The National Association of Care Catering launches its Care Chef of the Year 2023 competition
The National Association of Care Catering’s (NACC) Care Chef of the Year 2023 competition has opened for entries, officially starting the association’s search for the best chef working in the care sector. The prestigious competition has been celebrating the culinary talent across the care sector for 23 years. Open to all chefs and cooks working in care settings1, it recognises, showcases and celebrates their sector-specific knowledge, skills and flair. The entry brochure can be downloaded here and the deadline for entries is Monday 24 April 2023. The NACC Care Chef of the Year 2023 competition is once again supported by main sponsor Unilever Food Solutions and event sponsor The Worshipful Company of Cooks. Focusing on the importance of food, nutrition and positive mealtime experiences as part of quality care, entrants are challenged to create an appealing and delicious two-course menu (main and dessert) appropriate for people in a care setting. The combined food cost for both courses should be no more than £3.50 per head based on three portions and it must be nutritionally balanced. The menu must also feature at least one product from Unilever Food Solutions’ sector-relevant catering range2. All paper entries will be judged by a central judging panel and the successful chefs that make it through to the next stage will compete at the regional heats in June 2023. Here they will have 90 minutes to produce their dishes and demonstrate their skill set and knowledge under the watchful eyes of the competition judges. The judges will be looking for clear nutritional understanding of the foods they are using and how they benefit the needs of their clientele, plus culinary flair through flavours, menu balance, execution, presentation, and hygiene best practice. The two highest-scoring competitors from each regional heat will compete for the title NACC Care Chef of the Year 2023 at the national finals on Tuesday 3 October at West Nottingham College Sue Cawthray, National Chair of the NACC, said: “The launch of the NACC Care Chef of the Year is always an exciting event. This fantastic competition is a highlight of the NACC calendar and a brilliant platform to showcase the skills, knowledge and excellence of chefs working in our sector, as well as the career opportunities it offers. “Delicious, nutritious food and positive dining experiences are fundamental to quality care, so you could say that the kitchen is at the heart of a care home. It’s therefore only right that we celebrate and champion the incredible talents of care chefs who, day-in-day-out, ensure the individual and varied needs of those in their care are understood and met with skill, flair and dignity. “I encourage everyone to enter their amazing chefs and celebrate the culinary excellence our wonderful sector delivers. I can’t wait to see how this year’s competition unfolds. Good luck everyone!” Alex Hall, Executive Chef at Unilever Food Solutions, said: “We are very excited and proud to continue our sponsorship of the NACC Care Chef of the Year competition in 2023. This competition provides a great opportunity for care chefs around the country to showcase their skills and raise the profile of care catering. “Our team at Unilever Food Solutions is delighted to be working alongside chefs within the care sector to ensure that every mealtime is the highlight of the residents’ day, be that supporting with activities to nutritionally analysed recipes, training, inspiration and competitions like this. We look forward to seeing how this year’s competitors rise to the challenge and wish them the very best of luck.” The Reverend Keith Powell, Master of the Worshipful Company of Cooks, said: “Once again, the Worshipful Company of Cooks is proud to sponsor the NACC competition. For more than 500 years we have been involved in the world of cookery; initially being responsible for standards of catering and hygiene in the City of London and more recently closely engaged, through our support for competitions such as this one, in encouraging chefs to achieve high standards that they can then take back into their workplace. “To all competitors we send our best wishes and we look forward to being able to host the winner at our annual Prize Winners’ Lunch when you will be able to sit back and enjoy the results of someone else’s hard work. Good luck!” For more information on the NACC Care Chef of the Year 2023 competition and to download the entry form visit https://www.thenacc.co.uk/events/nacc-care-chef-of-the-year-competition-2023
New recipe to support people with dementia in Yorkshire
Leading Yorkshire care provider HICA Group has cooked up a new way to help support people suffering from dementia. The Hull-based not-for-profit care home group is always considering innovative ideas to improve the lives of those living with dementia. The latest project is the design and production of a unique baking book to encourage residents to take up baking and cooking activities across its care homes. The book contains well known and much-loved recipes from residents, their families and members of staff – with each holding a special place in someone’s heart. HICA Group, which provides residential and dementia care for residents across Yorkshire, published the bespoke bakery book with the support of catering partner, Apetito, which generously paid for the cost of getting the book printed. Research shows that baking and associated activities are particularly beneficial for those living with dementia, as it encourages a sense of self-worth and purpose and helps to create positive feelings such as joy, reducing stress and agitation. It’s also a good tool for helping to alleviate depression which is very common in those who have dementia. Mark Midgley, hospitality and wellbeing manager, HICA Group, said: “Baking is one the most enriching activities a person can do but it’s especially valuable for those living with a cognitive condition such as dementia. “One great benefit of baking is that it’s a fantastic reminiscence tool, evoking memories of when they used to bake at home and enjoy delicious family meal occasions. “It brings our sensory system alive meaning the feeling of flour in hands or the smell of icing can trigger nostalgia for our residents helping them to recall happy, cheerful memories. “The book is truly wonderful and copies are being circulated across all of our homes so that residents can try a range of recipes to make different types of food. “I want to express a huge thank you to all those who were involved and shared with us some of their best loved recipes – we can’t wait to sample some of the baking delights.” Around 100 copies being distributed across all of HICA’s homes in the region which are Albemarle in Hedon, Red House in Bridlington, The Hollies in Hessle, Overton House in Cottingham, Tamarix Lodge in Withernsea and Raleigh Court and Wilton Lodge in Hull. Harold, a resident, said: “I was delighted to give my recipe for ginger snaps to be used in the baking book. I love ginger and have always loved ginger snaps. I am looking forward to making them again with my friends and sharing them with everyone. They are always best if you dunk them in a cup of tea!”
6 ways Workforce Management Software helps care providers.
Care providers face a delicate balance as they juggle the provision of exceptional care while ensuring operational efficiency and attracting and retaining employees. Many care providers are reliant on paper or spreadsheet-based processes to manage employee management tasks such as time and attendance, absence, scheduling and HR management. Workforce Management Software automates these processes, eliminating time-consuming manual administration and providing a single central system for complete employee management. The use of Workforce Management Software can transform employee management for the better offering benefits to service users, employees and the organisation as a whole. Read on to discover 6 benefits workforce management software brings to care providers, 1. Reduced costsWage costs are the single largest expense category for most care providers so maintaining effective control of employee Time and Attendance is a significant determining factor for a care provider’s efficiency as well as its payroll costs. A Workforce Management System allows care providers to automate the collection, manipulation and processing of employees’ Time and Attendance in one single system. This results in complete control and transparency in relation to payroll costs and enables care providers to easily identify and eliminate hidden labour costs, generating cost savings and ensuring their labour budget is being effectively utilised. 2. Improved payroll accuracyA Workforce Management System helps you easily manage complex working patterns such as annualised hours, flexitime, part-time and shift working, while automatically assigning the correct pay rates no matter how many different pay rules are in place. This removes the need for manual calculations and significantly improves payroll accuracy eliminating under or over-payments 3. Optimized employee scheduling Effective employee Scheduling/Rostering is the building block for the provision of excellent care. Many care providers still use spreadsheets or paper-based rosters to manage employee scheduling. This is time-consuming and results in a lack of oversight of employee time and attendance across the organisation, making it difficult to fill gaps created by absences or leave which can often result in the use of costly agency staff. Choosing a Workforce Management System with automated Employee Scheduling functionality frees up managers from the administrative burden of manual scheduling and allows schedules to be created weeks even months in advance. 4. Regulatory complianceIn most jurisdictions, employers now have a statutory duty to keep records and take reasonable steps to ensure that working hours comply with local Working Time Legislation. Ensuring legislative compliance can be both challenging and time-consuming but failure to prove compliance can result in significant fines, employee lawsuits and a damaged reputation. A Workforce Management System takes the hard work out of compliance. To protect employers from inadvertent breaches of the legislation, rules can be built in to ensure employees can only be scheduled if their working time complies with legislation. With all working time and attendance records available in one central system, reports can easily be extracted to prove compliance, saving time, protecting the care provider from possible fines and contributing towards a healthy and safe working environment. 5. Enhanced resident careKeeping up-to-date records of employee skills, training and certifications is not just nice to have, it’s critical for care homes with their specialised skill requirements. A Workforce Management System with skills tracking enables care homes to keep a record of each employee’s skills and certifications along with expiry dates where relevant ensuring this information is always up-to-date and that considerably less time is spent on its administration. 6. Increase employee satisfaction One of the most useful features of a Workforce Management System is the Employee Self-Service App which can be accessed on a smartphone, desktop or laptop. Using the Self-Service App, employees can update their personal records to reflect changes such as bank details or addresses straight away – no emails and no waiting for HR to confirm receipt. Employee Self-Service gives employees more control over their working lives and contributes significantly towards improving employee empowerment and satisfaction. In summary With the increased demand for complex care, the need for visibility and control of operating costs and the requirement to ensure employee satisfaction, it’s never been more important to have effective workforce management in place for care homes. Using a Workforce Management system specifically designed for the challenges faced by care homes helps improve operational efficiency, improve employee satisfaction and support the provision of superior resident care. To view a Demo of Softworks Workforce Management Software for Care Providers visit softworks.com or email hello@softworks.com
Gillingham care home resident shares remarkable story for International Women’s Day
A resident at Care South’s Gillingham care home, Fern Brook Lodge has shared her remarkable life story in celebration of International Women’s Day. Myrtha Parsons-Biedermann, known as Myra, was born in Switzerland in 1927 and in 1947, after seeing an advert to act as paid help in a country estate in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, left her life in Switzerland with her friend Martha and began her new adventure in England. Myra and Martha alighted a train at London Victoria in June 1947 with no idea how to get to the country estate, and unable to speak a word of English. A woman in uniform helped them and they discovered there were no more trains to Chipping Norton that day. Myra and Martha had to sleep on sofas in the lounge of a hotel before getting a train the next day. At every stop they asked: “Chipping Norton?” until they finally arrived and were met by a driver. Myra began her work alongside Martha, a butler, a footman, lady’s maid, cook, two kitchen hands and three housemaids. There were 11 servants in total including the two Swiss girls. On occasion Myra and Martha went into Oxford where they met two English soldiers, one of whom Myra started a relationship with and would write to using a dictionary to pick out words as her English was still poor. On 28th February 1948, Myra married Roy Evan Parsons at Oxford Register after only knowing each other a few months and lost her Swiss citizenship rights becoming “British by marriage”. Six months after starting her job at Barton Abbey, Myra quit and moved into Roy’s mother’s house while Roy had to return to an army base in Dusseldorf. Myra took a variety of jobs including working on the sweet counter at Woolworths where chocolates, sweets and liquorice were still rationed. Myra travelled home to Winznau while Roy was still in Dusseldorf but her money only got her as far as Basel. She left her passport and address with the police and managed to continue her journey to Winznau, where she stayed with her parents for a few months until Roy returned to Oxford. In 1951, Myra and Roy had a baby girl, Yvonne, who was born at the Military hospital in Wuppertal, and they rented a large apartment overlooking the River Rhein. Myra and Yvonne spent many years travelling around including living in Malaysia for a couple of years while Roy fought in the war between South Korea and North Korea. Later they returned to England to live in Woking until 1960 when the British Army let Roy go at the age of 34 due to personnel cuts. He received a redundancy fee and a small pension and the family all moved back to Switzerland. Seven years after Roy’s death Myra met Sidney who became her late love. They travelled far and wide together and regularly met to play Bridge. Myra now lives at Fern Brook Lodge care home in the north Dorset countryside under the care of Care South which employs a large number of female employees all of whom have been sent a thank you card to mark the day. Myra said: “I do not regret anything I have done in my lifetime and moving to England was the best decision I have ever made.” To hear more from Myra about her life at Fern Brook Lodge, visit the Care South website here: www.care-south.co.uk/video/myra-interview/
apetito’ dietitians helping care homes tackle malnutrition for Nutrition & Hydration Week.
Having the right nutrition and hydration is essential to residents’ wellbeing, yet malnutrition is one of the most pressing nutritional issues care homes are facing. It’s estimated that some 35% of residents enter a care home with malnutrition. One of the key messages for Nutrition and Hydration Week is ‘making a difference every day’ and that’s exactly what apetito plans to do. From Monday 13th to Friday 17th, between 9am – 11am, its dietitians, Emily Stuart and Maia Fergus-O’Grady will be offering live chat support and answering your questions on nutrition and hydration. To ask Emily and Maia questions, or get advice about any aspect of nutrition, sign up using this link – apetito.link/askadietitian apetito will also be sharing top tips on how care home staff can help provide good nutrition and hydration support to their residents. The Top Tips to Good Nutrition will be available on https://www.apetito.co.uk/news on the Monday 13th March. Emily explains why apetito is so keen to share its expertise around nutrition: “Malnutrition affects approximately three million people in the UK. It’s such a prevalent condition because it can go easily undetected, is underdiagnosed, and can be poorly understood, despite being incredibly costly to social care and largely preventable. “Nutrition and Hydration Week has enormous value in signposting the issue and as a company that has immense expertise within its team, we are keen to share our knowledge and support care homes dealing with malnutrition. “We hope by answering questions and sharing our Top Tips, we’re able to help those caring for residents who would value some helpful guidance.” To find out more about apetito’s care homes meal service visit https://carehomes.apetito.co.uk/ or call 0808 239 2399
Zoom calls with Alzheimer’s patients to search for dementia warning signs
Zoom calls with people living with Alzheimer’s disease will help scientists search for the warning signs of dementia in a new University of Essex study. Psychologists hope older adults in the early stages of the disease can help identify early symptoms from the comfort of their own homes. The relaxed sessions will help researchers from the Department of Psychology explore how retaining information in the ‘working memory’ is affected by the degenerative condition. During the virtual sessions, simple exercises will help researchers see how memory is impacted by dementia. The results will then be compared against other older adults to see how healthy ageing differs from Alzheimer’s-induced memory loss. The research is being led by Dr Vanessa Loaiza, who said: “This study will help us learn more about Alzheimer’s from the people on the frontline of the disease. “We know how devastating a diagnosis can be and that’s why we are using Zoom to make it as easy as possible for them to join our study from the comfort of their own homes. “Although it is early stages this research could help us find the difference between an ordinary ‘senior moment’ and something a lot more serious. “We really need the help of people with Alzheimer’s to find out more about the disease and I urge anyone who can help to get in touch with my team.” The study will focus on working memory which is what we use when doing mental arithmetic. Healthy older adults tend to struggle with tasks requiring working memory, which can impact their day-to-day lives. Anything from reading and listening to problem-solving, is limited by what we can keep active in working memory. Dr Loaiza’s study will distinguish between the subtle kinds of working memory mistakes that healthy older adults make compared to older adults living with Alzheimer’s disease. Clearly distinguishing normal forgetfulness from dementia will help scientists and medical professionals catch and treat the condition early in its progression. Alzheimer’s is a disease which damages the brain and more than 520,000 people in the UK have dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease – with this figure set to rise. The progressive condition sees chemical messengers in the brain decline sparking memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language. The study is funded by the Experimental Psychology Society and will involve roughly 150 people in total, with initial results expected in the summer.
Empowering Positive Action in the Care Sector at Care Roadshows 2023
Care Roadshows 2023 are a series of free regional events spread across the UK, welcoming professionals from across the care industry – particularly those working with older adults. The shows, which have been running since 2011, have been awarded the ‘Trusted Care Event’ stamp that indicates the events are focusing on improving the sector and wanting to make an active difference within care. Each show includes free access to an exhibition that hosts between 40-60 suppliers and associations. Here, visitors can test a variety of products and source new services that will benefit their care business or practice. Find training and recruitment support, activity ideas, management systems, help with employment law and so much more. The Roadshows also offer free entry into a series of seminars and panel discussions that cover topics such as dementia, technology vs. human connection and raising the profile of the care sector. At each location, local regulators will be in attendance to give you updates and guidance on inspections and new strategies, with the opportunity to get your questions answered by them. As the events are regional, they create the perfect opportunity for intimate, local networking. Join your care community today and register for your free ticket here – https://careroadshows-2023.reg.buzz/cn Event Dates & Locations: Care Roadshow GlasgowHampden Park Stadium – 18th April 2023 Care Roadshow Birmingham Villa Park Stadium – 23rd May 2023 Care Roadshow Liverpool Aintree Racecourse – 25th May 2023 Care Roadshow London Epsom Downs Racecourse – 17th October 2023 Care Roadshow Cardiff Cardiff City Stadium – 14th November 2023
‘Adopt a Grandparent’ strengthened in mission to combat loneliness amongst UK elderly with appointment of Irwin Mitchell as official legal sponsor
‘Adopt a Grandparent’ is being supported in its mission to tackle loneliness in UK care homes and beyond following the appointment of leading law firm Irwin Mitchell as its legal sponsor – who will support the charity in its 2023 plans to connect more than 100,000 people across social care and local communities. The two are joining forces via a tailored package that will see Irwin Mitchell support the charity’s efforts to combat loneliness – having already donated £10,000 to enable the award-winning scheme to launch a digital app to facilitate, streamline and speed up its ‘adoption’ process. The legal firm will also include links from the Adopt a Grandparent website to the firm’s website, for those in need of additional support. Founded in 2019, Adopt a Grandparent is an independent charity committed to reducing feelings of loneliness and isolation by pairing volunteers with the elderly community. By bringing people together, the charity aims to support people in developing meaningful and lasting relationships – with more than 90,000 people signed up across the globe. Some of its existing volunteers include Hollywood stars such as Ruby Rose and Bitsie Tulloch, while the non-for-profit initiative has also been endorsed by The Duke of Edinburgh charity as part of its volunteering section. The sponsorship comes off the back of the announcement of Andy Doherty joining Adopt a Grandparent as its new Director of Fundraising – as the charity sets out its 2023 plans to reach 100,000 sign-ups globally. Shaleeza Hasham, the founder of Adopt a Grandparent, said: “When we started on this path in 2019, we wanted to take action to abolish loneliness among the old and young alike. We’ve been overwhelmed with support and are delighted to welcome Irwin Mitchell as our legal sponsor. “Having already spoken on some of Irwin Mitchell’s podcasts, I know the firm understands what we are trying to achieve and with their support I’m sure we can continue to reduce loneliness and bring more people together in the year ahead.” Over nine million people in the UK are impacted by loneliness each year, while 200,000 older people haven’t had a meaningful conversation in over a month. This ‘loneliness epidemic’ has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease, cognitive decline, and dementia. The initial focus of Adopt a Grandparent was to identify and connect willing virtual volunteers with lonely older people via video chat. Volunteers would apply to join the scheme, which would see them outline their hobbies, activities, and interests, before being manually vetted and paired with the perfect candidate – with both parties then benefiting from rewarding intergenerational relationships forged on life experience and similar interests. What started as a small project in Surrey has grown to be a global phenomenon and as the charity’s legal sponsor, Irwin Mitchell will be using experience gained through its own later life programmes and campaigns to help the charity raise awareness of the impact of loneliness and support its broader aims of delivering better outcomes for the people they support. Emma McCann, partner at Irwin Mitchell said: “The long winter period can leave many people feeling lonely or down so this is an important moment to be supporting Adopt a Grandparent, a charity committed to tackling loneliness. “The charity’s objectives tie in with many of our own campaigns and having worked with the charity’s founder, Shaleeza, on some of these in the past, we’re delighted to be able to join forces again, where we can work together to raise awareness of the impact of loneliness and offer practical help for those with specific needs. “The winter season can be a challenge for older people who experience loneliness throughout the year, and many can be embarrassed to admit they are lonely. We’re looking forward to helping Adopt a Grandparent offer solutions and deliver a brighter 2023, where more people in our communities are included and no one has to feel left out.” Those who wish to join Adopt a Grandparent and Irwin Mitchell’s mission to end loneliness in the UK can sign up as a volunteer by visiting the website or downloading the free app, which is available through Apple’s App Store and Google Play. They can also donate to the charity’s GoFundMe page. For more information on Adopt a Grandparent please visit https://www.adoptagrandparent.org.uk/. For more information on Irwin Mitchell, visit https://www.irwinmitchell.com.
Elderly ravers enjoy care home beach party
A BEACH party at a Saltburn care home saw elderly residents painting their faces in UV colours and busting a move to thumping dance music – in a nod to Redcar’s famous Majuba beach festival. Those living at Hazelgrove Court Care Home, on Randolph Street, waved their hands and hankies in the air as DJs from the Woven Nest Theatre put on disco lights and blasted the tunes. The “Rave in the Waves” workshop is delivered by the North East based theatre-company for older people living with dementia, and was commissioned by Redcar, Cleveland and Middlesbrough Council as part of the Creative Health Strategy, funded by South Tees Public Health. Designed as a multi-sensory exploration of the North East coast, the workshop included a cinnamon scented sandy beach, interactive rock pool of hidden items, and waves made from a material that emulates the frothing sea, alongside drumming and dance music. Fourteen residents took part in the rave, run by facilitators Poppy Crawshaw and Liv Hunt, and with sound designer Elliot Mann, all from the Woven Nest Theatre. One of those, Judith Pearson, 79, said: “I never thought I would get to tell my family I had been to a rave.” Joyce Wooffindin, 83, said: “Can we have a rave every day?” Ellen Else, 91, said: “I have never had so much fun.” Sharon Lewis, activities coordinator at Hazelgrove Court Care Home, worked closely with the Woven Nest team to design the workshop to ensure it catered to the residents’ individual needs. She said: “After our conversations, Poppy came back to me and said they’d had this idea to create a rave. We’d never thought of this, so we asked the residents if they’d ever been to a rave before and most of them said no, but they seemed excited. “It was so effective how Woven Nest used storytelling to move us from one section to another, and you feel like you’re being transported somewhere else, but each part was participatory, and the residents were always involved. “Well, after the session had finished, the residents were saying they wanted to rave every day. I could hear residents telling their family members that they’d been at a rave. It just goes to show that no matter what age you are and regardless of whether you live in a care home, you can still have new experiences.” Poppy Crawshaw, from the Woven Nest Theatre, said: “As we moved to the music, there was a genuine feeling of release and freedom. Whether residents were dancing in chairs or getting up to dance, it felt elating to move to music you don’t usually associate with care homes. I think we can all relate to shaking it out and letting go through music and movement. “This is the first time we’ve created a rave in a care home and I’m quite overwhelmed by what a joyous experience it was. There was a moment when we were recreating the waves with a material than emulates the froth of the sea, and the residents were shrieking and laughing and lifting their feet to catch the waves. So simple but so impactful.”
