February 2012

no.189 • £4.75

In association with

By Dominic Musgrave

HALF of care home residents are atrisk of harm from mistakes made ingiving out their medication, it hasbeen claimed.

A joint study by the University ofWarwick and the University of theWest of England found that 52 percent of the 345 people in 13residential and nursing homesaround the country whoparticipated were exposed to ‘moreserious’ errors, such as ‘attempts togive medication to the wrongresident’.

In the first large scale study of itskind, more than 188,000 medicationadministrations day and night wereanalysed. The researchers foundthat over a three month period 90per cent of residents were exposedto at least one error.

Ala Szczepura, professor of healthservices research at WarwickMedical School, said the resultsprove that homes should use anelectronic medication managementsystem.

She added: “Older people in long-term residential care are clearly atincreased risk of medication errors.It is known that staff in care homesare administering, on average, sevendifferent drugs to residents, andthat medication rounds occupyapproximately one-third of nursing

time. Since 37 per cent of peoplewith dementia now live in a carehome, many residents are unable tocomment on their medication.

“New technology such as acomputerised barcode system canaccurately alert staff to, and prevent,inappropriate attempts toadminister drugs to residents. Thistool can reliably be used by carestaff as well as nurses to improvequality of care and patient safety.”

Typically each resident receivednine different drugs and wasexposed to 206 medicationadministration episodes everymonth.

On average each residentexperienced 6.6 potential errors.The most common was attemptingto give medication at the wrongtime.

Tariq Muhammad, managingdirector of Pharmacy Plus, who hasdeveloped a barcode system, said:“This has been a really importantproject looking at an oftenneglected area, the safety of peoplein residential care homes.

“Care homes are not generallyconsidered a priority, but theyaccount for a large amount of NHSand social care costs and time.

“One in 15 hospital admissions isdue to medication errors, and theresultant cost of hospital stays tothe NHS is £1billion per year.”

Residents atrisk finds newdrugs research

Daytime television presenter and Alzheimer’s Societypatron Fiona Phillips cut the ribbon to open a new 60-bed care home in Devon.The former GMTV host performed the task at EastleighCare Homes’ new facility in South Molton, whichfeatures an innovative nurse call system and state-of-the-art lighting that reduces anxiety in residents withdementia.

To find out more turn to page 9.

Home’sresidentstaught tolipreadRESIDENTS at aNorthamptonshire carehome have beenlearning to improvetheir communicationskills by lipreading.

Several residents atExtraCare's ImperialCourt in Rushdenattended the class, runby qualified instructorMandy Clark.

Activity co-ordinatorRay Fortuinm whoorganised the classes,said: "It's a bit of a trialrun, as I'm not sure howmany residents will beinterested.

“We've got quite a fewpeople who have somedegree of hearing lossand I think it's definitelysomething that couldhelp them and us."

As well as teaching thegroup about thedifferent lip shapes,Mandy also outlinedseveral ways that peoplecan fix a conversationafter misunderstandinga word or not being ableto hear what was said.

incorporating

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3CARINGNEWS

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AN ART student is painting murals ofBarnsley in a care home.

Charlotte Owen, 25, is still working on alocal park scene at Highstone Mews.

The care assistant, who has worked therefor six years, started the project after thehome asked its dementia patients whatthey would like.

She has already transformed one end of acorridor into a train station complete witha train carriage and resident passengers,and another of a Spitfire fighter.

"We went round and dressed the resi-

dents up and took their pictures so theycould be the passengers. It's based on the1940s so it's in-keeping with their memo-ries.

Care home manager Karen Hugill saidthey were keen to improve the experienceof dementia sufferers.

"We really wanted a big drive on demen-tia care as we don't want people just sittingin chairs bored. We spoke to a couple ofresidents and asked what they wanted andcame up with these themes. Charlotte hasdone a fantastic job creating them."

Student has designs on homeCharlotte Owen painting at Highstone Mews.

Ministerto makemillionsavailableTHE Department of Health ismaking an extra £150 millionavailable to local authorities tohelp people leave hospital morequickly and receive care athome.

The extra money will be spenton social care so that people canget settled back at home with thesupport they need and haveshorter stays in hospital, healthsecretary Andrew Lansley added.

It will also enable local servicesto respond to pressures this win-ter.

Andrew said: “Savings havebeen made in the Department ofHealth’s budget which we areinvesting to help people leavehospital as quickly as they can,when they are ready, and toreceive support at home.

“This additional investment forhealth and care services is theresult of determination to deliversavings, maintain quality andinvest in services that matter topatients and their families andcarers during the critical winterseason.”

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CARINGNEWS4

A NEW sensory lounge, 1950s and60s’ reminiscence room and bar areahas opened at a Stourport care homethanks to a grant from the localauthority.

Sanctuary Care’s Ravenhurst facilitywon the Worcestershire countycouncil’s ‘Improving the Quality ofDementia Care’ award last year andhas used the £7,500 prize grant todevelop the new features which it ishoped will enhance the lives ofresidents affected by dementia.

The sensory lounge not onlyprovides residents with visualmemory aids, but also touch, smelland sounds which help them recalltimes past.

In the reminiscence area residentswill find themselves in surroundingsthat are familiar from their youngerdays, and it includes a kitchenette in

which they can carry out tasks thatwould have been part of theireveryday routines like cooking andwashing up.

Manager Stacey Meredith said: “Thenew improvements are focussed onhelping the team here deliver the veryhigh standards of dementia care forwhich they were given the award byoffering a range of methods forstimulating memories which mightotherwise remain locked away.

“They will really add to ourresidents’ quality of life and will be avery valuable tool in caring for thoseresidents who are living withdementia.”

� Have you created new facilities atyour care home? Let DominicMusgrave know by emailingdm@whpl.net or telephone 01226734407.

The new reminiscence room at Ravenhurst.

Room opens thanks to grant

Equipment tokeep residentsfit is installedBy Dominic Musgrave

SEVERAL care homes in a Scottishcity have installed the latest in fitnessequipment in a bid to give theresidents a new lease of life.

As part of Aberdeen city council andNHS Grampian’s continuedcommitment to reshaping care forolder people, funding was securedfrom the Aberdeen PartnershipChange Fund to secure the UK’s firstpublicly-funded Technogyms forolder people.

The Aberdeen Partnershippurchased three sets for £51,000, withone being based at Robert GordonUniversity's health and social carefaculty, another at Fergus House andanother set that is available for use atestablishments throughout the city,including private care homes.

A further set has also beenpurchased, which is now based atRosewell House.

Fred McBride, chair of AberdeenPartnership and Director of socialcare and wellbeing, said: “It's hugelyimportant that we change people'sperceptions about older people.

“This is a very innovative andimportant area of work with olderpeople. Statistics show that thepopulation in the city is ageing andthat creates a number of serviceissues that we are actively addressing

both for now and the future.“What this equipment does is

encourage older people to undertakephysical activity and signpost them toother activity opportunities in theircommunities, it gives opportunitiesfor those with dementia living in thecommunity to use the equipment,encourages care homes to increasethe levels of physical activity andmeaningful activities within theirunits by illustrating the benefits andchallenging the stigma and attitudesfacing older people.

“It’s still very early but we areextremely encouraged by the earlyresults and seeing the residentsshows how important projects likeTechnogym are and I hope theycontinue to prove popular withservice users.”

The equipment does not use greatweights with the emphasis insteadbeing on gentle lifting and pushing,with the machines based on ahydraulic system rather like a bicyclepump.

Isabell Aufferman, activities co-ordinator at Fergus House, added:“The residents have really got into itin a short space of time and you seethem popping in and out all the time.It's great to seem them interactingnot just with one another but theirfamilies can come and take part too.”

Choir idea comes from articleCARE home activities co-ordinatorCatherine Rowlands was on holidaybrowsing through magazines whenthey sparked a brilliant idea to starta community choir.

Catherine, who works at Millbrowcare home in Widnes, Cheshire, wasreading an article in Best magazineabout singing therapist BernadetteWhelan who visits schools andnursing homes to deliver her specialbrand of vocal aerobics.

Catherine said: “Bernadette

believes singing helps boost levels ofthe happiness hormone serotoninand I gave her a ring to see if shecould come into our home to helpme kickstart a community choir asthe finale of our Christmas show,Millbrow’s Got Talent.”

Bernadette’s enthusiasm provedinfectious, so much so, that thehome is now holding weekly singingsessions, one of which was recentlyattended by the Mayor andMayoress of Halton.

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5CARINGNEWS

Karen and Anthony Shaw with their cheque for £1m.

By Dominic Musgrave

A CUMBRIAN care home managerand her husband are celebrating afterscooping £1m in the specialEuroMillions Millionaire Raffle drawshortly before Christmas.

Karen and Anthony Shaw revealedthat the ticket sat under their treeuntil 4pm on Christmas Day when itfinally revealed its festive fortune.

They are sharing their winningswith their two children, Sara (22) andKarl (20), after they agreed to sharebefore checking off the tickets.

She added: “We eventually all satdown around 4pm on Christmas Dayto open the presents and I remem-bered the tickets. I had put them inan envelope under the tree.

“Karl was looking at numbers on hisphone and suddenly said, ‘You hadbetter check it, I think it’s a winner’.After looking at it we all agreed the

right number was there but none ofus could believe it was real.

“The first thing we need to do is getthe kids sorted out, it will allow themto get a property – which will give metwo spare bedrooms and a lot lessmess to tidy.

“Anthony and I have always wantedto go on an Alaskan cruise so we canplan that now, and of course we willalso treat the rest of the family. It isfinancial security really.”

Karen tucked the ticket away in herwardrobe and waited until Camelotconfirmed the win to finally start tobelieve it was real. “We were alltogether after the lady from Camelothad visited and it was the first timewe could really allow it to sink in,”she added. “It is unbelievable that wehad £1m under our tree all that time.”

Karen bought the tickets from theKendal branch of Asda.

Million reasonsto celebrate forLottery winner

Britain’s Got Talent stars Pippa Langhorne and her singing dog added some extrasparkle to residents when they dropped in to entertain at a Worcestershire care home.The classical soprano and her dog Buddy, who reached the semi-finals of the top TV tal-ent show, staged a one-off performance at Grosvenor House in Alvechurch.After training with a professional operatic coach, the former model and performing artsstudent has been asked to perform at many events including weddings, birthday cele-brations, festivals and also prior to an international rugby match.� Pippa and Buddy are pictured with residents Jack Wakeman and Patricia Merrin.

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CARINGNEWS6

By Helen Williams

FOUR carers who topped the Christmas charts aspart of the Military Wives’ Choir are continuingto fly high, as demand for the choir goes fromstrength to strength.

Sarah Wall, Hayley Flood, Carly Pearce andKirsty Cunningham all work at Tyspane carehome in Braunton, Devon.

They are looking forward to a busy few months,as the full 100-strong choir or smaller groupsfrom within it get booked up for events rangingfrom the Army versus Navy rugby match atTwickenham to Sandown races and corporatedinners.

Carly said: “Even now I can’t take in how peoplehave reacted to us. The single was still in the topfive in January and has gone platinum, selling631,000 copies.

“The choir is in demand and our managementat Tyspane have been magnificent in helping usorganise our schedule. We’ve also helped eachother by looking after each others’ kids.”

Tyspane is run by Barchester Healthcare.Television chorister Gareth Malone put the

military wives together less than a year ago forthe BBC2 series ‘The Choir.’

They stormed to the Christmas number onespot with the single ‘Wherever You Are’ writtenby Royal Wedding composer Paul Mealor. Thewives outsold their closest rival, X Factor winnersLittle Mix, by five to one.

The choir has also enjoyed celebrity backingfrom Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans and performed atthe Festival of Remembrance at the Royal AlbertHall.

Proceeds from ‘Wherever You Are,’ a song

inspired by letters to wives from servicemen inAfghanistan, are being donated to the RoyalBritish Legion and forces charity SSAFA.

Sarah said: “Sometimes it could be really shortnotice when we were travelling back and forwardto London.

“When we sang at the Royal Albert Hall weactually had no rehearsal, we just all met up onthe day.”

Sixty of the choir are wives or girlfriends ofservicemen stationed at the Royal Marines Base,Chivenor, Devon, while the rest are partners of

servicemen at Royal Citadel, Plymouth. The entire choir has performed at Tyspane care

home in front of their most loyal andlongstanding fans and Sarah said that wasespecially nerve-wracking.

“It’s a lot harder when it’s people you know andyou’re so close to them.”

Despite all the fame, the choir members stillhave their feet firmly on the ground. “I’ve beendown into town shaking buckets to continue thefundraising,” Sarah added.

Demand soars for Wives’

Carers Sarah Wall, Hayley Flood, Carly Pearce were part of the Military Wives’ Choir that had the Christmasnumber one.

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National award foractivities organiserBy Helen Williams

A 23-YEAR-OLD who is helping older peoplebecome computer savvy has won the coveted titleof national care activities coordinator 2011.

Helen Brown, recreation and leisure organiser atAvery Lodge in Grantham, accepted the honour atthe National Care Awards at the Hilton LondonMetropole Hotel.

She was one of a national list of entrants nomi-nated by residents and their families. Along withthree others shortlisted, she was invited to attendan interview in London with a panel of judges fromthe awards.

Helen, who originally trained as a graphic design-er before going into the care industry, said of herwin: “I am absolutely thrilled. Each of our residentshas differing needs and I plan a range of activitiesto keep them mentally challenged. I work withthem to design a personal planner and adapt itaround each person’s qualities.”

Among Helen’s many projects is showing resi-dents how to use Finerday, a free web service whichkeeps families in touch. She has so far helped 57out of 67 residents to get online.

Helen said: “It’s fantastic and a very emotionalproject when you see the benefits.

“One of our residents was sitting alone in hisroom all the time but now he’s on the computer,keeping in touch with his children.

“At first some of the families were doubtful, sayingthings like, ‘my mum’s in her 90s, she doesn’t docomputers’ but now we have older residents whoare on the computer three or four times a day.”

Avery Lodge, which has won many plaudits for itsdementia education programme, Connect, is oper-ated by Avery Healthcare.

Group recreation and leisure organiser LindsayKelly said investing in training recreation andleisure staff was at the top of the agenda, particu-larly given the rise in numbers of people living withdementia.

Lindsay added: “We are enormously proud ofHelen. She is an inspiration to residents andemployees alike.”

Helen Brown with her award.

Anne Owen, manager of Alex Wood House, and AlanMaltpress MBE, CHS chair.

Open day to markwork’s completionALEX Wood House in Cambridgeshire held anopen day for residents and their families,employees and members of the local commu-nity to celebrate the completion of the newfacilities.

The new facilities at the CHS Group ownedsite in Arbury, which is more than 20 years old,consist of five additional bedrooms, increasingthe dementia unit to 12 beds and a new senso-ry area and reminiscence room in the demen-tia unit.

The day centre has moved to the annexe withbigger facilities, while a large conservatory hasbeen built for the main home, providing arelaxing area for residents.

Improvements to the kitchens, staff roomand offices have also been made.

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CARINGNEWS8

By Dominic Musgrave

A SURREY care home has celebrated25 years with a joint Christmas andbirthday party.

More than 70 people, including the17 residents, attended the event atFircroft, which opened in 1986 whenowners and directors Marcel and FifiNadal renovated and transformed alarge detached house.

At the time the couple worked fulltime as charge nurses, workingopposite day and night shifts, andraising a family of their own.

Marcel said that over the years thehome has had more than 80residents.

He added: “We always aimed toprovide high quality personal care ina comfortable and secureenvironment for the older personwith special needs.

“We offer a service which seeks topromote self development,preservation of dignity and theindividual’s rights.

“Over the years we have weatheredthe challenges affecting many carehomes including increased planningregulations, turnover of residents,recruitment, numerous legislations,change of regulatory body, surge ofoverhead costs, expensive loan and

care fees restraint.“Our excellent record and

reputation for providing care andhighly trained staff have beenrecognised by the Care QualityCommissioner, EXOR and theInvestor in People award.”

In recent years, Fircroft has alsoprovided specialised care for elderlyresidents with learning disabilities.

Marcel added: “I think the secret toour resilience and success is ourpersonal approach, unwaveringperseverance and strong partnership.As the first manager Fifi laid strong

foundations for future managers tobuild on.

“Working in a care home requires anumber of attributes: patience,tolerance, dedication, empathy,enthusiasm, kindness and respect. Iam impressed that all our staff havemany of these qualities.’’

Marcel and Fifi presented SamanthaRichards, the current manager, with abouquet of flowers and treated all thestaff to tickets to see Ghost inLondon. Fifi also baked and handdecorated a silver cake for theoccasion.

Owners celebrate 25years with joint party

Marcel and Fifi Nadal cut a mark to celebrate their 25th anniversary.

PantomimefavouritesentertainresidentsDICK Whittington, Cinderella,Snow White and lots of otherpantomime favourites were inWest Sussex to entertainresidents and members of thepublic at Care UK’s DarlingtonCourt.

Helen Bull, the home’s activeliving co-ordinator, wrote thecomedy that was performed bystaff at the home in Rustington.

She said: “It is a great familyromp with everybody’sfavourite characters involved.

“All of the characters thinkthey have won a free holidayand there’s a lot of confusionand a funny twist at the end, aswell as lots of audienceparticipation and singing.

“The staff gave up a great dealof their own time and havebeen rehearsing since October.Everyone here was verycommitted to ensuring ourresidents had a great time atChristmas.”

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9CARINGNEWS

GROWING business Eastleigh CareHomes added a jewel to its crownwith the grand opening of its latestdevelopment, Eastleigh Care HomesNursing in South Molton.

The third large home within theDevon and Somerset-based group,the facility is testament to the organi-sation’s pioneering approach todementia care.

Spokesperson Kirstie Barnes saidthe group’s managing director GarryWilson was passionate about pushingthe boundaries of care and travelledwidely across Europe exploring thelatest developments.

She added: “Our whole philosophyis based on asking the question whatcare standards would I look for if itwas me, or my family? And thosestandards are what we set out toachieve.”

The new care home is the first in theUK to have an advanced lighting sys-tem proven to have a highly positiveeffect on residents with dementia andcognitive impairments.

The system helps residents appreci-ate the natural passing of the day,and reduces anxiety and subsequentbehaviours.

The nurse call system places an ini-tial call to the nurse and also switcheslights on in the integral en-suiteshould a resident rise from their bed.It can be individually set to thenplace a second urgent call should theresident not return to bed within adesignated time.

Other features in the home include

larger than standard rooms, ultra-modern beds that can provide forpersonal and nursing needs, ceilingtrack hoists in every room, Wi-fi andprivate phones.

Kirstie added: “Our beds look thesame as they would in a individual’shome and that removes the visualassociation with nursing/hospitalbeds.

“Each resident also has a small hos-pitality unit which includes a fridge,tea/coffee facilities and dining area,and the home has a designated inte-gral beauty salon with visitinghair/nail specialists.

“As well as incorporating therequirements of a nursing resident ina sympathetic and non-intrusivemanner, we are confident that ourhome can rival the opulence of decorin a five-star hotel.”

Activities are a central area of thegroup’s strategy, allowing it to focuson its aim to become a dementia spe-cialist.

Kirstie added: “We feel confidentthat we have provided an exemplaryenvironment with our new home andwe are now refocusing on the humanaspect of care, including support forfamilies.

“Dementia is increasing demo-graphically, affecting more 50 and 60-year-olds as well as people in their70s and 80s, and we have recognisedthat we have to develop our carewithin this field in order to differenti-ate our business.”

An innovative nurse call system and state of theart lighting that reduces anxiety are just twofeatures of a new 60-bed Devon care home.Helen Williams reports.

New facility tobe jewel in caregroup’s crown

Fiona Phillips joins local schoolchildren at the opening of Eastleigh Care Homes Nursingin South Molton.

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CARINGNEWS10

A PRODUCTION of Dick Whittingtonhelped residents at a care home inWest Sussex get into the festive spiritwithout leaving the comfort of theirarmchairs.

The lounge at Russettings CareHome was transformed into a ministage as the Carousel TheatreCompany performed the popularpantomime for residents, guests andstaff.

The show took the audience back tothe good old days of traditionalentertainment with music, jokes andplenty of songs to sing along to - notforgetting the famous cat and aparticularly nasty king rat.

The treat was one of a number ofactivities being laid on to keep the 32residents entertained, which also

included a visit by a harpist.Rachael Bekaert, manager at the

Alpha Care Homes run facility, said:“The residents had all been lookingforward to the pantomine and it wasgreat that we were able arrange aperformance for them all in thehome.

“Christmas is a busy time for us andwe try to plan as many events andactivities as we can to get into thefestive spirit.”

It is the third time in two years apanto has been brought to the homeby the London-based Carousel group,which produces shows especiallywritten for residential homes and daycentres and performed byprofessional, experienced actors.

Members of the Carousel Theatre Company with Russettings residents.

Show gets residents festive

Lynda cuts ribbonon group’s homeBy Dominic Musgrave

ALZHEIMER’S Society ambassadorLynda Bellingham officially openedAvery Healthcare's Cliftonville CareHome in Northampton.

Lynda, whose adoptive mumRuth was diagnosed with thedisease and died in 2005, said by2050 one in four people will beaged 65 or over, which means thatmore people than ever will sufferfrom this widely misunderstoodmedical condition.

She added: “These are the factsbut we don’t need to be frightenedby them, we just need to preparefor it. I know from the experienceof my mum that it isn’t easy to finda good care home. Homes like thisone are just the right thing.”

Unveiling a plaque tocommemorate the opening, Lyndatold assembled home residents andNHS managers that politiciansneeded to start treating the UK’sballooning numbers of elderly andtheir care as a pressing issue.However, she applauded theinnovation of the NHS in itsapproach to providing services ona partnership basis.

Northampton General Hospitalhas partnered with Avery toprovide 22 ‘transitional care’ beds

at the new home. The schememakes beds available to patientswho have completed theirtreatment in hospital and arerecuperating in preparation ofreturning home.

The group’s managing directorJohn Strowbridge said: “Cliftonvillewas chosen by the NGH because itmet the mandate as set out by theTrust: the calibre of our services,our quality control systems, ourexperience in providing caresupport services to other NHSTrusts, our quality assurance policyand our ‘outcomes’ focused ethos.

“All of which form an essentialpart of Avery Healthcare’ssuccessful business model andphilosophy.

“As Lynda highlighted, the needfor dementia care is growingrapidly. The Avery managementteam constantly evolves itsstrategies to ensure all homes meetthe needs of residents and theirfamilies needing dementia care.

The new home has 106 beds, arehabilitation gym and recreationalfacilities, a cinema, various leisureand recreation programmes,landscaped gardens and hotel stylecatering.

� Email Dominic Musgrave atdm@whpl.net with your stories.

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CARINGNEWS12

Company finedafter residentdied from fallA CARE company has been fined£100,000 after a 91-year-old residentdied following a fall from a hoistduring a manual handling operation.

Bupa was also ordered to pay£50,000 in costs after admittingbreaching the Health and Safety atWork Act.

The fine and costs order had beenimposed on the company over thedeath of Irene Evans at ParklandsCourt in Bloxwich, Walsall, inFebruary 2007.

On January 31 two carers weremoving Irene from a bed to a chair.They placed a sling underneath her,which was then attached to a hoist.Whilst the hoist was stationary, onecarer turned away to pick up Irene’sslippers and as a result she fellforwards to the ground.

Irene suffered a five-inch woundacross her scalp and bruising to herhead. She was taken to hospital butdied 10 days later.

A Health and Safety Executiveinvestigation into her death foundthat the sling loop fixings attached tothe hoist were wrongly adjusted. Asafety pommel was not used, whichwould have prevented Irene fromfalling.

The HSE prosecuted Bupa CareHomes (CFH Care) Ltd under section3(1) of the Health and Safety at Worketc Act 1974 ("the Act"). The hearingtook place at Wolverhampton CrownCourt.

The Court heard evidence that BupaCare Homes (CFH Care) Ltd hadfailed to:

� Provide the staff at the home withany information, instruction ortraining in the use of the sling, thepommel or the sling loop fixings;

� Record the sling loop fixings inthe risk assessment and the care planfor Mrs Evans;

� Provide a safe working procedurefor the sling.

Bupa Care Homes (CFH Care) Ltdpleaded guilty to breaching section3(1) of the Act and as a result wasfined £100,000 and ordered to pay£50,000 in costs.

Following the hearing, the HSE’sprosecuting inspector, Amy Kalay,said Irene’s death was a whollypreventable tragedy caused byunacceptable management failingson the part of Bupa.

She added: “Working in a care homeis a specialised job, which involvesdealing with vulnerable people. Carehomes must ensure that they havethe correct training in place for alltheir employees.

“This case serves as a strongwarning to all operators. Care homemanagers must ensure that residents’manual handling requirements areproperly assessed, and that carers aregiven clear information, instructionand training on how to use manualhandling equipment.”

Book features residents’ recipesEVER tried a Bedfordshire Clanger?The residents of a Worcestershire carehome have, as it’s one of the vintagerecipes they have collected for abook.

People at Rashwood Care Home inWychbold have been rememberingtheir favourite foods from yearsgone by and the result is the ‘FromThe Corners Of My Mind’ cookbook.

It features unusual recipes likeMerchant Navy Curry, given toresident Betty Ross by a ship’schef when she was managingdirector of the MerchantNavy Hotel in Cardiff.

The book is being sold atthe home for £2.50 percopy. All proceeds will gotowards the residents’comfort fund.

Incidentally, theBedfordshire Clangeris a long suet dumplingwith a meat filling at one endand a sweet filling at the other. Itserved as a complete midday meal foragricultural workers.

The front coverof the recipebook that hasbeen puttogether byRashwood CareHome inWorcestershire.

Have you got a story for Caring UK?Get in touch with Dominic Musgrave by emailing

dm@whpl.net or telephone 01226 734407.

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13 Change Works 16/1/12 12:13 Page 1

17 James Spencer 9/12/11 10:14 Page 1

15CARINGNEWS

CARE Show Bournemouth returns tothe BIC in March for two days ofindustry networking, education andproduct showcases.

The industry leading trade exhibi-tion promises to be the most compre-hensive to date, attracting exhibitorsand visitors from across the south ofthe UK.

Providing business solutions forowners and managers of care homes,the free event gives an insight intothe latest industry developments andprovides visitors with the opportunityto network face to face with some ofthe best care industry experts andprofessionals the country has to offer.

CQC will be exhibiting for the firsttime having been heavily involved inCare Show since it replaced theHealthcare Commission, theCommission for Social CareInspection and the Mental Health ActCommission in 2009.

Their stand will give visitors thechance to source help and adviceabout registration, as well as provid-ing an ideal opportunity to find outmore about the inspectorate and howit works. Additional notable newexhibitors include GHMCommunications, O2 Health,CaterXpress and ADT Fire & Security,a range which truly reflects thebreadth of products and services ondisplay.

N&C Phlexicare, another newexhibitor, is lined up to take part inthe MyBusiness seminar theatre pre-senting a session entitled ‘Wet floors,

Don’t be Bamboozled!’ which willcover both the benefits and pitfalls ofwet floors and tips on how to make abathroom space beautiful rather thanclinical.

Also featured will be Bournemouth-based chartered town planning anddevelopment consultants Tanner &Tilley, providing insight into the con-cept of localism and the need forworking in partnership in order toexpand housing choice.

Continuing on this theme, Christie& Co’s Charles Phillips and BernardWynne are lined up to present ‘Howdo we assess the healthcare market?’which will be an insight into the cur-rent market conditions for site devel-opment, sale and purchase.

The Best Practice & Dementia Careand Keynote seminar theatres willjoin the MyBusiness theatre and willbe packed with insightful educationalpresentations from a variety of indus-try specialists.

These include the official Care Showcharity partner – the CareProfessionals Benevolent Fund, theRoyal College of Nursing, NAPA andthe NCA’s Nadra Ahmed OBE who ispresenting ‘Caring for the Future’, anupdate on the care industry; wherewe are now, what we can expect fromthe future and how to be ready.

Visitors interested in attending CareShow Bournemouth on March 27 and28 can register for free and gain fur-ther information atwww.careshow.co.uk/bournemouth

Show providesan opportunityto network

TWO care home managers have beenpresented with a care company’saward that was launched in memoryof a former resident.

Julie Cullis, manager of Oak Trees inBridgwater, and Diane Allen, manag-er of the newly built Croft House inWilliton, were presented with aBristol blue glass bowl for winningthe Harry Patch award.

Harry, a World War I veteran, lived atanother Somerset Care home,

Fletcher House, for 12 years until hisdeath in the summer of 2009.

Julie has also been supporting thequality assurance process for thegroup, helping to develop and co-ordinate a robust system that is usedacross the company.

Diane has put in copious amountsof extra time and effort to help thedevelopment of Croft House, includ-ing its official royal opening whichtook place in October.

Julie and Diane with Chris Davies, non-executive director of Somerset Care.

Managers receive accolade

15 17/1/12 09:48 Page 1

CARINGNEWS16

By Dominic Musgrave

BUPA care homes across the UK wantto hear from people who can spin agood yarn to join in the company’splans to mark National StorytellingWeek.

The care homes will be hostingspecial community storytellingevents and are appealing forstorytellers to bring tales and fablesto life. Celebrated each year, NationalStorytelling Week aims to increaseawareness of the value of sharingstories.

This is the second year Bupa will bemarking the week, where a similarappeal last year saw hundreds of localpeople step forward to help carehome residents enjoy a week ofclassic storytelling.

Community affairs assistant LauraHardaker said: “Whether you’re abudding poet, a lively storyteller oryou have your own tale to tell, we’dlove to hear from anyone who cantake part. We want to bring people ofall ages together to feed imaginations,share memories and help celebratethe lost art of storytelling.”

Supporting Bupa again this year isThe Reader Organisation that worksacross the UK to bring peopletogether for ‘read aloud’ sessions.

Among the tales and fables being

shared, residents will also be reading‘Poems to Take Home’, a collection ofspecial poems specifically chosen bythe charity’s ‘Get Into Reading’groups to be read out loud.

Katie Clark, older people’s projectmanager for The ReaderOrganisation, added: “This appeal is agreat way of getting involved insharing the reading experience.

“Storytelling makes it possible foreveryone to engage with books andpoems, and listening to and reading

aloud different stories will have ahuge impact on wellbeing andengagement. This is a chance toreach out, connect with people andenjoy the power of stories.”

Altogether, more than 300 carehomes will be hosting storytellingevents, as well as launching shortstory writing competitions andteaming up with local communitygroups and schools to encourageothers to write and share their owntales.

Group wants storytellersto help celebrate event

Bupa residents Charles (89) and Gertrude Thomas (85), who celebrated their 60thwedding anniversary on Christmas Eve, with Katie Clark, older people’s project managerfor The Reader Organisation and Laura Hardaker, Bupa’s community affairs assistant.

Residentsget a tasteof India attheme nightA TASTE of India spiced up thelives of residents at aShrewsbury nursing homeduring a food tasting sessionhosted by one of the town’sleading restaurants.

Abdul Husen, head chef atCafé Saffron, and RahanHussain visited residents atMorris Care’s Radbrook facilityto give a talk on the origins andvarieties of Indian food.

Abdul then took to thekitchens to prepare a feast ofstarters, snacks and maincourse sample dishes.

Residents had theopportunity to try favourites,including samosas and chickentikka, as well as Café Saffronspeciality Tawa Labra -marinated grilled chicken,cooked with fresh ginger, garlicand fresh green herbs.

Nurse manager Sue Austinsaid: “We often hold themedevenings at Radbrook, and atour last residents’ meetingthere were a number ofrequests to sample Indianfood.”

16 17/1/12 09:49 Page 1

17 Mayfair 11/1/12 10:36 Page 1

CARINGLAUNDRY18

TRADITIONALLY , laundry managershave used one supplier for theircommercial laundry equipment andanother to supply their detergentsand dosing system.

But with PHS Laundryserv’s all-inclusive, Complete Care service,traditions are set to change.Complete Care is designed to makerunning an on-site laundry as simpleas possible by providing all theequipment, dosing systems anddetergents a laundry needs in oneeasy to budget for, all-inclusivemonthly price.

Lynne Vanes, managing director ofPHS Laundryserv, said: “We believeComplete Care is a unique offeringand by ensuring there are no hiddencosts or surprise bills, and that all the

equipment and detergent costs areincluded in a single monthly cost, wecan make laundry budgeting assimple as one, two, three.”

Complete Care offers completeflexibility, allowing it to be tailored toany laundry requirement and anywasher size.

It also includes the installation of areliable and accurate detergentdosing system, as well as allmaintenance and any repairs for thelifetime of all the equipment.

With all the detergents, destainersand softeners you need included,Laundryserv has also removed thehassle of having to continually placerepeat orders by delivering thequantities of each of your laundryneeds automatically each month.

JLA Group, the market-leadingcommercial laundry company thatwas bought by HG Capital in 2010,will double in size in the next fiveyears, according to its chief executive.

Stephen Baxter, a Glasgow-bornbusinessman, replaced founder JohnLaithwaite in the key leadership rolelast year and says JLA’s growth willcome partly from its existing corelaundry business, new productdevelopments, and a number ofstrategic acquisitions.

He said:“We are fortunate that thecompany has a strong pedigree andthe excellent team of people we havehas earned us a reputation for quality

and reliability. But that reputation isnot guaranteed and we are restless inour pursuit for opportunities toimprove, and to offer more thanlaundry services.

“Only by consistently providingbetter service and new products willwe succeed in an increasinglycompetitive marketplace.”

Two of the three new companies –Mason of Blackpool and ExpertService South West –– bolster JLA’score business in laundry equipmentand service, while the first – Citinet –is a legionella monitoring business,an increasingly importantconsideration for care homes.

Firm to break from tradition

Group to double in five years

MIELE’S Little Giants are the perfectanswer to your daily launderingneeds.

These small but powerful machinesare compact but have theperformance of a commercialmachine.

The easy to operate, 6.5kg washingmachines and dryers are not onlysuitable for all types of laundry, butthe short programme times meanthese efficient machines will have6.5kg of laundry washed and dried inonly 90 minutes.

The PW 6065 washer-extractorbenefits from Miele’s uniquepatented Honeycomb drum whichenables the laundry to glide on a thinfilm of water and affords itunparalleled levels of protection,extending the life of garments andlinen.

The washers are complemented bythe 6.5kg PT 7135C and PT 7136

tumble dryers which also have theHoneycomb drum to ensure fast,gentle and efficient drying.

Recently, new to the range is theLittle Giant Heat-Pump dryer PT5137WP, with the integration of theheat-pump module where there is noneed for vent ducting, this dryer is sosparing in its use of electricity thatsavings of up to 50 per cent areachieved in comparison to aconventional condenser dryer.

With available stacking kits, LittleGiant washers and dryers can easilyoccupy minimal laundry room space.

The Little Giant machines arecompliant with Machinery Guideline2006/42/EC and are WRAS approved.Dump valve drain versions featuretwo sluice and thermal disinfectionprogrammes meeting Department ofHealth guidelines HSG (95) 18, andconform to the requirements of TheCare Standard Act 2000.

The perfect answer toyour home’s daily needs

18 17/1/12 09:50 Page 1

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20 Miele 17/1/12 12:21 Page 1

21CARINGNEWS

Morris Care staff celebrate their awards with actor James Sutton.

By Dominic Musgrave

MORRIS Care picked up a hat-trick ofaccolades at the annual ShropshirePartners in Care Awards ceremony.

Jackie Hodson from the group’sTelford site walked away with the cov-eted carer of the year title in the resi-dential and nursing category for herdedication to delivering the highestquality care.

And Oldbury Grange Nursing Homein Bridgnorth took the prestigioushealth and wellbeing award for itsdiverse and innovative range of activ-ities and events that better the lives ofits residents.

Each Morris Care home has a dedi-cated social life coordinator whoarranges a daily programme of activi-ties to ensure wellbeing amongst resi-dents. The award was collected byGeraldine Bunning.

The group also took home thehealthy eating award in recognitionof its commitment to providing ahealthy, fresh and varied diet for its

residents. Under the direction of executive

chef Paul Ratcliffe, all of the group’smeals are prepared on site, with regu-lar restaurant evenings held for resi-dents and their families.

Director Tim Morris said: “Thegroup is committed to delivering thevery best quality nursing care, andensuring that each and every residentis treated as an individual.

“It is this ethos which has estab-lished us as one of the premier careproviders in the county, and theseawards are a true reflection of all ofthe hard work and dedication thateveryone at Morris Care shows to ourresidents.”

The awards were presented byHollyoaks and Emmerdale actorJames Sutton, and are run byShropshire Partners in Care, a non-profit organisation supporting thedevelopment of a sustainable andhigh quality social care sector inShropshire and Telford and Wrekin.

Treble successfor care provider

EVENTIDE home in Cornwall sharesthe Queen’s Diamond Jubilee thisyear and is celebrating with a packedprogramme, including a new‘Diamond’ extension.

The not-for-profit residential carehome in Liskeard opened in 1952when the Queen came to the throne.

Funded by local donations, it wasthe people of Liskeard’s memorial forthose who gave their lives in theSecond World War.

The new extension and works willmean the home can accommodatetwo more residents (from 24 to 26).

En-suite facilities will be installed infour bedrooms and there will be anew reception area and manager’soffice as well as a designated roomfor respite care, helping meet stronglocal demand for this service.

The home has secured £6,500 fromthe National Lottery and this will beused to improve the garden, includ-ing making it wheelchair accessible,

with a view to hosting more commu-nity events such as band and scoutdays.

Events get into gear in April with thegrand opening of the home’s newlounge, named after local residentStanley Maggs, and this will be fol-lowed a few weeks later by a chil-dren’s Easter egg hunt and pet show.

Other plans include inviting thelocal community college to create apiece of wall art in the reception areaand a ‘Memory Lane’ event whereLiskeard residents can send in photosand memories of Eventide.

Manager Jennifer Nancarrow-Allensaid: “Almost everyone in Liskeardhas some kind of connection with thehome, and we have excellent rela-tionships with schools, the communi-ty college and churches.”

Eventide, which has its own careambassador and dignity champion,has also achieved five stars from envi-ronmental health.

Packed programme ashome celebrates landmark

21 17/1/12 09:52 Page 1

?? Eric Howard 10/1/12 11:33 Page 1

23

Caring UK Commercesection brings you all the latest property,business and trainingnews every month.

In this issue:

� Finance packageenables home tocomplete refurb

Page 24

� Work finishesearly thanks togrant

Page 25

� Care home salessecure 84 jobs

Page 26

Home to remain familyrun thanks to 15-year dealA SOUTH Yorkshire care home is set toremain a family-run business followingthe signing of a 15-year finance deal.

Husband and wife Paul and SarahRatcliffe run Beech Cliffe Care Home inRotherham and Beech Cliffe Grange inGreasbrough which have a total of 19residents and employ 70 staff.

The finance deal with SantanderCorporate Banking will enable the cou-ple to purchase the homes from Paul’sfather and stepmother, Jack and AnnRatcliffe, who are retiring.

Both former teachers, Jack and Annopened the Beech Cliffe Care Home in1994. To meet demand for their special-ist care services they expanded opera-tions four years later by opening BeechCliffe Grange.

Paul and Sarah have been working inthe business since 2006, gaining experi-ence in all aspects of care home man-agement.

A former officer in the Royal TankRegiment, Paul was also a secondaryschool teacher for ten years, while hiswife worked as a senior nurse atNottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre.

Paul said his military career had helpedhim in the business in that it gave himskills in problem-solving, discipline andattention to detail. The experience ofteaching had also helped in that theapproach and ideas that worked withautistic people were similar to classroomtechniques.

He said: “My father taught in bothmainstream schools and for the National

Autistic Society. When with the NAS hequickly gravitated towards those display-ing the most challenging behaviour.Beech Cliffe originated from his con-cerns about what came next for thesechildren when they reached school-leav-ing age.”

The homes have an extremely lowturnover rate – only one resident has leftsince 1994 – and Paul is a strong believerin highly personalised care as well asinvestment in staff training.

He said: “Challenging behaviour is veryprevalent with a lot of autistic people,but it arises from their individual needs.You can’t expect success in meetingthese and as a result reducing challeng-ing behaviour unless you invest in yourpeople and their training.”

23 17/1/12 09:53 Page 1

CARINGCOMMERCE24

BROADWAY Care Centre Ltd hascompleted the £2.1m refinance andrefurbishment of its HazelhurstNursing Home in Penarth.

The nursing home operator whichcurrently has three nursing homesbased at Pantannas Care Centre,Treharris, Hillside Care Centre (EMI),New Tredegar and Hazelhurst hasincreased capacity to 100 beds acrossthe group.

Company director Sonny Bamrah, aformer RAF engineer, purchased hisfirst care home in 2003 after his wifeKamal, a former nursing home chef,suggested they could provide a betterservice than some of the currentproviders.

He told Caring UK the newinvestment supported by BarclaysCorporate will increase the number ofstaff to over 100 over the next 12months.

“We specialise in providing highquality nursing care to people withdiffering needs,” added Kamal.“Demand for quality dedicated care isset to increase across the region andplacements are already limited at themoment so our investment into thebusiness is vital to our success.

“The refurbishment of Hazelhurstwill continue to enhance thereputation of our service. We already

have 100 per cent occupancy at thehome and a long waiting list which isa strong indicator that we are doingthe right things, for our residents andtheir families.”

Sonny said plans are already inplace to create a dedicated £5.5m,100 bed elderly care facility includingthe provision of mentally infirm care(EMI) adjoining Hazelhurst. Thehome will create approximately 100jobs.

He added: “The best thing aboutrunning your own business is theempowerment to make swiftdecisions to improve services for yourclients.

“However, there is also enormousresponsibility knowing that bothclients and employees depend onyour decision making and ability tomake the business a success.

“I have real concerns over the UK’selderly care strategy as most peopledon’t know if or how they will financetheir future care provision.

“Traditional local authority carehomes are increasingly coming underpressure to meet increased regulationand care standards, which is why theprivate sector must embrace thesechallenges, investing and improvingthe standards of care.”

Finance package enableshome to complete refurb

Howard Crackle, head of healthcare in Wales for Barclays Corporate with companydirector Sonny Bamrah.

BUPA Care Homes is investingover £7m to build its first carehome in Brighton and will becreating more than 100 new jobsin the local area.

The new 80-bed flagshipfacility will provide specialistnursing care and has also beencarefully designed to create apositive environment for peopleliving with dementia.

Regional director Mark Elliottsaid: “The focus will be onproviding a first-classpersonalised level of care, so wewill not only be offering the verybest facilities but the higheststandard of care and support.”

Due to be completed in early2013, the purpose-built carehome includes specific featuresto meet the different andchanging needs of residents.

To encourage engagement andaid connections with the past,memory triggers and items ofinterest will act as destinationpoints at the end of corridors forpeople living with dementia,while the characteristics of a“home” have also beenprioritised for residents.

Firm to build£7m facilityin Brighton

24 17/1/12 09:55 Page 1

25CARINGCOMMERCE

Working on a joint basis, GVA Grimley and DC Care has completed the sale of three carefacilities.The Old Gables in Shipley (pictured above) was sold with vacant possession, while twooperational specialist learning disability residential care homes – Putney House andWhitley Farm Cottages – were subsequently sold for a private vendor. The Old Gableshas been acquired by Advanced Childcare Limited. who intend to extensively refurbishthe premises for use as a children’s facility. Putney House and Whitley Farm Cottages inEast Yorkshire have been acquired by Heathcotes, a regional operator. The sale priceswere undisclosed.

Firms join to develop in LondonINTERNATIONAL retirement villageoperator LifeCare Residences Ltd andVINCI Construction UK have formeda joint venture to develop sites inLondon.

Their first facility, Battersea Place, isbeing built opposite Battersea Parkand, once complete, will have 112luxury apartments and penthouses,as well as a leisure complex with

indoor pool, chef-run restaurant andbar, library, IT and cinema rooms, aconcierge along with a boutique 30bed studio room nursing home.

LifeCare CEO Richard Davis said:“The new villages are going to behugely appealing to individuals whowish to continue living in the city,surrounded by like-minded people,in a caring and vibrant community.”

An artist’s impression of the new village.

Work to finishfive years earlyBy Dominic Musgrave

REFURBISHMENT plans forSheffield’s only care home with chari-table status are set to be completedfive years early, it has beenannounced.

Broomgrove Nursing Home manag-er Jill Wall described their success inwinning grants totalling £113,000 thatwill allow them to upgrade their maindining, sitting room and receptionareas by March as “the icing on thecake”.

She added: “One of the main aimsof our five-year development planlaunched in 2007 was to makeBroomgrove the home of choice forSheffield and the surrounding region.

“Investment priority had alwaysbeen given to individual patient careand living quarters but this windfall isset to allow us to upgrade publicareas far earlier and quicker than everenvisaged, which is fantastic news.

“Winning the £93,000 DepartmentOf Health Social EnterpriseInvestment Fund grant and another

£20,000 from the H S Fisher Trust willleave no one under any doubt as towhy we’re so popular.”

As well as funding a facelift for theentrance and main public areas, thegrants are also set to allow the pur-chase of a new seven-seater mini-busfor residents.

Jill added: “We’re hoping to get allthe work done by local firms whichwill help boost the local economy.

“We are re-shaping Broomgrove toensure it becomes “the home ofchoice” for people who are lookingfor expert respite, convalescent orlong-term nursing in a caring andstimulating environment. The recent-ly opened day care centre will alsohelp to support people living in theirown homes.”

A new day care co-ordinator, LizHarrison, was recently appointed tooversee the new services.

� Are you planning or currentlyundergoing a refurbishment pro-gramme at your care home? LetDominic Musgrave know by emailingdm@whpl.net BAM wins refurb contract

BAM Construction has won a £2.7mcontract for the major refurbish-ment of a Plymouth care home.

The contractor will use severallocal firms to help it carry out acomprehensive renovation of thevacant Nazareth House, increasing

capacity of the home from 33 to 44beds.

Residents were moved out of thehome in February last year, and willreturn to a larger, more comfortableand modernised environment inthe summer.

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 with extensionsand 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

25 17/1/12 10:25 Page 1

CARINGCOMMERCE26

Patrick Berry of P&C Care (second from right) with David Jones of Reward Capital, MoChaudry of CFD Accountants and Jonathan Simms of Clarion, who advised on theacquisitions.

Care home salessecure 84 jobsTWO West Yorkshire care homes havebeen acquired for an undisclosedsum by the newly-formed P&C CareLtd, securing the jobs of 84 staff.

The deal was made possible by amulti-million pound funding packageinvolving National Westminster BankPlc which was arranged andsupported by the funder RewardCapital which itself invested a sixfigure sum. Based in Shipley and ledby Patrick and Catherine Berry, P&CCare has acquired the properties andbusiness of Ivy Nursing Home inShipley and The Mount NursingHome in Bradford which wereformerly part of Holberry Care Ltd.

Both of the 40-bed care homes willbe managed by the couple, who haveextensive experience in the carehome sector.

He said: “Having spent most of our

lives working in the care home sector,we are passionate about providingthe very best for our clients.

“We look forward to continuing tooperate these homes to a highstandard and building on theirexcellent reputation and businesssuccess as well as expanding andacquiring further homes in the future.

Patrick is a qualified nurse andworked for the NHS for 17 yearsbefore leaving to work in the privatesector. He has run EMI care homesfor over 20 years and his wifeCatherine has also worked in financeand nursing home administration formany years.

The homes were sold by DC Care,who were acting upon theinstructions of joint administrators DF Wilson and J N R Pitts of BegbiesTraynor in Leeds.

26 17/1/12 09:57 Page 1

27CARINGNEWS

By Leon Smith

AS WE entered 2011 I genuinelyhoped for better things for the sec-tor. We had the Dilnot Commission’sreport to look forward to, and theGovernment had promised extrafunding for social care.

Unfortunately, one of the manysymptoms of reaching a “matureage” is that New Year positivitytends to last less and less long. Trueto form, my optimism proved to bevery short lived.

Perhaps, in a year so utterly full ofnews, the best we could have hopedfor was to hide in the background.You would think there wouldn’t bemuch space for social care on thefront pages in between the Japaneseearthquake and subsequent nuclearmeltdown, riots on the streets ofcities across the UK, a huge phonehacking scandal penetrating thepolice and government, seeminglyimminent global economic col-lapse, and the deaths of Osama BinLaden, Muanmar Ghaddafi, andKim Jong-il.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case,and we saw scandal after scandalhitting the headlines. The collapseof Southern Cross was followedswiftly by tragic stories of abuse andneglect across the sector.

Away from the front pages therewas more doom and gloom. Time

and money was wasted on theCQC’s proposals for a new qualityrating system, only for it to beroundly rejected and dropped.

Local authorities continued todemonstrate a lack of understand-ing of the actual cost of care. Notonly does the money which theycurrently pay for commissionedbeds in care homes come nowherenear the true cost, but this year theyare imposing unilateral and swinge-ing cuts.

Regardless of any contracts whichmay be in existence some localauthorities are deciding without anydiscussion or negotiation that theywill simply cut funding by five oreven eight per cent.

This in turn follows on from insome cases two years of no cost ofliving increases, set in the context ofinflation running at five per centper annum.

There was some good news in thesummer, when Andrew Dilnot setout an incredibly promising –though of course, not perfect – pro-posal for the UK’s system of socialcare funding. ‘This is what we’vebeen waiting for,’ the sector cried; ‘itwill take the fear out of growing old.’

The Government’s response waslukewarm, and though it haspromised a White Paper that willcontain a solution, it seems that thetreasury might be dragging its feet

over the cost of the proposals. At thepolitical party conferences, too,there was little talk of this incrediblyimportant issue.

All in all, this has not been a goodyear, and as we start 2012 we mustcontinue to put all our efforts intopushing the Government for actionon social care funding.

Despite all of this, once again Ifind myself looking to the New Yearwith a tiny light of optimism. Weread constantly (depending uponwhich particular set of figures onewishes to believe) that a child borntoday will have a one in threechance of living to be 100 years old.

This must be celebrated, and itseems society is finally waking up tothe fact that people are livinglonger. The wonderful ‘grey pride’movement has captured the imagi-nation of many thousands of peo-ple, drawing attention to older peo-ple’s needs.

At the same time, there are somany positive and fantastic thingshappening in care homes that nevermake it anywhere near the nationalpress – you only need to flickthrough the pages of Caring UK tosee the wonderful and innovativework being done by so many.

A few weeks ago, one of the resi-dents of my own care home, 103-year-old Fanny Berkoff, was fea-tured in the Sunday Times’ maga-

zine. Her resilience and dignityshone through the pages as anexample to us all of what old agecan be like.

We are privileged to be working ina sector where we are able to enjoyworking with so many remarkablepeople, many of whom have beenthrough far more than we couldever imagine. If they can continueto be optimistic then so can we.

� Leon Smith is the chief execu-tive of Nightingale.

Funding should be priority

Leon Smith

27 19/1/12 12:39 Page 1

CARINGDEMENTIA28

Seaside garden helpshome win design awardBy Dominic Musgrave

A ‘TRADITIONAL British seaside’recreated at an Essex care home hashelped the manager win a topNational Dementia Care Award.

Rosemary Moor, who managesCunningham House in Epping, wonbest exterior dementia designcategory for her sensory seasidegarden.

It features a sandy beach, chalets,deck chairs and even a boat, andresidents have been able to enjoybarbecues and picnics there whilereliving some of their fondestchildhood memories. There is alsoan audio system with sounds ofcrashing waves and seagulls.

Rosemary said: “The idea camefrom the residents who said theywanted a communal area whichwould remind them of trips to theseaside.

“Some of them were evacuated tothe seaside during the war and hadhappy memories of their timethere.”

Rosemary was presented with heraward during a ceremony at theCrown Plaza hotel in Liverpool. Itwas hosted by CBBC televisionpresenters Dick and Dom andattended by around 400 people.

Twelve awards were given includingbest dementia care team and bestdementia care home.

The ‘seaside’ is not the onlyattraction at Cunningham House,run by The Abbeyfield Society.Rosemary also has a ‘Walk ofHollywood’ feature dedicated tofilm stars and a ‘Babe in a CareHome’ theme complete with twolittle pigs. Residents voted on theirnames and chose Bonnie and

Clyde. Rosemary added: “We have

chickens, cats and peacocks too.Schoolchildren and residents’families come in to see the animalsand it’s a catalyst for conversation,raises our profile and is wonderfulfor our team.

“Our residents can encounter thenatural world while increasing theirwellbeing and social interactions.”

The seaside garden area at Cunningham House in Epping.

Footballeropens newspecial unit FOOTBALL legend Steve Bull hasopened a special unit inStaffordshire designed toimprove life for patients withsevere forms of dementia.

The former Wolves and Englandstriker opened the Kendal unit atthe Lakeview nursing home inGreat Wyrley, near Walsall. It willprovide a safe haven to help up toeight people with challengingbehaviour, including verbal orphysical aggression resultingfrom dementia, to get the mostout of life.

The priority is to enable them tolead as normal a life as possiblewhile focusing on their individualabilities.

Each member of staff at the unithas been carefully selectedbecause of their experience,qualifications and passion forcaring for older people who havecomplex needs with challengingbehaviour.

The team of highly trainedcarers is lead by a specialistpsychiatric nurse as well as carehome manager Kerry Jackson,who has been in charge atLakeview for the past four years.

28 17/1/12 09:59 Page 1

29CARINGDEMENTIA

By Helen Williams

RESIDENTS at a Redditch nursinghome are enjoying a 1930s/1940sreminiscence room – with perioddetails right down to three flyingducks on the wall.

The room at Southcrest CareNursing Home in Mount Pleasant fea-tures a treasure trove of items such asretro sofas and wallpaper, a gramo-phone, Bakelite telephone and vin-tage glass cabinet.

Only recently opened by localmayor Anita Clayton, the cosy roomis already delivering results in termsof comfort and a sense of nostalgicfamiliarity for residents.

One might think furnishing such aroom came with a hefty price tag –after all, collectors are competing forsimilar classic items – but nursinghome manager Tracey Jary explainedthat this was far from the case.

“We were at a managers’ meetingfor Worcester and heard that anotherlocal home had just bought a remi-niscence pod for £1,500,” she added.

“We thought it was fantastic butwere conscious of budget and decid-ed to link up with the recycling web-site Freecycle. We found out they hada hospice shop and I was invited tocome down and pick out anything Iwanted.”

After that, relatives joined in thehunt for items. They started bringingthings into the home, and the remi-niscence room project snowballed.

“It was super,” said Tracey.“Particularly when this room hadbeen so underused before. It hadbeen a lounge area but we only tend-ed to use it for staff meetings.”

There were some items that had tobe bought, such as wallpaper.

“Authentic wallpaper from the peri-od was about £80 a roll but I man-aged to pick up a great retro designfrom B&Q,” said Tracey.

Residents have responded warmlyto the room. Tracey added: “We havea number of residents with dementianeeds so being somewhere familiar iscomforting for them.

“Some residents have even movedin there as their general day roomand have taken in their own photos.One lady was agitated anywhere elsebut she went into this room andimmediately calmed down.”

The care home has three floors andstaff are now looking at creatinganother reminiscence area on anoth-er floor.

� Are you transforming an area inyour care home? Let DominicMusgrave know by emailingdm@whpl.net or telephone 01226734407.

Redditch mayor Anita Clayton opens the new room with councillor Bill Lowe.

Flying ducksamong treasuretrove in room

Coun Phil Harrison and Jim McMahon, leader of Oldham council, with Sue and AlanFirth, managing director and executive chairman of Meridian respectively.

AN Oldham care home hasreopened and will offer short staydementia care to people.

The 20-bed Limecroft facility hasbeen refurbished and will be run byMeridian Healthcare, who haverecruited staff, including local resi-dents, to provide professional carefor service users.

Phil Harrison, cabinet member foradult social services and health,was among the official party whenthe centre was reopened.

He said:“The facility was wellliked by patients, families and car-ers and as a co-operative councilwe have listened to what these peo-ple have told us and moved quicklyto re-open it.

“Limecroft was given a three-star

rating and classed as ‘excellent’ inits last inspection by the CQC so itwould have been a travesty to see itmothballed.

“It has undergone a refurbish-ment and the care home has beenrestored as a centre of excellencefor adult social care provision.”

Limecroft’s doors closed onMarch 31 and its dementia careprovision was transferred to theremaining council-run residentialcare home at Medlock Court. Theday service for people with demen-tia was relocated to High Barn.

It will be managed by the experi-enced Hazel Smith, who previouslymanaged a 20 place day centre inthe town for people with dementiarelated conditions.

Refurbished home reopens

CARE UK has announced theappointment of Maizie Mears-Owenas the organisation’s first head ofdementia care.

Since joining the company in 2008as a service development manager,she has contributed to the develop-ment of the company’s dementiastrategy by creating an experientialtraining programme aimed at all col-leagues working within the residen-tial care division.

In her new role, Maizie will beresponsible for the continued devel-opment internally of Care UK’sapproach to the care and support ofpeople with dementia in its homesnationwide.

She will also be representing CareUK externally as the company seeksto maintain dementia care at the topof the Government’s agenda in termsof funding, care quality and innova-tion.

Firm appoints first dementia head

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30 required Systems 16/1/12 15:28 Page 1

If you would like toadvertise in our

home care sectionplease contact:01226 734692 or

email tb@whpl.net

By Dominic Musgrave

THE proposed creation of a patients’rights group for care users and theirrelatives is welcome but long over-due, it has been claimed.

Elaine Brady, managing director ofWillowbrook, which employs 230 staffand operates across Lancashire, hasgreeted care services minister PaulBurstow’s plans to tackle “quality andmistreatment” with relief.

Elaine, who was recently namedbusinesswoman of the year at the BeInspired Business Awards, added:

“We do have an independent regu-lator of social and health care ser-vices, the CQC, but this body wouldcome at reviewing the provision froma completely new and refreshingangle.

“I feel such a method of puttingcare users’ and their families’ con-cerns to bed is long overdue. With a‘good care guide’ for families andusers to examine the suitability ofpotential providers, and the spotchecks which would support this, allthose firms currently lagging behindin terms of exceptional patient careand employee support mechanismswould need to up their game.

“It should however be said that thiswill not solve all of the care sectorsproblems. It is essential the govern-

ment take a long hard look at howsocial care across the country can befair and sustainable, taking intoaccount the tighter budgets all withinthe industry now face. Professionalsthroughout the industry are keen tobe involved in this process.”

In the 11 years the business hasbeen running, Elaine’s enthusiasmand determination has seenWillowbrook complete four acquisi-tions of other care agencies, secureitself as one of Lancashire CountyCouncil’s preferred domiciliaryproviders and be certified as a Cityand Guilds training centre.

She added: “As we currently stand,selecting the best of the best for yourown, or your relatives’ needs can be astrenuous activity.

“We try hard to exemplify our bestpractices and put all parties involvedat ease that we will do our very bestand treat our customers with theutmost respect and dignity. To haveoutside reassurance that this is truewould be of great benefit to our cus-tomers.

“This would offer an easy way ofcomparing and contrasting qualita-tive research on providers, enablingfamilies and users to select theprovider that will most closely matchtheir needs.”

Rights groupsplan is overdueclaims director

The Jewish Care adult social work team won the silver award for the adult team of theyear category in the annual National Social Worker of the Year Awards.The team was presented with its accolade at a ceremony at the House of Lords, whichwas attended by more than 170 social workers from across the UK.The team consists of Anna Smith, mental health social work manager, Sally Rose,Naomi Glickman, Helen Rosen, Stuart Sidloff and Emily Mann.

A GUISBOROUGH based home carecompany is growing so rapidly that ithas been been forced to move to newpremises in the town.

Caremark (Redcar and Cleveland), acompany that provides home care topeople across Teesside and NorthYorkshire has revealed further expan-sion plans as the business continuesto go from strength to strength. Thecompany was set up in November2008, and three years on it has grownfrom two staff to more than 60.

The launch of a new live-in care ser-vice is expected to create another 50jobs for the local community over thenext 12-18 months. In, addition thecompany is actively looking toincrease its number of private cus-tomers.

Charles Folkes, director of Caremark

(Redcar and Cleveland), said: “Icouldn’t have known when I startedthe business in 2008 that it wouldhave grown so quickly from providinga few hundred hours of care per weekto the current position of around1,400.

“We are now targeting a figure of3,000 hours over the next 12 months,and with the launch of our newHabito live-in service, we are furtherstrengthening our offer by being ableto provide care 24 hours a day, sevendays a week.

Caremark (Redcar and Cleveland) isnow an accredited provider forRedcar and Cleveland borough coun-cil and North Yorkshire county coun-cil. The company is currently in theprocess of targeting further localauthorities.

Charles Folkes outside the new offices.

Agency moves to larger office

Group chairman cuts ribbonGROUP chairman Barrie Dale cutthe ribbon to officially openSomerset Care at Home’s newoffices in Yeovil.

Staff from across the companyattended the festivities, along withkey members of social services andhospital teams.

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33CARINGNEWS

HALF Acre House has 25 residents, many withdementia, and has actively pursued links withjunior and primary schools to help develop inter-esting activities – most recently with Marland Hillprimary.

Children from the school came to sing to resi-dents over Christmas week and have recentlyworked on a project linking toys with memorabilia.This month up to 30 children from reception class-es will visit the home for a Chinese New Year cele-bration.

Anita Lewis, who owns the home with husbandRodney, said: “We’ll share Chinese food and makehats and artwork like a collage dragon.

“The children will perform a dragon dance andChinese New Year traditions – exchanging redenvelopes with (chocolate) money and tangerines –and there will be a tai chi demonstration.”

In May, the home hosts a special tea when chil-dren will dance around the maypole and put on aschool concert and later in the year children andresidents celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee.

Half Acre House recently appointed two seniorstaff to develop in-house activities and they aredevising personalised projects for individual resi-dents.

Former teacher Anita, who is 70 this year, said herniece Nina Clegg had taken over as business man-ager at Half Acre House and this had freed up timefor her to focus on activities.

She added: “Activities are an increasingly impor-tant feature of care, and their quality can really dif-ferentiate a home. We have always had good com-munity relations but schools is an area I haverecently been able to concentrate on.

“As a former teacher I knew there was potentialfor us to be part of schools’ community projects,but saying that, you have to be persistent – teachersare very busy people.”

Half Acre House also has links with local churcheswho come into the home regularly, runs its ownnewsletter and annual charity fundraiser, and hoststhemed evenings like French and Italian nights.

Anita said: “A lot of our residents can’t or don’twant to go out – just going out for a meal can be a

big trauma – so we thought why not get togetherwith friends and relatives at home?

“For our French night we had an accordion playerand staff dressed up as waiters. We put up Frenchflags and pictures of Paris and I introduced thenight with a few French phrases.”

� Have you forged links with the local churchesand schools in your community? Let DominicMusgrave know by emailing dm@whpl.net or tele-phone 01226 734407.

A Rochdale care home has been developing fun events with local schools including a Christmassingsong and Chinese New Year party. Helen Williams found out more.

The benefits of close community links

Half Acre House in Rochdale.

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CARINGNEWS34

A training programme in care homes has boosted staff confidence and improved advance careplanning. Karen Jackson, family liaison coordinator at Healthcare at Home Ltd, explains how.

IN 2010, NHS Birmingham East andNorth and Healthcare at Home Ltdjoined forces to deliver a six-monthprogramme providing end-of-lifecare training to seven residentialhomes in the area.

The training involved an intensivetwo-week programme of sessionsaround end-of-life care, speciallydesigned to support care home staffin identifying residents in the last 12months of life and makingpreparations to ensure a gooddeath.

HaH also provide a range of hometreatment services including end oflife care, chemotherapy at homeand enhanced supported dischargeto 125,000 patients each year.

The pilot fits into a much broaderend-of-life care strategy, which setsout a number of areas that needimprovement, including provisionof staff training programmes.

One issue the scheme highlightedwas how many participants did notfeel confident initiating discussionswith their residents regarding end-of-life care preferences.

With this in mind, the group wasgiven guidance on how to spotopportunities to broach aconversation around end-of-life

care planning, and were empoweredto be more proactive in this regard.

Staff were also unfamiliar withtheir residents’ clinical conditionsand therefore couldn’t understandwhy people reacted in the way thatthey did. The HaH nurses taught

them about conditions such asAlzheimer’s disease, stroke andCOPD and the different ways inwhich each condition affects thebody. Consequently, staff were ableto recognise clinically-drivenbehavioural patterns and appreciate

how each condition may impact onadvance care planning.

In addition, staff were introducedto end-of-life care tools such as theSix Step Pathway, the PersonalChoices Plan and the ‘All About Me’form.

This 11-page document isdesigned to provide all relevantinformation about a resident so thatany staff who become engaged incaring for the individual haveimmediate access to personaldetails such as allergies and dietaryrequirements.

Simple, cost-effective initiativeslike these have had an enormousimpact in terms of safeguarding thedignity of residents and improvingcare.

The success of the project waslargely dependent on theenthusiasm and commitment ofstaff members. Those homes thatembraced the training underwent asignificant cultural shift that hastransformed their provision of careand given staff the tools to engagewith residents in more meaningfulways.

� To find out more aboutHealthcare at Home visitwww.hah.co.uk

Improving end-of-life care

Sue Beach, family liaison coordinator for HaH, with client Linda.

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35CARINGNEWS

By Dominic Musgrave

THE number of care home bedsrose by 6,500 last year, a report intothe state of the industry hasrevealed.

At April 2011 capacity stood at481,100 places in residential set-tings for long stay care of elderlyand physically disabled people,compared to 474,600 in 2010 andup almost three per cent over the2006 figure of 467,600.

That was the surprising finding ofthe latest research from healthcareintelligence provider Laing &Buisson in its 2011/12 edition ofCare of Elderly People UK MarketSurvey, which also reported that thenumber of people living in carehomes in the UK rose by 6,500 to421,000 in the year ending April2011.

Commenting on the report,William said: “The unexpectedsurge in net capacity over the lastthree years is the most significanttrend to emerge from recent Laing& Buisson market monitoring, sinceit impacts on occupancy rates andprofitability at a time when the sec-tor is also being challenged by localauthority constraints.

“This is the third year in succes-

sion in which capacity has edgedupwards. Prior to that, capacity hadfallen for 12 successive years.

“If, as this report projects, capacitycontinues to increase in the future,the end of the first decade of thiscentury will have marked a signifi-cant turning point in the history ofUK care homes from a decliningsector to once more a growing one.”

Other notable findings of thestudy included an eight per centdrop in the number of homecarehours provided in the latest avail-able figures of 2009/10 from 200

million to 183 million.The funding profile of England’s

care home population continued tomove towards private payers in2011, with 41 per cent of residents,almost 160,000, now fully responsi-ble for their own fees.

William said those with high expo-sure to state-pay – especially in theNorth and the Midlands – are expe-riencing a double blow from coun-cil fee freezes and reductions in thevolume of local authority demand.

He added: “Within the state paidsector, most councils froze theirbaseline fee rates in the face ofswingeing cuts in central govern-ment funding.

“In contrast, the private pay mar-ket continues to bear significant feeincreases. As a result Laing &Buisson has found that care homefees have risen at a surprisinglyhigh compound annual growth rateof 3.5 per cent for nursing care andfour per cent for residential careover the last four years, with no signof a break in the trend in 2011/12.

“Nonetheless, care home opera-tors with a high level of exposure tolocal authority funding will haveexperienced significant pressureson margins in 2011/12, with furtherpressure expected in 2012/13.”

Study reveals a rise inthe number of care beds

William Laing

Featheredfun amongthe festiveactivitiesA SURREY care home hosted aselection of activities during thefestive season.

Residents and staff at CoppiceLea Care and Retirement Homein Merstham took part in somefeathered fun which included asponsored walk on the SussexCuckoo Trail.

Staff dyed their hair ‘chick yel-low’ and enjoyed a day out walk-ing.

The programme sponsored thepurchase of chicken eggs, whichwere hatched and raised for twoweeks by the care home.

Residents were able to watchthe chicks hatch in the incubatorand then nurture them throughtheir first two weeks of life.

Activities co-ordinator BipSlater said: “Residents and staffheld vigil waiting and watchingthe chicks hatch in the incuba-tor. Everyone in the homeenjoyed nurturing the chicks andwatching them grow into beauti-ful little feathered friends. Thechicks were so friendly.”

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36

Leading risk management software supplier

DATIX is the leading supplier ofpatient and resident safetysoftware for health and socialcare risk management, incidentreporting and adverse events.

Datix gives care homemanagers the information theyneed to build a completepicture of risk in theirorganisation. Datix 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 of Datix for social care include:Management dashboards which display information on the organisation’s risks in a clear, simple format.Sophisticated alerting mechanisms that give care home managers early warning of potential trouble

spots.Flexible views of risk management information, allowing risks to be shown by particular care home,

department or even an individual resident.Security of access to information, restricting managers to viewing only data that is relevant to their care

home or area of interest.

Enquiries: Contact 020 8971 1971 or email info@datix.co.uk

Traditional styles for the care home fromGrahame Gardner Ltd

DESPITE the changing trends within the industry,Grahame Gardner still stock an extensive range oftraditional workwear which continues to bepopular with care home staff around the UK.

Tunics hold an enduring appeal as theywithstand the rigours of the working day well,manufactured with durable fabrics that hold theirshape over the long term.

Sales director Simon Ward said: “We haveexpanded our range hugely over the past 10 years,bringing in several ranges of scrubwear as well asmore contemporary tunics.

“Whereas a number of care homes now dochoose to go for the relaxed comfort of scrubs, anequal number remain committed to theprofessional image conveyed by traditional tunicsand trousers.”

Grahame Gardner offer one of the largest colour palettes within the industry and are also able topersonalise garments with the addition of embroidered names, logos or badges.

Enquiries: Telephone 0116 255 6326 or visit www.grahamegardner.co.uk

New Knightsbridge seating presents an air ofdistinction

AN air of distinction characterises the Lugano and Luciaranges of seating, which have just been added to the wide-ranging Care Collection by Knightsbridge Furniture.

Intended to enhance lounge and reception areas,bedrooms and communal spaces within residential carefacilities, Lugano includes handsomely-proportioned two-and three-seat sofas, together with elegant uprightarmchairs and club chairs in both compact and easy versions.

The design story throughout is characterised by gracefulsloping arms and softened angles, with style optionsembracing plain, diamond-buttoned or fluted backs.

Equally tasteful is the Knightsbridge Lucia range.Comprising dining chairs, upright chairs and armchairs inopen and fully-upholstered versions, Lucia is designed onstylish, uncluttered lines to complement traditional and contemporary interiors alike

Both the Lugano and Lucia ranges are offered in a wide selection of upholstery fabrics, with show-woodin complementary Cherry, Wenge, Bleached Beech, Oak, Natural Beech or Walnut. Customer-specificrequirements can also be accommodated.

Enquiries: Call 01274 731442, e-mail enquiries@knightsbridge-furniture.co.uk or visitwww.knightsbridge-furniture.co.uk

Every care home should have one

HIS sledge consists of dual inner foam, lower layer firmto ride over any surfaces, carpets, concrete or anybumps like stairs, and an upper layer for patient

comfort. There are safety belts and a foot pocket to hold the

patient in place, pulling loops at each end and a toughslippery coated bottom side. The whole item is stored ina pouch and can hang on the wall.

Our customers agree with us:“Clark Medical recently loaned us one of their

emergency evacuation sledges for evaluation. Here atCare Management Group the safety of our service usersis central to how we operate, and value for money in thistough financial climate is vital too.

“The sledge does the job at around half the cost ofother similar products we have seen in the market, andwe are able to put these devices into our care homesenabling our staff to easily evacuate people in anemergency, even down a short flight of stairs.”

Simone Plaut CMIOSH MSc health and safety advisor, Care Management Group.Enquiries: Telephone 01844 275700 or visit www.clarkmedical.co.uk

New octenisan® wash mittsEfficient and reliable whole-body washingTime-saving, convenient and cost effective Reduced risk of cross-contamination asone pack is used for each resident

THE first antimicrobial wash mittscontaining the active ingredientoctenidine are available from schülke.octenisan® wash mitts are ideal for usewith bed-bound residents who are unableto shower or bathe. Each Mitt is designedfor single use and there are ten in a pack –eight are usually sufficient for full bodydecolonisation. The pack of wash mitts can be heated tobody temperature in a microwave before use. octenisan® is effective against a broad range of micro-organisms but unlike some antimicrobial washes, itsskin friendly formulation is gentle on the skin. The efficacy of octenisan comes from the unique active ingredient octenidine, which has been shown tohave a broad antimicrobial effect, including multi-resistant strains.

Enquiries: Telephone 0114 254 3500, visit www.schulke.co.uk or email mail.uk@schuelke.com

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

BEAUCARE® Medical Ltd is the UK’s premier supplier ofhygiene, medical supplies and equipment to individualcare homes, care home groups, hospitals and NHS Trusts.

We have developed a mattress disinfection wipe tocompliment our hygiene and janitorial range. These wipesare specifically formulated to control infection anddisinfect in one solution, with healthcare professionals inmind.

The wipe contains a complex mix of biocidesformulated to target a broad spectrum of microorganismsfound in health care environments, such as bactericidal,mycobactericidal, fungicidal, virucidal and sporistaticdisinfection.

Our mattress disinfection wipes are ready to use anddisposable, eliminating the risk of cross contamination. Acost saving alternative to multiple product solutions,supplied in a tub with resealable fastening for easier andquick dispensing. Ideal for cleaning our waterproof covered pressure reliefmattresses or doubles up as a multi-purpose surfacewipe.

Enquiries: Telephone 01423 878899, email sales@beaucare.com or visit www.beaucare.com

Beaucare’s mattress disinfection wipes

IN response to feedback fromcare home managers, ActiveMinds has decided to launcha unique range of activitypacks for people living withdementia.

Each pack contains aselection of Active Minds’unique activity products atdiscounted rates.

The packs have beenspecifically aimed at carehomes to provide theirresidence with a varied rangeof activities at a great price.They are already proving anessential tool for activity co-ordinators across thecountry.

Enquiries: Visit www.active-minds.co.uk, email info@active-minds.co.uk or telephone 020 7688 6636.

Activity packs for dementia launched

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37CARINGPRODUCT NEWS

TECHNOLOGICAL advances haveenabled Badgemaster to offer new,lower prices.

For over 20 years the company hasplaced keen emphasis on investing inthe most up to date manufacturingand order processing systems which,coupled with consistent volumegrowth, has always enabledeconomies to be passed on to cus-tomers.

MD John Bancroft said: “We’veoverhauled our price list to makelower quantities of badges accessibleat the same discounted rate previous-ly reserved for higher volumes andare able to offer further significantsavings for larger users - and theproduct quality is better than ever.”

John believes competitors will behard pushed to match Badgemaster’scombination of product quality andpricing and invites buyers to checkout their current deal against his owncompany’s offer.

DANFLOOR UK, leading suppliers ofimpervious carpets to the healthcaremarket, has introduced the strikingnew Equinox Stripe to its healthcarecollection.

The Stripe range consists of ninetonal shades produced in a slightlyheavier weight, making it suitable fora variety of applications from bed-rooms to corridors.

This versatile range is designed tosuit a number of environments fromnursing homes to sheltered accom-modation.

The new Stripe includes mædical™an antimicrobial yarn treatmentwhich offers a four log reduction of99.99 per cent in the presence ofharmful micro-organisms includingthe bacteria that causes MRSA.mædical™ deactivates microorgan-isms by physically stabbing the mem-brane of the microbe and electrocut-ing the biochemicals within it. mædi-cal™ also inhibits bacterial and fun-gal growth, which are the major caus-es of cross contamination and odour.

Badge firm’slower prices

Stripe addedto collection

Discreetfalls systemFALL prevention systems, most com-monly bed and chair sensor systems,are used to provide peace of mind topatients, carers and family.

The SensorCare bed and chair sys-tems are placed discreetly beneaththe patient’s mattress and chair cush-ion; when the patient vacates the bedor chair without assistance, the sys-tem audibly alarms informing thecarer that the patient is at risk and isin need of immediate assistance.

The carer using the SensorCare sys-tem is allowed the freedom to contin-ue with their daily tasks while stillproviding the highest and most vigi-lant level of care.

The SensorCare falls prevention sys-tem can be used as a stand aloneunit, with a paging system giving thecarer additional freedom or throughintegration with existing nurse call.

AID Call’s Nurse Call system includesmany features designed to help carehomes manage staff and resourcesmore efficiently.

The ‘Accept’ feature allows staff tosee that a colleague has alreadyaccepted a call to avoid doubling up.The ‘Next Call Waiting’ facility helpsstaff to use their time more efficientlyas when the call is completed at theresident’s bedside, the nurse is ableto pick up the next call from the samelocation, rather than having to returnto the central station to be notified.

This also improves response timesby reducing unnecessary journeys.

Aid Call’s Nurse Call system alsofeatures a call logging facility whichrecords the staff member in atten-dance. This allows you to track andmonitor individual staff activity i.e.which member is answering what calland when. This helps to providegreater clarity and accountability in acare management environment.When combined with Aid Call's CallLogging system, management areable to analyse response and atten-dance times at client and nurse level.

As well as maximising staff’s effi-ciency, these features also help toimprove the overall quality of careoffered to clients.

Featureshelps staff

In 2009 The Telegraph reportedfindings from a study by TheUniversity of California, LosAngeles which found that ‘googling’can help delay the onset of demen-tia by stimulating cells and path-ways in the brain due to “simulta-neous mental processes.”

Later that year, another studyfound that playing games and par-ticipating in computer activities“led to a 30 to 50 per cent decreasein the risk of developing memoryloss compared to people who did

not do those activities.”Specialist technology provider

SimplyUnite is a strong advocate ofdigital inclusion. Everyone, regard-less of age or ability, should haveaccess to computers, the internetand the benefits that both canbring.

Its simple-to-use Gem touch-screens combine email, Skype, theinternet and screen-based enter-tainment and has been designedspecifically for those living in resi-dential care or supported living.

Residents’ internet access

BIBBY Consulting & Support has putits backing behind plans to tightenup how care staff are recruited.

These include proposals thatrequire workers to register with thenew Independent SafeguardingAuthority .

Reiterating the company’s supportfor dedicated organisations that workin difficult circumstances, sometimeswith extremely vulnerable people,Managing Director Michael Slade

said Bibby has worked closely withmany high-profile and successfulcare homes for years and has a gen-uine appreciation of the issuesinvolved. As it does in other sectors,Bibby helps managers to comply withhealth and safety regulations and tocope with the day-to-day complexi-ties that might come out of dealingwith staff members – including disci-plinary and performance manage-ment issues.

Bibby supports proposals

LEADING portable kitchen supplierPKL has launched its new ProfitCalculator for the care home sector.

The calculator shows the amount ofprofit that could be generated forcare homes by converting existingkitchen space into additional bed-rooms and hiring one of their popularKitchenPods to replace it.

All that is required is the size of yourexisting kitchen and the amount you

charge for a bedroom per week. The Profit Calculator then works out

how many bedrooms could be creat-ed and calculates the total profit, pro-viding a breakdown of associatedcosts.

For example, a care home charging£600 per week could have its 25sqmkitchen converted into two bed-rooms, generating a net profit of£163,500 over five years.

Supplier launches new calculator

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38

Occupancy specialist

Computer Software

Alarm Systems

Signs

Care Home Software

Business Solutions

Transport

CARE in Bathing, the UK’s leadingmanufacturer and retailer of assistedbathing solutions, has appointedJohn Houghton as UK group salesdirector.

He will focus on providing strategicsales support to the Group’s operat-

ing divisions - GainsboroughSpecialist Bathing, Bathing Solutionsand Premier Care in Bathing - andbrings with him a wealth of experi-ence gained from within the seniorand mobility sector.

John will oversee a sales team of 45.

New sales director appointed

EMANUEL A Dribble, better known in the business transfer market as Eddie Dribble, has been in the carehome transfer agency business for around 40 years.

His extensive knowledge and expertise is second to none in negotiating a satisfactory conclusion formany long standing clients

In 1972 he founded and subsequently developed the care home division, of the then national transferagents Luxton and Lowe Limited. Since that time he has personally travelled the length and breadth of theBritish Isles inspecting and evaluating every type of care home.

No matter what size and what cost he has negotiated sales to a range of buyers, which include largecompanies and single private individuals.

He has established a reputation throughout the industry which provides a truly personal service, alwaysremaining fully confidential.

Luxton and Lowe Limited were taken over in 1991 by a large London property agent. At this time tokeep the personal service and confidentiality, which was also his strict code of practice, Eddie decided heneeded to form his own private transfer agency to continue to provide a high quality individualistic ser-vice. Since this time he has continued to serve the industry with his own brand of personal and confi-dential negotiations and keep his commission rates at a competitive level. To this day care homes of everysize and description and in every location are continuously required for a list of carefully vetted applicants.

Enquiries: Telephone 020 8942 0852.

Eddie’s knowledge and expertise second to none

MORE than 200 delegates from thehealthcare industry recently attendedThe Care Industry Forum at the luxu-ry Millennium Gloucester Hotel inLondon.

Delegates included over 65 buyersfrom UK care operators and 150 lead-ing Suppliers to the sector, in a seriesof 20 minute face-to-face meetingsalong with key networking functionsdelegates mixed seamlessly toachieve high level business opportu-nities. Hosted annually by DP EventsManagement each year the forumbrings together high profile buyersand dynamic industry suppliers.

The luxury venue used creates arelaxed yet highly focussed and pro-fessional environment.

Sales director Stan Barry said: “Injust two days you can meet seniordelegates, save 10,000 miles on theroad, a minimum of four months intime, large fuel and hotel expensesand the stress of that time on theroad its a no brainer.”

Events director Phil Halcrow said:“Compared with any other sourcingmethod, exhibition or advertisingopportunity, delegates will not find amore direct, time efficient and costeffective route to market.”

Next is the UK Healthcare IndustryForum at the luxury five-star GrandeSanta Eulalia Resort in Portugal fromMrch 8-11. More than 45 UK buyerswill attend. Only 75 supplier placesare available.

Forum saves time and money

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