New Tranquillity Room for Ormskirk Care Home
Residents and relatives have been able to enjoy a little bit of peace and quiet in style, as Stocks Hall Care Home in Ormskirk, Lancashire unveiled its new Tranquility Room. The renovated project of an existing conservatory has taken 4 months to complete was officially opened by Edna Adams, 95 who lives at the Care Home. A celebration afternoon tea was held to mark the occasion and celebrate the ribbon cutting ceremony. Edna Adams, Resident says “It’s such an honour to open this wonderful room, a lot of hard work and dedication has gone into this renovation. Thanks to everyone at the Home for creating this special place for us to all enjoy together.” The Tranquility Room has been painted and decorated in relaxing colours, has comfortable chairs and gentle and calming music is available if requested. A sky view roof has also been installed, allowing visitors to visually relax and enjoy the room with a view. Geraldine Ball, Manager of the Home says “We felt we wanted to create something that would benefit as many people as possible, that would promote wellbeing and make a difference to everyday lives.” The room will also create space for people to enjoy craft activities and express themselves through art if they so wish. “It is a lovely room, and you do feel nice and calm once you leave it. It will certainly enhance the quality of life for those living at the Home and their family members.”
Safe, Reliable, 9 – 17 Seat Minibuses
National minibus supplier Red Kite provides real customer choice, responding to the ever-increasing demand for ‘Young Driver’ Minibuses and the need for B Licence driver compatibility. Options include: New Peugeot Expert Combi 9 Seat Minibus. Designed to offer both driver and passenger space and comfort, this latest model Minibus is an invitation to travel in comfort and style and is available with up to 9 seats for smaller group travel. The Red Kite ‘Sport’ Minibus provides a safe, reliable, 15-seat minibus that can be driven on a B licence and at 3,500 Kg gross weight, is probably the most versatile 15 seat minibus on the market today. Manufactured without compromise the Red Kite ‘Sport’ Minibus is fully tested and approved by the VCA/VOSA. (The designated UK vehicle approval authority). Saving your organisation time and money, while providing many other members of staff with driver access to your minibus. The Red Kite Peugeot Boxer Minibus with occasional wheelchair option is exclusive to Red Kite and the number one choice for our customers: built without compromise to the highest safety standards, for the safe transportation of the nation’s school children. Subject to conditions this minibus spans both B and D1 driving licence categories. Under current regulations ‘B Licence’ category minibus drivers must be over 21 and have had their driving licence for a minimum of 2 years. To check which vehicle you can drive go to https://www.gov.uk/vehicles-you-can-drive To find out more about Red Kite’s full range of manufacturers including Ford and Vauxhall, or to book your demonstration and let Red Kite show you how they have moved the boundaries of minibus safety and versatility forward for all minibus drivers. Call 01202 827678 or visit http://www.redkite-minibuses.com/
CareFlex
At CareFlex we have confidence and pride in our specialist seating and the positive changes we know it can have on people’s lives. Careflex has over 20 years’ experience providing seating that is tailored to suit a wide range of requirements and needs. Chairs are highly durable, adjustable and adaptable, easy to clean and designed to provide ultimate comfort and excellent pressure relief. CareFlex seating is ideal for multi-user care environments. And, of course, for people in their own homes. Visit us on stand G104 at the Care & Dementia Show where Tony and Les will be pleased to discuss your requirements and answer all your questions. All CareFlex chairs include WaterCell Technology fitted as standard. This relieves pressure and reduces the risk of pressure ulcers. All chairs come with many features included as standard and there is a wide range of accessories. Chairs are made to order and there is a custom made device service for special modifications. CareFlex is committed to evidence based practice and our seating is supported by independent clinical evident over many years. We also offer a range of moving and handling equipment designed with comfort and safety in mind which help assist client transfers and reducing the risk of injury to both the carer and the patient. HydroCare – Classic comfort Our level 1 chair provides users with classic comfort. It is a simple and supportive pressure management chair which is ideal for the elderly or those with dementia. HydroTilt – All round support Our best selling, much copied HydroTilt Level 3 chair provides all round support for many client groups including those with neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis. The HydroTilt features Tilt in Space (TiS), maximum pressure relief, adjustable seat depth and loose covers for multiple user adaptability. SmartSeat – Ideal for multiple users The SmartSeat includes the CareFlex 5 year warranty on the frame and can be used in domestic and homecare environments. Suitable for early stage Huntington’s, the frail and elderly, and those with learning disabilities. The SmartSeat has Tilt in Space fitted as standard and can also be fitted with Back Angle Recline. A highly flexible chair, ideal for multiple users. HydroFlex – Made for rehabilitation The HydroFlex is a level 4 chair most suitable for those with cerebral palsy, MND, MS and dementia. This chair is for adults and children and comes in medium and small sizes. The HydroFlex has both Tilt in Space and Back angle Recline. It also has a removable transfer arm and the option of motorised auto tilt. SmartSeatPro – Maximum Flexibility The SmartSeatPro is unique and our most flexible chair yet. It is suitable for a wide range of client groups and is easily adjustable. It is for those with complex postural needs such as scoliosis, kyphosis, cerebral palsy, stroke rehabilitation and spinal cord injury. This is a modular seating system which means it can be adjusted as the person’s needs change. For example, it can be adjusted as a child grows. OverNight Chair – Night time comfort The OverNight Chair converts to a bed, for the comfort of visitors staying overnight. such as in hospitals and hospices. 2 year warranty on the frame. Huggle – Cocooning comfort The Huggle is designed for children. This paediatric chair is soft, supportive and safe. It is suitable for children with multiple dystrophy, cerebral palsy or brittle bone disease. The chair has adjustable seat depth and 4 fully braked castors. www.careflex.co.uk
Suffolk Care Awards 2017
Run by The Suffolk Brokerage and the Suffolk Association of Independent Care Providers (SAICP), the Suffolk Care Awards were created from the desire to “shine a light on amazing individuals, care providers and care companies who do the crucial job of caring for Suffolk”. In its second year, there has been a fantastic response once again and earlier this summer the finalists were announced; their details can be found on the Suffolk Care Awards website. DUET diabetes Ltd is proud to be one of the awards evening sponsors and wish all the finalists the very best of luck! The winners will be announced at the Suffolk Care Awards ceremony on 28 September at Trinity Park in Ipswich. DUET diabetes Ltd has learning provider endorsement from Norfolk & Suffolk Care Support Ltd. T: 01799 584178 E: info@duetdiabetes.co.ukW: www.duetdiabetes.co.ukF: facebook.com/duetdiabetes
Diabetes Awareness in Suffolk
Earlier this year DUET diabetes offered their services free of charge to support a local care home to run a “Diabetes Awareness” event for residents/families/staff during Diabetes Week (11-17 June 2017). In response two homes, Bethesda Eventide Homes in Ipswich and Gracewell of Kentford near Newmarket, have worked with DUET diabetes to plan events. Part of the plans include “Let them eat cake” – a fun interactive session which will be run by Helen Stephen (co-founder of DUET diabetes); discussing sugar content and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle whilst still having a little of what we fancy. “Access to good quality diabetes education and training for care home staff” is one of the elements of “good diabetes care” as laid out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).DUET diabetes provides workshop based education as an informative and interactive way to increase skills and confidence in caring for people with diabetes.Feedback collated from their training sessions indicates a strong learning preference by the majority of attendees for “small groups that are interactive and led by a professional”. DUET diabetes – dedicated to delivering understanding, education and training to empower nurses and carers; enabling them to make a positive difference to those living with diabetes. For more information or an informal chat about your diabetes training needs contact Lynne Reedman: T: 01799 584178E: info@duetdiabetes.co.ukW: www.duetdiabetes.co.ukF: facebook.com/duetdiabetes
The Urgent Need for Intergenerational Care
Intergenerational care is on the rise, and is increasingly gaining attention as a way to bring the elderly and young together. Both in the UK and abroad, there are inspiring examples of homes where such collaboration is underway, and where the opportunity to interact and play together is putting smiles on the faces of those at both ends of the age spectrum. This is something that we must encourage and foster through intergenerational care initiatives in care homes, starting from now. Take the Home Meadow home in Cambridge, which has been welcoming seven children, aged one to four, on a weekly basis. The visit of these young children has been voted the residents’ ‘highlight of the week’, offering the chance to join together in dance, arts and crafts and singing activities. Spending time with children brings joy and happiness to residents, and allows them to form a close bond that they cherish. Residents are given the opportunity to partake in regular physical activity, enjoy fun games and laughter, and gain a renewed sense of self-worth. The benefits for children are undoubtable, too. Through the attention that they receive, their confidence can grow, and they can grow up appreciating elderly people. Children also get to learn about the normal ageing process, and adopt an accepting attitude towards those living with a disability. These positives for children are supported by Nia Williams, child psychologist at Bangor University. She oversaw a TV experiment in Wales in which young people spent time with people living in care homes, and found that children reacted very well to mixing with residents, and grew in independence over the course of the experiment. Beyond the UK, examples of intergenerational collaborations abound. The Intergenerational Learning Centre (ILC) is an award-winning childcare programme in Seattle, USA, allowing children and residents to come together on five days per week for music, art, storytelling and more. Singapore, too, is engaging in similar care-based innovations. Over the next 10 years, a £1.69 billion national plan will see childcare facilities and senior centres co-located through new projects. Existing care homes are being encouraged to develop intergenerational initiatives by the Singaporean government, too. As well as the benefits for both the young and old, there are also economic imperatives for encouraging more intergenerational care homes. With nurseries and care homes struggling for funding, being an intergenerational facility offers a unique selling point for care providers, and will allow maintenance and staff costs to be reduced. Head office activities including human resources, marketing, PR and administration can be shared. It is therefore crucial that we push for the establishment of intergenerational care homes here in the UK. Though we can already draw great hope from examples such as Home Meadow in Cambridge, there are currently no companies in this country which combine young and elderly care on a permanent basis. The need for us to ensure this happens is based on the happiness, self-worth and personal development that intergenerational care offers for both the young and the old, as well as the economic fragilities of current care home funding. There is a plethora of international examples that we must take inspiration from in achieving this vital aim. Davina Ludlow, Director of carehome.co.uk and homecare.co.uk
Calculating VAT for care homes – not as simple as it seems
By Tamara Habberley, Senior VAT Consultant, The VAT People VAT is an incredibly complex aspect of business to calculate, leaving many businesses in differing sectors and of varying sizes tempted to sweep it under the rug. Care and nursing homes in particular often view the matter of VAT as irrelevant after a change in legislation exempted care home providers from VAT altogether. However, to believe that this means care homes no longer have to worry about VAT in any way, shape or form would be untrue. Here, we explore VAT for care homes, looking at significant considerations operators need to make in order to ensure they are fully compliant with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) regulations. Confirm payments regularly Care homes cannot charge VAT on their income from the provision of care or recover VAT on associated costs. However, care home operators will be are aware that they are subject to paying VAT on the majority of goods and services that they consume. In many cases, we have seen care homes missing the opportunity to make VAT savings on costs that they can acquire VAT free. It is therefore essential that checks are carried out regularly to ensure they are not being wrongly charged. It is also sensible to check that suppliers who charge VAT are actually VAT-registered to avoid paying amounts as VAT unnecessarily. Furthermore, there have been instances in which care homes have been incorrectly charged VAT for the printing of certain items, such as brochures, pamphlets and books, despite the fact VAT rules state that 0% should be charged on these items by the printer. For this reason, care home operators should always request a credit note and refund of the VAT paid to the supplier when having items such as these printed if they have been charged standard rated VAT in error by the printer. Discounts and savings Understandably, care home providers, along with a host of businesses across all sectors, have a considerable lack of knowledge when it comes to VAT. Unfortunately, ignorance can mean that many organisations fail to take advantage of the few reliefs that are available to them. We always advise businesses to take time to improve their knowledge on this area, as it could allow them to save a great deal of money. Staffing is one area where relief is available for care home operators. Nurses who are hired through an agency to provide nursing services on a temporary basis are non VAT-able, while the same rule applies for supervised staff in some special circumstances. It is important to have the knowhow to ensure that VAT is not being paid on the supply of such temporary staff as costs could be reduced by as much as 20%. Care homes can also make valuable savings on catering by coming to an agreement with the business supplying food. The catering company acts as an agent for buying in provisions and managing the service. By adopting this approach, the only VAT-able portion charged to the care home would be the management fee, while the remaining food purchased in on the care home’s behalf would be zero-rated for VAT. This idea only works if the contracts and invoices in place support the arrangement so it is always worth seeking advice on this point. VAT on building transactions Savings can also be made on building transactions. A new-build property constructed for the purpose of being used as a care home can be constructed on a VAT-free basis, if the business is able to prove it is to be used for qualifying purposes. Further to this, when a nursing or care home business moves into a building that has been converted from a commercial building, dwelling or apartments into a care home, the conversion work will be subject to the reduced rate of 5% VAT. The pressures of running a care or nursing home can be considerable, and administrative tasks such as VAT and other costs can be ignored in favour of addressing more pressing tasks. Those care providers that do take the time to research VAT could end up reaping the benefits, by making considerable savings on what are known to be costly factors. Having the necessary knowledge gives operators more time to focus on the important task of providing care to the individuals in their responsibility. Tamara originally trained as an artist and ran her own small manufacturing business before deciding to have a complete career change. She joined HMRC as a VAT inspector in 1991 covering such roles as large trader assurance, small businesses, computer systems audit and debt management before jumping ship and joining the “real” business world as a VAT advisor in 1998 passing her AIIT exams in 1999 and joining The VAT People in 2008. This wealth of experience allows Tamara to see VAT issues from both sides of the fence which is useful when negotiating with HMRC as well as bringing an ability to find creative and workable solutions to VAT issues.
Grand Opening Of “Memory Lane”
Mayor of Hillingdon, Councillor John Hensley to officially open Poplars Care Home is a 27 bedded care in the heart of Ruislip caring for residential and dementia clients. As part of recent renovations, previously unused areas of the Home have been transformed into a ‘Memory Lane’; a vintage streetscene of shop fronts featuring original, vintage items. Shops such as Poplars Grocer feature ration books, original packaging of well known household items and provides a wonderful conversation piece for the residents. The shop fronts on the ground floor memory lane include a Grocer, Tea Room, Pharmacy and Ye Olde Sweet Shop. There is also an original bus stop and school crossing signage. The street scene assists those with a diagnosis of dementia to remember a time in their past that is more familiar. This resource provides a source of interaction for residents as they meaningfully interact with their environment. On the 1st floor of the Home another memory lane has been created around the hairdressing salon in the Home. This ‘Memory Lane’ features a Royal China Shop, Poplars Grocery Shop, Post Office and Fashion Shop. Further vintage pieces such as original 40’s clothing and accessories, original post office memorabilia and collectors edition Royal celebration china. This street scene features a working barbers pole which is certainly eye catching for all those waiting to have their hair done each week. Hillingdon Mayor, Cllr John Hensley will attend on 01/02/17 at 2pm to formally open these ‘Memory Lane’ street scenes. As a tribute to those residents who have a diagnosis of dementia, these features will allow for meaningful interaction by focusing on a past era of familiarity. Local services who support the Home such as the District Nurse Team in Hillingdon, the Memory Team, local GPs serving the Home and the Community Matron have confirmed their attendance to this event. A light buffet will be served along with cakes decorated by the residents of Poplars Care Home. All are welcome to attend.
