June 2014

no.216 • £4.75

By Dominic Musgrave

THE UK’s third largest residentialcare provider has announced aconsultation on visible CCTVcameras to be installed in all of itscare and nursing homes as the latestmeasure to tackle the abuse andneglect of elderly residents.

The suggestion would mean careproviders are encouraged to offer an‘opt-in’ scheme where residents andtheir relatives would be able to askfor cameras to be placed in theirrooms.

HC-One is confirming that itintends to ask residents, familiesand staff if they would support sucha measure. If they do, HC-One willbe the first provider to implementthis kind of scheme.

A ComRes poll asked more than2,000 adults whether they wouldsupport or oppose cameras in carehomes. Four-fifths supported theinstallation of visible cameras – andover a third said they stronglysupported the measure.

Two years ago, failings wereexposed at an HC-One home, whena relative used secret filming in aresident’s room.

Since then the group has beenconsidering the controversial issueof using cameras in all its homes,and discussing the potential schemewith stakeholders and regulators.

HC-One’s chairman Dr Chai Patelsaid: “The secret filming that tookplace in 2012 showed shocking anddistressing failings. We do nottolerate this kind of behaviour andwe remain deeply sorry to theresident and their family.

“As soon as we became aware ofthe situation we took immediateaction. Over the last two years wehave had conversations with ourstakeholders and our regulatorabout the potential use of camerasin homes to protect the health andwellbeing of our residents.

“This is, and always will be, ournumber one priority. As anorganisation, and as a sector, weneed to move forward and tacklethis problem once and for all.Unannounced inspections by theCQC, local authorities, and our ownservice quality teams are important,but alone they do not alwaysuncover the actions of a smallnumber of individuals.

“This is why we feel placingcameras in care homes can onlyhelp protect the wellbeing anddignity of those we support. Wehope that, as a society, we can startan open and honest debate on thismost vital issue.”� Do you back the idea? Let editorDominic Musgrave know your viewby emailing dm@scriptmedia.co.ukor on Twitter @caringuk.

Care providerconsulting onCCTV cameras

Mezzo Soprano Laura Wright dropped by at the OrchardDay Centre, Epsom, to help celebrate the launch of theCare UK Wellbeing Foundation and partnership withNordoff Robbins, the UK’s leading music therapycharity. Laura – who has more than a million albumsales under her belt and is England’s official anthemsinger for the rugby – is a VIP Ambassador for NordoffRobbins, the first chosen charity partner for theWellbeing Foundation. The charity received a £50,000donation from the Foundation, which will fund morethan 1,500 music therapy sessions across the country.

MEMBERS of staff at StMarks Court in Gatesheadare learning sign languageto enable them tocommunicate moreeffectively with one of thehome’s residents.

Manager Nikki Coulsonand nine other membersof staff are taking part in a10-week course for thebenefit of resident GeorgeConway, who is deaf.

She said: “Everyone atthe home agreed that itwas really important for usto learn sign language tooffer George the bestpossible care and we arealways more than happyto do anything that willbenefit our residents. It isvital for George to feelincluded and part of thecommunity at St MarksCourt and we didn’t wantGeorge’s hearing loss to bea barrier for him.”

The members of staffhave various differentroles in the home, fromcarers to kitchen staff tothe handyman, which willmake it as simple aspossible for George tocommunicate with staffabout all aspects of hiscare.

incorporating

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Membersof staff tolearn signlanguage

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Pupils turn residentsinto IT whizz-kids By Dominic Musgrave

TWO high school pupils have handed outtheir own education lessons to give agroup of older people a crash course intweeting, Skyping and shopping online.

Residents at Bield’s Mosside Court – avery sheltered housing development inBlackburn – are being taught essentialcomputing and internet skills as part offIT 2gether, an intergenerational projectfunded by Bield to encourage tenants toimprove their IT skills using tablet com-puters.

The operator hope to roll out thefIT2gether project across other develop-ments and local authority areas in thenear future.

Two sixth year pupils at the town’s StKentigern’s Academy, Laura Hinde andBrogan Manson, have been volunteeringsince November, spending one day aweek with three of the tenants, teachingthem how to engage with an increasingIT focused world, including how to email,Skype and shop online.

The pupils who are taking part are alsoset to benefit from the project as they aregaining essential communication andlearning skills, as well as achievinginvaluable life and work experience.

Emma Kennedy, project manager of thefIT 2gether programme, said: “Coming to

grips with the technology has reallyopened doors for some of our less mobileresidents. They are now able to shoponline, which can be a real life line withthe cold weather preventing some resi-dents going out as often as they wouldlike. The pupils have also helped our resi-dents retain their independence. Many ofthem also have families that live quite faraway and visits can be irregular. We nowhave grandparents Skyping their grand-

children on a daily basis, which is justfantastic to see.

“Hopefully we will see this projectrolled out across all our Bield servicesand help keep residents in touch withtheir families as much as possible.

The initiative ties in with Bield’s Free ToBe commitment which strives to let peo-ple make their own choices about howthey live their lives but being there tosupport them when they need it.

Laura Hinde and Brogan Manson with Mosside Court residents john Hamilton and Bill Douglas.

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Caremark Ltd will again be taking part in the Great Sussex Bath Race to raiseawareness and funds for two Sussex charities: Life Centre and Chestnut Tree Hospice.Last July, 20 of the top companies in the county competed for the winner’s trophy intheir various home-made water craft. Competitors were given four large barrels, rope, abath and six long poles from which they had to build their raft in just one hour. Teamswere not allowed to use any other materials except those provided. Entrants wereallowed to accessorise/brand their individual craft and Caremark made sure theirvessel was easily identifiable by fixing plenty of balloons to both ends.‘Team Caremark’ won the the demolition derby at last year’s event, which raised£16,000 for the two charities. This year’s race takes place on June 22.

By Dominic Musgrave

AN OXFORDSHIRE care home iscreating a community gardendesigned to unite all generations afterbeing awarded a £48,000Government-funded grantadministered by the County Council.

Albany Care Home’s garden isdesigned so the elderly people livingthere will be able to enjoy theoutdoors while watching their visitinggrand-children play in a safe butexciting playground.

The idea was developed afterconsultation with the residents andtheir relatives and the care homestaff. The concept appealed to apanel of assessors, includingrepresentatives from OxfordshireCounty Council and the Alzheimer’sSociety and, after completing aquestionnaire, interviews and homevisits, Albany Care Home was chosenas one of 15 eligible care providers toreceive a grant.

Teresa Mangonon, home managerat Albany Care Home, said: “Thewellbeing of our residents is of theupmost importance to us, and thismoney will help to further ensure thehappiness and welfare of ourresidents. The playground will be agreat addition to our home toreinforce the family friendlyenvironment we strive to foster.”

The grant originates from theDepartment of Health, and is part ofPrime Minister David Cameron’s

“Challenge on Dementia” initiative toaddress dementia care, as it becomesan increasingly pressing issue forBritain.

Oxfordshire County Council secured£1.53m of the nationwide fund worth£50m through a collaborative bid tothe Department of Health with itsselected partners now collectivelyknown as the Oxfordshire DignityPlus Programme.

Councillor Judith Heathcoat,Oxfordshire County Council's cabinetmember for adult social care, said:"The Dignity Plus Programme is animportant piece of work and I amdelighted to see that the moneysecured via the county council-ledbid to government is being spent insuch a creative and beneficial way.

“I am sure people living at AlbanyCare Home and their visiting familieswill make great use of the new gardenand playground and it is excellentthat the home consulted withresidents and their relatives abouthow they would like to see the grantmoney spent. I look forward tovisiting the garden and playground inthe future.”

The aim of the grant funding is tocreate additional outdoor space onthe premises, and provide residentswith a pleasant and stimulatingenvironment in order to enjoy morefresh air. The project is due forcompletion shortly, but there is stillan opportunity for local volunteers tolend a hand with finishing touches.

Home awarded£48,000 fundingfor communitygarden project

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Sanctuary Care launchesnational arts programmeBy Dominic Musgrave

SANCTUARY Care residents are tobenefit from a range of creative work-shops and activities thanks to thelaunch of a two-year national artsprogramme.

Residents at Hawthorn GreenResidential and Nursing Home inLondon recently enjoyed a taster dayof creative activities to mark thebeginning of an arts programmecalled Shine! which will be rolled outin the organisation’s 61 care homesacross England.

The programme has been launchedto shine a light on the talents of carehome residents through a variety ofcreative arts including dance, music,literature, film and theatre.

Sanctuary Care has teamed up witha wide variety of arts partners to runShine!, including Vamos Theatre, afull mask theatre company, Phakama,a youth arts organisation,Westminster Arts, a London-basedcommunity art charity and Ladder tothe Moon, which provides support forhealthcare organisations to developvibrant, active and personalised carethrough resident activities and staffcoaching and training.

Sophie Atkinson, Sanctuary Group’shead of community investment andsustainability, said: “We are excitedto be working with a number of

unique arts organisations over thenext two years to engage with all ofour residents, regardless of any con-ditions that they may have.

“Sanctuary’s approach championsperson-centred care and this projectsupports that by shining a light onthe talents of each individual througha wonderful mix of creative arts.”

The Shine! programme, which aimsto benefit over 3,000 residents, hasbeen funded by the organisation’sparent company Sanctuary Group,

and is part of its commitment to sup-porting projects and initiatives whichbenefit residents and the communi-ties they live in.

Examples of projects included in theprogramme are: the creation of poet-ry books from residents’ stories andmemories, a year-long film and remi-niscence project that will result inresidents producing their own filmand hosting an Oscars’ ceremony andan ‘Edible Garden’ planting and artsproject.

Hawthorn Green resident Thomas Diss with Phakama staff Corinne Micellaf and SophieHerxheimer.

MORE than 200 Bridge playersattended care home organisationNightingale Hammerson’s annualBridge dinner at NWRS, AlythGardens.

The event raised £30,000, whichwill be put towards the runningcosts of the care home.

Regular and gentle DuplicateBridge took place under the direc-tion of English Bridge UnionTournament director Martin Lee,while Rubber Bridge was super-vised by Clive Belman.

The Rubber Bridge playersenjoyed a relaxed evening, but theserious effort took place elsewhereand, following fierce competition,prizes were awarded to:� Sue Obrart and Linda Quigley(Regular Duplicate).� Michael Supperstone and DavidJulius (Gentle Duplicate).� Danielle and Andrew Balint(Flitch).

Helen Simmons, chief executiveof Nightingale Hammerson said:“Over the years NightingaleHammerson’s Bridge tournamentshave built up a large following ofkeen and skilled bridge players.

“I am grateful to our supporterswho helped to raise such a fantasticsum of money for NightingaleHammerson.”

Bridge eventraises fundsfor home

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Cherry Barlow of the New Forest Owl Studio introduces Nibbly the black barn owl toCastle View resident Des Meyers.

A FLYING visit by two owls proved ahoot for residents at a Dorset carehome.

Beebo, a five-year-old tawny owl,and Nibbly, a black barn owl agedtwo-and-a-half, were special guests atColten Care's Castle View home inDorchester.

Both normally live at the New ForestOwl Studio in Downton, Wiltshire,but were brought to meet residentsby their owner, Cherry Barlow.

She displayed the owls to 23residents in the lounge and alsovisited individual bedrooms.

Sue Godwin, Castle View's activities

organiser, said residents made theowls feel at home by stroking theirchests and letting them sit on theirarms.

She added: “It was our first birds ofprey visit and is just one of the manyvaried and interesting activitieswhich our residents enjoy on aregular basis. Everyone was veryexcited to see the beautiful owlsexcept for one: Bonnie, our petbudgie. We had to cover up Bonnie'scage while the owls were in thelounge, not because they would havethreatened her but because she mayhave become upset at seeing them.”

Owls’ visit is a hoot forcare home’s residents

CARE home organisation NightingaleHammerson is one of the first in thesector to pilot a new toolkitdeveloped by the College ofOccupational Therapists whichencourages residents to keep activeand be involved in daily routine.

‘Living Well through Activity in CareHomes’ provides a way to evaluatethe value of activities, along withoffering lots of ideas, advice andsupport to help involve residents inmeaningful and personalised activity.

Tasks may include helping in thekitchen or garden alongside staff sothat residents can do the things theyloved when they were living in theirown home.

The aim is to enable older peoplewho now live communally tocontinue doing activities they feltvalued for, and take up new skills andhobbies at the same time.

Bridget Turner, director of caredevelopment at NightingaleHammerson, said: “Meaningfulactivity is integral and vital to thedelivery of the person centred careand support we strive to give to all ofour residents. Through testing thispilot we are re-evaluating ourapproach to activities and the value

some residents place on being able tore-engage in domestic tasks, makingthis part of their care plan rather thanjust a remote logistical exerciseundertaken by others.

“Housekeeping activities have beenparticularly popular and help providestructure, routine and purpose formany of our residents.”

The College of OccupationalTherapists developed the free toolkitto improve residents’ quality of life,with Nightingale’s lead occupationaltherapist Anne Topping and amember of the activities team playinga role in the drafting stage by sharingideas of practical implementation.

Anne added: “In piloting the toolkitwe have observed the value of fiveand 15-minute activities that bothenrich the experience and buildrelationships between staff andresidents.

“These short encounters enableresidents to ‘live in the moment’ andthereby contribute significantly totheir quality of life and wellbeing. Thewide range of ideas for morestructured activities andcommunication tips are also of greatbenefit, enhancing our person-centred approach.”

Operator pilotstoolkit to keepresidents active

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CARINGNEWS8

By Dominic Musgrave

THE industry has been giving itsreaction to a BBC Panoramaprogramme which showed allegedabuse at an Essex care home.

Undercover reporter Alex Leeworked 36 shifts at the AngliaRetirement Homes owned OldDeanery in Bocking, near Braintreefor the Behind Closed Doors: ElderlyCare Exposed programme. She filmeda video appearing to show a partiallyparalysed woman being slapped,while others were taunted, roughlyhandled and ignored.

Several staff have since been sackedby the owners, and Essex Police hasbegun an investigation of the allegedabuse after detectives viewed theprogramme.

A statement released by the homefollowing the programme’s airing,said: “We are shocked and saddenedby allegations made by the BBC’sPanorama programme ofinappropriate behaviour by somemembers of staff at The Old DeaneryCare Home and apologiseunreservedly for those failings.

“We care passionately about ourresidents and will not tolerate thiskind of behaviour. These incidentsinvolved a small number of staff and

are not reflective of the highstandards of care which we expectand demand from all of our team.

“As soon as the new managementteam was made aware of theallegations we took immediateaction. We hired an independent lawfirm to carry out a full investigationas a matter of urgency. Eight staffwere immediately suspended, andhave not returned to work, pending afull inquiry. Our priority remains thehealth and wellbeing of our residentsand we have more than 200 dedicated

members of staff who remaincommitted to the highest standardsof care.”

Andrea Sutcliffe, the CQC’s chiefinspector of adult social care, said theprogramme raised important issuesabout the quality of care in carehomes.

She added: “The care shown in thePanorama programme isunacceptable. My sympathy goes outto the people affected. I am angrythat the good care we know isprovided is undermined when peopleare failed in this way.

‘The people who run care homesand who work in them areresponsible for the care they provideeach and every day. It is theirresponsibility to make sure the carethey provide is safe, effective, caring

and responsive to people’s needs.‘We have been concerned about The

Old Deanery and its sister care home,St Mary’s Court, for some time. Wehave responded to concerns raised bystaff. We have checked up on bothhomes regularly. We have told theprovider to make improvements.

“We cannot always know what goeson behind closed doors but I amdetermined that our new approachwill strengthen our ability to uncoverpoor care and take action when weneed to.”

Debbie Sorkin, chief executive ofthe National Skills Academy for SocialCare, said poor leadership was toblame for the programme’s findings.

“Whilst we recognise the gravity ofthese revelations, we do not wish tocondemn the whole of the caresector,” she added. “It is crucial thatsocial care leaders, includingcommissioners, providers, andregulators, work with each otherpositively to ensure high qualityservices. Only by developing trueleadership behaviours at all levels asevidenced in our research and ourLeadership Qualities Framework canwe bring about a culture of leadershipthat will result in the best care andsupport for the whole of the adultsocial care sector.”

Industry gives its reaction toBBC’s Panorama programme

CQC chief inspector of adult social careAndrea Sutcliffe.

“Whilst we recognisethe gravity of theserevelations, we do notwish to condemn thewhole of the caresector.”

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CARINGNEWS10

A GROUP of 35 nurses from Icelandvisited two Barchester homes whileon a fact-finding trip about the publicand independent health and socialcare services on offer in the UK.

The care staff at Queens Court, inWimbledon and Lynde House, inTwickenham, welcomed a group ofnurses and took them on a tour oftheir homes to learn more aboutnursing and dementia care delivery ina social care setting.

The two groups met up afterwardsat Lynde House for a Q&A sessionabout nursing care in the UK.

Quality and assurance were top ofthe list of questions, and Barchester’sregional care specialists and generalmanagers were on hand to answer

their queries.Pauline Houchin, lead care

specialist at Barchester, said: “Wehave more than 2,500 nurses workingfor us out of a workforce that is17,000 strong. Through our in-housebusiness school we can provide avariety of tailored learning anddevelopment opportunities to ourstaff that ensure we meet the needs ofthose people living in Barchesterhomes.

“Our induction and training coursesmeet and exceed governmentstandards, and we offer greatleadership developmentopportunities for nurses.

“Our expert team of care specialistssupport the high standards of care

given and our first rate regulationteam have a wealth of knowledge asmany have previously worked asinspectors. Both teams work closelywith the national regulators, staff andresidents to maintain a high level ofclinical governance and to continueto drive excellence across thecompany.”

The Icelandic nurses have alsovisited acute services includingemergency (A&E), ward areas,outpatients and other specialistservices. They also attended theFlorence Nightingale MemorialService at Westminster Abbey, wherea group of Barchester nurses werealso among those fortunate to be partof the historic service.

Icelandic nurses visit homesThe group which visited Barchester’s Queens Court, in Wimbledon and Lynde House, in Twickenham on a fact-finding trip.

ELEANOR Healthcare Group haswon a Mayor of LewishamBusiness Award.

The company won theEnvironmental Practice awardsfor the measures it has put inplace to be as ‘green’ as possible.

Eleanor was recognised by theaward judging panel for itsrigorous environmental policy,which includes energy efficientvehicles and electricalequipment, LED lighting controlsystems, and energy efficientheating systems.

Marc Santhi, CEO of Eleanor,said: “We are committed to beingas ‘green’ as possible and all ourstaff member are encouraged toabide by our EnvironmentalPolicy, so to receive an awardrecognising the measures wehave put in place is testament toour work in beingenvironmentally friendly and it’sa huge honour to us.”

The company has a strict greenpurchasing policy, whileeverything is computerised toavoid wasting paper. Eleanor alsoholds the internationallyrecognised ISO 14001accreditation for environmentalmanagement.

Group winstop businessaccolade

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11CARINGNEWS

TIME is running out for you to bookyour place at the first two regionalconferences organised by Caring UK.

The Elderly Care: Positive Choicesevents, which take place at RookeryManor in Weston-super-Mare and theRiviera International ConferenceCentre in Torquay on July 2 and 3respectively, are being sponsored byNatWest.

NCA chief executive Sheila Scott willkick off both events with an updateon the Care Bill, followed by Skills forCare area manager Teresa Morrisonand her look at ‘Building positiveworkplace cultures in adult socialcare’.

Prior to the mid-morning break atWeston-super-Mare, Active Mindsproduct designer and founder BenAtkinson-Willes will discuss ‘Designfor Dementia: A look at how betterdesign can help improve peoples’quality of life’, while at Torquay therewill be an update from the inspec-torate.

After the break occupational thera-pist Heather Manktelow will beginthe session with a seminar entitled‘Activities for Health’ – Provision fornursing and care homes to engage inmeaningful activities which promoteand maintain health, well-being,quality of life and independence.

At Weston-super-Mare this will thenbe followed by an update from theCQC. The final two speakers at both

events will be NatWest’s head ofhealthcare Neil Garton, who will offeradvice on ‘Understanding and help-ing to deliver your business strategy’and Lee Sheppard, head of carehomes at apetito Limited, who willdiscuss ‘Dining with dignity – cater-ing for Dysphagia’ in his session.

A light lunch and refreshments andthe opportunity for networking andvisiting the extensive exhibitionwhich will run alongside the confer-ences will complete the events.

Caring UK editor DominicMusgrave, who will chair the confer-ences, said: “As you can see we haveonce again put together a stellar line-up of speakers who will talk about arange of topics throughout the day.

“With the exhibition running along-side and the opportunity to network,these conferences are truly not to bemissed, and I would urge all carehome and domiciliary care operatorsand managers in these areas toattend these events.

“We also must thank our headlinesponsor NatWest for their support ofour conferences this year, and we aredelighted to have them on board.”

Exhibitors already confirmedinclude apetito, Required Systems,Care Shop, Lynx Purchasing, Aidcalland Shackletons.� To find out more and to book yourplace at these must-attend eventsturn to pages 15 and 16.

Book your placeat conferences

White Rose House care home in Holmfirth celebrated its transformation into a ‘Premiere’facility with Yorkshire artist Ashley Jackson. To mark the occasion, residents selected aprint by Ashley to take pride of place in the home’s entrance hall. Originally built in2005, owner Meridian Healthcare has invested heavily to transform White Rose Houseinto something pretty special for resident. It now boasts a coffee bar, spa, piano loungeand restaurant style dining.Ashley (right) is pictured with Alan Firth, CEO of Meridian Healthcare.

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In the first of a three-part series of articles, Heather Manktelow, an occupational therapistexperienced in facilitating therapeutic activities in a range of care homes and in the communitydiscusses the importance of person-centred provision.

Activities do not have tobe costly, but are pricelessIntroductionTHE College of Occupational Therapyand the National Activity ProvidersAssociation have been working hardfor many years now to raise theprofile of the importance of person-centred activity provision in care-homes.

They evidence through a wholebody of work that activities arebeneficial to people, and now, finallythe topic is gaining the recognitionand attention it deserves.

The Alzheimer’s Society’s ‘Homefrom Home’ report states “Availabilityof activity is a major determinant ofquality of life and affects mortalityrates, depression, physical functionand behavioural symptoms.” (2007,p5).

The National Institute for Healthand Care Excellence states “A lack ofactivity and limited access toessential healthcare services can havea detrimental impact on a person'smental wellbeing.” (2013,p1).

The COT, NAPA and Skills for Carehave been collaborating and workingreally hard together to provide extraresources and training to promoteactivity provision in Social Care.

They have been working withtraining companies to promote thevocational (QCF Levels 2 and 3)qualifications in ‘Supporting ActivityProvision in Social Care’ andrecruiting occupational therapists todeliver, assess and mentor, carers andactivity organisers through thecourses. NAPA also offers thesevocational qualifications and iscommitted to ensuring that “Activityis at the heart of care for olderpeople.” (NAPA, 2014).

The COT has compiled an excellentresource “Living Well ThroughActivity in Care Homes: the Toolkit”which gives ideas to provide anactivity service focused on residents’needs, preferences and activitychoices.

It is available to download free fromtheir website (College ofOccupational Therapists, 2014).

CQC inspectors already look forevidence that individuals’ needs arebeing promoted including physical,mental, social, personal relationships,emotional and daytime activity (CQC,2010).

They presently feel that there isroom for improvement on finding outhow people like to spend their time,provision of choices of activities andoptions for people to support theirindependence – particularly forpeople with dementia (CQC, 2013,p.6).

The Care Quality CommissionStrategy 2013 – 2016 ‘RaisingStandards – Putting People First’proposes a number of changes toraise standards in health care. Itpledges to improve inspections,ensuring that services provide a safe,effective, caring environment, arewell-led and responsive to peoples’needs.

It states “We will work closely withour partners and the NationalInstitute for Health and CareExcellence (NICE) so we are clearabout the measures we use in ourassessments” (Section 1, p.9).

CQC has also been collaboratingwith NAPA on ideas forimprovements of inspections ofmeaningful activity. NAPA havesuggested that carers should be asked

to explain to inspectors why residentssit where they do in a care-home, andhow residents spend their day.

By working collaboratively all theseorganisations are now far moreinfluential, and finally NICE hasrecognised the importance of theirwork; in December 2013 it issued anew Quality Standard (QS50) titled‘Mental Wellbeing of Older People inCare Homes’.

This calls on care homes to providespontaneous and plannedopportunities by trained staff duringthe day allowing residents to engagein meaningful activities of theirchoice, involving family and friends ifthe resident wishes, helping residentsto express themselves and maintaintheir personal identity.

This means that for the first time,activities in care homes will beregulated and this must be a catalystfor change. Are commissioning agencies, owners andmanagers of care homes really taking iton board? There is little doubt that some carehomes are working very hard to offer

person-centred activities to theirresidents.

Since these homes believe in theimportance of activity provision tokeep their residents active andhealthy, which ultimately promotestheir independence; they employ anoccupational therapist or activityorganiser and allocate a specialisedbudget for activity provision.

There are some excellent examplesof practice. In particular, DavidSheard from Dementia Care Mattersis helping to change culture indementia care homes and there arecurrently 56 homes in the UnitedKingdom known as Butterfly ServiceHomes adopting the Feelings MatterMost model of care:

“Feeling you matter is at the core ofbeing a person. Knowing you matteris at the heart of being alive. Seeingyou matter is at the centre of carryingon in life” (Sheard, 2013 p.2)

However there is another side to thecoin; in comparison, the Alzheimer’sSociety’s ‘Home from Home’ reportfound that the typical person in acare home spent only two minutesinteracting with staff or otherresidents over a six-hour period ofobservation, excluding time spent oncare tasks.

Also that some people with severedementia had been left alone in theirroom for hours with no attempt fromstaff to engage with them(Alzheimer’s Society, 2007).

These statistics are horrifying, butthe recent policy changes will affectthe way activities are inspected incare homes which will drive upstandards.

Training along with a whole-teamapproach will help raise standards ofactivity provision in care homes.

A full list of resources andreferences used in this article will beavailable at www.caring-uk.co.uk� To find out more visitwww.activitiesforhealth.co.uk

‘There is little doubtthat some care homesare working very hardto offer person-centred activities totheir residents.’

Heather Manktelow

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13CARINGNEWS

EIGHT members of staff at The OldVicarage care home in Churchill arecelebrating a combined total of 76years’ service at the home.

The staff, who have each completedat least six years’ service, work at alllevels of the home, with general assis-tant David Alexander the longestserving at 18 years, and home manag-er Nicole Trinder having completed11 years.

Nicole said: “The Old Vicarage has anumber of local staff who haveworked here for many years, and theconsistency of care from familiarfaces is very important to our resi-dents.”

The Old Vicarage is part of WesternSuper-Care Group, a family-run busi-ness caring for older people in NorthSomerset. The operator has carehomes in Weston Super-Mare andChurchill, and also provides care topeople in their own homes in NorthSomerset and the Mendips.

Pictured in the photo are night careassistant Glenice Lodge, deputyhome manager Agnes Cabiles, homemanager Nicole Trinder,cleaner/carer Sally Giddings and gen-eral assistant David Alexander. Not inthe picture are cleaner Sue Betts,bank staff Phillipa Myram and cookSophie Myram.

Staff celebrate years of service

By Dominic Musgrave

A LEADING care company is launch-ing the UK’s first micro franchises.

SureCare says its pioneering fran-chise model will allow more people tobecome franchisees, while providingmore targeted services in local com-munities.

Micro franchisees – known asSureCare Local – will be able to offera range of unregulated servicesincluding home services such as DIY,gardening and cleaning, as well asbabysitting, holiday clubs and amobile crèche service for weddingsand other events.

The cost of becoming a SureCaremicro franchisee will be from £7,000covering a population of around100,000 people.

This compares to the £28,000 cost ofthe full SureCare franchise covering awider geographic area and offeringcare services regulated by the inspec-torate.

SureCare believes that the microfranchises will appeal to thosealready working in the care or health-care profession, but also to youngpeople in their 20s, the retired andsemi-retired, people who have

recently been made redundant andthose who have left the armed ser-vices.

Gary Farrer, managing director ofthe Chester-based firm, said: “Thelaunch of our micro franchises is gen-uinely ground-breaking. The conceptallows us to provide our clients with amore localised service while, at thesame time, creating opportunities formore people to become their ownbosses.

“With a number of Governmentschemes available to help both youngand older people start up in business,we are hoping our micro franchiseswill appeal to a wide range of bud-ding entrepreneurs.

“Each micro franchisee will have theongoing support of an experiencedhead office team in Chester who areable to advise on areas such as sales,marketing, finance, HR and opera-tions.”

SureCare, which was founded in1994, currently has 27 franchises andthree branches in England. The com-pany was traditionally a provider ofdomiciliary care, but over the last 18months has expanded into home ser-vices, child care and holiday andrespite care.

Care provider tolaunch UK’s firstmicro franchises

13 20/5/14 15:32 Page 1

CARINGNEWS14

The commitment makes its markAdvertiser’s announcement

THOSE who have signed up to theSocial Care Commitment are startingto see the positive impact it can haveon the quality of care they deliver andthe training and development of theirstaff.

The commitment - which involvessigning up to a series of ‘I will…’statements and tasks that put thosestatements into practice – is aDepartment of Health initiative thathas been developed by the sector sothat it is fit for purpose and makes areal difference to those signing up.

The statements focus on the keyissues that are important to all careproviders, including recruitment,induction and retention of staff, andequality and diversity.

Care and Support Minister NormanLamb has called for “every employerand every employee working in adultsocial care to go online and make thecommitment” – those that havealready done so have quickly realisedthe benefits of the Social CareCommitment.

In a recent evaluation, 85 per cent ofthose who had made thecommitment said that they alreadyhave, or expect to see, an increase inthe quality of care they provide,whilst 83% said that it has led, or willlead, to improvements in how staffare trained and developed.

The commitment works. It canimprove the quality of care providedin a variety of ways. Firstly employersand employees who sign up are

making a statement that they aregoing to commit to a definedstandard of quality.

For example, taking responsibilityfor the standard of care delivered, andpromoting and upholding theprivacy, dignity, rights, health andwellbeing of people who need careand support.

For some providers these mayalready be standard but making thecommitment provides employerswith an opportunity to publiclydeclare the quality of the care theyprovide, and acts as reminder toemployees about what defines qualitycare day to day.

The tasks that underpin thestatements have been designed bythe sector and can be easilytranslated into practice. For example,having up to date job descriptionsand person specifications for all rolesand providing effective training forsupervisors.

The task and statement frameworkprovides ideas to support providers inensuring that a high quality of care isdelivered. For those organisationswith these measures already in place,the tasks can serve as positivereinforcement on their approach andthat the right standards are beingmet.

When the commitment is made byan organisation or an employee, thesystem develops a personal andorganisational development planwhich maps the tasks and statements,

and identifies learning anddevelopment gaps.

This supports the long termimplementation of the commitment.Individuals can use these to developtheir career goals whilst organisationscan use them to focus theirdevelopment structure.

Those who have made thecommitment understand itsimportance and how it can reallyshape care services in the future.� For more information and to makethe commitment visitwww.thesocialcarecommitment.org.uk

14 22/5/14 12:56 Page 1

NOT TO BE MISSED BY DECISION MAKERS IN THE CARE INDUSTRY

Elderly Care: Positive Choices

For more information contact:Exhibitor enquiries: Bev Green: 01226 734 288Delegate enquiries: Lucy Dickinson: 01226 734 695

Refreshments served throughout the event including light lunch. Closes with a grand prize draw. Goody bag and attendance certi�cate for all delegates attending.

Elderly Care: Positive Choices is the theme for Caring UK’s annual regional conferences.Our stellar line-up of speakers will o�er expert advice on a wide variety of topics to enhance the quality of life your residents deserve in their later years, and also make your business stand out from your rivals to potential residents.Our top industry experts will pass on their knowledge on subjects including food and nutrition, activities and the care home environment itself, giving tips on what you can do to achieve and maintain the highest levels of care.

Our �rst two conferences will be held at Rookery Manor in Weston-super-Mare and the Riviera International Conference Centre in Torquay on July 2 and 3 respectively. In September our events move north to the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley and Leeds United FC’s famous Elland Road stadium.Running alongside all of the conferences will be an extensive exhibition, which will showcase all the latest products and technology for your care home.These really are conferences not to bemissed, so to avoid disappointment please complete the booking form to guarantee your place.

10th Sept Leeds United Football Club. LEEDS

3rd July Riviera International Conference Centre. TORQUAY.

9th Sept Black Country Living Museum, DUDLEY.

2nd July Rookery Manor, WESTON-SUPER-MARE.

Some of the conference exhibitors:

Sponsored by:

HEADLINE SPONSOR

Conferences 2 20/2/14 16:47 Page 1

17CARINGNEWS

A LUXURY care home in Selby hasbeen officially opened by HRH theDuke of Gloucester KG GCVO.

The Duke met residents, their fami-lies and staff at Osborne Housebefore unveiling a plaque to mark itsofficial opening.

The first residents moved into thehome just before Christmas, enjoyingfive-star facilities and the higheststandards of care.

Operated by Crown Care, OsborneHouse has 74 bedrooms with en-suiteshower facilities, as well as a library,

café and IT suite, and will employaround 100 staff once it is at fullcapacity.

Wendy Conn, Crown Care’s manag-ing director of healthcare, said: “Weare very proud of Osborne House andabsolutely delighted to welcome HRHThe Duke of Gloucester to open itand to meet some of the residents.

“The facilities are fantastic. It hasthe feel of home-from home and hasbeen designed to give the people whoto live here or stay with us, the com-fort and care they deserve.”

Duke opens luxury care homeThe Duke of Gloucester meets residents, staff and family on a tour of Osborne House.

By Dominic Musgrave

THE National Association of CareCatering has announced the 12 tal-ented care chefs that will compete inthe national final of the Care Cook ofthe Year 2014 competition and havetheir sights firmly on the prize ofbeing declared the Best Care Cook inthe UK.

Two chefs from each of the sixNACC regions triumphed during theexciting regional cook-offs, impress-ing the judges with their culinaryskills and their particular knowledgeand understanding of catering withina care setting, and earning theirdeserved places in the National Final.

On June 11 the 12 finalists will com-pete in a live cook-off for the covetedtitle of Care Cook of the Year 2014.

Neel Radia, national chair, NACC,said: “The NACC Care Cook of theYear Competition tests all of theessential skills and knowledge held bychefs in the care sector.

“It also gives them the opportunityto showcase the great talent and bestpractices that they put into good useon a daily basis. The talent withinour sector is outstanding and thisfantastic competition gives us a plat-form to shout about it, which is

something caterers in the care sectordon’t get to do very often.

“The 12 national finalists are primeexamples of the excellent work con-sistently being done in care cateringacross the UK. I congratulate themon their success so far in the compe-tition and wish everyone the verybest of luck in the National Final. It issure to be an exhilarating cook off.”

The 2014 NACC Care Cook of theYear national finalists: Scottishregion – Alan Innes, Appin House,Kirkcaldy, Fife and Margaret Stewart,Methilhaven Care Home, Methil, Fife;Northern region – Luke Slaughter,Loxley Park Care Home, Sheffield andGiles Conroy, Sunrise Senior Living ofBramhall, Stockport; Midlands region– Sam Wicks, Peaker Park Care Village,Market Harborough and Jennie-MaySmith, Berkeley House Care Home,Hull; Welsh region – Laszlo Kovacs,Burges House Care Centre, Cardiffand Gareth O’Hara, Sunrise SeniorLiving of Cardiff; South West region –Anthony Proffitt, Kimberley CourtCare Home, Newquay and Chris Hill,The Rosary Nursing Home,Bridgwater; South East region – AlanSimpson, Sunrise Senior Living ofGuildford and Becky Allcorn, RotaryLodge, Worthing.

Competition hotsup for UK’s bestcare cook award

17 20/5/14 09:51 Page 1

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19CARINGNEWS

Making mealtimesmore enjoyableLEADING food company apetito’spioneering range of texture-modifiedmeals for residents with dysphagiaallows homes to offer sufferers arange of appetising, nutritious meals– greatly enhancing their enjoymentof mealtimes.

Chewing and swallowing difficultiesmay occur in people suffering fromdegenerative illnesses such asdementia, Parkinson’s disease, orthose recovering from a stroke. Here,the potential feeding risks of chokingand aspiration are compounded bylonger-term issues such as aspirationpneumonia as well as malnutrition.Not only does this therefore present asignificant safety risk, but a fear ofchoking can potentially deter suffer-ers from eating in the first place.

“The challenge is to provide food ofsufficient nutritional value and safetywhilst ensuring that the meals tastegood and are tempting,” said apetitodietitian Helen Willis. “apetito’saward-winning texture-modifiedmeals do just that. Prepared in linewith each of the Dysphagia Diet FoodTexture Descriptors for a texture-modified diet, the range ensuressafer, more confident swallowing,making meals something to look for-ward to, while embracing residents’need for normal looking food.”

In an industry first, thick puréedmeals are moulded to look like a tra-ditional dish which maintain their

shape oncecooked, whilepre-mashedchoices offerappetisingcolour combi-nations, mak-ing them lookas good as theytaste.

To allowhomes to caterto residents atvarious stages of dysphagia, dishesrange from those that fit the NationalPatient Safety Agency’s descriptors for‘Category C’ texture-modified mealsto those that fit ‘Category E’.

‘Category C’ refers to thick puréesfor those often in the more advancedstages of dysphagia, while ‘CategoryE’ food is best described as ‘fork-mashable’ and is suitable for sufferersusually in the early stages. apetito’smenus also include ‘pre-mashed’dishes, which fit ‘Category D’ descrip-tors. These meals are suitable for resi-dents who require an even textureddish and are transitioning betweenCategories C and E.

“Essentially, this ground-breakingrange allows dysphagia sufferers todine with dignity – something whichis highly emotive and can make anenormous difference to residents whomay have become fearful of meal-times,” added Helen.

Helen Willis

PELSALL Hall in Walsall was namedhome of the year at GreensleevesHomes Trust’s annual AccoladesAwards.

In addition to the 10 awards, thegroup also recognised members ofstaff who had been in service with theTrust for 10 and 20 years, with oneemployee being recognised for her 40years of service at Mount EphraimHouse in Tunbridge Wells.

There was also recognition in a rollof honour of 11 of the Trust’s homesthat had received external awards.

Paul Newman, chief executive atGreensleeves Homes Trust, said: “TheAccolades Awards is a highlight in theGreensleeves’ calendar which recog-nises the fantastic work which ourstaff carry out day in and day out onbehalf of our residents, and I look for-

ward with much anticipation to nextyear’s awards.”

Winners: Eating experience –Borovere (Alton); Activities – Borovere(Alton); Innovation – Mount EphraimHouse (Tunbridge Wells); Fundraisingevent – Pelsall Hall (Walsall); Gardensand grounds – Speirs House (NewMalden); Colleague of the yearSamantha Allen, book-keeper, ArdenHouse (Leamington Spa) and GeoffAlmond, financial controller (headoffice); Unsung hero – Barbara Carey,senior carer, Arden House(Leamington Spa); Manager – CarolGrainger, Kingston House (Calne);Carer – Donna Stuart, GrosvenorHouse (St Leonards-on-Sea); Home –Pelsall Hall (Walsall).

The ceremony took place at TheOval Cricket Ground in London.

Walsall home scoops top prizePelsall Hall staff celebrate their award win.

19 20/5/14 09:53 Page 1

20 braodway 20/5/14 09:53 Page 1

21CARINGMEDICATION AND HEALTHCARE

New NICE guidelines signalan end to in-house trainingBy Dominic Musgrave

A PHARMACY that provides both dis-pensing and accredited training ser-vices for care homes has said the newNICE guidance on managing medi-cines in care homes will sound thedeath knell for a ‘make do’ approachto in-house medication training andtherefore drive up the quality of care.

Tony Guilfoyle, external trainingmanager for Biodose Services basedin Featherstone, Yorkshire, welcomedthe guidance.

He said: “It is startling what some inour industry classify as training andthis, coupled with the abundance offree and non-accredited tuition avail-able, has contributed to a fall in qual-ity standards.

“Until now, some care home man-agers have been lured by the attrac-tion of free training, without neces-sarily questioning its quality. Butnow NICE recommends that carehomes ‘should consider an accreditedlearning provider’, care homes can nolonger take a ‘make do’ approach toin-house training.”

“The number and complexity ofmedicines that can be prescribed tocare home residents has increasedmarkedly in recent years. The cre-ation of some in-house training with-out expert professional input androbust assessment of learning istherefore unlikely to be adequate in

most circumstances.“I would expect to see those organi-

sations which are responsible forcommissioning and monitoring thecare sector to really welcome theseinsightful guidelines. Also, it is mybelief that regulatory bodies such asCQC will utilise and promote theseguidelines on training throughout thecountry.”

Tony also picked up on an addition-al recommendation within the new

guidance, that ‘Care home providersshould ensure that all care home staffhave an annual review of their knowl-edge, skills and competencies relatingto managing and administering med-icines.’

He added: “We’ve never seen any-thing documented in the past about atime frame within which it is reason-able for knowledge to be updated. Ofcourse, things change and this annualreview is another welcome steptowards better quality care.”

Within the NICE guidance, recom-mendation 1.17.1 states that: ‘Carehome providers must ensure thatstaff who do not have the skills toadminister medicines, despite com-pleting the required training, are notallowed to administer medicines toresidents.’

Tony added: “At the moment we,along with other training providers,offer knowledge and skills training,but it’s still down to the home manag-er to assess competence.”

“I look forward to seeing the QualityStandards which NICE will nowdevelop to support the new guidelineimplemented by many responsiblecare organisations.

“Overall, this guidance is a step inthe right direction. It will result in animprovement in the quality of educa-tion in the sector which will thereforedrive up the quality of care – some-thing we all have an interest in.”

Tony Guilfoyle, external training managerfor Biodose Services.

First aid kitsaves moneyTRADITIONAL first aid kits havea life span of one to two years,meaning that unused suppliesare often thrown away andreplaced when they expire.

This is costly and frustratingfor care home managers andowners, who have tight budgetsto work with. Forgetting toreplace out-of-date items canalso lead to prosecution and liti-gation.

A new first aid kit, DecaMedhas now been developed with aguaranteed 10-year life for allsterile components. The sterilecontents within this kit are certi-fied by the BSI. Produced inGermany, DecaMed solves theage old problem of having todiscard your first aid kit contentsevery few years.

DecaMed’s wide range of con-tents also include helpful itemssuch as ice packs, disposablewaste bags, hygiene towels and,in particular, more of the prod-ucts that are used regularly, suchas plasters. The ground-break-ing longevity of this kit isachieved through the alumini-um-vapourised wound dressingsand sterile packaging, prevent-ing sticking and infection.

With DecaMed you can restassured that your first aid prod-ucts are in date when they areneeded.

21 22/5/14 09:49 Page 1

22 Protomed 22/5/14 09:55 Page 1

23CARINGMEDICATION AND HEALTHCARE

Medicines Management Guidefrom Rosemont

A GUIDE to medicines managementand older people is available fromRosemont Pharmaceuticals.

Called ‘Medicines management andolder people – a guide for healthcareprofessionals’, the booklet aims to helphealthcare professionals learn moreabout how medication works, how theageing process affects medicines, com-mon adverse drug reactions, the defin-itions of compliance and concordanceas well as to give an overview of someof the legal aspects of medicines man-agement.

The content of the guide is based oncurrent best practice and the most upto date evidence about medicationmanagement.

The focus is on the care of olderpeople, who have a higher prevalenceof illness and take around 50 per centof all prescribed medicines (Kelly 2011).Four in five people over 75 take at leastone prescribed medicine, with 36 percent taking four or more medicines(NSF 2001).

To receive a free copy of ‘Medicinesmanagement and older people – aguide for healthcare professionals’,just email marketing@rosemontpharma.com

Jan Flynn, marketing manager atRosemont Pharmaceuticals, said: “Thesafe delivery of medicines for olderpeople is a critical and challengingaspect of care. It is complicated bymultiple diseases, complex medicationregimes and the ageing process affect-ing the body’s capacity to handle med-icines.

“In addition, medicines have becomeincreasingly sophisticated, particularlyin their delivery systems and there arelegal aspects to consider as well as pharmacologi-cal ones.

This guide aims to help healthcare professionalsdeliver the best possible medication care for theirpatients and residents.’

Enquiries: For further information call 0113244 1999 or visit www.rosemontpharma.com

References� Kelly J , Wright D, Wood J, (2011) Medicineadministration errors in patients with dysphagia insecondary care: a multi-centre observational study.� Journal of Advanced Nursing 67(12), 2615–2627Department of Health, Medicines and Older People:Implementing medicines-related aspects of the NSFfor Older People, March 2001.

Is IT improvingpatient safetyin care homes?By Andrew Willetts

IT and effective medicines manage-ment in care homes can be the cata-lyst for improved accuracy, adherenceand patient safety.

Ensuring that a patient receives safemedicine administration at any stageof the life cycle is imperative, not onlydoes it improve or at least maintainhealth it can also save lives.

Care home residents have a uniqueset of healthcare needs as people areliving longer – many with long termconditions that need strict and timelymedicines plans.

So it’s encouraging to see moreinnovation entering care homes toenable staff, GPs and pharmacists towork better together and to delivermore effective and safe medicinesmanagement.

The ‘five rights’ of medicines’ man-agement – right patient, right drug,right dose, right route, right time –will still exist and it must continue tobe the core focus of medicines man-agement.

However we must continue toreview and evolve the processes andcontrols that support the five rightsto ensure the ever changing patientneeds and care plans are supported.

The introduction of one patientrecord and electronic health recordsis essential in supporting care homestaff. It relieves the burden of reamsof paperwork which can be over-whelming and prevent them havingvaluable interaction with the resi-dents in their care.

Enabling care givers more qualitytime with the people in their caremust be at the heart of everything wedo now, and in the future.

By logging and managing medi-cines’ management and care throughan online platform, organisations cannot only view performance and quali-ty of care across their multi-site loca-tions but also feel more motivatedbecause they are providing moredirect care to the resident.

The alternative is to spend vastamounts of time manually loggingand recording information and hav-ing lengthy handovers with col-leagues.

Our very own CareFirst system withfull EMAR (electronic medicines’administration records) has demon-strated that accurate MARs, accessi-ble management of information,automated stock management and astreamlined prescription process dra-matically reduces human error.

In turn, this frees up care staff time,improves medicines management,provides organisations with moretransparency and improves thepatient or residents experience.

Everything we now do is wrappedaround technology. The world hasbecome a lot more accessible and thehealthcare industry is gradually com-ing on board.

Secure and remote access of resi-dents’ medicines’ records by health-

care professionals (GP, pharmacist,the hospital and care home) ensurescontinuous improvement and perfor-mance management and is quick.

Furthermore, it improves patientsafety and empowers the patient andtheir families to make the right deci-sions about their health and wellbeing- our collective goal.

And while the transformation frompaper-based to electronic MAR chartsis widely recognised by the professionas a huge step in the right direction,change often comes with challenges.These need to be addressed.

Training, for example, needn’t be ahuge burden or a drain on resourceand time. By working closely with theright partner change can becomemore manageable and mutual para-meters can be set between trainerand trainee.

Likewise the implementation ofnew systems isn’t as complex as itmay first seem and the benefits faroutweigh any perceived challenges.We ourselves have observed a reduc-tion in error rates in some cases ashigh as 87 per cent.

Turnover of care home staff bringswith it many challenges also. But byreducing paperwork and implement-ing centralised and accessible recordsnew staff can ease into an effectivesystem far easier.

Stock control can also be simplified.Through an online platform, medi-cines can be ordered and remain intheir original packaging and with theoriginal Patient Information Leaflets– the dispensing label bar codes willalready be scanned and logged intothe system.

Because of this we have seeninstances within care homes wherethe simplicity of reordering saves onaverage 15 hours per month per carehome in stock handling alone – vitaltime that can be redeployed to thepatient. This automated approachreduces any unnecessary orderingand reduces the high costs of medi-cines’ wastage.

Not only does electronic medicines’management improve patient safetyand enhance the relationshipsbetween the care homes, GPs andpharmacists it goes a long way tohelping a home achieve its opera-tional objectives.

A boost in rankings of course meansthat CQC regulations are being metand embargoes are avoided.

But it is also important to considerhow with increased safety andaccountability and by reducing thecosts of medicines’ management tohelp achieve 100 per cent occupancy,business growth is made more viable.

And, by aligning the integration ofnew systems and processes to NHSpolicy, risks to the patient and blue-light scenarios are dramaticallyreduced while quality measures andreputation enhanced.� Andrew Willetts is public sectorand health care services director forLloydsPharmacy.

23 22/5/14 12:25 Page 1

24 Miele 20/5/14 09:54 Page 1

HYGIENE is of paramount impor-tance in healthcare establishments– and so is efficiency.

With the SEBO DART UHS polish-er, the need for wet mopping issubstantially reduced while vacu-uming and polishing are combinedwithout the need to seal areas offduring cleaning.

The SEBO DART UHS polisheruses HTC twister floor pads, incor-porating micro-diamonds to polishthe floor. This eliminates the needfor the use of chemicals or liquidsand creates a super smooth floorsurface, minimising the potentiallybiologically active surface area.

The absence of liquids has hugehygiene benefits, as well as com-plying fully with health and safetyissues. Constant use of disinfec-tants is a common cause of resis-tant micro-organisms. All this isdramatically reduced through dailycleaning with the UHS polisher,extending the period between dis-infectant schedules and thus sig-nificantly aiding micro-organismresistance. SEBO also provides anextensive range of high-qualityupright and cylinder, commercialor domestic, vacuum cleaners thatcan be used on any floor surface.

25CARINGCLEANING AND LAUNDRY

Vax Commercial’sdetergents care formore than floorsMAINTAINING good hygiene stan-dards in communal areas can be achallenge, with so many differenttypes of surfaces to keep clean.

Vax Commercial’s new range of highperformance cleaning detergents giveyou everything you need to keep yourhome looking and smelling clean,and help prevent cross-contamina-tion.

Carpets and soft furnishings are agreat way to create a warm and wel-coming atmosphere, but if they’re notmaintained correctly they can quicklystart to look dirty and unhygienic.

“For spot cleaning carpets, rugs andsoft furnishings, Vax Commercial’sCarpet Spot and Stain Remover sprayremoves difficult stains and greasymarks, so you can quickly deal withaccidents before they become a prob-lem,” said Vax Commercial’s productmanager Laura Harley.

Designed for day-to-day mainte-nance of carpets and upholstery, VaxCommercial’s low foaming Woolsafeapproved Carpet Cleaning Detergenthas a super strength formulation thatpowers through high traffic areas,removes grease and dirt and liftsstubborn stains.

It is suitable for use in all their car-pet washers and also eliminatesodours, leaving a spring fresh fra-

grance that ensures your carpets andsoft furnishings smell as clean as theylook.

For cleaning worktops, tables andother washable surfaces, VaxCommercial’s new Hard SurfaceSanitiser effectively kills bacteria.Available in a five-litre bottle or trig-ger spray, it easily cuts through toughoils, fat and stuck-on food residues.

“Our Hard Surface Sanitiser is per-fect for worktops, tables, dining areasand all sorts of other washable sur-faces, leaving them brilliantly cleanand hygienic,” added Laura.

A real diamondfor care homes

25 20/5/14 09:55 Page 1

CARINGCLEANING AND LAUNDRY26

MENTAL Health Concern is a not-for-profitorganisation operating specialist mental healthservices in the North East of England,commissioned by the NHS and local authorities.

Many of its CQC registered services have theirown laundry and, when arrangements with aprevious supplier broke down, Armstrong wasbrought in to take over supporting all theequipment in return for a single fixed monthlypayment.

As equipment comes to the end of its life,Armstrong provides replacement machines soensuring an uninterrupted service.

Three of the services, at Alderwood, Briarwoodand Pinetree Lodge, provide specialist nursing carefor older adults experiencing severe and enduringmental health problems and dementia – ranging insize from 19 to 34 beds.

Other services provided at McGowan Court,Jubilee Mews, Oakwell and Coalway Lane aresmaller, offering 24-hour nurse led rehab andrecovery care for adults with complex mentalhealth needs, some compounded by drug and

alcohol misuse problems. The laundries handle allbedding, towels, kitchen and dining room items andpersonal laundry. In some cases dedicated staff areemployed, but mostly the laundries are operated bythe care workers and support staff, and whereverpossible residents are encouraged to use theequipment with support from staff

Enquiries: Telephone 01635 263410 or visitwww.armstrong-laundry.co.uk

Mental Health Concern can rely onArmstrong to help with budgets

100 per cent tax relief available onGirbau’s water efficient washers

BUSINESSES purchasing newGirbau HS 6 Series high speedwashers can benefit from 100 percent tax relief under theGovernment’s Enhanced CapitalAllowance.

Thanks to the machines’outstanding water efficiency, theyhave been granted approval bythe Water Technology List for thescheme.

The scheme was set up by theGovernment to encouragebusinesses to invest in newequipment that uses less water.

The ECA lets businesses writeoff 100 per cent of the cost ofpurchasing a new Girbau WTL-approved washer against taxableprofits in the year of purchase.

Only machines on the

approved WTL list qualify and thetax relief is only available for thepurchase of new machines.

To be included on the WaterTechnology List, strict criteriaregarding a washing machine’swater usage per kg have to beachieved. For washers up to 15kgin capacity, the maximum waterusage per kg permitted is 9.4litres.

Girbau’s HS-6008 washer usesa maximum of just 7.8 litres perkg while the larger HS-6057machines uses only 7.0 litres,making them some of the mostwater-efficient washers availabletoday.

Enquiries: For moreinformation visit

www.girbau.co.uk

26 20/5/14 15:29 Page 1

CARINGNEWS 27

RESIDENTS at Astbury Lodge inGreat Sutton were amazed to find atalented artist living among themduring one of the care home’s weeklyart club sessions.

Harry York, originally from Chester,has been painting the surroundingCheshire landscape since he retried,and has built-up an impressivecollection of oil paintings over theyears – even exhibiting his worklocally. Upon moving to the home,residents and staff were impressed byHarry’s talents and have mounted apermanent exhibition of his work inthe entrance hall for everybody toappreciate.

Home manager Phil Daniels said:“You discover some amazing things

talking to the residents here – they’veall led such fascinating lives andeveryone has a story to tell. At CLS wetake a highly person-centredapproach to care, and have beensupporting Harry to continue with hispainting through our weekly arts andcrafts sessions.”

Harry is a self-taught artist and hasbeen perfecting his skill ever since heretired from his job working at ShellUK’s Stanlow refinery. Art therapy hasbeen shown to have a number ofsignificant benefits for older people;helping to provide a sense of life-satisfaction and fulfilment throughdeveloping new skills, as well as apositive emotional outlet andalternative mode of communication.

Club uncovers talented artistHarry York with some of his paintings.

A MANCHESTER care home has beenfined for safety failings after avulnerable resident was badly injuredwhen he fell from a first floor window.

The privately-run Nada Residentialand Nursing Home was prosecutedby the Health and Safety Executivefollowing the incident at its premiseson Cheetham Hill Road on December1 2012. Trafford Magistrates’ Courtheard the 63-year-old man, whosuffers from dementia, was found onthe ground under his bedroomwindow with fractures to his leg, kneeand back. He told staff he had wantedto get some fresh air.

The court was told the risk ofpatients falling from open windowswas well known in the sector, andrestrictors should have been fitted tothe widows to prevent them fromopening more than 10 centimetres.

The HSE investigation found thecare home had failed to properlyassess the risk of residents fallingfrom windows, or take suitable actionto prevent this from happening.

Nada Residential and NursingHome was fined £8,000 and orderedto pay prosecution costs of £597 afterpleading guilty to single breaches ofthe Management of Health and Safetyat Work Regulations 1999 and the

Health and Safety at Work etc Act1974.

Speaking after the hearing, HSEinspector Lorna Sherlock said: “Thecare home looks after people withdementia or mental healthconditions and so many of itsresidents are particularly vulnerable.

“The 63-year-old man was badlyinjured in the fall but it could easilyhave been much worse. It simplyshould not have been possible forhim to be able to push open hisbedroom window to a point wherethere was a risk of him falling out.

“Nada has now fitted restrictors toall of its windows to stop themopening more than a fewcentimetres. If these had been inplace at the time of the incident thenthe resident’s injuries could havebeen avoided.”

Home fined afterresident fell fromfirst floor window

“The 63-year-old manwas badly injured inthe fall but it couldeasily have been muchworse.”

27 22/5/14 09:51 Page 1

CARINGINTERIORS, DESIGN AND FURNISHING28

WAVERLEY Grange Residential andNursing Home in Farnham wasnamed ‘best care home’ at the 2014Healthcare Design Awards.

Karen Smith, manager of the Bupaowned home, picked up the award ata prestigious ceremony at TheLancaster Hotel in London.

Waverley Grange scooped theaccolade after it was recognised forits person-centered environment.The home’s spacious living areas, itsuse of natural night and greencredentials all impressed the judgingpanel, alongside the architecturaldesign which blends in withneighbouring buildings.

“I’m absolutely thrilled Waverley

Grange has been named best carehome,” Karen said. “Everyone livingand working at Waverley Grange isextremely proud that our home hasbeen recognised as a special place tolive.”

The award follows Bupa’s£5.5million investment into buildingthe new facility which opened in June2013. The 52 bed en-suite homeoffers specialist residential andnursing facilities for residents in theFarnham area. Its state-of-the-artfacilities include a cinema, a caféleading onto the home’s gardens, hairsalon, library, an outside play area forchildren and an activity suite forresidents.

Waverley Grange scoops‘best care home’ award

Waverley Grange Residential and Nursing Home in Farnham.

AN ECO-CONSCIOUS retirementvillage has won two awards and iscreating more jobs as part of a £9mexpansion scheme aimed to make itthe best in the country.

Middleton Hall Retirement Village,near Darlington, has investedmillions in its expansion plans, whichinclude the Waterside development –the UK’s first zero carbon retirementhomes, which are set beside a largepond and wetland area designed toattract wildlife.

The plans also included the creationof a new orangery with a cafe, barand farm shop.

The company is now looking torecruit further carers, nurses,housekeepers, and a family livingmanager to run its innovative careservice developed for a small numberof residents who have dementia.

The recruitment drive comes asMiddleton Hall has been awarded aBetter Health Gold Award, a schemerun by the Health ImprovementService at County Durham andDarlington NHS Foundation Trustwhich is bestowed on businesseswhich actively embed health andwellbeing within their organisations.

The award criteria was met with thework of Julie Binks, manager ofindependent living service MiddletonGrove, with the help of DebbyLamont, the retirement village’s headof care and quality.

Measures introduced included:� Membership of Middleton Spa.� Personal exercise plans organisedby one of the village’s Living Wellteam for over 70 staff.� Free health checks for staff.� Try Me Tuesday – healthy recipedays where staff could taste therecipes before taking them home.Nutrition workshops.

It was the second award for thevillage which scooped theContribution to the Environment2014 category in the Best ofDarlington Awards managed by theDarlington Partnership and byDarlington Borough Council.

The village was praised for theWaterside development and for itsinitiative to encourage staff to takegreener measures, such as car sharingand cycling to work, for which theyare rewarded with meal vouchers.

Jeremy Walford, managing directorof the village, said: “Our investmentin the new Waterside developmentand our aim to reduce our carbonfootprint is all part of our mission tobecome the most sustainableretirement village in the country.Butwe wouldn’t be able to push aheadwith our expansion plans without thededication of our staff. Their healthand wellbeing is one of our keypriorities and I’m delighted that theBetter Health Gold Award reflects ourcommitment to them.”

£9m expansion tocreate new jobs

28 Kingston 22/5/14 12:26 Page 1

29CARINGINTERIORS, DESIGN AND FURNISHING

PREMIER care provider Excelcarehired Shackletons to develop a newinterior look that would providehomely, comfortable, and modernaccommodation for the residents oftheir private residences within theircare community, Hunters Down inHuntingdon.

The brief was to create an environ-ment that provided a level of comfortsynonymous with homeliness, whilesupporting the variations of caregiven, such as nursing, dementianursing, residential and palliative.

Five luxury suites, quiet rooms,family meeting room and a libraryhave all benefitted from aShackletons makeover. Soft creamfabrics with muted purples andgreens have been used against moretraditional, simply styled furniture inquieter rooms; whilst in the librarytartans and checks in caramels and

browns work with high back seatingand occasional furniture to create asophisticated reading space.

“Shackletons helped translate ourbrief by developing a stimulatingenvironment that ensures transitionto care and ongoing care withinHunters Down is as easy as possible, “said Excelcare’s Charlotte Spirito-Edwards. “We believe maximumcomfort, convenience and stimula-tion has been achieved for the peoplewho live here – it’s as individual asthe care provided.”

The Shackletons service doesn’t justprovide an exceptional product,quick turnaround, and responsivecustomer service; it also provideschoice and expert guidance to ensurecomfort, mobility, safety, freedomand enjoyment is provided withoutcompromise for any residential ornursing care environment.

Interior solutions asindividual as the care

By Dominic Musgrave

AVERY Healthcare Group is a finalistin the ‘Residential care provider ofthe year’ category in the 2014HealthInvestor Awards to be held inLondon on June 11.

The awards will be looking for theorganisations and individuals thathave made an outstanding contribu-tion to the sector during 2013.

Avery Healthcare, with its headoffice based in Northampton,employs approximately 1,000 peopleacross its portfolio and has earned areputation for delivering high qualitycare homes characterised by imagi-native design led solutions, richly fur-nished interiors and a strong footholdin the private pay market.

Managing director John Strowbridgesaid, “Care operators have a responsi-bility to create the best living envi-ronments possible for older genera-tions.

“It’s not good enough just to meetguidelines, operators need to bepushing forward and striving to con-tinuously improve their buildings,services, care and they need invest intheir people.

“Avery is so committed in settingbenchmarks that we spent two yearsdesigning our own apprenticeshipand training scheme.

“We want a team of people who liveand breathe the Avery ethos, the onlyway we can do that is to ensure ourpeople receive the best possiblecoaching and opportunities – it’s notonly good for the business, it’s goodfor creating a motivated culturewhich translates to a positive way ofbeing for those living in our homes.”

Its flagship home Silvermere, inCobham Surrey, is also a finalist ofthe Pinders Healthcare DesignAwards.

The lakeside location and itsconcierge and catering service has setthe standard across Avery’s continual-ly expanding portfolio.

Silvermere Care Home has createdthe design blueprint for further UKexpansion for Avery, with new buildsunderway in Derby, Northampton,Wellingborough and Nottingham.

It also has a number of sites underoffer in the South West, Midlands andthe North of England, and an acquisi-tion programme backed byHealthcare REIT.

Group reaches finalof prestigious caresector accolades

29 20/5/14 09:55 Page 1

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Good Care Guidelaunches in WalesBy Dominic Musgrave

THE state of child and eldercare inWales is due to be put under thespotlight with the launch of the GoodCare Guide.

The independent website has beendescribed as “the TripAdvisor for thecare industry” and will allow familiesacross Wales to review and rate a carehome, homecare agency or nursery –and seek out first-hand experiencesfrom others.

The Good Care Guide launched inEngland in February 2012 and hasproved popular with families embark-ing on the difficult journey of findingthe right care for their loved ones.

More than 3,600 Welsh careproviders can now be found on theGood Care Guide website, which hasbeen created by My Family Care andUnited for All Ages, with the help ofthe Care and Social InspectorateWales.

Director Andy Major said: “Our aimis to ensure that a high standard ofcare is adhered to in all care homes,home care agencies and nurseriesacross the country.

“It’s of paramount importance thatcare in Wales is continually underscrutiny to make sure that people arealways treated the way they deserve –well.

“Whether you’re looking for the bestnursery in Swansea or a great carehome in Cardiff, Good Care Guidecan now provide insight into whatpeople really think.”

The Good Care Guide has alsoproved to be an essential source ofinsight for care providers who haveimproved their quality of service as aresult of receiving these honest,impartial and genuine reviews.

Imelda Richardson, chief inspectorfor Care and Social ServicesInspectorate Wales, added: “It isimportant when families are choos-ing care for a loved one that theyhave all of the information availableto make an informed decision.

“Having our providers listed on theGood Care Guide is another step for-ward in being transparent about thetype of care available in Wales.

“We do not tolerate bad care butwhen this does happen we need toknow about it so we can take action.The Good Care Guide is anotheropportunity to engage with people toknow what they think about care inWales.”

Care providers can subscribe to theGood Care Guide to enhance theirlisting and respond directly to com-ments.

Good Care Guide alerts careproviders when a positive or negativereview is posted, and also allowsthem to report comments, whichthen become subject to a verificationprocess.

The Good Care Guide has a robustmoderation process, ensuring thatonly genuine users of care can com-ment and providers can challengefalse statements.

“We do not toleratebad care but whenthis does happen weneed to know about itso we can takeaction.”

NORTHERN Ireland-based nursingand domiciliary care agency LucasLove Healthcare is celebrating thedouble.

Commended for the excellent stan-dard of care provided by staff with analmost unheard of 100 per cent intheir annual inspection by theRegulation and Quality ImprovementAuthority, the agency has also postedits most successful financial year todate. This comes after a managementbuy out last year, which has enableddirectors Sinead Polland and SusanneRitchie to drive forward growththrough a substantial expansion oftheir team and service offering.

The agency provides temporary andpermanent employment to nurses,care assistants and support workers

right across the province.“2013 was a tremendous year for

Lucas Love Healthcare, with high-lights for our team including launch-es of Access NI services and a dedi-cated e-Learning College, as well asthe addition of two new team mem-bers and an extensive PR and market-ing campaign following our takeoverof the company,” said Sinead. “Ourfirst year holding the reins saw ussolidify Lucas Love Healthcare’s roleas the recruitment provider of choicewithin the Northern Ireland care sec-tor. Nurses, care assistants and sup-port workers continue to work for usin an array of settings across theprovince, and our bank of high quali-ty staff increased by 24 per cent in thefinal months of 2013.”

Top marks for care agencyLucas Love Healthcare directors Sinead Polland and Susanne Ritchie.

30 20/5/14 11:29 Page 1

31

NCA launches Government cuts survey By Dominic Musgrave

A NEW survey aimed at gauging thefinancial difficulties faced by carehome providers due to Governmentcuts was launched at a care confer-ence.

The details of the online survey,designed to ascertain howGovernment cuts are affecting carehome provision, was launched byNCA chief executive Sheila Scott in akeynote speech.

Addressing delegates at the confer-ence hosted by Leamington solicitorsWright Hassall, Sheila unveileddetails of the new survey, which willbe available to complete on theNCA’s website during the next coupleof months.

The survey’s aim is to collate directevidence from care home operatorsof the impact upon care provision

that Government cuts in funding tolocal authorities has had upon them.

Shelia said: “We are launching thissurvey as an opportunity for carehome operators and providers toshare with us their experiences ofhow Government funding cuts haveaffected them.

“From some of our initial research,we are not overegging it to say thatwe are seeing a three per cent reduc-tion in real terms in fees, while at thesame time overall costs are rising.The Government must realise thatthis continued imbalance can onlyresult in an impact in the standard ofcare delivered.

“We feel that the survey responseswill confirm what we already know,and it will be the springboard to aconcerted campaign designed topress the Government to ring-fencemoney for care provision.”

The NCA leader added that theorganisation will publish the surveyfindings in the next few months.

Rachel Gwynne, Wright Hassall’shead of charities and not for profit,said: “We are very pleased to haveattracted such high-quality speakers

to Wright Hassall’s care conference,and such a good number of delegatesto debate and discuss issues key tothe care home sector.

“It’s a measure of the event that theNCA chief executive chose to unveildetails of their new survey andprospective campaign at the confer-ence.

“We look forward to seeing the find-ings of the survey in a few months,and where those results might takeus in terms of tackling the fundingissues currently emerging within thecare home sector.”

The Wright Hassall care conferencesaw a number of keynote speakersfrom the industry address delegateson a wide range of relevant sectorissues.

Alongside Sheila’s opening address,it included an update on the CQC bymanager Amanda Lyndon.

NCA chief executive Sheila Scott.

31 20/5/14 09:57 Page 1

CARINGCOMMERCE32

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As existing operators, you canconsider the whole range of optionsavailable to you, including:� Restructuring of existing loans.� Equity release and debtconsolidation.

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A revised planning application has been submitted to Bassetlaw Council which couldsee 200 jobs created in the borough. The plans, for the Greenacres site, at Worksop,would be a huge economic boost for the area, bringing with it jobs and economicbenefits for existing local businesses. Horizon had resubmitted plans for care centres tobe built on the three-acre site, following a public consultation and discussions with thetown council.

Richmond revealsdetails of its sixthvillage at WitneyRICHMOND Villages has announceddetails of its sixth village, which is tobe built at Witney, west of Oxford.

Once completed it will provide 126homes for those over 55, and anadditional 60 care home beds.

The development follows thecompany’s acquisition by Bupa lastsummer, and the success of its otherrecent new villages, Letcombe Regisalso in Oxfordshire, Painswick,Gloucestershire and Northampton.

The new £30million RichmondWitney will be located at CoralSprings, and within close proximity ofthe town centre. It will initiallycomprise 30 independent Villageapartments – one and two bedroomapartments (with the average size of atwo bed being 1,066 sq.ft), 46 Villagesuites (one and two bedroom) and acare home providing nursing anddementia care.

A full list of property prices will beavailable shortly, but Village suiteswill start from £225,000 and Villageapartments from £285,000.Reservations will also be taken in thenear future when a sales andmarketing suite will open in Witneytown centre offering full information.

Managing director Paddy Brice said:

“We know from the waiting list forproperties at Letcombe Regis thatthere is a strong demand in WestOxfordshire for what we offer, and aredelighted that construction will startsoon.

“In addition to these new homes,which will help meet the growingneed from the ageing sector of thecommunity, this new village willcreate some 150 new and permanentjobs.”

Richmond Witney will include allthe facilities that have made its othervillages popular, including a wellnessspa with swimming pool and gym,hair and beauty salon, a library, ITroom, terrace café, restaurant andgarden bar, and all set withinbeautifully landscaped grounds witha bowling green and nature reservebeyond.

Artist’s impression or Richmond Witney.

32 20/5/14 09:57 Page 1

33CARINGCOMMERCE

Injuries caused bylifting residentsBy David Waters

ONE of the most frequent reasonscare home operators submit insur-ance claims is due to injury to staffresulting from lifting residents.

Many of the claims we receive aredue to back injuries, since they are sodifficult to disprove. As an example,at the care home of one of our clients,a carer helping a resident get out ofhis chair was not using a hoist.

This scenario is one with whichmany of us can empathise; but some-times there is a need to protectemployees from their own kindness.

In this case, the resident fell as heraised himself from his chair and thecarer tried to break his fall, twistingher shoulder.

She was undoubtedly in pain and,following an MRI, it was discoveredshe had suffered a dislocated shoul-der. The insurance cost for her injuryand loss of earnings was in excess of£25,000 and her legal fees werealmost the same again. For £50,000+,the carer could and should have useda hoist.

In this particular case, the carehome owner could not understandwhy his insurance premiumincreased by almost 30 per cent from£1,900 to £2,500. Conversely, ourinsurers could not understand howthe owner failed to realise a £50,000+

cost was caused by his managementfailure. As the UK’s only dedicatedinsurance broker for the care sectorfortunately we were able to success-fully mediate and restore harmonyshortly before policy renewal.

This case highlights two aspects:� How important it is to train staffhow to lift residents safely since ahoist can protect staff, residents andthe care home owners.� How very expensive litigation is.Insurers paying these bills can onlyrecover this money from premiums,the correlation is inevitable.� David Waters is managing directorof Care Home Insurance Services

David Waters

A CGI of the new 80-bed Glastonbury Court care home development, whichwill be built by Castleoak for Care UK.

Castleoak secures ten out often planning permissions CASTLEOAK’S £45million Suffolk carehome reprovisioning programme forCare UK and the County Council hasreached an important milestone withplanning permission granted for all10 new care home and wellbeing cen-tre developments.

The final consent, an 80-bed facilityto replace the existing GlastonburyCourt in Bury St Edmunds, has beengranted approval by St EdmundsburyBorough Council.

Chris Hopkinson, Care UK regionaloperations director, said: “10 out of10 planning approvals have now beenachieved and these will directly meetSuffolk’s demand for a better provi-

sion of specialist nursing, residentialand day care services. Constructionhas been underway on eight of thenew care homes since 2013, and welook forward to opening six homeslater this year.”

The Glastonbury Court develop-ment is the second new care homeand wellbeing centre for Bury StEdmunds, following Davers Court,where Castleoak is due to completeconstruction in July.

Castleoak will start construction ofthe new Glastonbury Court develop-ment in September, with the openingscheduled for some time inNovember 2015.

33 20/5/14 09:59 Page 1

CARINGCOMMERCE34

TV’s Dr Hilary Jones ‘blownaway’ by new £8.5m homeBy Dominic Musgrave

TV'S Dr Hilary Jones has said he was“absolutely blown away” by a new£8.5million care home in Hampshire.

The broadcaster and author wasspeaking at a public open day atColten Care's Linden House inLymington. Dr Hilary described thehome, which offers dedicatedsupport for people living withdementia and memory loss, as a‘centre of excellence’.

He added: “Linden House acts as ashining light for the rest of the caresector.

“Over the years I have attended theopening of 12 Colten Care homes andeach time I see improvements on theone before.

“I’ve been absolutely blown away bythe attention to detail at LindenHouse. It's stunning.”

Dr Hilary's visit came shortly afterLymington Mayor, Councillor AnnaRostand, officially declared the carehome open in front of more than 150invited guests.

Up to 60 residents will live in one offour small ‘house groups’, each with afriendly atmosphere of safety,security and togetherness.

Every physical detail of the 4,250-square-metre home has been

designed with dementia care in mindincluding themed rooms, colourschemes, corridor and room features,and navigational aids.

The home includes a café, retreat,hairdressing salon, cinema and evena ‘Linden Square’ complete with‘shop fronts’ evoking the Georgiangrandeur of Lymington.

Themed gardens include a gazebo,beach huts and putting green.References to Lymington and thelocal area throughout the home helpthe overall aim of prompting both

interactivity and reminiscence.The opening of Linden House has

created around 100 direct jobsincluding posts for nurses, healthcareassistants, activity organisers, socialcarers and other ancillary staff.

Ian Hudson, Colten Care's executivechairman, said:“We have 19 homesincluding four specifically for peopleliving with dementia and memoryloss.

“As a family company, our policy is'care before profit' and we are lookingto expand further.”

ADMINISTRATORS from The P&APartnership have been called in toa Lancashire care provider afterincreasing legislation and intensecompetition brought an end tothe business, with the loss ofmore than 150 jobs.

Abacus Care Home Care andNursing Services (Ormskirk)Limited supplied qualified nursesand health care assistants to carehomes, hospitals, and secureunits, as well as providingpalliative care and specialist care,and personal and domestic careto clients within their own homes.

Abacus Care (Home Care andNursing Services) Limited, alsooffered franchises providing careservices around the UK. ChrisWhite and Gareth Rusling havebeen appointed administrators.

Chris said: “Abacus Care HomeCare and Nursing Services(Ormskirk) Limited has provideda valuable service across theNorth West, and across the UK,for a number of years, but hasfallen victim to growing healthcare legislation alongside risingcompetition. These factors havemade the business unviable,forcing the owners to make thedifficult decision to shut down thecompany.”

Rules toblame forclosure

Dr Hilary Jones takes a rest in Linden House's Linden Square with Jackie Hampton,home manager, and Ian Hudson, Colten Care's executive chairman.

34 20/5/14 09:59 Page 1

DEMENTIA SPONSORED BY 35www.active-minds.co.uk

Amore Care, part of the Priory Group of Companies, has received university accreditation for anew programme. Dominic Musgrave found out more.

Innovative dementia programmereceives university accreditation‘CREATIVE Minds’ was well receivedby the review board at the Universityof Brighton, which was unanimous ingiving full accreditation.

The success of the programme fol-lows a year of writing, delivering tocare teams, reviewing, changing andretesting.

‘Creative Minds’ is an innovativefive-session programme that has theethos of supporting people withdementia to live their lives to thefullest capacity.

The sessions include:� Understanding the impact ofdementia on the person and family.� Enabling communication and posi-tive experiences for people living withdementia.� Understanding stress and distressreactions in dementia.� Promoting dignity, respect and per-sonhood for people who are livingwith dementia.� Living life – meaningful activity forpeople living with dementia.

Creative Minds is available for allAmore care home staff and offers par-ticipants a variety of ways to learnincluding active participation, bestpractice films, exercises, presenta-tions, theory and reflective learning.

Amore Care’s Creative Minds train-ing is designed to motivate all carehome staff and encourage creativeideas to improve the quality of life for

residents.Stephen Amos, dementia lead at

Amore Care, said: “Creative Mindsgives a clear message that peoplewith dementia can contribute, bepurposeful, can engage and be active,can share emotions and develop rela-tionships, depending on the individ-ual.

“Our absolute belief is that peopleliving with dementia need to be val-ued as a person with a continued roleand purpose in life, need a sense ofbelonging within their care homecommunity, need to feel they areloved and need to have meaningfulengagement, activity and occupation.

“The key challenge for our staff isthat residents are often reliant onthem to facilitate this.”

Creative Minds in actionA firm friendship with Amore Care’sApple Mews’ maintenance manJohnny McKenna has enabled resi-dent Alfie to involve himself in every-day tasks and activities that have ledto a quality of life and level of inde-pendence he never dreamed ofattaining.

Johnny, who has worked at AppleMews in Armagh since October 2012after spending most of his workinglife on building sites, attended AmoreCare’s Creative Minds training.

Despite not having a care back-

ground, he embraced the ethos of theprogramme and engaged with Alfie ina way that changed his life.

Alfie now helps around the home,goes fishing with Johnny and evenmows the lawns from his wheelchair,

with a little innovative assistancefrom Johnny.

He is so motivated in his life that hehas started regular physiotherapywith the ultimate aim of walkingagain.

Maintenance man Johnny McKenna and Alfie Hill.

A Lancashire care company has won a prestigious award for its commitment to improv-ing the lives of people affected by dementia. Jimmy Anyon, training and developmentmanager at SureCare in Preston and South Ribble, received the Dementia InitiativeAward from TV presenter Esther Rantzen. The awards were organised by the LancashireWorkforce Development Partnership and funded by Lancashire County Council. He said:“SureCare was delighted to take part in this year-long programme which was aimed atimproving the care sector’s understanding of dementia and the ways in which carerssuch as ourselves can meet the needs of clients affected by the condition.”Jimmy Anyon is pictured with Esther Rantzen.

Residents get on boardwith musical researchRESIDENTS at a national maritimecharity care home are helping toinvestigate how music can help thosesuffering from dementia by takingpart in a new scientific study.

The Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society,based in Banstead in Surrey, has beeninvolved in a research programmeinvolving live music charity Music inHospitals and The University ofRoehampton.

The research aims to discover moreabout the science behind the thera-peutic benefits of live music and inparticular, how live music canimprove the wellbeing of those suf-fering from dementia.

The Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Societyincludes music therapy as part of thedaily activities at its Surrey based carehome.

The study being undertaken at thehome includes monitoring cortisoland saliva levels to assess the impacton a resident’s mood. High cortisollevels are an indicator of stress,whereas increased saliva is an indica-tion of happiness.

Concert coordinator at Music inHospitals, Lisa Freund, said: “The res-

idents at the care home enjoy musicsessions filled with different genres,ranging from classical to jazz, folk,pop, show and old time.

“Our musicians possess exceptionalcommunication skills, which enablethem to involve audiences beyond amusical level and help to bring theperson out of the patient.”

The Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Societyopened its dedicated dementia centretwo years ago after establishing that40 per cent of its residents were pos-sibly living with some form of the dis-ease.

Care home manager Anne Kaseysaid music can help to relieve thefeelings of isolation some suffererscan have, as well as reviving forgottenhappy memories.

She added: “It was an absolute plea-sure to be involved in this study aswe’re contributing to research thatcould help patients across the nation.

“As well as this, we’re helping toimprove people’s understanding ofdementia, how it works and howmusic can help sufferers. The effectsare obvious, with residents becomingmore interactive and stimulated.”

35 20/5/14 10:07 Page 1

CARINGNEWS36

DEWSBURY-based SweetheatTechnology has developed a newinnovative Bootbar System whichallows delivery companies to deliverpiping hot meals each time.

Managing director Nazim Maniarsaid: “We have been manufacturingour revolutionary Sweetheat HeatedDelivery Bags System for over adecade now for the fast food andrestaurant home delivery market.

“We wanted to move into a new

field and, through extensive researchand development, we now supplymany nursing and care homesthrough key customers includingHertfordshire Community Meals andSK Solutions of Stockport.”

The Bootbar is wired directly ontothe battery of the car or van and canpower up to four Sweetheat HeatedDelivery Bags at 90 degrees Celsius –ensuring hot meals each and everytime. T: 01924 488619

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Sweetheat delivers hot resultswith new bootbar system

36 22/5/14 09:53 Page 1

CARINGPRODUCT NEWS 37

Claim VAT back on your home evenif you are not VAT registered

IT is true, care providers can reclaimVAT worth about £3,000 per bed forany residents who stayed in yourhome between 1993 and 2002 paidfor by the local authority.

You don’t have to be VATregistered to make a claim. We canusually find the information requiredwith minimal disruption to yourbusiness.

How is this possible? Well in 2002a care provider called Kingscrestchallenged the view held by HMRCand won. There is no cost to youunless we are successful.

Typical claims: 50 beds –£240,000; 40 beds – £170,000; 287beds – £1.25m.

And the best part is that you getthe money in your bank accountbefore you pay us. Don’t forget thetax repayment is free of tax – it is extra profit.

Enquiries: Call 01233 640985 and ask for Howard to find out more.

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 absorbentcotton pile and 100 per centwaterproof backing, theremarkable WACMAT® is an idealaccessory where spills may occur.

Used as a commode mat, inbedrooms or bathrooms, theWACMAT® ensures full carpetprotection. Then, after use,simply machine wash and tumbledry! 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’s CareClean™ rangeBEAUCARE has launched CareClean™, a specialisedNHS and care home chemical cleaning range.

These products have been specificallyformulated for medical environments.

The range includes a number of concentratesproviding dilution cost savings, withoutcompromising on quality.

Careclean™ is a selection of triggers,

concentrates and five-litre refills, encompassing allthe essentials for your daily cleaning regimes, frommulti-surface cleaners, polishes and degreasers.

Beaucare® Medical Ltd, established 21 years, isthe UK’s premier supplier of hygiene, medicalsupplies and equipment to individual care homes,care home groups, hospitals and NHS Trusts.

THE new ThermoPop® pocket-sized thermometercan be read from any angle, in either hand –making the taking of temperature readings thatmuch easier!

The ThermoPop® features a unique 360-degreerotating display. Simply push a button to rotate thedisplay in 90-degree increments, enabling the userto read the temperature in any position i.e. lefthand, right hand, vertical or horizontal.

Additionally, the ThermoPop® thermometerfeatures a backlit LCD display, making thermometerreadings that much easier to read whatever thelight level.

The thermometer is housed in a waterproof IP66case and measures temperature over the range of50 to 300°C with a 1°C/°F resolution.

The thermometer will power off automaticallyafter 10 minutes, maximising battery life.

Each thermometer is supplied with apermanently attached, pointed stainless steel foodpenetration probe (Ø3 x 114 mm) with a fastresponse tip, together with a probe cover withintegral pocket clip.

The ThermoPop® thermometer is competitivelypriced, at £17 each exclusive of VAT and available

direct from www.etiltd.com ordering code 810-280.Enquiries: For further information call01903 202151, email sales@etiltd.com

or visit www.etiltd.com

New - ThermoPop® thermometerwith 360-degree rotating display

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If you would like a reliable supplier,repairer, maintainer to look after yourequipment and company give us acall.

We supply a massive range of newand used tried and tested productsacross the UK at great prices, butmore importantly we will use ouryears of experience to make sure youget a great product that is right foryour needs.

Would your medicationmanagement stand up?THE CQC is extremely concernedabout the management of medicinesin care settings, and 16.4 per cent ofhomes risk failing an inspectionbecause their systems aren’t safeenough.

Biodose is designed to maximisemedicine adherence and is the onlymonitored dosage system on themarket to accommodate both liquidand solid medication.

It is specifically engineered toreduce the risk of error with patientphotos printed on every tray anddrug names displayed on each pre-measured pod. It saves round timesas no pouring and measuring ofliquid medicines is required, pluspersonalised pods and MAR chartsmean care staff can check easilythey’re giving the right medication tothe right person at the right time.

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Transport

Accountancy

Transport

ID Cards

Concentrated savingsfrom Gompels ...GOMPELS HealthCare Ltd hasdeveloped a new range ofconcentrated cleaning products.

The range, specially formulated anddeveloped by Gompels, includes aFloor & Hard Surface Cleaner,Foodsafe Cleaner & Sanitiser and aRoom & Washroom Cleaner.

They are all antibacterial, comply toBS EN 1276 and are designed toremove even the most stubborn dirtand grime.

The products have been developedto be highly concentrated andtherefore superbly economical.

When diluted they will give you atrigger spray bottle of solution for aslittle as 20p! As well as saving youmoney the system will also save youon storage – a 2.5litre bottle whendiluted as directed will give you theequivalent of 166 750ml triggerbottles!

Gompels are currently offering thisrange in a starter pack that providesyou with everything you need to getstarted including the dispenser, adisplay board, pumps and emptytrigger spray bottles as well as allthree of the cleaning products.

Staff and residents from Four Seasons Health Care raised £10,724.41 for MacmillanCancer Support by taking part in the charity’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning initiative.This amount could help pay for two Macmillan nurses for a month; providing crucialhelp for people living with cancer and their families. Across the UK, 162 Four Seasonscare homes hosted a coffee morning, while Annette Embleton, a care assistant atRedwell Hills Care Home in County Durham collected more than £500 by shaving off herhair.

ANDREW Passfield of Secure-Tag Ltdis on a mission.

He has developed a cost effectivesolution to identify residents’clothing in care homes to meet theneeds of all operators and he wantseveryone to know a real alternative isavailable.

“We couldn’t understand why, in the21st Century, people still hadn’tsolved the problem of clothingidentification and were determinedto come up with the answer,” saidAndrew, who co-founded Secure TagLtd.

After extensive research both hereand overseas, Secure-Tag haslaunched a fast, simple and extremelyaffordable solution that ‘does what itsays on the tin’.

Andrew explained how theyadapted a system they saw in the US.

“We were shown small formatthermal tags being used in a highintensity laundry and decided toadapt this,” he added. “Our system issuitable for fusing tags onto the carelabel using a special heat seal methodfor ease of application, ease oflocating the tag and enhancement ofpersonal dignity.

“In just eight seconds our tags canbe applied to any garment includingsocks and underwear, and crucially,they cannot be felt by the wearer.”

Secure-Tags carry two types ofidentification – a small visible nameand a barcode to speed accuratelaundry sorting – which is ideal forlarger homes.

Andrew’s solution toidentifying clothing

Staff get their boots on for charityMEMBERS of staff at DebaliolNursing Home in Newbiggin by theSea, Northumberland, are pullingon their hiking boots to raise fundsfor the British Red Cross and extratreats for the residents.

Sixteen members of staffincluding manager of the Bondcareowned home, Julia Rose, will tacklea 13-mile sponsored coastal walkfrom Amble to Newbiggin, donatingfunds raised to the British Red

Cross and for additional summeroutings for the residents.

She said: “We always like tosupport charities and go the extramile for our residents, so we’relooking forward to raising funds forthe British Red Cross and foradditional treats for our residents toenjoy this summer. Staff have beentraining hard for the walk and we’rekeeping our fingers crossed that theweather will be fine.”

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