Sherwood Lodge and Sherwood House rated ‘Outstanding’
Cygnet Health Care’s Sherwood Lodge and Sherwood House rated ‘Outstanding’ by Care Quality Commission Sherwood Lodge rated ‘Outstanding’ across all five CQC categories.Cygnet now has the only two learning disability hospitals in the country to have achieved this extremely rare accolade Cygnet Health Care is delighted to announce that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated the care provided by Sherwood Lodge, Cygnet’s specialist learning disability hospital and Sherwood House, Cygnet’s specialist rehabilitation mental health hospital as ‘Outstanding’. The services provided by both hospitals, near each other in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, have been rated as ‘Outstanding’ overall, and Cygnet Sherwood Lodge has achieved the extraordinary accolade of being rated as ‘Outstanding’ across all five of the CQC’s assessment categories for caring, safe, effective, responsive and well-led services. The hospital joins Cygnet Elms as the second of only two learning disability hospitals in the country to have achieved this extremely rare honour. The CQC’s report for Sherwood Lodge praises the hospital’s ‘innovative and pioneering approaches to care’ and highlights how employees treated service users ‘with kindness, respected their privacy and dignity and understood the individual needs of patients’. The efforts of all staff are commended in the report for the ‘compassionate, inclusive and effective leadership’, to the staff in general who empower patients ‘to have a voice and realise their potential.’ The CQC also commended the ‘highly motivated’ team at Sherwood House with carers informing the CQC inspectors that ‘staff went the extra mile and their care and support exceeded their expectations’. The specifically tailored nature of the care was singled out in the report which describes the ‘proactive approach to understanding the needs of different groups of people’ and how care was delivered to meet those needs. Claire Griffiths, Hospital Manager at Cygnet Sherwood Lodge said: “I am incredibly proud of the entire Sherwood Lodge team. To achieve an ‘Outstanding’ CQC rating in all five assessment categories is a fitting testament to the excellent care and support we provide. “This report is a welcome acknowledgement of the commitment of our staff to ensure patient-centred care, quality and innovation are at the heart of our service.” Nita Roper, Hospital Manager at Cygnet Sherwood House said: “The team at Cygnet Sherwood House already had a strong belief that we were an outstanding service so this report is a fantastic recognition of our hard work and dedication to providing the best of care to our service users. “This is a remarkable achievement for everyone involved and we are proud to have set the standard for mental health services across our region.” Tony Romero, CEO of Cygnet Health Care said: “Many congratulations to all staff at Cygnet Sherwood Lodge and Sherwood House, who thoroughly deserve this fantastic acknowledgement. The dedication and enthusiasm they show in caring for some of society’s most vulnerable people is an inspiration to us all. “Cygnet Health Care is proud to run the only two learning disability hospitals in the entire country to be rated as ‘Outstanding’ across all five assessment categories.”
Choosing the right washing machine to meet hygiene standards
By Clare Long, Business Account Manager at the Professional division of Miele Choosing the right washing machine for your care home plays a key role in ensuring infection control guidelines are successfully met. But it’s difficult to know where to start when it comes to choosing the right make and model. Washing bed linen, towels and residents’ clothing is a daily chore for care home staff. As care and nursing environments have a particularly high risk of disease spreading, such as urinary tract infections and influenza, it’s vital that managers choose a washing machine equipped to handle heavily soiled items. For example, models which offer sluice washes carry out a pre-wash cycle that removes solid particles from heavily soiled items and allows the contaminated water to pass through, before adding detergent and carrying out the main wash. The Department of Health’s Health Technical Memorandum 01-04 (HTM 01-04), is a set of infection control guidelines that care and nursing organisations must abide by. It states that to decontaminate linen it should be washed at 65°Cfor at least ten minutes, 71°C for at least three minutes or 85°C for one minute. If care home managers choose commercial washing machines that offer thermal disinfection cycles, they can meet these guidelines and help prevent the spread of infection. Laundry operators can ensure that these temperatures are met using an independent validation system, NeQis, which can be fitted to the machine and reports on the temperatures that have been reached. This information can be sent to a computer owned by the care home, allowing staff to accurately monitor temperatures to record compliance. Barrier Washers are another type of washing equipment that care homes should consider in order to control infection effectively. These machines feature a ‘dirty side’ and a ‘clean side.’ Laundry operators put dirty laundry in the machine in one room, before washing their hands and leaving the room, and then taking the clean laundry out of the other side of the machine in another room. This reduces the risk of the laundry being contaminated. They are particularly beneficial when washing bed linen, which can easily get infected due to incontinent residents. Even if it isn’t feasible to install barrier washers on-site, designing a care home laundry room to include a ‘dirty’ and ‘clean’ side can help improve the laundry operation and further reduce the chance of cross-contamination. A care home will only be as hygienic and free from infection as its appliances allow. If managers consider the full features of commercial washing machines prior to making a choice, they can ensure that they select a machine that can meet their specialised needs.
Dementia friends gather at Teesside care home
DEMENTIA friends gathered at Teesside care home for training to support those with the condition. Dementia champion and crime prevention officer at Cleveland Police, Peter Ridley facilitated the session at The Beeches Care Home, on Green Lane, Stockton on Tees. There were more than a dozen attendees, including staff from the home, family of residents, members of the Carlton WI and others from the community. WI member Ann Swinbank said: “I wanted to learn more as a family member has been showing dementia-like symptoms and I felt it would help if I knew how to assist them going forward.” The Beeches Care Home manager, Jess Brown, met session facilitator Pete during their dementia friends training at the Dementia Hub in Thornaby. Pete has since helped ensure Cleveland Police is completely dementia friendly, with all new cohorts receiving dementia friends training. He said: “I was delighted to be asked to present the dementia friends session at The Beeches. “I became a dementia champion to help build awareness in the community of the challenges that people who live with dementia face. “If we can create awareness, it will help people be more understanding when they interact with a person who has dementia.” Jess said: “We had a great turnout with 14 for our dementia friends session. “As a care home looking after those with dementia, we wanted to do our bit to help others understand the condition better, so they can support their friends and loved ones. “These sessions are aimed at raising awareness and understanding, so that people living with dementia can continue to live the way they want. “We’re planning to run sessions at local schools to give children an understanding of what it’s like to live with dementia and how to help those who have it. “We’re also organising further sessions at the home and we’ll make the dates available to those wishing to know more as soon as possible.” The Beeches Care Home is part of the Hill Care Group. For further information visit www.hillcare.net.
5 Ways Nurses Can Empower Their Patients
Patient empowerment is part of a process to help people who have gone through care take ownership of their healthcare journey. According to the World Health Organisation, empowerment is a process which allows patients to gain greater control over decisions which affect their health. Of course, what taking ownership means will vary from patient to patient depending on their needs. A change in an aspect of a patient’s lifestyle, like their diet or an exercise regime, might be the trigger that results in a significant change. Alternatively, the support they need might be specific to their condition. Whatever the case, frontline healthcare staff, like nurses, can play a central role in this process. After all, they do the majority of the daily work, and they’re also the people patients have the most contact with. Given this fact, let’s take a look at the role nurses can play in empowering their patients. Help Creating New Routines Education is absolutely fundamental to patient empowerment. However, it comes in a number of varieties. The first thing that nurses can teach their patients is the role they can play in their own healthcare journeys. This is an important first step. Buy-in is crucial for patient empowerment whether someone is managing a chronic illness, require complex care or recovering from an operation. The next level of education that nurses can provide is actual knowledge of the patient’s condition. This can be impromptu, in the form of responding to questions and queries. Alternatively, nurses can provide more structured learning by providing briefings at important stages in the patient’s care. In either case, the goal is to bring the patient’s knowledge of their condition up to a level where they are able to engage with care providers on a meaningful level, and then decide what the best options are for them. Then there’s education about practical skills. There are innumerable techniques and exercises that nurses can teach patients to help them achieve the best possible level of health. Again, these might be condition-specific exercises like stretches, or they may be more general lifestyle skills, like meal planning. Nurses can also help patients to practice such techniques until they are confident in their ability to continue on their own. Providing Access to Reputable Resources Once patients have acquired a certain amount of knowledge about their condition, they’ll more than likely want to start doing their own research. In the internet age, more and more people are learning about their medical conditions online. While it is positive that patients seek to acquire a greater understanding of their condition, it can be a source of confusion and misunderstandings. Nurses can assist in this process by pointing patients in the right direction when it comes to looking for learning resources. We all know that not everything we read online is true. Nurses can offer valuable insights, recommending forums and reputable websites with information relating to specific conditions. Of course, there’s a world beyond the internet too. Nurses generally also have good knowledge of the literature in their field. They can aid the process of patient empowerment by offering one to one feedback to patients. Similarly, they might be aware of any groups or sessions that patients can join in their local area. As a Source of Empathy and Support Receiving healthcare is often stressful and upsetting. Nurses know this. One of the main skills of their profession is empathy. In this way, nurses can alleviate the negative emotions that might crop up during the care process. For patient empowerment, some of the main emotional barriers include stress, fear, anxiety, and lack of confidence. Simply feeling that someone understands these feelings will go a long way to helping patients overcome them. This can take many forms. In particular, nurses are usually skilled in active listening, which allows patients to find solutions to their own emotional problems. This is naturally, very powerful in helping the patient to feel empowered. Nurses can also relate to patients by drawing on their own experience, both as healthcare practitioners and personally. The key is to make sure that the patient knows that they are not alone, and the emotional barriers to their empowerment can be overcome. As a Friend and Person to Confide in One of the best ways to achieve patient empowerment is by building long term relationships. Obviously, this is especially applicable to chronic conditions. This works in a couple of ways. Firstly, when nurses have an ongoing relationship with their patients, it fosters a sense of trust. People know in their heads that they can trust their care providers, but in practice, they might not always be forthcoming with important information. Building a trusting relationship can help patients accept the recommendations of a medical professional. A person is more likely to be open and honest about their condition with someone they’ve come to know. This can be important in empowering patients as it means that, when necessary, they can express whatever concerns or questions they might have. Additionally, building good relationships between nurses and patients makes the experience of a medical appointment that little bit more pleasant. As we know, one of the benefits of patient empowerment is reducing the need for in-person appointments, but it doesn’t eliminate them altogether. And when the time comes, we want them to be the best experience they can be. Flexibility A large part of patient empowerment is helping a person decide which healthcare options are right for them. It is common for practitioners and patients to have a much more open dialogue about healthcare options. As part of this, a nurse can show flexibility and creativity in coming up with a care package that will suit the individual needs of the patient. Any number of things which must be taken into account for this, including cultural differences, or more practical elements like what at times the patient works. Showing flexibility in these regards is vital, as they can often prevent patients from receiving the care they need otherwise. As well as
Forest Nursery Helps People with Dementia Remember Their Roots
An innovative forest school and nursery based in South East Northumberland is branching out with a new partnership involving North East charity MIND Active, so that people with dementia can join in with the children’s memory-building exercises. Footprints on the Moon was established in 2015 by Annie Blight from Cramlington. As a child, she frequently cycled to Plessey Woods to play in the peaceful woodland surroundings while enjoying exciting adventures beneath the trees. It became Annie’s mission to help children enjoy nature and learn from the forest, as she had done herself as a child. After running a range of activities at various outdoor locations in Northumberland, Annie’s dream came true last year when she set up Footprints on the Moon’s permanent base at Plessey Woods Country Park. Annie says, “I chose the name ‘Footprints on the Moon’ as I believe that there are no limits to what our children can achieve. Using their imagination and creativity, they can reach the moon and beyond.” The forest school runs activities for all age groups and the nursery caters for two to five-year-olds and is open five days a week. Lessons are based on the great outdoors and nature. With today’s urban lifestyles, some children don’t see much of the countryside and often only visit their local park or seaside on rare family days out. The school uniquely uses a giant parachute as a shelter and campfires encourage the children to bond whilst learning basic outdoor cooking skills. Children are able to construct adventure dens, listen to stories in specially constructed areas and relax in hammocks conveniently strung between the trees. In essence, the children are taught to connect with the natural world and create educational memories that will last a lifetime. Like any traditional nursery, the children enjoy rhymes, songs and story-telling, an experience which is now helping people with dementia to rekindle their own childhood memories, improve their focus and soak up the relaxing atmosphere under the ancient trees. MIND Active is a registered charity that supports local volunteers who help improve the lives of elderly people in the area. Angela Clark, Project Co-ordinator says, “We’re very excited about working with Footprints on the Moon. Visiting the nursery school and taking part in their activities is the kind of experience that is really beneficial for someone with dementia. Very often, just being around young children can help people with dementia remember details about their own past. Dementia can be a very frustrating condition. Spending time in the tranquil woodland helps relieve that frustration and promotes relaxation. By helping the children with their memory tasks, dementia sufferers are finding that their own minds are positively stimulated. It’s also something fun to do which is outside the sometimes-mundane routine of daily life. We’re thrilled to be working with Footprints on the Moon and we’re confident that this is the start of a long and successful joint venture.” Annie agreed: “Helping our youngsters with the words of nursery rhymes and songs is great therapy for those with memory difficulties. It helps to ignite childhood reminiscences and the older people love spending time with the kids and the children love having them around.” Footprints on the Moon currently has 4 members of staff and is helped by a small team of volunteers, including students from Newcastle University. The team, including the children’s parents, are passionate about letting children make the most out of spending time in a natural environment. Local businesses have also supported the venture with funding provided by the Postcode Lottery and Bedlington Town Council.
RCH Care Homes makes dementia commitment
RCH Care Homes makes dementia commitment as part of Dementia Action Week To mark Dementia Action Week (DAW), which ran from 20 to 26 May 2019, RCH Care Homes committed to creating 900 new Dementia Friends! As part of RCH’s ongoing partnership with the Association for Dementia Studies (ADS), and to complement our dementia strategy, By Your Side; all 900 employees across our 10 care homes and support services will become ‘Dementia Friends’ over the coming months. The Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends programme aims to change the way the nation thinks, acts and talks about the condition so supporting the initiative seemed a fitting action to commit to during DAW. RCH’s By Your Side strategy and the partnership with the world-renowned dementia research and education centre ADS, were launched earlier this year. The strategy, which is founded on four key pillars; training, environment, activities and hospitality, is being rolled out and embedded in the business’ ten care homes across the east and south east of England during 2019, alongside specialist ADS training for our ten care home managers and 24 dementia specialists. RCH Care Home’s Chief Operating Officer, Stephen Rees, said: “We are delighted to support Dementia Friends as part of Dementia Action Week as it complements our ongoing commitment to improving the lives of people living with dementia. Creating 900 new Dementia Friends within our homes will further support our drive to ensure all of our residents wake up in the morning looking forward to the day ahead, and go to bed at night feeling happy, loved and contented, having had a great day.” You can find more information about our dementia care at www.rchcarehomes.co.uk or by emailing care@rchcarehomes.co.uk.
Access 21 Interiors
One of the common questions we are asked is how to provide the safety features and wayfinding pointers that residents need whilst still maintaining a homely, comfortable environment? For safety: For way-finding: Making the home more homely and comfortable: For further information please contact Eda or Terry on 020 8339 6133 or email info@access21ltd.co.uk or visit www.access21interiors.co.uk
Hartlepool nursing home provider prosecuted by CQC for failing to provide safe care
A care provider that failed in its duty to provide safe care and treatment has been fined £24,000 and ordered to pay £14,000 towards the cost of the prosecution, and a £170 victim surcharge, by North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court. The Care Quality Commission brought the prosecution following the death of an 83-year-old woman at Gretton Court care home in Hartlepool. The provider, The Hospital of God at Greatham, previously pleaded guilty at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, on 13 March 2019, to two offences: failing to provide safe care and treatment resulting a resident being exposed to a serious risk of avoidable harm, and a failure to provide safe care and treatment to the residents of Gretton Court from being exposed to a significant risk of avoidable harm. The court heard how a new resident was admitted to Gretton Court on 25 November 2015. Due to them being at risk of falling from bed when resting, it was decided that they needed bed rails and passive infrared sensors (PIR), that sound an alarm when they detect movement. The resident’s need for bed rails was reassessed throughout 2016 and they were found to be of low risk of falling from bed. However, the provider had failed to ensure that staff, responsible for assessing these needs and the safe use of bed rails, had received appropriate training. A relevant safety policy was also not available. The bed rails remained in use. In the early morning of 25 December 2016 the resident was found, having passed away and trapped between their bed and bed rails, the infrared sensors had not activated. A post mortem revealed they did not die as a result of the incident but had suffered a heart attack due to severe coronary artery disease. On 30 December CQC conducted a comprehensive inspection, in response to concerns raised. The inspection found that health and safety checks were not always completed and the management of risks at the home was poor. Care plans were also not being updated and the provider was not ensuring improvements were identified or addressed. The service was rated Requires Improvement overall. Two requirement notices were issued, meaning the provider was required to report back to CQC on how it intended to make improvements to the service. Investigations conducted by CQC after the resident’s death confirmed that the bed rails had been previously broken between October and November, and the provider had repaired them. However, evidence collected showed that the bed rails were again broken during December 2016 but went unnoticed and therefore remained unrepaired for a number of weeks. Prosecuting Counsel Ryan Donoghue, acting for CQC, told the court that The Hospital of God at Greatham failed to provide safe care and treatment and exposed the concerned resident, and other people in the home, to a significant risk of avoidable harm. The failures were due to the provider not ensuring staff were competent in their roles and supported by relevant safety policies. There were additional failures in correctly using and maintaining the PIR sensor system and the safe use and maintenance of bed rails. The combination of which led people to being exposed to significant risk of harm. The Hospital of God at Greatham was fined £24,000 for failing in its duty to provide safe care and treatment to residents in the home and ordered to pay £14,000 towards the cost of the prosecution and a £170 victim surcharge. Sue Howard, Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, said: “Everyone who depends on services is entitled to safe high-quality care and to be protected from harm. We found this provider had failed to ensure risks to people had been fully assessed or actions taken to prevent people from being exposed to avoidable harm. “The combination of a lack of the home assessing risk and its poor governance meant that it failed to identify where improvements were needed and ultimately resulted in CQC taking this action. “We would like to offer our sincere condolences to everyone concerned with the death of the resident. “Where we find poor care, we will always consider using our enforcement powers to hold providers to account and to ensure the safety of the people using services.” CQC returned to Gretton Court in March 2018 and rated it Good overall, and in each of the key questions we ask: is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?
Pupils learn about dementia from care home staff
SCHOOL children have been learning about dementia from visiting care home staff who look after those with the condition every day. Ingleby Care Home activities coordinator Kirsty Walsh and unit manager Cassie McCloskey visited St Thérèse of Lisieux R C Primary School to talk to pupils. Both the care home and school are based on Lamb Lane, Ingleby Barwick, near Middlesbrough, and have taken part in joint activities previously. The school’s year five and six teachers contacted the home to ask if anyone could visit to explain the types of dementia and how it can affect people in different ways. There was also an opportunity for the children to ask questions, which included “does everyone get dementia”, “is it only old people that develop it” and “can they still remember things”. After the session at the school, pupils made a special visit to Ingleby Care Home, where they played ball games, read and sang with residents. One resident, Shirley Naylor, even danced with the school pupils in the home’s specialist dementia suite. Kirsty said: “We were delighted to be asked to talk to the pupils about dementia. They were very attentive and curious. They had some excellent questions. “With an aging population, there are more and more people being diagnosed with dementia, so it’s important to understand the difficulties and challenges it can present so we can better support those with the condition. “It was fantastic to then welcome the pupils’ to the home. They brought so much energy and enthusiasm. The residents thoroughly enjoy their company and loved every minute playing games, reading, singing and dancing. “We all look forward to further activities with the school in future.” Ingleby Care Home is part of the Hill Care Group. For further information visit www.hillcare.net.
