Care Home Celebrates Outstanding Report From CQC
Staff at a Plymouth residential care home are celebrating after the service was given the Care Quality Commission’s highest rating following a recent inspection. After its previous CQC inspection in January 2016, Restormel House was given an overall rating of good. But following its latest inspection, in September this year, it has been upgraded to outstanding. Carla Dearing, who has been manager of the service for four-and-a-halfyears, said: “I’m so pleased that the hard work, commitment and passion demonstrated by the staff here has been rewarded with the CQC’s highest rating. “I’m privileged to lead an excellent team here who put everything into providing the best possible care for the people we support, and the team thoroughly deserve to be recognised in this way.” Restormel House, a large, six-bedroom Victorian property in Restormel Terrace, is run by the Regard Group, the UK’s third largest care provider in its sector. It specialises in accommodating and supporting adults with learning disabilities, mental health issues and other complex needs, including autism and Asperger’s. Carla said: “The ethos here is to promote empowerment, and this means enabling an element of positive risk-taking, to help the people we support develop their independence. “We work with young adults who want to take risks and experience the same opportunities as other people their age. “For example, they sometimes want to go out drinking, so we sit and budget with them and provide support.” Over the past 18 months Restormel House has said goodbye to five people who have been able to move on to less-supported environments, increasing their independence. Carla said: “I like to lead by example, but this is not really a management and staff, them and us, kind of place, I try to be very inclusive, always inviting suggestions and ideas from the team. “I am so proud of the team, and it’s very satisfying to read comments like ‘staff said they loved their work’ in the CQC report. “We treat Restormel House as people’s home rather than a place of work, and work had as a team for the benefit of the people we support.” She said the team will not be resting on any laurels having achieved the top rating. “We are always looking for ways to improve what we do, and we will continue to do that because we are determined to keep getting better and better; it’s not good enough to reach a certain level and then just stand still. Kerry Libby, Regard’s Regional Director, said: “I am incredibly proud of Carla and her team at Restormel House on being given a well-deserved outstanding rating by the CQC. “It’s heartening that the CQC recognised the positive culture and can-do approach of the staff, who are clearly passionate about providing very high standards of care for the people they support. “This inspection report adds to our industry-leading quality ratings, of which we are immensely proud. “Currently, 95% of our services are CQC rated good or outstanding, compared to an industry average of 82%, and that’s due, in no small part, to the commitment of staff and the quality of their managers. “I would also like to thank Locality Manager Sarah Ghent and the wider management team, for the support they have provided to Carla and her staff at Restormel House; earning the outstanding rating has been a true collaborative effort.” The Regard Group supports more than 1,300 people, with a dedicated staff of more than 2,600 people at 168 sites throughout the UK. For more information about the group, visit www.regard.co.uk.
Hillgreen Care fined £300,000 – for not monitoring ‘sexual predator’
A care home provider has been fined £300,000 for allowing a man in its care with a history of sexual assaults the freedom to prey on vulnerable people. The Care Quality Commission brought the case against Hillgreen Care Limited for not providing the constant, one-to-one supervision required for the man, who was described in court as XX. CQC prosecuted Hillgreen Care Limited for failing in its duty to protect people in its care, exposing them to the risk of sexual abuse. District Judge Susan Williams also awarded CQC £141,000 in costs. The judge ruled that residents at the care home must not be identified. She added: “There was a failure to provide appropriate care and a high level of culpability because the risks were well known to the company.” She said there was a “woefully inadequate system of care” in place. The judge said that although Hillgreen was subject to insolvency proceedings, this should not affect the sentence and that the “fine would serve to mark society’s condemnation” of Hillgreen’s failure to protect vulnerable people in its care. The CQC brought the case against Hillgreen Care Limited, for failing in its duty to protect people in its care, exposing them to the risk of sexual abuse. Hillgreen Care Limited was not present in court at any time during the proceedings. Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court was told that on 1 November 2015, an autistic man was assaulted at Hillgreen’s care home at Colne Road, in Enfield, north London. At the time there were only two care staff on duty to look after six people. One of the residents, who was described as non-verbal, with limited mental capacity, was followed up to his room by XX, and, allegedly, raped. The incident was eventually reported to the police, but partly because of the alleged victim’s mental capacity and a lack of evidence, no prosecution ensued. The alleged perpetrator had been under the care of Hillgreen Limited for 10 years. Mr Paul Greaney QC, representing CQC said that: “XX is a predatory and opportunistic sex offender” and was a risk to both sexes. Numerous allegations involving vulnerable adults and children had been made against XX dating back to his childhood. The court heard from expert witness, Chartered Clinical Psychologist, Dr Neil Sinclair, who said that it should have been apparent to Hillgreen Care Limited that there was an extremely high risk of XX committing sexual offences. XX needed to be monitored at all times. Dr Sinclair said that if that monitoring been carried out, the alleged attack would probably never have happened. Residents at Colne Road were exposed to potential and actual harm. A number of care workers who had worked at Colne Road gave evidence – although nobody from the senior Hillgreen management team. A support care worker, who said she had not been given any instructions about watching XX, said that she walked in on XX while he was assaulting another service user, described as YY, on 1 November 2015. Following the alleged sexual assault Colne Road Home Manager, said that the home was no longer a place he wanted to work after the incident. He said that staffing levels were inadequate and that he had raised the matter with senior Hillgreen management, but that nothing had been done about it. A statement was read out in court from YY’s mother in which she said she had no doubt that YY would have been incapable of providing informed consent to sexual activity, given the nature and extent of his disabilities. Paul Greaney QC said: “YY plainly needed to be protected from abuse. One only needs to think for a moment about the situation that existed in that care home, a vulnerable man, in an environment in which a predatory sexual offender was largely free to roam, to realise that YY needed protection.” CQC began the process to cancel the registration of the Colne Road service in February 2016. The registration of Hillgreen Care Ltd was cancelled altogether in September 2017. Andrea Sutcliffe, CQC’s Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, welcomed the judgment and sentence: “As the judge has made clear, Hillgreen Care Limited utterly failed in their duty of care for the people they were responsible for supporting. YY should never have been exposed to the potential of sexual abuse from XX and the impact on him and his family is heartbreaking. My thoughts are with them today. “It has taken a long time to bring this prosecution to a conclusion but the outcome proves that it has been worth the effort and dedication of CQC’s inspection and legal teams. Providers should be clear that if people are exposed to harm through their failure of care we will take every step we can to hold them to account.” www.cqc.org.uk
Pioneering Dementia Advice Centre launched in Newcastle
In a bid to ensure effective, coordinated, community-based support for people who have been diagnosed with dementia, a pioneering dementia advice centre has opened in Newcastle. Designed to provide support and information services for people living with dementia, their families, friends and carers, the Centre, which is the first of its kind on Tyneside, is the result of a campaign led by North East specialist dementia charity, Dementia Matters. The Brunswick Village-based specialist day and residential care service provider has partnered with fellow North East charity, Newcastle Carers and sourced funding from The Ballinger Charitable Trust and the Lloyds Bank Foundation, to get the project up and running with additional support from local authorities and the NHS. Dr Fraser Quin, chief executive at Dementia Matters, said: “One of the issues raised regularly by people with dementia and their families is that there is no effective, co-ordinated support available to them post-diagnosis. As a result, they either fail to access the advice and support that they really need, or they feel like they are passed between various different support groups, where they need to repeatedly explain their story. “Mirroring the format of a dementia hub which was established in Stockton-on-Tees in 2015, Dementia Advice Centre Newcastle is the first Centre of its kind on Tyneside, providing advice and support to people living with dementia, their carers and families. “We hope that the service will be of great benefit to people and that its success will help to shape the future of dementia care across the region for years to come.” The new Centre, which has created three new full and part-time jobs, comprises a dedicated reception area, a hot-desk area for ‘drop-in’ advisers, an informal discussion area as well as confidential consultation rooms. Based at the Outer West Community Service Centre, Dementia Advice Centre Newcastle is open Monday to Friday for people to access a range of dementia specific services, from information about day care and respite services, to specialist clinical assistance from the dedicated on-site Admiral Nurse. “Using data gathered by our charity partner, Newcastle Carers, we established that services which benefitted from good public transport access, free parking and an easily accessible location tend to be used by more people, so we have selected the premises for Dementia Advice Centre Newcastle very carefully,” Dr Quin said. “The Outer West Community Service Centre is ideally located to enable us to help more people affected by dementia to gain access to the help and support they need to improve their quality of living. Newcastle City Council have been extremely supportive in helping us identify and secure these premises.” As the two core partners in the venture, Dementia Matters and Newcastle Carers will provide complementary services, with Dementia Matters’ team of specialists providing support for people with a dementia diagnosis and their families, while Newcastle Carers focus primarily on providing dedicated information, advice and support to carers around their role, entitlements and keeping themselves well. “Caring can take quite a toll on people’s own health and wellbeing, so helping carers to get the balance right between looking after someone else and looking after themselves is really important, helping families to keep a good quality of life,” said Katie Dodd, chief executive officer at Newcastle Carers. “Newcastle Carers will have a specialist carer information and advice worker on site to provide both practical and emotional advice and support to carers of all ages on topics such as general health, their caring role, managing finances, making time for themselves, housing and talking through how they feel.” “It is our mission to make the Newcastle Dementia Advice Centre an exemplar of excellence in dementia services,” Dr Quin added. “Once the concept of a coordinated support and advice service has been embedded, we hope that its legacy will be secured through additional funding so we can extend these services to reach even more people whose lives have been impacted in one way or another by dementia.” Cabinet member for health and social care, Councillor Karen Kilgour said: “The Dementia Advice Centre is an exciting development and will play a key role in achieving our ambition to make Newcastle a great place to live well with Dementia.” Councillor David Down, Lord Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne, added: “I can echo everything that Councillor Kilgour has said, this centre is a much-needed resource in Newcastle, and I am sure it will be both welcomed and well used. To find out more about the Dementia Advice Centre, visit www.dementiamatters.net.
Infection control – it’s in the bag!
Infection control – it’s in the bag! Cromwell Polythene Managing Director James Lee says waste bags have a crucial role to play in infection control. There are many aspects to infection control in health and care facilities – with hand hygiene of particular importance. Another key area which is more often overlooked is the disposal of infectious material. Waste bags may seem like an unlikely source of innovation, but the latest developments mean they have a vital role to play in supporting a facility’s infection prevention and control programme. The best are tested to ISO22196 and offer antimicrobial protection to hygienic liners for sanitary and medical disposal services. Importantly, the addition of silver antimicrobial technology during the film extrusion process means that bags are protected against harmful bacteria, including E. coli and Legionella. Using these new bags also saves operatives time and money by reducing and even eliminating the need to use separate antimicrobial products during waste collection and disposal. With the right products, infection control really can be in the bag. http://cromwellpolythene.co.uk
Live-in care provider becomes a Telephone Friend for those feeling lonely
A care provider based in the Ribble Valley has been in touch with his first The Silver Line ‘telephone friend’, after volunteering with the helpline in a bid to help combat loneliness. Gary Derbyshire, partner at Promedica24, wanted to do more for The Silver Line after it was chosen as the live in care provider’s charity of the year. The Silver Line provides information, friendship and advice to people aged 55 and over, open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Gary, after completing his The Silver Line training and becoming a Telephone Friend, has recently made his first phone calls and said it is “one of the very best things” he has ever done. His weekly calls are with a gentleman who relies mainly on his cat to keep him company. Gary speaks with him every Monday evening for at least 30 minutes and says, “I love knowing that I’m doing something very worthwhile, especially when he tells me how much he looks forward to the calls and how much difference it makes to his week.” Gary added: “The problem of loneliness and isolation resonates so much when I hear my Telephone Friend say that he is so glad he knows my call is coming as he would hate something bad to happen and nobody to know about this.” Since its launch, The Silver Line Helpline has received over 1.4 million calls from lonely and isolated people, with 53% of callers saying they have literally no-one else to speak to. Over 3,000 volunteers make regular weekly friendship calls to older people. Gary regularly volunteers in the community. He is a member of the Royal Voluntary Service and has recently helped a lady to her hospital appointments as she has no family to support her. Gary added: “The lady I support is recovering from cancer and is feeling extremely vulnerable, without my help she would really struggle. “It doesn’t take much out of my busy schedule to offer up a few hours now and then. If a lot did a little, then so many vulnerable would benefit. I am just playing my small part.” Promedica24’s partners promote and fundraise for the organisation, which relies entirely on voluntary donations to provide support and a befriending service to older people. Gary added: “Helping to reduce loneliness in communities is one of our visions at Promedica24 and we feel strongly about supporting this very worthwhile charity who share our values.” According to Age UK, 1.2 million people in England are chronically lonely, making it a much talked about issue across the UK. Darren Housden, Head of Sales, added: “At Promedica24 we fully recognise the terrible affect loneliness can have on people which is exactly why we fully endorse the great work undertaken by The Silver Line charity. It’s fantastic to see how Gary, as one of our regional partners, is contributing and we encourage this type of activity from all partners across our network.”
Zipping across the Tyne for charity and residents
DAREDEVIL care home staff flew across the Tyne on a zipwire to raise funds for residents and charity. Over £1,000 was raised by staff from The Oaks Care Home, in Blyth, Northumberland, after they launched themselves off the Tyne Bridge. The home’s carers and support staff jumped from the bridge’s balustrades before zipping across the river on a cold autumn day. The team included care assistants Samantha Porter and Linda Palmer, senior carer Sarah Geggie, care assistant Jessica Maxwell, maintenance man Chris Sogorski, senior carer Paige Gallagher, activities coordinator Natalie Brimelow, and care assistant Sarah Ferrow. The money raised has been split between the home’s residents’ fund and the Stroke Association – the home’s chosen charity for 2018. They added another £150 to their £542 total for the charity so far this year – taking it to £692. The remaining funds from the zipwire challenge will help pay for activities and events for the residents over the festive period. Sheila Keegan, wife of resident Brian Keegan, supported the team on the day with sweets and coffee. Sheila, who donated £10 for each team member, said: “It was just fantastic to support the team. I wanted to reward each of them for their courage and dedication.” Sam Porter, care assistant at The Oaks Care Home, came up with the idea and encouraged other staff members to take part. She said: “I wanted to do something wacky and different. Ziplining across the Tyne ticked all the boxes.” Home manager Ann Mielnik treated staff to a restorative tipple at a nearby hotel after their cold ziplining experience. She said: “Many staff members wanted to take part, so we had to do it as a first come, first served basis, as we still needed staff on duty. “I’m so proud of everyone that took part, as it took real guts to jump off the edge of the bridge.”
Chocolate Treats For All Gives Care Staff A Golden Glow
Care sector staff who told Investors in People inspectors how much they ‘love coming to work’ have even more reason to be happy after being rewarded by their employers – with chocolate! Comments from staff were instrumental in the Regard Group, the UK’s third largest private care provider in its sector, retaining the coveted Investors in People Gold status. Staff across the whole organisation were randomly selected for interview by the inspector and encouraged to be open and frank about their views on how they felt Regard meets the Investors in People standard. Less than half of organisations nationwide succeed in retaining the Gold status when they are reassessed. To celebrate, everyone who works for Regard received a golden envelope with ‘Gold’ chocolates. There were also a number of randomly-placed lucky golden tickets which entitled the members of staff who found them to a Virgin Experience voucher. This created much excitement and a real sense of fun across the organisation nationwide as part of the celebrations to recognise the Investors in People gold re-accreditation. Regard has a dedicated staff of more than 2,600 and all of them, from maintenance staff to regional directors to support workers had an equal chance of finding a golden ticket. Carole Edmond, CEO of the Regard Group, said: “We were delighted to retain the Investors in People Gold Award and to learn that almost all our staff who were interviewed talked about high levels of job satisfaction and how interesting, challenging and inspiring they find their work. “We thought it was only right that we said ‘thank you’ and gave a little something back to staff, so we organised the Find a Golden Ticket event, sending out envelopes with the chocolates and generating some excitement and anticipation as people opened them to see if they had a lucky golden ticket inside.” Carole also delivered a podcast to all staff to thank them for their contribution to retaining the highly-coveted and respected gold Investors in People status. Despite successfully retraining the gold accreditation, Carole said the Regard Group will not be resting on any laurels and remains fully committed to a process of continuous improvement. She said: “We have evaluated the reports and feedback, and as a result, are determined to continue to create the conditions where our staff can enjoy their work. “We will continue to create career pathways, to empower staff to grow and develop and we will keep focusing on the health and wellbeing of staff, enabling them to fulfill their potential. “The Investors in People inspectors said they had noted our staff’s ‘deep-seated commitment’ to the people they support, and staff’s expressed conviction that Regard delivers truly person-centred support, which was extremely satisfying and heartening to hear. “We need to ensure we continue to encourage that kind of culture as it means our staff will have the skills, motivation and desire to provide the very best levels of care to the people we support.” Regard has a dedicated staff of over 2,600 people on 167 sites across the UK, caring for more than 1,300 people with learning disabilities, mental health needs and acquired brain injuries through specialist residential services, supported living services, outreach support and day resource centres (OWL), all focussed on positive outcomes. ‘Investors in People’ is a business improvement tool administered by UK Commission for Employment and Skills and supported by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills. For further information see www.regard.co.uk
Elf Day sees care home raise funds for dementia fight
ELVES were running around a Tyneside care home spreading Christmas cheer and raising funds for the fight against dementia. Willowdene Care Home, in Hebburn, near Newcastle, took part in The Alzheimer’s Society’s annual Elf Day. Staff and residents’ family members all dressed as Santa’s helpers for the day. The residents enjoyed watching Elf, among other Christmas movies, singing carols, playing a Name The Elf game and tucking into a selection of cakes. Lynda Jones, daughter of resident Joan Welsh, baked pumpkin cake and iced lime cake for the occasion. The home raised £54 for the Alzheimer’s Society, with the funds going towards supporting those with dementia. Resident Pat Greig said: “I love the outfits the staff members are wearing. It makes the home look like Christmas already.” Christine Chandler, activities coordinator at Willowdene Care Home, said: “Christmas is all about giving and it’s great that everyone wanted to support the Alzheimer’s Society on Elf Day. “We all had such a laugh and raised a brilliant amount for a charity very close to the hearts of everyone at Willowdene Care Home.” Bannatyne Lodge Care Home is part of the Hill Care Group. For further information visit www.hillcare.net.
Huddersfield Giants teens entertain care home residents
BINGO brought teenagers and elderly care home residents together in Huddersfield. National Citizenship Service (NCS) students from the Huddersfield Giants Community Trust have been paying regular visits to Aden Court Care Home. The 15-to-17-year-olds organised a bingo night with nibbles and drinks, as well as a games afternoon, quiz and arts and crafts sessions. Pairing up with the home’s residents, the students helped create gift tags and decorations for Christmas. Resident Jean Heapworth teamed up with volunteer Cameron Parks. She said: “No matter how old you get or how long your husband has been gone you always miss male conversation. Cameron has made my day.” Resident Ruby Hobson said: “It was such a shame they had to leave. I thoroughly enjoyed having them in the home.” The visit also saw the students add to the home’s memory cloud project, which invovles residents writing down their most treasured memories, which are then displayed in their rooms. The students wrote their own memory clouds, to remind residents of their visit. Lisa Boyd, home manager at Aden Court Care Home, on Birkhouse Lane, Moldgreen, said: “The NCS students and staff brought loads of energy and enthusiasm into the home. “The residents and staff all loved having them here. The activities they organised were fantastic and enjoyed by everyone. “They are welcome back anytime. We look forward to working with the Huddersfield Giants Community Trust again in future.” www.hillcare.net
