Romila – The chair based dance for all
Romila is a Fresh Chair Based Exercise Programme, specifically designed to get our Ageing Population exercising whilst having fun! Romila has been carefully developed from the Five year success of our sister company Boogie Beatz, which has delivered over 10.000 Chair Based Dance Sessions to hundreds of Care Homes, with over 5.000 Elderly Participants continuing to enjoy our sessions! Romila is here to help Care Home budgets stretch further whilst providing your Elderly Residents with the recommended daily dose of exercise! Through Romila, Your Organisation can purchase a License which enables your staff to be trained via our engaging Online Platform, to deliver the Fun Chair Based Dance Sessions to your Elderly Clients on a Daily Basis. The online platform can be accessed through any device and is designed to be informative, fun and engaging to cater to each individual’s learning ability. The Romila programme is also recognised by CQC Inspection Managers, who continuously highlight the importance of providing all Elderly Residents with regular exercises and Physical Activity. The Romila sessions provide Excellent Physical and Mental Stimulation for all involved- as the sessions promote a Party like atmosphere, whilst being highly cost effective for each setting. With Romila, your staff don’t have to worry about anything, as all movement content, step by step videos, music, props and templates are provided. ‘It is a fun relaxed way to get the residents moving and singing! It is not as serious as some other arm chair exercises as yours are fun and more social!’ ‘It makes everyone happy-staff, family, residents-everyone joins in!’- Activities Co-ordinator ,Grafton Lodge In addition to exercise sessions, Romila has developed Engaging Seated Sporting Activity guidelines adapted by popular Sports, to help you maximise your Elderly Clients participation within Physical Activity. The sporting Guidelines will be included on a Complimentary basis within each Romila Programme. Romila understands the pressures that Care Homes /other Organisations are under to consistently produce High Quality Services. In order to help your Funds Stretch Further, Romila will provide you with a free replacement login(for the remaining subscription period), at any stage of the licence, if one of your staff members put forward for the programme is unable to continue delivering the Romila Sessions. Take advantage of our excellent upcoming promotion – Train three staff members within One care home for the price of One! Limited Time Only! www.romila.co.uk | Info@romila.co.uk | 0115 752 0730
Get fresh ideas and expert advice at Care Roadshow Cardiff
The Care Roadshows team are gearing up for the show’s return to the valleys in October, when Care Roadshow Cardiff will make its return to Cardiff City Stadium. Attracting care home professionals from across Wales and the South West, the event will provide the opportunity to source new products and services, attend CPD seminars and workshops from industry leaders, and network with peers from the care community. Opening on Tuesday 23rd October, Care Roadshow Cardiff, sponsored by Quality Compliance Systems, will give residential and home care professionals the chance to benefit from one-to-one advice sessions and hear from leading associations such as Care Inspectorate Wales and Care Forum Wales, who will discuss the current challenges facing care providers and how best to address them. Alongside free CPD seminars running throughout the day, visitors will also be able to discover new ideas from interactive workshops hosted by care business experts, Oomph! Wellness, who will run two engaging sessions to get involved in – providing great tips for driving social interaction and mental stimulation, and exploring ways to incorporate meaningful exercise and physical activities into your setting. The wide range of exhibitors at the event will showcase everything from catering and cleaning equipment, pharmacy services, and care management systems to staff training programmes and the latest innovations in care technology. Companies confirmed to exhibit include Boots Care Services, apetito, Beaucare Medical, Social Care Wales and many more. All visitors to the event will also be automatically entered into a prize draw to win £100 in cash on the day. Tickets for Care Roadshow Cardiff are free and are available via the website at www.careroadshows.co.uk. Improve the lives of the people in your care and get inspired on 23rdOctober – save the date in your calendar today! The final stop of the year for Care Roadshows in 2018 will be at Epsom Downs Racecourse in London on 13thNovember. Further details about the Cardiff and London shows can be found online at www.careroadshows.co.uk.
Hand hygiene – the first step in tackling antimicrobial resistance
The rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest threats to global health in today’s world, with the current estimated cost of AMR to the NHS in excess of £180 million per annum.[1] Although the 2013-2018 AMR Strategy and Public Health England’s ‘Keep Antibiotics Working’ national campaign in 2017 has raised awareness of AMR, the threat of AMR needs continual focus. Paul Jakeway, Marketing Director at Deb, explains why hand hygiene is the first crucial step in preventing AMR and why serious action needs to be taken now to protect the future of the NHS. The real threat of AMR – a global concern AMR is the ability of a microorganism (like bacteria and viruses) to stop an antimicrobial (such as antibiotics) from working against it. As a result, standard treatments become ineffective, infections persist and may spread to others.[2] A recent Government report found that antimicrobial resistance ‘continues to increase’ despite a drop in the amount of antibiotics prescribed by GPs, with AMR claiming 700,000 lives each year, that’s one person a minute.[3] This is a public health challenge, but the pace of discovery and development of new antibiotics is slower than the spread of resistance mechanisms. The cost of failing to tackle AMR increases the cost of Healthcare with delayed treatments, lengthier stays in hospitals and more intensive care required. Tackling AMR with effective hand hygiene methods Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) are contracted while a patient is receiving care for another illness. They add an extra burden to the nursing staff, increase the risk of AMR through over-use of antibiotics for something that the patient wasn’t being treated for, and they are extremely costly. 50% to 70% of HCAIs are transmitted by hands[4]and the growth in AMR could increase the severity of HCAIs further, as infections that we typically cure with antibiotics will become untreatable. Therefore, hand hygiene and infection prevention should be the first line of defence against AMR in hospitals, but it is often overlooked. Although the 2013-2018 AMR Strategy highlighted the role of infection control in preventing AMR, we believe the new Strategy that comes into force next year can go further in highlighting the fundamental role that prevention plays in contributing to resistance. A need for stricter guidance We must re-emphasise hand hygiene as central to reducing bacterial resistance and outline clear steps to improve hand hygiene compliance in hospitals. A failure to address the challenge of antimicrobial resistance could result in an estimated 10 million deaths every year globally by 2050 and a cost of £66 trillion in lost productivity to the global economy.[5] Recognition alone is not sufficient. Stricter guidance must be introduced to ensure hand hygiene compliance is the first line of defence in preventing infection. Deb recently submitted evidence to Parliament outlining the need for improvement and the role that hand hygiene can play. To read Deb’s evidence, please visit: http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/health-and-social-care-committee/antimicrobial-resistance/written/85602.html [1]European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control/European Medicines Agency Joint Technical Report: The bacterial challenge: time to react (2009). [2]http://www.who.int/antimicrobial-resistance/en/ [3]https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/26/almost-died-true-cost-antibiotic-resistance-britain-around-world/ [4] WHO, Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care (2012), p. 12. [5]https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-preventing-infections-and-reducing-amr/health-matters-preventing-infections-and-reducing-antimicrobial-resistance
Deb to showcase innovative hand hygiene programme during IPS conference
Deb, the hand hygiene and skin care specialists, is getting ready to showcase its hand hygiene innovation at this year’s Infection Prevention Society (IPS) annual conference, the largest infection prevention and control exhibition in the UK. Taking place from Sunday 30th September to Tuesday 2nd October at the Scottish Event Campus Centre, Glasgow, Deb will be exhibiting on stand number 140 and will be introducing its DebMed® Programme to visitors, a unique, integrated hand hygiene compliance and skin care programme that is customised to each Healthcare environment. Visitors will have the chance to find out more about the programme, which incorporates Deb’s ground-breaking GMS™ system to electronically monitor soap and sanitiser dispensers and capture hand hygiene events, providing real-time data based on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) 5-Moments of Hand Hygiene standard. Paul Jakeway, Marketing Director at Deb, said: “The IPS conference presents an ideal opportunity to highlight the current industry challenges, our solution to effectively capture hand hygiene events, and speak to visitors about how their hand hygiene provision could look. “We have recently submitted evidence to Parliament outlining the need for improvement when it comes to antimicrobial resistance and the role that hand hygiene can play. We’re looking forward to sharing our plans with visitors and the steps that Deb is taking to ensure electronic monitoring systems are implemented in Healthcare settings.” During the IPS conference, Dr John Hines, Research and Development Director at Deb will be hosting a seminar on the future of hand hygiene in the digital age. The team will also be giving out samples and goody bags to visitors to the stand. For more information, please visit: www.debgroup.com
Care Firm Issues Plea to Check on Vulnerable During Heatwave
A leading home care provider in Lincolnshire is calling for people to check on elderly and vulnerable neighbours during the current heatwave. Walnut Care, a home care agency which provides adult home care across Lincolnshire, has made the warning as temperatures across the county soar to 30 degrees this week. Melanie Weatherley, Chief Executive of Walnut Care, said: “During the Beast from the East this winter, we were brilliant as a society at coming together to support those who couldn’t get out. This extraordinary heatwave is no different, it’s just another form of extreme weather. “We care for hundreds of people across the county so we know that thousands of vulnerable people, particularly the elderly, will be scared to leave the house for a fear of falling ill in the hot weather. We’re asking those who can get out and about to check on their neighbours who might not.” Yesterday, the Met Office issued a weather warning and told people to stay out of the sun as this summer looks set to be the hottest and driest for more than three decades. The weather organisation is also advising people to keep their windows and curtains closed during the day and open in the evening when the temperatures drop. The Lincolnshire-based care provider is asking people to spare ten minutes to check on vulnerable neighbours and friends who might be struggling in the heat. Melanie added: “Make sure they have enough food and water. Also check that they are drinking enough fluids. Ideally the elderly should be drinking three litres of water daily to counter the hot conditions. “It could really help relieve the pressure on the NHS and care staff. As we all know, prevention is the key. A five or ten-minute call each day this week could make all the difference.” The plea comes as adult loneliness continues to rise across the UK, particularly in rural areas. Melanie said: “It’s even more important to check in on people who are on their own. They are particularly more vulnerable than those who live with someone else.” Public Health England and the Met Office are urging people to take precautions in the sun, including covering up, wearing sun screen, keeping your house cool and drinking plenty of water. The Met Office said the first half of summer has been the driest since 1961. Several parts of the country have had 54 consecutive dry days, meaning less than 1mm of rain fell during the heatwave. If you are struggling in the heat and want further advice, please call the NHS 111 line or 999 in emergencies.
The Care Home Awards Commend Digital Marketing Agency Receptional for their Professional Service
Digital agency Receptional received highly commended for ‘Best Professional Service Provider’ for their work with Signature at the 2018 Care Home Awards. Competing with thirty one finalists, Receptional a Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Pay Per Click (PPC) agency in Flitwick, were thrilled to receive recognition at the prestigious Care Home Awards held on Wednesday 27 June.Celebrated for their outstanding work with Signature Care Homes,a unique and inspiring group of homes dedicated to providing exceptional care, Receptional was awarded highly commended for Best Professional Service Provider. Justin Deaville, Managing Director at Receptional, said: “Receptional worked with Signature to improve its digital marketing and I am honoured we received recognition for this work. It is a fantastic achievement to be acknowledged in such a competitive industry and we hope to continue making an impact on this sector.” The Care Home Awardsare benchmarks for innovation and excellence in care home management, operations and delivery of service. Held in the Platinum Suite at Excel London during the Health + Care Show, the event receives hundreds of entries from this fast growing sector and gives due recognition to brilliant examples of both care homes and outstanding suppliers. About Receptional Founded in 1999, Receptional is an award winning digital marketing agency, which remains at the forefront of search marketing. Consistently delivering outstanding results – more traffic, more sales and better profits for clients – Receptional aim to provide a personalised, flexible service. About Signature Since 2006, Signature has delivered outstanding care and support to a full range of residents from those who are independent, to those suffering with memory loss, or are end of life. Committed to making residents feel as comfortable as possible, Signature work together to build a home like atmosphere for each individual and offer a packed activity program to carter to everyone’s needs. About The Care Home Awards The Care Home Awards aim to establish the annual benchmark of excellence and innovation for UK care home management, operation and delivery. This commercial sector is growing fast in the UK as the population ages and these Awards tease out brilliant examples of both care homes and outstanding suppliers to the sector, celebrating their success at a memorable Awards occasion.
Super heroes of the care sector recognised at awards ceremony
The next generation of care workers have been recognised at national training provider BB Training Academy’s annual awards ceremony graduation of the 132 apprentices who have recently completed their course. Learners arrived from cross the UK to the event, held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Milton Keynes, with families in tow to celebrate their achievements together. The ceremony had a super hero theme to acknowledge the amazing work and training the apprentices have completed over the last 12 months. Kamal Hyman, one of the UK’s youngest professional speakers and Spoken Word Artist, gave a lively talk to inform, entertain and inspire the young learners. His aim is to prepare students for the real world, and he explained why he was particularly excited to address the audience at the BB Training Graduation. He said: “I’m here today to act as a big brother to the students and my aim is to pass on some of the same self-believe that my parents gave to me. Apprenticeships are often overlooked and viewed as being below the standard of degrees, but I believe that apprenticeships provide students with practical experience that prepares them for the real world of work.” Having a two-year old daughter, Kamal commends the work the childcare apprentices do; “The subject the students have chosen is close to my heart, having seen first-hand the effect is has on children and their families and how much the care means to them. They have one of the most important jobs in the world and I would like to say to them: keep doing what you’re doing because it has a huge impact on the lives of the children you look after.” At the event, individual accomplishments were also highlighted, with awards given to those who have demonstrated best practice within their sector. There were ten different categories up for grabs, covering everything from Catering Apprentice of the Year, won by Maria Rowley, to Higher Management Apprentice of the Year, awarded to Hayley Sinclair. Winner of Management Apprentice of the year, Amy Lee from Battle Abbey School in East Sussex said: “It’s great to be recognised by BB Training Academy for my achievements. It has been a challenging year as I have juggled my studies with my main priority, which has been caring for my daughter while she has been poorly in hospital, but I was determined to complete my management course and I’m proud to say have. “I’m pleased to say my daughter is now out of hospital and I’m really excited about the plans for the future. It’s a significant time for our nursery at Battle Abbey School, as it is expanding and there are plans for a new purpose-built setting and a brand-new baby unit. “I’d like to say thank you to BB Training Academy for this award and for the amazing training and support I have received throughout my course. BB Training Academy CEO, Fay Gibbin, said: “Every year I am so proud of the talent we produce and this year was no exception. “It’s important to acknowledge everyone’s hard work and I hope everyone is as proud as I am of all their dedication over the last year. Upskilling and developing new talent is fundamental to a businesses success. Young talent provides the next generation of business leaders and I fully believe we have some of the best and the brightest apprentices here at BB Training Academy.” www.busybeestraining.co.uk
Dementia Specialist Wins Cosyfeet OT Award
Anastasia Barnes, a senior Occupational Therapist at the Emerald Centre in Colchester, has won this year’s Cosyfeet OT Award. The £1000 award will help fund the creation of a sensory garden where dementia clients and their families can spend time gardening and relaxing together. The garden will provide a space where individuals with dementia can interact with the environment, utilise their skills and knowledge, regain self-esteem and be physically and mentally active. In this way sleep, appetite, fitness and mood can be improved for a better quality of life. It will also provide a place where positive memories can be created for the families of dementia sufferers, and where community groups can gain a better understanding of dementia while assisting with garden development projects. “The therapeutic benefits of horticulture and art are well documented,” says Anastasia. “Our garden will incorporate plants to stimulate the senses and sculptures made by patients from everyday objects.” The Cosyfeet OT Award assists OTs and OT students to develop their professional knowledge and skills while benefitting others. The award is open to those who are planning voluntary work, a work placement, a client-focused project or research, whether in the UK or abroad. “We’re delighted to assist Anastasia in the creation of the sensory garden,” says Cosyfeet Managing Director, Andrew Peirce. “Dementia is such a huge issue for us in the UK at the present time. This inspired initiative will create a therapeutic space in which patients and their families can be purposefully engaged and enjoy quality time.” Cosyfeet was the first British company to make shoes for people with swollen feet. More than 35 years on they still offer the biggest range of extra roomy shoes, socks and hosiery on the market. 11,000 health professionals recommend Cosyfeet products to their patients. For more information email prof@cosyfeet.com or call 01458 447275. For more information about the Cosyfeet OT Award see www.cosyfeet.com/professionals/otaward
A New Service to Tackle the Plight of Self-funders – Save the date
9:30am, Friday 10th August a new service – Encompass Living, launches at the Holiday Inn, Sutton, SM12RF Encompass Living is a new dedicated service that addresses the challenges faced by self-funders. Encompass Living provides the support and information to guide, aid and assist people who fund their own care. Recent headline reports have highlighted the case of 89-year-old Ronald King, a dementia sufferer who walked into his wife’s care home and shot her dead with a service revolver. Mr King was a prime example of someone who was disadvantaged by having over £23,250 of assets. Mr King, whose wife was also suffering from Dementia, failed to receive any assessment care or guidance for his situation. Like many people his age, Mr King fell into the trap of assets which became an albatross. A review following the case exposed that a failure to carry out a face-to-face assessment with Mr King could have prevented the tragedy. There is an aging population and an increasing amount of vulnerable people fall out of the social care system because they are not a self-funder. Many people, either elderly, or the children of elderly and at-risk people, who are self-funders, have no idea where to turn for information, or find there is a stigma (in their perception) related to going to a council for social care support and guidance. Encompass Living is a new service which will empower people to make decisions, receive the right information, and ensure they are assisted to make the right choices to maintain independence. Whether it is with the help and support of dom-care services, live-in-care or telecare, moving to an assisted living home or entering a care home, Encompass Living can help people decide on the right support service to meet their needs. We welcome your attendance at the launch of this vital service and offer you the chance to come and speak with Encompass Living. RSVP to Darren.laws@zesttheagency.com for further information please call Darren on 07958 304375 or 01634 671167
