knew what we were doingbecause it needed a lot of work, and Iwouldn’t have placed anybody inhere myself.
“We have experience in runningcare homes down on the south coastin Bournemouth and Poole and inRotherham and were confident that we could turn it around if giventime.
“The residents that were living here
at the time were happy and thecarers cared, but sometimes thingswere either not done or if they werethen they weren’t recorded, whichmeant we had to change the careplans immediately.
“We also made the menus so theywere more nutritious, and trained thestaff so the care they were providingwas more person centred. We alsospent a lot of money upgrading theenvironment on furniture, carpetsand equipment.”
Within five months of taking over,the CQC inspector gave the hometwo stars – the highest that could beawarded for new owners.
Dhanus added: “Whatever we donow is done in line with the newstandards. I audit the home eachmonth and from it we come up withan action plan from everything I havefound.
“We only have a handful of emptybeds remaining and next year or theyear after we are looking at adding anextra 10 beds.
“After that we would look at
purchasing another home in theBarnsley or Rotherham areas if theright one came up. We looked at 20 orso nationwide before settling on thisone and would only buy anotherafter we had this one right because
you can only hold so much withoutlosing your grip so we want to becareful.”
Funding for the new building wassupplied by Santander BusinessBanking.
The opening of a new £1.3m extension at a South Yorkshire care home marks a dramatic changein its fortunes over the last couple of years. Dominic Musgrave found out more.
Extension opening signalsdramatic turnaround
20 19/7/11 16:30 Page 1
21CARINGNEWS
Home fined £100kafter hoist fall deathBy Christina Eccles
A WALSALL care home has beenfined £100,000 after an elderly resi-dent died after falling from a hoistwhile being moved.
Irene Evans, 91, suffered headinjuries in the incident at the Bupaowned Parklands Court NursingHome, in Bloxwich on January 31,2007. She died in hospital 10 dayslater.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heardtwo carers at the Bupa Care Homes(CFH Care) Ltd operated facility, hadplaced Irene into a sling to move herfrom the bed to a chair.
While the hoist was stationary onecarer turned away to pick up her slip-pers and the other was behind themast of the hoist.
Irene fell forwards to the groundand suffered a five-inch woundacross her scalp and bruising to herhead.
A Health and Safety Executiveinvestigation into her death foundthe sling loop fixings attached to thehoist were wrongly adjusted. A safetypommel, which would have prevent-ed her from falling, had not beenused.
The court also heard staff at thehome had not received any informa-
tion, instruction or training in theuse of the sling, the pommel or thesling loop fixings. The sling loop fix-ings were not recorded in the riskassessment or the care plan for Ireneand there was no safe working proce-dure for the sling.
Speaking after the hearing, HSEinspector Amy Kalay said: “MrsEvans’ death was a wholly pre-ventable tragedy caused by unac-ceptable management failings on thepart of Bupa.
“Managers of the nursing homefailed to make an adequate assess-ment of the manual handling
requirements for this elderly ladywho was in their care. In particular,they did not give the carers sufficientinformation, instruction or trainingon how to use the sling properly.
“Working in a care home is a spe-cialised job, which involves dealingwith vulnerable people.
“Care homes must ensure that theyhave the correct training in place forall their employees.”
Bupa Care Homes pleaded guilty tobreaching Section 3(1) of the Healthand Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Thecompany was fined £100,000 andordered to pay £50,000 costs.
TIM Seal, regional director forBupa care homes, said: “This terri-ble accident should never havehappened and we fully acknowl-edge that equipment was not usedcorrectly, leading to Mrs Evans’fall in 2007.
“Our nurses and carers carry outmillions of hoist transfers everyyear and unfortunately, an errorin this case led to tragic conse-quences. We are very sorry and
would again like to offer our sin-cere condolences to her family.
“It was acknowledged by thejudge that we have a good safetyrecord and take the welfare of ourresidents extremely seriously.
“All our nurses and carers arefully trained and we now alsohave additional checks in placeacross all our homes to ensurethat procedures are being fol-lowed.”
Bupa offers sincere condolences
Care provideraccredited fora second timeEAST Anglian care provider Health-care Homes has been accredited byInvestors in People for the secondtime, highlighting its commitment toits workforce.
More than 100 staff at the compa-ny’s 23 homes in Bedfordshire, Cam-bridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk wereinterviewed by an assessor, whonoted that the company has a strongphilosophy when it comes to peopleand the way they are supported andmanaged.
Chief executive Richard Cloughsaid: “Our ethos has always been thatpeople come first – both our serviceusers and our staff. We are extremelypleased that our commitment to ourworkforce has been recognised bythis reaccreditation by Investors inPeople.”
The assessor noted the company’scommitment to training and devel-opment, with staff encouraged towiden the scope of their roles whenthey demonstrate additional abilities.
Richard added: “It is very importantto us to nurture our teams andensure that their training needs aremet wherever possible. The reportalso showed that we listen to our staffand take on board their ideas.”
Along with its 23 care homes, thecompany also looks after people intheir own homes through itsManorcourt Homecare operation.
21 19/7/11 16:12 Page 1
The case for investing in systems to help improve quality and safetyremains strong. Having an IT system in place to enable the reportingof incidents and complaints helps care providers to demonstrate thatsafety is a high priority by showing that safety concerns are takenseriously and suggestions for improvement made by staff are actedon. This can make an important contribution to the reputation of yourhomes, as well as reassuring owners and investors that managementprocesses and systems are working well.
In financially difficult times, an important point is that safe, highquality care costs less to provide than poor quality care. Safetyreporting and management systems provide a rich source ofinformation that can improve the quality of care.
Incident Reporting and Risk ManagementAn online incident management system provides robust, automatedrisk management processes. All types of incident, near miss andpotential incident can be reported, including falls, pressure damage,medication issues and quality alerts.
Incident management software can be made available via a webbrowser to all staff, contractors and even service users. Incident reportscan be submitted from any home or site within a care home groupand the input forms can be tailored to suit your organisation. Theforms are designed to be as simple and quick as possible for staff whomay not be proficient computer users.
Automated processes built into the software enable a rapid responseand facilitate information sharing. For example, an incident thatresults in an injury can automatically alert key personnel and trigger aset of follow-up actions for a designated response team. It can also beraised automatically on the organisation’s risk register and result inthe distribution of an internal safety alert.
The BenefitsOne of the benefits of an automated system is powerful data analysis.Managers can easily create reports that show, for example, a bar chartof the total number of falls at a particular home each month over athree year period. Another example is a report on the number andnature of complaints received and how quickly they were resolved.This drives quality improvement through shared learning.
A culture of incident reporting followed by detailed investigations andaction plans can contribute to the overall efficiency of an organisation.This in turn will improve service quality and reduce operationaloverheads.
Finally, a committed programme of incident and complaintmanagement can change the risk profile of a care provider, providingearly warning of more serious problems and reassuring clients andstaff that the lessons of incidents and complaints are acted upon.
The safety of residents has moved to the top of the agenda for careproviders. This is the result of several factors, including public concern overthe quality of care and increased scrutiny by the media, not to mentionincreasing regulatory oversight from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Jonathan Hazan is ChiefExecutive of Datix, theincident reporting and riskmanagement system mostwidely used by the UK healthand social care sector today.
For more information about Datix or for a demonstrationplease telephone: (0)20 8971 1971, Email: [email protected] visit our website at www.datix.co.uk
Datix 19/7/11 14:28 Page 1
23
Caring UK Commercesection brings you all the latest property,business and trainingnews every month.
In this issue:
� Home reopensfollowing £1mrefurbishment
Page 24
� Provider makesnew appointment
Page 25
� Social care:change if you wantto survive
Page 26
Over 500 applicants forjobs at new luxury homeMORE than 500 people have applied forjobs at Pontefract’s newest privatelyowned luxury care home, its owner hasrevealed.
The £4.5m 64-bed Willow Park CareHome is being built on the site of a for-mer pub, and has en suite bedrooms,plus a beauty salon, cinema, cafe, barand multi-activity room.
Eric Dixon, who helped to build upwhat was one of the Republic of Ireland’slargest care home companies, SilverStream, said: “With big care home oper-ators under the spotlight at the momentwe think it’s time for a return to a newbreed of individually owned and man-aged homes where care standards, notprofits, are the top priority.
“People want more choice and a bigger
say in how and where they spend theirretirement years, and the standard ofcare they can expect.
“We are creating at least 60 jobs and wehave had a flood of applications forthem. While we have made a big invest-ment in the home’s layout, facilities andfurnishings, the real emphasis will be onthe quality of care. Staff are what makethe big difference and we are handpick-ing a team of experienced people and inputting a continuous training pro-gramme to keep standards high.”
A ‘transfer with ease’ scheme has beencreated to help potential residents movefrom other homes quickly with no extracosts. Eric added: “We want Willow Parkto be part of the community so we hopepeople will call in to see what we can
offer, and that families will drop in for acup of tea in our cafe, attend courses ondementia and other topics, and take anactive part in care planning for their rel-atives. We aim to offer people all thecomforts of their own home, plus activi-ties for those who want them, all backedup by specialised 24-hour care and sup-port. Not all care homes are the sameand we want to show people that mov-ing into care can be a positive choicerather than a distress purchase.”
Planned activities include race nights,film and popcorn evenings and Wii Fitsessions. The home’s management willalso encourage local schools and groupsto put on plays and musical events, andorganise visits from groups such as Petsas Therapy.
23 20/7/11 11:12 Page 1
By Dominic Musgrave
THE traditional residential carehome model is outdated andinsolvencies within the health andsocial care sector are up almosthalf in the first six months of 2011,it has been claimed.
Fundamental change is essentialfor a sector burdened withexpensive, uneconomic and over-leveraged facilities, according toSarah Bell, partner at restructuringexperts MCR.
She told Caring UK the sectorbusiness model has serious flawsas private companies look tomaximise profits but at the sametime reduce the levels ofinvestment needed to provide thebest possible care for the people intheir care.
Sarah added: “Historically, anincreasing ageing population,rising property prices and a steadyflow of income from localauthority contracts made carehomes an attractive propositionfor investors.
“Times have most definitelychanged. The poor performanceof some care homes stems partlyfrom a series of miscalculations byowner operators and misplacedassumptions about sectordynamics.
“Reduced local authority fees,rising rents, a growing focus onalternative methods of care, anuncertain regulatory environmentand increased operating costs arejust some of the factors that havecontributed towards the perfectstorm that has landed in the carehomes sector,”
According to research,insolvencies in the health andsocial care sector are up by 49 percent in the first half of the year.
Sarah said that as fee growthrates have continued to show signsof weakness, even the mostefficient operators are now feelingthe squeeze, with the pressure setto continue for the rest of 2011 andpossibly into 2012.
“The Government has sought toreduce its sector spending byimmediate fee reductions and ashift towards supporting theelderly to remain in their ownhomes for longer – domiciliarycare and care in the community,”she added
“This shift has createduncertainty in the sector andrepresents one of the mostsignificant threats to demand forcare home services. The changesalready implemented by localauthorities mean that the elderlyare living longer in their ownhomes.
“The net result being that asmaller and more demandingnumber of cases make it into carehomes; this in turn exacerbatesthe problem care home operatorsface by increasing operationalcosts and reducing total income.”
� Do you agree with Sarah’scomments that the traditional carehome model is outdated? LetDominic Musgrave know byemailing [email protected] ortelephone 01226 734407.
CARINGCOMMERCE24
DC Care has completed the sale of Royd Hill Nursing Home near Keighley on behalf ofJeremy Frost and Patrick Wadsted, joint administrators of Frost Business Recovery,Croydon. Following a formal administration appointment, the firm marketed the 46-bedcare facility nationally and gained good interest from established care operators. Thehome was acquired by a local medium sized care organisation for an undisclosed sum.
Home reopensfollowing £1mrefurbishmentBy Christina Eccles
A FAMILY owned Torquay care homehas opened its doors following a £1mrefurbishment.
The 28-bed Torre House is the thirdhome run by GrayAreas Ltd, whichalso owns Mount Olivet NursingHome, a high dependency nursinghome, and Kingsmout ResidentialHome in Paignton, Devon.
It will cater for people who needgeneral nursing care and act as ahalfway house for those withdementia who can no longer live in astandard nursing home but do notrequire a secure unit.
Alison Homer, who will have dualresponsibility for both Torre Houseand Mount Olivet, said the 19thCentury building has beenrestructured internally to createlarger, lighter rooms, which has seenthe number of available beds dropfrom 32 to 28.
She added: “Reducing the numberof rooms was a conscious decision aswe wanted to significantly improvethe living accommodation, adding ensuites where possible.
“Restructuring has also allowed usto cater for couples to stay togethertoo – we had our first enquiry from amarried couple during the open dayand we're hopeful for additionalinterest too.
“The kitchen area has beensignificantly improved and we havealready started planning interactivecookery sessions- a really popularactivity with residents.”
A colour consultant was recruitedto oversee refurbishment ofbedrooms and communal areas,choosing a palette that would make iteasier for dementia patients to findtheir way around.
As well as internal works, thecourtyard garden has also beentransformed, and includes raisedflower beds.
The home is currently operatingwith approximately 10 members ofstaff, but when the home is fullyoccupied, levels will rise to about 40.
� Is your care home undergoing amajor refurbishment? Let DominicMusgrave know by [email protected] or telephone 01226734407.
Tax reclaims for care home owners...CAPITAL allowances are among the most valuable and leastexploited methods of reducing property owners’ income tax orcorporation tax liabilities.
Capital allowances arise from capital expenditure onpurchasing or constructing a new property along withextensions and refurbishments.
We comprehensively survey the property which allows us toidentify any qualifying items that, for numerous reasons, havepreviously not been claimed.
Don’t delay as the government are considering closing thisopportunity for retrospective claims. Call now for your freeappraisal.
Have you made a Vat reclaim? If you were operating between1993 and 2002 call now to start making your claim.
We will quickly identify the validity of a claim withoutobligation. If it does not proceed there will be no fee.
Enquiries: Telephone 01246 293011 or visit www.salmon-business.com
‘Care home modelis outdated’ claimsrestructuring expert
Sarah Bell
MORE than 1,500 professionals fromacross the care sector are set to joinforces this October to collaborate andshare best practice at the LondonCare Show 2011
Taking place at Olympia on October11 and 12, key speakers include AlanRosenbach, special policy lead at theCQC, Julia Barrand, older people’simpact officer of the RNIB and FionaScott, specialist intermediate servicesdietician of Norfolk and NorwichUniversity Hospitals NHS FoundationTrust.
Highly regarded industry supplierswill be on-hand throughout the show
to demonstrate the latest innovationsin the care sector, including apetito,Boots Care Services, SavillsHealthcare, DWA Architects andShackletons.
Exciting new developments includethe Care Show Summit, which willshowcase new content exclusive toLondon, as well as live cookingdemonstrations and nutritionaladvice in the show’s Live Kitchen.
Care Show London builds upon thesuccess of the recent Care ShowBirmingham in June at the NEC,which saw over 1,600 professionals inattendance.
Summit launches at Show
24 20/7/11 10:47 Page 1
25CARINGCOMMERCE
Bill Roarty
Bill heads upnew homeCARE UK has appointed Bill Roartyas manager of Heather View, its newhome for older people inCrowborough, East Sussex.
A registered nurse, he has morethan 30 years’ experience working invarious roles in both NHS and inde-pendent care homes.
During that time he has worked inpartnership with health commission-ers, environmental health and socialservices quality monitoring teamsand Primary Care Trusts, to improvethe performance and cost-effective-ness of nursing homes in the southeast. A supervisor of student clinicalpractice at Surrey University, Bill hasalso studied Dementia Care Mappingat Bradford University.
Heather View will open shortly toprovide residential, nursing and shortbreak care for those who are physi-cally frail and who have dementia.
Jan Wilkins has been appointed the manager of Riversway Nursing Home inBristol. She will have overall managementresponsibility for the 69 residents, staffand the Springhill Care Group ownedhome itself. Jan will also lead the development of the home ensuring itcomplies with the necessary policies andprocedures set by the CQC.
‘No threatof closureto homes’A NEW operator has been identifiedfor a group of four North West homesthat went into administration, it hasbeen claimed.
Kerry Bailey, who works for PKF, afirm of accountants and businessadvisers, told Caring UK there is nothreat of closure to the GrosvenorCare (Cheshire) Limited homes –Grosvenor Hall, Grosvenor Mews,Clumber House and Peel Moat,which employ more than 150 peoplebetween them.
Specialist care home managementcompany Krissimon Care Ltd hasbeen appointed by PKF to assist themin continuing to operate the carehomes with the appropriate standardof care to all residents being main-tained.
Kerry added: “There is no threat ofclosure to the homes. A new operatorhas already been identified whichwill secure the long term future forthe staff and the residents. A capitalimprovement program was enteredinto by the company, which meantthat some rooms were closed, cuttingincome at a time where there is widereconomic pressure on other costs.The care homes have all been visitedand assessed as to quality and stan-dards of care. All residents, staff andrelatives have been sent notificationand will be kept fully informed. Theintention is to manage the carehomes to ensure that residents sufferminimal disruption.”
Kerry said steps have been taken tostabilise the trading position andlines of communication have beenopened with the relevant regulatoryauthorities.
ONE of the county’s leadingcare providers has appointedAECOM’s Davis Langdon toexpand its programme manag-er role.
The five-year appointmentwill see Davis Langdon becomea delivery partner for drivingCare UK’s ambitious plans toto develop at least 30 new carehomes across the country overthe next five years.
For the past four years, thecompany has worked with theprovider as employer’s agent,cost manager, quality monitorand health and safety consul-tant on a number of projectsincluding the recently openedHarry Sotnick House specialistdementia nursing home inPortsmouth.
The expanded programmemanager role includes the pro-vision of strategic programmemanagement, procurementand supplier engineering man-agement and running the cen-tralised programme manage-ment office.
Providermakes newappointment
25 21/7/11 17:11 Page 1
CARINGCOMMERCE26
By Roger Harcourt
THE very public demise ofSouthern Cross has shone apowerful light on the problemsbeing experienced by manyoperators in the social care sector.
Recent nationwide surveys havereported instances of localauthority fee reductions of up to 10per cent. Combined with increasedstaff, food and energy costs,upward pressure on rents, a desireto provide better person-centredcare, irrecoverable input VATincreases and an ever growingregulatory burden, these feereductions mean that someoperators are facing a perfectstorm.
The stress on the system isparticularly acute in elderlyresidential care, where an oversupply of beds in some areastogether with increasedcompetition from social anddomiciliary care providers, has alsolead to declining occupancy levels.
The result? A near 50 per centincrease in care sector companyinsolvencies, with sometimes tragic
consequences for care homeresidents, and many otheroperators in urgent need of a wayto reduce operating costs.
But it isn’t all bad news. There areways of improving revenue andcutting back costs withoutjeopardising standards of care.
Operators of elderly residentialhomes should consider whether are-registration to provide somespecialist care is appropriate.
For example, a re-registration tofacilitate the provision of dementiacare can significantly bolster bothoccupancy and fees, withoutrequiring comprehensiveoperational or premisesrestructuring.
With appropriate assistance a re-registration process can becompleted from start to finish injust eight weeks; even with the CQCcreaking at the seams.
A typical problem for the smalleroperator is the lack of an effectivestaff infrastructure, which can leadto inefficient and therefore costlyworking practices. It can alsoexpose the operator to all sorts ofunnecessary risks such as
inadequate staffing ratios, staffundertaking tasks for which theyhaven’t been properly trained, anabdication of responsibility byindividuals, insufficient care recordkeeping, low morale and high staffturnover.
A well thought out organisationalinfrastructure, properlyimplemented, can resolve all ofthese issues. Upon closerexamination we find that the keyelements are:
� A properly planned staffingrota.
� Empowering staff members todo their jobs well and takeresponsibility by specifying clearjob descriptions, working practicepolicies and ensuring training isprovided where needed.
� Implementing robust andeffective reporting lines (includingoutcomes validation).
This isn’t rocket science of coursebut running a care business is sointensive that sometimes it’sdifficult for operators to step backand see the wood for the trees.
It can even seem counter-intuitive to do so; particularly when
you’re working 24/7 trying toweather the storm. But therequirements and dynamics of thecare sector are changing and someoperators will need to change tosurvive.� Roger Harcourt is a partner atShakespeares law firm and head ofShakepseares Healthcare.
Social care: change ifyou want to survive
Roger Harcourt
Banks rubber stamp £36mof new investmentCLYDESDALE and Yorkshire bankshave rubber stamped more than£36m of new investment in sixseparate care home projects in thefirst half of 2011.
Yorkshire Bank projects include a£5m, 68-bed dementia unit for theelderly in Birmingham for AbsoluteCare Homes (Central) that isexpected to create 160 jobs when itopens next year.
£7.2m has also been made availableto Prime Life Developments Limitedfor a 137-bed care village nearMarket Harborough that will createmore than 150 jobs, while £3.3m willenable Belle Vue care home inMiddlesbrough to build a 43-bedextension that will require 40 newstaff.
Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks’senior partner for healthcare, DerekBreingan, said the successfulcustomers provided strongapplications. He added: “Thehealthcare sector is a key market forClydesdale and Yorkshire Banks andwe are committed to both underst-anding our customers’ needs and
providing them with specialistsupport as we help them realise theirambitions. Our own research sugg-ests six out of 10 healthcare busin-esses will be seeking fresh investm-ent this year and we are here to helpturn those plans into reality.
“Collectively the money will see 455new beds open up to patients inneed, while also creating up to 530jobs. Common to all thedevelopments is an ambition to growand more importantly to providevaluable services to local areas.”
Clydesdale Bank is supportingConsensa Care Ltd to create morethan 100 extra beds across its fourhomes in Stratford, Manor Park andPlaistow in East London and Ilford inEssex. It has also agreed a fundingpackage with Avondale Care ScotlandLtd as it diversifies its serviceofferings to include a comprehensiveday care service and care at homesupport programme.
The family-run firm is also planningto build a new care home to add tothe three it already owns in Fife andFalkirk.
A NOTTINGHAM-based residentialand nursing home group haspurchased its fourth home with a£3.9m loan from Barclays Corporate.
Established in 1985, ASHAHealthcare is managed by a motherand son team, Sarojnee and ShaneMahadoo, and was one of the first
care providers in the UK for peoplesuffering with dementia.
The latest acquisition, KirkbyManor, is a purpose-built facility with40 beds for older people with mentalillness and joins the portfolio whichincludes Camden Care Home andForest Manor.
Group purchases fourth home
26 Care Consultants 20/7/11 10:46 Page 1
27CARINGCOMMERCE
New packagehastens movesto developmentBy Christina Eccles
POTENTIAL buyers interested in anew extra care development inCarlisle will no longer have to waituntil they have sold their own homebefore moving in thanks to thelaunch of a new package.
Smooth Move has been set up byEden Housing Association and AllanEstate Agents to help people immedi-ately enjoy the benefits of living atHeysham Gardens.
They can move in and pay rent untiltheir property is sold and they areable to buy their new home. Thepackage also includes payment ofestate agent fees and help arrangingremovals.
Steve Hardaker, from Allan EstateAgents, said it was launched toaddress a concern identified bypotential home owners.
He added: “Unlike traditional hous-ing developments where propertiescome and go on the market quitequickly, this development is unique.
“As ‘lifetime homes’ we don’t expectmuch movement, so it could be yearsbefore there is another opportunityto buy.
“That’s why we wanted to makesure people could make the movenow, without worrying about sellingtheir own properties in time.
“This package helps them keep 100per cent control of the process withall the benefits of living at HeyshamGardens straight away.”
He said the package has alreadysuccessfully been used by three ofthe first home buyers, and has acti-vated numerous enquiries from peo-ple who were concerned about thelogistics of selling and moving homeat the same time.
Essex care home tobring 40 new jobsTHE construction of a 60-bed carehome in Essex is expected to create40 new jobs, its owners hasannounced.
The Moat House is a long-estab-lished facility, currently housed in an18th Century rectory, on the fringesof Great Easton, near GreatDunmow.
Retirement Villages Ltd’s multi-million pound new facility on the 10acre site will offer a range of com-munal facilities for use by residents,staff and guests. It will offer residen-tial, nursing and dementia care
under one roof.
Residents of the current MoatHouse will be moved to the buildingover the summer, and new residentswill be welcomed from September.
The current 31 staff will also trans-fer to the new home, and a further15 jobs will be created immediatelyincluding nursing, care and supportstaff. More vacancies will arise asresidents move in.
Work on the site has taken arounda year, with Saffron Walden MP SirAlan Haslehurst laying the founda-tion stone last autumn.
Retirement Villages has acquiredits 13th retirement community –The Priory, a village of 43 apart-ments and cottages in SouthDevon. The company has boughtthe whole of the issued share capi-tal of Clennon Management Ltd for£540,000. The development has agross development value of £8.5m.It follows closely behind RetirementVillage’s £13m purchase ofAvonpark near Bath seven monthsago from Care Estates Ltd.
Glorious 12th for companyGOLD Care has opened its 12thhome in Sidcup.
The purpose-built 60-bed BaughHouse offers residential dementiaand nursing care in two separateunits, and within the nursing unit is a special six-bed higher needsfacility.
The company has used the sameteam of builders, architects and interior design and furniture
manufacturers who handled a similar project for them in 2009 inWelwyn.
Manager Maggie Candy said: “Thenew home uses light and space tocreate a positive environment for theresidents.
“All rooms have full length win-dows, and the ‘Jardiniere style’ bed-rooms have direct access to the gar-den.”
AN official turf cutting ceremonyhas taken place at a new £1.5mresidential care home in Exmouth.
Sheridan House is a design andbuild project undertaken by MidasConstruction and comprises threeupper storeys with en suiteaccommodation for 24 residentsand a basement with dining room,kitchen, offices and recreationalfacilities.
It will be run by John and WendyMarsh, who already own and man-age the nearby award-winning
Brandon House Residential CareHome, which they acquired in2000.
Their work there has been recog-nised by becoming finalists in theNational Independent SpecialistCare Awards in 2011.
Designed by Pearn and ProcterArchitects and due for completionnext March, Sheridan House hasan internal void as part of itsdesign forming an inner atriumwith a large skylight visible fromthe ground floor.
An artist’s impression of the new home
Turf cutting ceremonyat new £1.5m home
Banks are ‘keen tolend to right carehome operators’By Dominic Musgrave
THE future is bright for the small,independent care home sector overthe next year and banks are keen tolend to the right business peopleoperating them, it has been claimed.
This was the conclusion of MarcelBradbury, solicitor at Adams andRemers at the Home Truths seminar hosted jointly by the firm and Chandler at Co in Brighton.
The event was attended by the own-ers and managers of care homesacross the south east and covered thelegal, financial and regulatory issueswhich they should be aware of andcompliant with.
Marcel warned, however, that existing home owners need to ensure they have all the correctpaperwork in place and they keep itup to date.
He added: “The care home sector isone of the few which banks are keen
to lend to at the moment, but it isvital if the banks are going to financethe purchase of a care home or refi-nance an existing deal for them tosee a whole range of issues have beencovered and it is really important forowners to get on top of this and tostay on top of it.
“Lenders are not keen, however, tolend money for the purchase ofhomes with a low occupancy level orregulatory problems.
“Prospective buyers should there-fore consider a leasehold arrangement where they are able totake over the home and make thenecessary improvements with a contract in place to allow them tobuy the property after a couple ofyears.
“They should also consider lender’spreferences for accommodation to besingle rooms with en suite facilities,which will over the next few years seethe need for many smaller homes tomake significant structural changesto provide this type of accommoda-tion.”
27 19/7/11 16:13 Page 1
CARINGNEWS28
“IT was an excellent day providing anideal opportunity to chat toexhibitors about new products andservices and listen to presentationson a number of relevant topics”, saidJohn who manages a home for 35older people near Reading.
He’d attended one of the summerseries of conferences organised byCaring UK in association with MJM.Others who’d been at events inSouthampton and in Kent as well astwo in the west country, weresimilarly pleased that they had beenable to listen to top quality speakers,at a venue ‘closer to home’.
Just as research suggests thatpeople would rather access goodquality health services in their ownlocality, rather than being forced totravel to major cities for highlyspecialised treatment, so also busymanagers prefer to minimise the costand distance they have to travel forhigh quality conferencepresentations, opportunities todiscuss their needs with tradeexhibitors, and to meet colleaguesdealing with the same localauthorities.
John’s view was echoed by Becky,who was especially keen to commenton the presentation on the ‘My Home
Life’ programme.
She said: “I would like to thank youfor the conference … it was veryinformative and thought provoking.Having been a registered manager for10 years and then stepping into mycurrent role with the same companyI found the talk from Tom Owenwonderful – it took me straight backto being a manager in a home and allthat it entails but also reminded meof what I am trying to achieve now byhaving that experience.
“I would love to share his
presentation with my managers ofthe seven homes I oversee, just to tellthem that that they are doing such afantastic job and are highly valued ifnothing else.
“It brought back some fantasticmemories of events in my homewhich I still miss to this day.”
With care continuing to feature inthe media for all the wrong reasonsone of the objectives of theconference series is to presentmanagers with a graphic reminder ofso many of the good things they can
lay claim to in transforming clients’and residents’ lives.
The My Home Life programme doesthat very effectively, and Becky’scomments have been passed back tothem to ensure that they know thatthey are ‘hitting the spot’.
Delegates had many questions onCQC’s planned ‘excellence’ scheme,and commission staff who attendedand presented on this topic left withno doubt about the breadth anddepth of concerns felt by owners andmanagers.
Conference series proves veryinformative and thought provoking
Tom Owen Gillian DalleyDes Kelly
28 10/8/11 10:55 Page 1
29CARINGDEMENTIA CARE
THE Prince of Wales recentlyunveiled a plaque to officially openthe Wohl Wing at Nightingale,which is named after Maurice andVivienne Wohl.
The design of the £6.5m 40-bedfacility is based on the latestresearch from Stirling and BradfordUniversities and, alongside privateen-suite rooms, the building hasclear, lit pathways and communalactivity areas.
Chief executive Leon Smith saidspecial attention has been paid tocolour schemes, fabrics, artwork,lighting and signage.
He added: “We realised a numberof years ago that the future of careis very much dementia, and we areincreasingly aware that it is themain reason people move into ourhome.
“We have six different units here,and at least five have people livingwith dementia on them. Theaccommodation in one of the resi-dential dementia units is not reallyappropriate, which is why we tookthe decision several years ago tobuild a purpose-built one.
“It has taken a lot of research andtwo years of planning, but hopeful-
ly next month the building workwill finally be finished and we canstart to move residents in.”
Special focus had been made tothe grounds of the home, whichLeon believes are as good as anycare home’s nationwide.
He added: “We have had adementia specialist design the out-door areas, and we think they areas good as any. They are also acces-sible to all.
“He has created a number ofareas with things to do for the resi-dents such as a barbecue, potting
shed and water features, as well asa lot of other things to be used forreminiscence such as the car.
“There is a sound system fitted so that when the residentpresses a button they hear recordings of bird song or of thesea. We also have a play area forthe grandchildren to play in whenthey come to visit.”
Leon hopes the new unit will befull within a few weeks. A five-yearrefurbishment programme of otherparts of the home is then expectedto commence.
The grounds of a new state-of-the-art dementia unit at a London care home include a MorrisMinor car, bus shelter, and traditional telephone and post boxes. Dominic Musgrave reports.
£6.5m dementia unitbased on latest research
The Morris Minor car inthe grounds
Treat Weekmarks eventTHE UK's second largest not forprofit care home provider markedDementia Awareness Week by organ-ising a Treat Week for its residentswho suffer from the condition.
All of the Orders of St John CareTrust’s 72 homes nationwide tookpart in the celebrations, with treatsranging from going out for a cup ofcoffee in town to having theirfavourite meal cooked for them inthe home. The company’s servicedevelopment director Diane Bowdensaid: “We received a number of fan-tastic ideas for treats across ourhomes including dancing lessons,personal shopping assistants for theday and an Elvis impersonator toentertain residents.”
Mayor opens unitMAYOR of Wigan Michael Winstanleyofficially opened the ‘Langtree’dementia care unit at CLS’Greenacres care home in Standish.
The facility, which is one of 10 spe-cialist wings operated throughoutCheshire, Warrington and Wigan bythe charitable care services group,has been developed to improve thearea’s provision of quality care forpeople with the condition.
The first dementia household atGreenacres, the 12-bed Langtreeoccupies a separate wing of the carehome, containing its own kitchen-dining area and lounge.
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CARINGDEMENTIA CARE30
DIGITAL Reminiscence TherapySoftware is a unique tool designedwith carers, residents and visitingfamily and friends in mind to helpthose with dementia.
It has carefully chosen digital mediacontent from an extensive library ofarchive photographs and videosalongside interactive entertainmentsuch as sing-a-longs quizzes andgames.
DRTS is designed to enhancecommunication with people whohave dementia and the elderly,allowing the carer to engage,communicate and interact in aneffective manner.
Home carer Jane received thesoftware to use with her dad, whohas dementia.
She said: “Every time we met Icould see dementia was slowlydestroying dad’s ability to make senseof the world. It was painful to see.
“When using the DRTS we switchedto the pictures of places and dadleaned forward to look at a picture ofa high street. He pointed at amotorbike parked against apavement and I pressed the image toenlarge it.
“He smiled and turned to me. “It’san Indian Brave,” he said. “It’s got afabulous sidecar and it’s what Ibrought you out of hospital in whenyou were born. Mum had you on herknee and she had to hold anumbrella over you so that you didn’tget wet on the way home.”
Software designed tohelp communication
BRADFORD Dementia Group, basedwithin the University of Bradford’sSchool of Health Studies, supportsthe recently-published interimfindings of the Equality and HumanRights Commission’s ongoingenquiry into the quality of care ofolder people in their own homes.
The group has a reputation fordeveloping techniques whichimprove care for people living withdementia, and has sought toundertake groundbreaking work inthis area.
Over the last two years they havedeveloped Dementia Care Mapping
in Supported Living, a tool to supportdomiciliary care workers andimprove services to people living athome, which has directly led toimprovements in care delivery.
DCM-SL was originally launched in2009, following a pilot withLincolnshire county council’s homesupport service, into theacceptability of using DCM in aperson’s own home.
This pilot was extremely successfuland the group has now developed aversion of the tool for use in peoples’own homes, based on their widelyused Dementia Care Mapping tool.
Group supports findings
FOUR members of staff at a Sheffieldcare home have been recognised fortheir work in promoting best practicein dementia care.
Team leaders Claire Stoney, DeniseLitchfield and Kelly Reaney fromAnchor’s Prior Bank and theircatering business support manager
Bev Coulton have passed theiradvanced dementia training course.
Created by the nationwide careprovider’s specialist dementia careteam, the course is designed topromote best practice and teachcarers how to apply this in theirwork.
Claire Storey, Denise Litchfield, Kelly Reaney and Bev Coulton receive their awards at aspecial ceremony at Prior Bank.
Staff pass advanced training course
A new website has been set up to offer advice to support carers of people who sufferfrom dementia. Battle Dementia has been created by activities organiser GarethRowlands to suggest an appropriate approach to the use of activities that could beattempted to improve their quality of life. It is also designed to support those who lookafter people suffering from dementia day-in, day-out and at night in their own homes oras carers in residential and nursing facilities.
New dementia careplan allows personto remain at homeA HOMECARE provider has launcheda new dementia care programme thatenables the person being looked afternot only to remain at home, but alsoto retain self-worth.
The comprehensive and holisticelements of The Good Care Group’sExpert Dementia Care Packagemean that a proactive, fullyindividualised care plan is employedto optimise quality and enjoyment oflife for the person for whom care isprovided.
Head of care strategy Zoë Elkinssaid: “There is much more to caringfor the person with dementia thanticking boxes and implementing a setcare plan.
“Over three-quarters of the peoplewe look after are living withdementia, and we are dedicated toproviding a highly personalised live-in service which fully reflects theclient’s emotional and physicallifestyle needs.
“We believe the Expert DementiaCare Package will further enhanceour offering. It puts the person withdementia firmly at the centre of careactivity, with all aspects of careassessed against need and deliveredto be in step with the individual’spattern of life.
“Our ultimate goal is to ensure on-going emotional well-being and thebest possible quality of life. The
person we look after is alwayscarefully listened to and is always theone to lead the way.”
With the Expert Dementia CarePackage, an initial, comprehensiveassessment of the person requiringcare is conducted by a senior careexpert, who talks to family andfriends about all areas of the person’sholistic needs and how dementia isexperienced and manifested.
The individual’s GP may also beconsulted about aspects ofhealthcare and medication. Thesenior care expert talks to the personwith dementia informally but atlength, to begin to gain anunderstanding of the person’s likesand dislikes, moods, and behaviourpatterns. The family are alsoconsulted in order to build a detailedprofile picture of the person’s past.
For the first month of care, thesenior care expert works closely withthe professional carers to fine tunethe care provision. At the end of thefirst month, the bespoke carepackage is fully reviewed.Subsequent reviews follow at three-month intervals, allowing care to beadjusted to suit the changing needsof the individual.
Central to each care plan is anunderstanding of the SPECALPhotograph Album and its associatedmethodology.
30 20/7/11 11:14 Page 1
31CARINGDEMENTIA CARE
Success for group’sdementia carepilot schemeNEW methods of caring have dra-matically increased the well-being ofpeople with dementia in a group’scare homes, it has been revealed.
Care UK conducted the ground-breaking pilot across nine of its spe-cialist dementia homes and a daycentre in Surrey, using evaluation cri-teria based on research fromBradford University in order to mea-sure residents’ moods and levels ofinteraction. Results included a 40 percent improvement in the wellbeing ofresidents.
The company’s head of servicedesign Karen Morrison and her col-league Maizie Mears-Owen drew up aplan that centred on promoting resi-dents’ independence through cre-ative, homely and stimulating envi-ronments and developing staffawareness of what it is like to livewith the condition.
Karen said: “We had created a strat-egy for improving the experience ofpeople with dementia in our carehomes but, before we spread the bestpractice across our homes, we want-ed to rigorously test what we wereproposing.
“We had already done a great dealof work on dementia and our policyof activity based care is working wellthroughout our homes. We felt we
could do more to make the lives ofthose with dementia more contentedand fulfilling.”
Any staff members who have con-tact with residents – including thoseworking in offices and kitchens wereencouraged to attend the one-daytraining programme.
During the nine-month period inci-dents against members of staffdropped by 40 per cent, with thoseinvolving other residents falling byalmost a quarter. Residents alsoenjoyed greater mobility and bettersleeping patterns.
“We benchmarked at the beginningof the project,” Karen added. “Wethen used skilled ‘mystery shoppers’to measure perceptions of thehomes. They looked at the quality ofthe environment, how happy theywould be to have a relative cared forwithin the home and the attitude ofstaff.
“Maizie used observations to mea-sure well-being before the projectstarted and at the end. She observedresidents for an hour at a time, mark-ing at five-minute intervals their levelof engagement and mood.
“She also carried out both sets ofobservations in the same rooms atthe same time of day to ensure theresults were comparable.”
Maizie Mears-Owen with a Care UK trainee
Are you meeting CQC guidelines?CQC regulatory guidelines formeeting nutritional needs statesinspectors have to check people arebeing offered choice. “Look forpeople being given choice i.e. usingpictures.”
The vca menu board and menucards which contain 106 differentimages of dishes are a proven com-munication tool. There is evidencethat providing people with imagesof food at meal times will stimulatetheir appetite, and demonstratethat you are offering your resi-dents’ choice.
The boards are handmade withyour company’s logo added free ofcharge. The cost for the board andcards is £165.95 plus VAT and post.
Enquiries: Visit www.visualcommunicationaid or telephone 01937 558426.
31 Dementia Life 20/7/11 10:37 Page 1
32
New companionservice unveiledby care groupA CARE group has extended itsdomiciliary care offering by unveilinga new service aimed at alleviatingpressure on nursing home staff.
The new facility being offered byCanford Healthcare Group, whichruns Pentlow Community Care andAshridge Community Care as well asseveral care homes, allows homes inBexhill and Eastbourne to out sourcea ‘companion service’ on a flexiblebasis.
If successful, the service, whichemploys 50 carers, is expected to beexpanded out to other regions in thesouth east.
Leigh O’Hara, manager of AshridgeCommunity Care and brainchild ofthe new scheme, said it has beenwelcomed by the nursing homecommunity generally.
She added: “For home managers, itisn’t always practical to have staffaccompany residents on outings orappointments.
“Carers do an amazing job but areso busy so what we are offering is anextra pair of hands with the clients tooffer them what they want to do.
“They may not be able to go outmuch otherwise so what we areoffering them is independence – apart of life clients thought they couldno longer do when they moved into anursing home we can help themcontinue to do.”
Requests include everything fromshopping trips or going out to lunchto visits to the dentist or general daysout to the beach or nearby touristattractions.
Leigh added: “The key thing wealways try to get across to othernursing homes is that this is not away of us encroaching on what they
are doing. “Some may think we are wanting to
poach their clients, but this is not anunderlying reason for us doing this aswe are run as a completely separateservice to the nursing homes.
“For those people living in theirown home what we offer is muchmore than a general care companythat goes in to make a cuppa andgive them medication.
They have the consistency of seeingthe same carer each day so buildrelationships.”
Manager Leigh O’Hara
WHEN Elaine Brady left schoolwith no qualifications, she took upthe offer of any job that would paythe bills, from working in factoriesto cleaning pubs.
When she became employedwith a care agency, she had founda line of work she was passionateabout, and her enthusiasm and anunwavering commitment toachievement has resulted in herbecoming managing director ofthe Oswaldtwistle-basedWillowbrook, and its 230employees.
Speaking about her awardsuccess at Blackpool’s TowerBallroom, she said: “I was utterlystunned and in shock when theyannounced my name. All the teamwere cheering and clappingaround me but I couldn’t move.
“It is absolutely unbelievable. Ihave put everything I have intocreating a business I can be proudof. All Willowbrook’s employeeswant to do the best for ourcustomers, and to be recognisedfor that is very humbling.”
Having been made redundantfrom the care agency, Elaine knewshe wanted to continue to providecare to those that needed it most.It was at this point she consideredsetting up her own business, onlyfor the bank manager to look ather like she was ‘daft’.
With little business knowledge or
IT skills, which resulted in herenrolling herself on a courseentitled ‘how to use your mouse’,the first year was a steep learningcurve for Elaine, but she says shesoon found her confidence andmixed her new-found businessacumen with her own instincts todrive Willowbrook forward. Herethos on developing talent hasseen employees progress throughthe ranks year-on-year.
“When I first started thebusiness, there were difficultobstacles to overcome, as with anystart-up,” Elaine added. “But Ididn’t let them interfere with myaspirations and I still have topinch myself now when I realisehow far I have come.
“My mother was a carer and herprinciples and old schoolstandards are central to theworking culture we have atWillowbrook, she’d have been soproud to see me pick up theaward. She is the one person thatdrove me forward to be the best Ican be.”
In the 11 years the business hasbeen running, Willowbrook hascompleted four acquisitions ofother care agencies, secured itselfas one of Lancashire CountyCouncil’s preferred domiciliaryproviders and been certified as aCity and Guilds training centre.
The owner of ahomecare agencyhas been namedLancashirebusinesswomanof the year at theannual BeInspired BusinessAwards. DominicMusgrave foundout more. Elaine with her award
Agency boss Elaine‘utterly stunned’by award win
Agency increases training timeA SPECIALIST live-in care agencybased in Suffolk has unveiled plansto increase the length of its inductiontraining to above the nationalminimum standard.
All Christies Care care assistantswill be required to complete aminimum of five days’ training onthe company’s induction coursebefore working with clients.
Training manager Alison Hawkinssaid: “We firmly believecomprehensive care can only beprovided by fully trained careassistants, which is why we have increased our minimum
training standards.“We use our induction training to
cover a range of subjects includingmedication, nutrition, adultprotection and first aid; and our care assistants are taught through arange of practical and theoreticalsessions.”
Alongside the initial inductiontraining, Christies Care has alsoinvested heavily in its bespoketraining department to provide in-depth courses so it can successfullyintroduce carers to clients who mayhave severe physical disabilities,dementia or a learning disability.
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33CARINGNEWS
WITH so many thousands of prod-ucts on the market for everydayconsumables in care homes, it mayoften be the case that the buyermakes a purchase based on what iseasiest to order, what informationhappens to be in front of them atthe time or what delivery is mostconvenient.
In a fast moving, click orderingworld, it’s tempting to ignore therealisation that some products areundisputedly designed to makeyou use more and therefore needto buy more.
But a savvier buyer foraging inthe disposables market will know,for example, the real value of fold-ing paper towels in various ways.Dispensers may hold a C-fold, Z-fold or a V-fold. Have you ever con-sidered how the different ways offolding a paper towel may impacthow easy/difficult they are to drawout of the dispenser?
Will one folded into three be easi-er to draw out than one folded in a‘C’ that may pull out several otherswith it? How many do people needto use each time they dry theirhands and how many do they actu-ally draw out of the dispenser?
Perhaps your care home is loyalto a specific brand of laundry soapand, whether it’s one measure ortwo, you buy because you’ve
always bought the same. Next timeyou refresh the stock, take time tocheck out one or two competitivebrands.
Take specific note of the numberof washes – some of the cheaperones may seem like bargainsbecause packs hold more, but theymay use a measure that is twice theamount of a more expensivebrand. The price per load can varyconsiderably.
Have you ever compared the topsof toothpaste tubes? Some have adistinctly wider opening which isspecifically designed to assuremore paste is squeezed out eachtime. Work out how much moremight be used and then how long itmight last compared to one with athinner opening.
Bearing in mind that up to 10 percent of toothpaste is thrown awaybecause it’s hard to get out the lastbit from the tube, then it’s certainlyworth considering how far theother 90 per cent can stretch.
A good supplier will, of course,respond to the demands of themarket, so it’s down to the carefulscrutiny of the customer to keepproduct designers and marketeerson their toes.
� Sam Gompels is managing direc-tor, Gompels Healthcare Ltd
Sam Gompels is a logisticsprofessional with a wealthof experience in global buying for the care homesector. He built up GompelsHealthcare Ltd to provide aspecialist service to buyersof everyday disposablesand, over the last fewyears, has introduced anddeveloped its own brandProform.
Sam Gompels
Take time to learn aboutthe products you buy
PR guru attends awardsPR CONSULTANT Max Clifford wasthe special guest at the inauguralHertfordshire Care ProvidersAssociation’s inaugural gala awards.
Seventeen awards were given on thenight at the ceremony at SopwellHouse, St Albans, which celebratedoutstanding hard work and care inthe private, independent and volun-tary sector.
Winners (North Hertfordshire):Homecare worker – David Sapstead(Crossroads North); dementia careworker – Joe Robinson (RoebuckNursing Home, Stevenage); ancillarysupport employee – Peter Woolnough(Flexible Training, Letchworth); teamleader – Ashling Turner (HalcyonDays, Graveley); registered manager –Angela Bowes (WestbourneResidential Care Home); apprentice –Hayley Day (Stevenage). Mid Herts:Nurse – Francesca Harvey (Oak
Cottage Residential Care Home,Hatfield) and Kate Ciapala(Sanctuary Care, Hatfield); internaltrainer – David Nicholson (Sagecare,Welwyn); learning champion – LynneSimons (St Andrews Care Home,Welwyn); activities organiser - KatieBeaver (Benslow ManagementAssociates, Tring). South Hertford-shire: Support worker for learningdifficulties and mental health – AnnClaydon (Walsingham Residential);volunteer – Sister Sheila O’Reilly(homeless person’s charity OpenDoor, Bushey).
Other awards: Small care business –Burleigh House (Baldock); large carebusiness – Forest Care Village(Borehamwood); team - DRUM(Watford); external trainer – NewGeneration Services (Kings Langley).
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CARINGNEWS34
AMRIT Kharia, who has previouslyrun successful convenience storesand other properties, has purchasedthe 31-bed The Willows on theoutskirts of Bourne.
The award-winning home hadpreviously been run by the sameowners for 22 years, and Amrit saidhe doesn’t plan any major changes tothe way the care is delivered.
He added: “Buying a care home issomething I have always wanted todo as I have always enjoyedproviding a service and there wassomething about the sector thatalways appealed to me in terms ofbeing here to make a difference.
“I always used the same criteria ofhow would I feel if I put my parentsin here when I viewed them, and Iwould be more than happy for themto live in here.
“I want to make the home to bewhat the residents want to meet theirneeds. Every business you get into ishard work but this one is morementally challenging, although I amenjoying meeting new people everyday.”
London-based Amrit purchased thehome through property specialistsDC Care, and says one of the firstthings he did when he got the keyswas to have a massive clearout.
He added: “I’m sure the previousowners knew where everything wasbut we threw away a lot of things so
we now know where everything iskept.
“We are also more focussed onactivities for the residents, and haverecently put a new drugsadministration system in place.
“Apart from looking at what extratraining is available and whether wecan do tasks more efficiently I don’tenvisage changing anything to thestaff.
“There is always a bit of unrestwhen a new owner comes in, but thishome has been running successfullyfor 30 years and there must be areason for that.”
Amrit plans a few cosmetic changesin the near future, while long-term
he is looking at buying furtherhomes.
He added: “I want to give the homea fresh feel, and would like topurchase more homes should theright opportunity arise in future.
“I’m not tying myself to oneparticular part of the country but Ihave a good relationship with mybank and they have supported methroughout with this.
“One of the big things I havenoticed about dealing with thefinances is that they ask forexperience, but my argument is how do you gain experience if youare not given the opportunity to doso.”
The new owner of a Lincolnshire care home says he has fulfilled alifelong ambition by moving into the sector. Dominic Musgrave reports.
Amrit fulfils ambition with purchaseParty forhome’s thirdcentenarianA PARTY has been held at aCambridgeshire care home for itsthird centenarian.
Dulcie Cornwell, who has been atHome Close in Fulbourn since 2009,joins 103-year-old Winifred Saundersand Joyce Westcott, who alsocelebrated her 103rd birthdayrecently.
Home Close, which is owned byEast Anglian care provider HealthcareHomes, will also hold celebrationswhen another of its residents, ElsieMorley, turns 100 in October.
Staff also recently threw a party inthe gardens of the home to celebratethe opening of a new extension,which has included the addition offour new en-suite bedrooms, a largelounge, new bathing facilities, amedication room and a larger staffroom.
Arty celebrationA SOMERSET care home held an artevent to celebrate its opening.
A group of West Somerset artistshad been invited to stage anexhibition of paintings, prints andceramics in the newly built teachingrooms at Somerset Skills and Learn-ing. Eleven pieces of art were purch-ased and donated to Croft House,with additional private sales beingmade.
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35CARINGNEWS
UK’s largest careoperator plans‘orderly closure’By Dominic Musgrave
THE UK’s largest care home operatoris to close after landlords owning all752 of its sites said they wanted toleave the group.
Shares in Southern Cross were alsosuspended as the group announcedit was taking steps which will lead toan “orderly closure”.
The group, which has 31,000 resi-dents, was suffering from a decline inlocal authority fees and an increasingrental bill.
Chief executive Jamie Buchan saidall payments to trade creditors wereto be maintained and all home-basedstaff transferred on their currentterms to ensure continuity of care toresidents.
He added: “My objective, and thatof my team, is to continue to provideexcellent care to every resident andto manage the programme of transi-tion professionally.
“All 44,000 staff can take pride fromthe significant operational turn-around and improvements in caredelivery which have been achievedover the past two years.”
A statement added that once therestructuring period is over it antici-pated it will “cease to be an operatorof homes.”
Chairman Christopher Fisheradded: “The process of change onwhich we are now embarkinginvolves considerable effort on thepart of our management and staffand their commitment and loyalty ismuch appreciated.
“We anticipate that the period ofuncertainty which we have beenexperiencing will now draw to aclose. We regret the loss of valuewhich shareholders have experi-enced.”
ECCA chief executive Martin Greensaid the care of those living in theSouthern Cross facilities is the mostimportant thing at this time.
He added: ““When the situation hasstabilised we must look forensicallyat what were the underlying causesof this business failure and, throughintelligent commissioning andappropriate resourcing, we canensure a vibrant and sustainablesocial care sector.
“Residential provision has thepotential not only to deliver long-term care, but also to support sub-acute and reablement services. Thefuture must be about proper fundingand a dynamic and responsive busi-ness model that bridges the interfacebetween health and social care.”
An 89-year-old care home resident’s dream to see one of her many mystery fiction nov-els turned into a stage performance has come true. Gwendoline Butler, who lives atEdgbaston Beaumont, has written more than 70 books under her pseudonym JennieMelville and, with the involvement of local theatre group Loose Wires, ‘A Receipt forMurder’ was performed at the care home. It was funded by a grant by the BarchesterFoundation’s ‘Make a Dream Come True’ initiative.
‘Me’ time treats for carersDELIVERIES of cupcakes, sweetsand takeaways and visits from ice-cream vans were some of the treatslaid on by a care provider to markNational Carers Week.
Carebase, a group of 10 homesin the South East and EastAnglia, used the annual event to
thanks to staff for the work they do. Managing director Nicola
Coveney said the treats, which alsoincluded massages and a chocolatefountain, were designed so thatevery carer experienced a little ‘me’time while at work.
Three residents of Ivelhurst Nursing Home in Yeovil and their carers visited the FemeAnimal Sanctuary in Chard and, despite the bad weather, enjoyed a day with the farm’sanimals. The mini-bus for the day was provided free of charge by SomersetFreemasons.
Sunshine activities markMidsummer Magic at homesRESIDENTS and staff at more than 40of a group’s homes celebrated mid-summer with a range of sunshineactivities and raised funds for theAlzheimer’s Society.
Events held at the Caring HomesGroup’s facilities included barbecues,film afternoons, lighting Chineselanterns and growing and paintingsunflowers.
Midsummer Magic is the third of sixthemed occasions in the‘HomeEvents 2011’ programme that
provide an opportunity for all resi-dents and staff in each home to cometogether and take part in an array ofinteresting and enjoyable activities.
For the themed events, the activitiescoordinators are given activitiesguides providing a range of differentgames, crafts and pastimes peoplecan become involved in.
Future events include ‘AutumnGold’ in September and ‘Forget MeNot Month’, which coincides withRemembrance Sunday.
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CARINGPRODUCT NEWS36
Blackpool hotelis accessible toeveryoneTHE New Mayfair Hotel in Blackpoolis run by local company Safehands.
Breaks start from £99 for threenights’ dinner, bed and breakfastwith live entertainment. Transport isavailable to bring guests door todoor.
Any type of care can be providedfrom around £11 an hour – whichmatches social services rates – andmeans disabled guests can holidaywith or without their carers.
Marketing manager AnthonyWilliams said: “Our hope is this hotelwill be the first of many. We hadshopped around elsewhere, but whenthe New Mayfair came on the market,we knew we had the basis fromwhich to create a bespoke hotelwhich reflected all our care valuesand was fully accessible – at asensible price.”
Bath specialistunveils Ascot FSAFTER the successful launch of theAscot 1600, Gainsborough SpecialistBathing unveiled the Ascot FS at therecent Birmingham Care Show.
It is a variant of the Ascot but with afixed seat transfer, and has beendesigned in response to customerfeedback.
Dennis Goodes, international salesand marketing director, said: “It isthat level of customer involvementand feedback that drivesGainsborough Specialist Bathingonward to become the largestmanufacturer of specialist baths inthe UK.”
Leeds physio firmresponds to needs POSITIVE Positioning is anindependent training andphysiotherapy consultancy based inLeeds. Physiotherapist Gill Arnettestablished the firm in 2008 inresponse to the growing need toprevent problems such as difficultywith social interaction and painarising from poor posture in sittingand lying positions.
The bespoke, relaxed, fun,interactive, on-site training is offeredto health professionals and carerswho have no medical training.
When a body starts to beasymmetrical the risks of pressuresores and breathing problemsincrease and these can be improvedwith some simple posturalmanagement techniques.
The health and comfort of thecarers is important when assistingresidents, so manual handlingtraining enables staff to assess riskand apply safe techniques.
On completion of competency-based training, staff feel confident inall techniques and are aware of theirown and the residents’ safety andcomfort.
Equipmenthelps residentsto stay activeBEING healthy could reduce the riskof developing dementia in later life,according to a report published inthe online journal Neurology.
A study in Canada of people aged 65and older found that adults who weregenerally healthy were less likely todevelop dementia than those withhealth problems, and the riskincreased in relation to the numberof medical complaints.
Fitness expert Lappset Playworld(LPUK) offers equipment that allowsresidents to stay active, maintain co-ordination skills and balance, andhave fun.
65 Plus inspires users to be playfuland challenge their bodies andsenses, while LifeTrail, suitable forusers aged 50 plus, helps to improvefunctional fitness including carryingout daily tasks.
Tony awardedcertificateSPECIALIST furniture providerShackletons has strengthened itsmanagement team as assistantoperations manager Tony Render hasbeen awarded an ILM First LineManagement Certificate.
The company operates advancedlean manufacturing techniques at itsfactory in West Yorkshire and first linemanagers need strong organisationaland decision making skills.
Tony, who joined Shackletons 17years ago as an upholsterer, is part ofthe company’s ongoing commitmentto continuous professionaldevelopment.
Delivering costreductions forover 30 yearsPROVIDING outstandingperformance every time, theIncomaster™ from Haigh has beendelivering cost reductions, energysavings and helping to fight againstinfection for more than 30 years.
Delivering real and measurablebenefits to both you and those inyour care, our highly efficient anduser friendly Incomaster™ deliversoutstanding performance for thesimple and hygienic disposal ofincontinence pads and nappies.
It disintegrates them into a suitablyfine pulp and flushes the material toa standard drainage system, meaningno storage, no smells and no mess.
Designed for simplicity, it is easy toinstall, low maintenance and fast –processing four small or two largepads in less than two minutes.
Saving you money, there are nocostly collection services and lowrunning costs – only mains coldwater is required with a minimalamount of electricity.
THE Mental Capacity Act andDeprivation of Liberty Safeguardswere the topic for a Leeds conferenceorganised by NetworkCareUK.
Speakers for the morning event heldat Leeds Metropolitan University forcare home owners and managersincluded Bruce Bradshaw, who untilrecently was the regional lead for theDepartment of Health based at York.
He was joined by South Yorkshirebased Mick Stanley, whose manyroles include MCA/DOLS project
manager and a member of theYorkshire and HumbersideMCA/DOLS regional implementationnetwork. He is also a safeguardingmanager, an approved mental healthprofessional and best interestassessor.
The pair gave expert guidance andinformation about the implications ofthe new CQC requirements inrelation to the acts, and also providedan action plan as to how they canmeet the new requirements.
Sean and Emma Cassidy with Bruce Bradshaw and Mick Stanley.
Event looks at key topics
Family members influencehome choice claims reportMORE than half of operators sayfamily members have a majorinfluence on care home selection, asurvey has found.
The poll, run by award winningfrozen food supplier apetito inassociation with Caring UK’s website,reinforces the importance ofresidents’ families in both the initialselection process and ongoingpositive recommendation to others.
The research found there are manyfactors influencing the choice ofhome, but food is high on the list andis the second highest complaintcategory.
Lee Sheppard, apetito care homesdivisional manager, said there areoptions available hat can help carehome operators provide a moreefficient catering solution, often atreduced cost.
He added: “One thing we havefound is that, when people move into
a care home, they like thereassurance of eating the same mealsthey enjoy at home.
“As part of the apetito group, manymeals provided to care homes sharethe same recipes that a new residentmay have ordered from WiltshireFarm Foods while at home.
“It is a fact much appreciated byfamily members. Our range consistsof 200 main meals and desserts, andall our menus meet NACC nutritionalstandards and CQC guidelines andcover a wide variety of dietaryrequirements, including diabetic, lowfat, gluten free and soft and pureedmeals.
“In particular, the ground-breakingrange of soft and pureed meals havebeen a major success. They look andtaste like traditional food and solve adifficult problem for care homeresidents who find it difficult to eat orswallow (dysphagia).”
A company that writes caremanagement software is notnormally what you wouldassociate with Sir RichardBranson’s prestigious Fast Track100 awards, but that is wherethe LNT Group foundthemselves.After a massively successfulyear not only did they appear atnumber 28, but the team alsowalked away with the prize forthe Fast Track 100 bestmanagement team.Coolcare2 allows care homeoperators to have a full andrealtime view of all aspects of acare home from a carer’s timesheet to whether a resident hashad the right medicines at theright time.� Lawrence is pictured withLNT Group development directorAndrew Long.
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CARINGNEWS
Transport
37
Occupancy specialist
Mini Coaches
Computer Software
Alarm Systems
CARE homes nationwide have beenrecognised for the end of life carethey provide
The Gold Standards Frameworktraining programme is the biggestand most comprehensive scheme toimprove care at the end of life.
It was set up to enable residentsapproaching the end of their livesreceive the care they want where theywant it.
It aims to protect them from inap-propriate hospital admissions andincreasing their chances of dying intheir preferred place of care – thecare home.
Brunelcare’s Glastonbury CareHome was one of the facilities to beawarded Beacon status.
Joy White, the home’s manager,said: “We have always prided our-selves on the excellent care we haveprovided our residents.”
More than 200 homes have been
recognised since accreditation start-ed three years ago, while more than2,000 have taken part in the trainingprogramme.
This time around the first two in theWirral have gained Beacon status.
Representatives from bothElderholme and Red Rocks nursinghomes attended the InternationalSociety of Advance Care Planningand End of Life Care Conference,held jointly with the GSF annual con-ference, in London to collect theirawards.
Heather Ward, manager ofElderholme, said: “GSF has helped usformalise this and take our care tothe next level, ensuring that residentsenjoy their lives, receiving high quali-ty care they want in their chosenplace right up to the end.”
Among its key aims are full integra-tion of advance care planning forevery resident, to clarify their needsand preferences, and better training
Homes receive awards for end of life care
Fitness equipment Signs
Consultants
in communication skills, dementiacare and dignity – conserving qualityof life and care in the final days.
St Bartholomew’s Court in Huytonis another home to receive Beaconstatus.
Deputy manager Joanne Knowlessaid: “This award reflects that careand the hard work of all the staff atthe home.
“Our residents are not just that –they are our family. Getting Beaconstatus is the icing on the cake.”
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Urbane for a fresh contemporary care homeIN A break from tradition an increasingnumber of care homes are choosing a morecontemporary image for staff with GrahameGardner Scrubwear.
The Urbane Scrubs collection is provingparticularly popular as it offers great freshstyles and a bold colour palette, perfect forbrightening up the care home environment.
Urbane Scrubs has been developedspecifically with women in mind, offeringflattering tailoring to complement the femaleform and design detail such as contrast trims.
Grahame Gardner has recently reviewedand enhanced their operational procedures,reducing lead times and significantlyincreasing stocks on key colour combinationsperfect for care homes.
In addition to the stocked colour choices,alternative combinations are available asspecial imports. Non-stocked colour requestswill be shipped in to order from Grahame Gardner’s US partners. The firm also offers alternative ranges ofscrubwear; Gg scrubs and Easiephit.
Enquiries: Visit www.grahamegardner.co.uk or telephone 0116 255 6326.
Electrolux training event for Barrier Laundry Systems
WHEN the Health and Social Care Act 2008 wasupdated in October 2010, a new code ofpractice for health and adult social care on theprevention and control of infections andrelated guidance was introduced.
Good laundry hygiene is critical whenconforming to the new code of practice, andhaving the right equipment in place cansignificantly enhance the prevention andcontrol of infection.
As experts in Barrier Washers, ElectroluxLaundry Systems can give you and yourestablishment peace of mind by providing thebest defence against the spreading of micro-organisms and cross infections. Keeping linenclean requires excellent and consistent practiceand discipline.
ELS is holding a training event on barrier laundry systems at its head office in Luton on September 13between 9.30am and 4pm.
It is specifically aimed at care home groups, healthcare trusts, facilities management companies andarchitects involved in laundry design.
Enquiries: Telephone 08444 631 260, email [email protected] or visitwww.electrolux.co.uk/laundrysystems
Beaucare launch showerhead cleaner
BEAUCARE® Medical Ltd - the UK’s premier supplier ofhygiene, medical supplies and equipment to individual carehomes, care home groups, hospitals and NHS Trusts - haslaunched a new shower head cleaner.
It is the ideal product to be used within cleaning anddisinfection regimes in hospitals and care homes.
Research suggests that water systems in such premisesare at higher risk of contamination, principally affectingthose who are susceptible to diseases as a result of age,illness, or suppression of the immune system.
In particular, shower heads can be a breeding ground forpotential bacteria and fungi growth including Legionella.Our product includes disinfectant and descaler to killbacteria growth or build up within the shower head.
We have an extensive hygiene and janitorial rangeproviding a solution for all purposes, ensuring high levels ofcleanliness and infection control.
Enquiries: Call 01423 878899, [email protected] or visit www.beaucare.com
Sherbourne by MosaicMOSAIC by Skopos offers a comprehensive range of trulyexpert fabrics designed specifically for the technicaldemands of the healthcare sector.Sherbourne, the new collection of contemporary classics,brings together weaves and prints in a serene yet homelycollection of designs.
Elegant stripes and damasks, combined with a floral trailand layered classic motif, provide numerous drapery andbedding options. Mosaic’s new upholstery chenille –Contour - co-ordinates perfectly, to bring more luxury tothe interior.
The modern, progressive colourways draw on theextensive gardens of some of our most cherished statelyhomes and the more classic colourways are inspired bytheir stunning interiors.
This combination of drapery print and weaves are allmanufactured using inherently FR, washable furnishingfabrics – perfect for public areas and bedrooms, and thedemanding cleaning regimes of nursing and care homes.
Mosaic by Skopos is an ISO9001 accredited companyand, as the healthcare division of Skopos Design Ltd,Mosaic has over 30 years’ specialist experience.
Enquiries: Telephone 01924 465191 or visit www.skoposdesignltd.com
DATIX is the leading supplier of patient safety software for healthcare risk management, incident reportingsoftware and adverse events.
Datix gives care home managers the information they need to build a complete picture of risk in theirorganisation. The firm can help to improve safety for residents and staff, while reducing administrativeoverheads. From small care homes to large groups, Datix plays a key part in the corporate governance ofthe organisation.
Key features for social care include:Management dashboards which display information on the organisation’s risks in a clear, simple format.Sophisticated alerting mechanisms that give care home managers early warning of potential trouble
spots.Flexible views of risk management information, allowing risks to be shown by particular care home,
department or even an individual resident.Security of access to information, restricting managers to viewing only data that is relevant to their care
home or area of interest.
Enquiries: Contact 020 8971 1971 or email [email protected]
SINCE 1982, Colne (Lancs) based,Richards Residential Supplieshave concentrated uponsupplying simple solutions tocommon nursing home problems.
The new WACMAT® adheresstrongly to this tradition.
With its ultra absorbent cottonpile and 100 per cent waterproofbacking, the remarkableWACMAT® is an ideal accessorywhere spills may occur.
Used as a commode mat, inbedrooms or bathrooms, theWACMAT® ensures full carpetprotection. Then, after use, simplymachine wash and tumble dry!It’s that simple...
The WACMAT® will then beclean and odour-free, ready toperform 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
Simple solutions
ARE you thinking of selling? Or,considering refinancing ordeveloping your care home?
Specialist healthcare brokers GlobalBusiness Finance can offer you boththese services, and what’s more you’llbe delighted by the competitivenature of this firm who have 21 years’experience in the care sector.
It is owned by a care home ownerwho can fully understand your issuesand provide swift effective solutions.
If you wish Global to sell your homefor you by introducing a suitable andfinancially vetted buyer from their
database, then the selling fee is amarket leading 1.95 per cent of theagreed sale price paid at completion,with no up-front charges.
If you’re wanting finance then thereis no fee charged. Global are paid bythe lender and therefore the brokersdo not charge you a fee.
With loan schemes of up to 75 percent of value and interest rates ofvariable base plus two per cent forfunding that creates jobs then usingthe specialist services of Global canmaximise your purchase anddevelopment potential.
Global can help withhome sale or refinance
A Pudsey care home held a party to celebrate the 100th birthday of one of its residents.Alice Grimshaw has lived at Musgrave Care Home for the past five years, and as well asreceiving a telegram from the Queen, the staff also funded a buffet and entertainer forher. Alice is pictured with some of the staff.
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