Parliamentary Candidate visits care home
Mary Chapman Court Care Home in Norwich has welcomed Alice Macdonald, the Labour Party Parliamentary Candidate for Norwich North. Alice, who was selected by the Labour Party last year to contest the Norwich North seat at the next general election, reached out to the care home to arrange the visit. The 31-bedroom residential care home, which is part of the UK-wide Maria Mallaband Care Group, hosted Ms Macdonald on January 5. She was offered a tour of the purpose-built facilities and an opportunity to meet with those living and working in the home, taking time to chat with them over light refreshments. Home manager Mihaela Laza said: “It was lovely to meet Alice and to see how interested she is in the social care sector. “We were very proud to show her the home and talk about the work we do and what it takes to deliver truly person-centred care and create a safe, happy and lively community.” Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Alice Macdonald said: “Improving our social care system is one of the biggest challenges facing the UK and so I am keen to learn more about how it works and understand the challenges on the ground. There is no better way to do that than by meeting with care providers and those they care for. Care workers here and across the country do a fantastic job and deserve all our gratitude. “It was a great pleasure visit Mary Chapman Court, and chat with the amazing team and some of those living there too. They were incredibly open and generous with their time, and I’d like to thank everyone for the warm welcome.
Care provider targets over a million visits in January, to aid government promise to cut NHS wait times
In the government priority announcement this week, Rishi Sunak focused on the issues facing the NHS – and A&E in particular – as patients fit to be discharged remain in hospital beds across the country. The Prime Minister noted the importance of extending telemedicine and helping patients access better data to inform decisions – to deliver high-quality, responsive healthcare for generations to come. Leading home healthcare provider Cera is today announcing a commitment to deliver over one million visits in January, to more than 20,000 patients per day. With around two million visits made to A&E departments in England each month, Cera has the scale to make a real impact in relieving pressure from the wider health service and enable more people to receive safe, effective care from the comfort of home. As Europe’s largest provider of digital-first home healthcare, Cera is already equivalent in capacity to 50 NHS hospitals, working with numerous NHS Integrated Care Systems and Local Authorities nationwide to deliver care, nursing, telehealth and repeat prescriptions. During a visit from Cera’s team of carers and nurses, a patient’s symptoms and health data are collected via the Cera App, which data analytics uses to predict deterioration in conditions 30x faster than traditional methods and can anticipate up to 80% of hospitalisations seven days in advance. This machine learning triggers earlier health interventions to prevent people from becoming unwell. It has been proven to reduce hospitalisation rates by an unprecedented 52%, keeping more beds free across the NHS. Last month, Cera launched its rapid discharge service in the Midlands, Yorkshire, Cheshire, and Merseyside, in advance of a national rollout. This service enables c.80% of patients who can be discharged from the hospital to be seen on the same day by Cera carers or nurses, by digitising the matching of the right carer or nurse with a patient faster and driving efficiencies through electronic scheduling.* Dr Ben Maruthappu MBE, CEO and Co-founder of Cera, comments: “In Wednesday’s announcement, the Prime Minister outlined the NHS’s wait times and the need to discharge people out of hospitals and into social care as one of the nation’s biggest priorities. Healthcare services are now required to do more with less, with demands increasing alongside an ageing population that requires more complex care, battling lengthy waiting lists across hospitals, and sector-wide struggles with staff burnout. “Through its technology-powered model, I am proud to announce that Cera will be in a position to provide over a million care visits this month, to help more patients leave hospital and relieve pressure on the NHS. Using machine learning and data analytics, Cera offers a care solution that does more with less and keeps patients safely at home through predictive technology. Moving healthcare services from the hospital to the home reduces the cost of healthcare ten-fold – the cost-effective solution the country needs.”
Aria Care Home wins award for Initiative Care
Aria Care Home awarded Best Initiative in Care at the prestigious Caring UK Awards 2022 Aria Care Home, the 28-bed residential home in Newport for people living with Dementia, has been recognised at the Caring UK Awards for its commitment to improving the culture for its workforce – which saw employee retention levels reach 100% for the year. The Caring UK Awards is a UK-wide initiative that celebrates outstanding people in the care sector. It took place at the Athena, Leicester, hosted by Emmerdale actor, Dean Andrews. Aria was also recognised as a finalist in the Regional Care Home of the Year – Wales & Midlands Category. Managing Director of Aria Care Home, Ali Al-Mufti, said of the achievement: “A national award for a small, single care home like ours is enormous recognition for the entire team that has worked relentlessly this year to buck the trend of recruitment and retention in the care sector – and have created an environment that elevates the home for our residents and each other.” The home is an accredited Real Living Wage employer, offering additional schemes such as employee wellness programmes to support the mental health of team members. Ali added: “The past year has been an incredible and unforgettable year for Aria Care Home. We don’t intend to rest on our laurels and will continue to better the care we provide to our residents. I am so pleased that the hard work of our team members has been acknowledged on a national level, they deserve so much recognition.” The care home, offers its residents person-centred care from highly qualified and experienced staff who deliver award-winning dementia support. The home has a diverse range of amenities and opportunities that offer residents surroundings that fit their lifestyle and care needs. The home has been regularly named in the “Top 20 Care Homes in Wales”, accredited by carehome.co.uk which is determined solely by reviews from residents and their families.
Second generation takes the reins at Meallmore Ltd
Leading Scottish care provider, Meallmore Ltd, has announced its new senior team, as Cillian Hennessey takes over as managing director. Cillian takes over the top job from Gerry Hennessey, who has retired from his role after 35 years. Gerry and his brother Aidan were founding directors when Meallmore was established in 1987. The company has grown steadily and has successfully retained its original family business values. Gerry will remain as chairman for Meallmore, while Cillian takes over the running of operations. Cillian joined the family business in 2010 as area manager after working as an investment surveyor. He became the company’s commercial director in 2017, where he was involved in determining the company’s growth and helping guide its operations and future development. Cillian will be supported by the existing executive team and directors group. Rachel Gothard has been appointed to the newly created role of People & Culture Director and Hazel O’Rourke was promoted to Quality Director. Together, they will continue to support Meallmore’s Operations Director, Mary Preston; Regional Director, Carol-Anne Foote; Property Director, Michael Gillespie; and Finance Director, Gavin MacKenzie. Outgoing managing director of Meallmore, Gerry Hennessey comments: “It was always my hope that the business would be passed onto the next generation, so for Cillian to be taking the baton is an extremely proud moment for me. The business is a very different one to the one I started running in 1987 with my brother, as we’ve gone from operating one care home to 26. The transition from one generation to the next has been well considered and I’m confident that Cillian will do an excellent job in his new role.” Cillian Hennessey says: “Since being founded over 35 years ago by my father and uncle, Meallmore has secured the reputation of being one of Scotland’s leading care providers and I’m proud to be part of such a reputable company which offers a great place to live for our residents, and a great place to work for our colleagues. “I’ve spent the last 12 years working in the family-run business and I’m ready to take Meallmore into the next generation and put my stamp on it, which is a really exciting prospect. That being said, nothing will change in terms of Meallmore’s ambitions or principles, which is to provide excellent personalised care and support, delivered by trained and professional caring teams in quality and safe environments.” Since opening its first care home, Daviot Care Home (formally known as Meallmore Lodge) in Inverness in 1987, Meallmore has grown to become one of Scotland’s leading care providers. Meallmore currently has a network of 26 care homes across Scotland, including offering care for the elderly and adults with mental health diagnosis. More information about Meallmore Ltd can be found at https://www.meallmore.co.uk/
Surrey care home residents rekindle the true spirit of Christmas with heart-warming community collection for young and old
With Christmas just around the corner, residents and staff from a group of Surrey care homes have come together in the true spirit of Christmas – gifting ‘winter warmer’ collection boxes to both local elderly people receiving care at home, and children receiving care from a national children’s hospice. Hoping to bring a little seasonal sparkle to the local community and those in need, residents of CHD Wellbeing care homes across Surrey have been collecting donations and knitting warm ‘hug in a rug’ knee blankets to share with elderly people receiving home care from CHD Care at Home, the domiciliary arm of CHD Living, an award-winning, family-owned and operated group of care facilities. In addition, they have also assembled toy and clothing donation boxes for children at the Shooting Stars Children’s Hospice containing toys, blankets, clothes and more to spread a little Christmas cheer from one generation to another, all as part of their ‘Winter Warmer’ project. After an outpouring of support from local businesses and suppliers, CHD Living has collected enough donations to make 100 ‘hug in a rug’ parcels as well as 100 ‘kindness connects’ parcels for The Hope Hub in Woking – an incredible gesture and show of support for their local community. On the resident-driven initiative, Shaleeza Hasham, Head of Hospitality, Communications and Commissioning at CHD Living, said: “When the team at our Kings Lodge centre told me that the residents had asked to start a collection for those receiving care under our Care at Home service, I was so touched. For it to then grow to the incredible collection we have gathered and to receive so much support from local businesses and our suppliers is both amazing and deeply moving. “Thanks to the support, we have raised over £700 to buy additional blankets, gloves and scarves and extra items for the parcels. That’s on top of all of the items so generously donated – we received over 200 scarves, gloves and winter hats. We’re hugely grateful to everyone who has supported our Winter Warmers project, but especially to Brakes Catering, the amazing Community Champion at Tesco Brooklands, Hodders Estate Agents, Lodge Brothers and the Byfleet Village Co-Operative. They have truly helped so many people with their kindness and generosity.” Originally, the collection was focused on the ‘hug in a rug’ parcels but after receiving many donations of children’s items, the residents decided to kick start a second collection of toy donation parcels for children, choosing Shooting Stars Children’s Hospice which is headquartered close to CHD Living’s headquarters in Godalming, Surrey as the recipient. Acknowledging the challenges facing its staff as well as the wider community, CHD has also earmarked £150,000 to a hardship fund for members of the team affected by the cost of living crisis. Made available through backdated funding for nursing staff, CHD has put its money where its mouth is in order to help its staff feel supported and able to deliver the best standards of care at work. Shaleeza adds: ”If you have financial concerns, it can be hard to focus at work as the worry takes over. We want to make sure our team knows that CHD Living will support them through these difficult times so that they can continue doing the amazing job they do, creating happiness daily for our residents. They do so much for our residents and for the local community too, so to be able to give back to them in this way is something we are deeply proud of.” Aware that concerns over energy bills may impact the elderly especially, the team also compiled a list of safe and warm tips to Care at Home and the wider elderly community reduce their energy usage and lessen the impact of rising costs. While these were shared with residents alongside their ‘hug in a rug’ parcel, they are also available to view on the CHD website for anyone looking for a few tips, visit https://www.chdliving.co.uk/journal/m-news/cost-living/ to find out more. The ‘hug in a rug’ and ‘kindness connects’ parcels will be delivered a few days before Christmas, giving an early festive treat for those in the local community who need it most. CHD Living has more than 35 years of experience in delivering high quality care throughout Surrey and South London. The group ethos of ‘creating happiness daily’ is a driver for both its approach to care and the activities and experiences designed for residents and clients. From delivering bucket list wishes to day-to-day support enabling older people to remain in their own home, CHD Living continues to promote choice, independence and dignity, in safe and caring environments. For more information, please visit www.chdliving.co.uk
Care workers offered savings plan to ease cost of living crisis
Two Hull-based companies have established a partnership to help employees during the current cost-of-living crisis. Not-for-profit care organisation HICA Group has partnered with HEY Credit Union to provide a staff savings scheme. HICA Group is offering all employees an opportunity to save money more easily during this challenging economic period. All staff are able to join the credit union, opting for a percentage of their salary to be deducted automatically and transferred directly to their own savings account. The care group owns and manages residential care homes across Yorkshire, Humberside and Lincolnshire as well as two retirement villages in East Yorkshire and Lancashire, employing over 1,500 people. Terry Peel, CEO at HICA Group, said: “Our team is the backbone of our not-for-profit organisation. They work incredibly hard, demonstrating commitment and passion to their roles and we aim to show our appreciation of this through the benefits we provide to those who work for us. “Financial security is a key concern for many people right now, including our employees, which is why we want to offer people the option of saving money directly from their salary. “By working with a local credit union, we’re able to offer this in a structured and secure way so that employees can regularly save money and adapt to a new way of managing their finances.” “We chose to partner with HEY Credit Union as it’s a local organisation that prioritises the financial wellbeing of people, offering affordable and ethical financial services that genuinely help people to manage their money better.” Established 23 years ago, Hey Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial co-operative providing fair and responsible saving schemes and loans for those living in East Yorkshire, Hull and Northern Lincolnshire. In the same way as other financial institutions, members’ savings are protected (up to a £85,000) by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. John Smith, chief executive at HEY Credit Union, said: “We’re pleased to be working in partnership with HICA Group offering a salary saving scheme that gives employees access to an ethical saving provision. Through the partnership, The HICA Group is supporting employee financial wellbeing with a highly regulated yet deeply community-focused local organisation which is proud to put people before profit.” Sheila Harvell, from Hull, who opts into the scheme, said: “The money being taken from my salary before it hits my bank really appealed to me as it feels like I’m saving money without trying. “I am keen to build up a bank of money for special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas and holidays so that I have money saved and ready to use when I need it, without borrowing. “The savings benefit offered by HICA allows me to do this in a sensible way as it’s something I can stick to and also gives me peace of mind that I’m saving some money every month.”
Redcot resident Juliet, celebrates for 100th birthday with pre-christmas party.
Saying the secret to a long and happy life is ‘Just Being Yourself’ At Friends of the Elderly’s Redcot residential care home in Haslemere, Surrey, the care team has been pulling out all the stops celebrating Juliet Fuirer’s landmark 100th Birthday. Juliet’s milestone day began with gifts, balloons and a very special card from Buckingham Palace, but it didn’t stop there. The Birthday Girl was whisked away by her family for a delicious lunch and, when she returned, Juliet enjoyed a fun-filled birthday party, complete with a scrumptious birthday cake, with all her care home friends. Juliet, who was born in Ludhiana, the most populous and largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, has been a resident at Redcot residential care home for two and a half years. Juliet spent the first six years of her life growing up in India before moving with her family to the United Kingdom. “My Mother lived in India for a long time and both my Father and Grandfather worked for the Indian Civil Service. I remember India being extremely hot and full of snakes! The snakes used to curl themselves around door handles which always gave me a fright,” Juliet said. Juliet has always loved music and whilst at boarding school in Eastbourne, her favourite childhood hobby was the Music Club, but her favourite lesson was literature. “I love music and thoroughly enjoy the musical activities and quizzes at Redcot. I was born in 1922, the same year as quite a few Hollywood musical stars such as Judy Garland, Doris Day, Cyd Charisse and Ava Gardner,” Juliet added. Growing up, Juliet recalls that she received a ten bob note – 50 pence in new money – for her pocket money. “My pocket money didn’t last long, I usually spent it on sweets,” she added. Later, Juliet studied Modern Languages and Logic at Bedford College and when she was 18, she was called up and joined the Army. Juliet – whose role was in translations – was posted to Bletchley Park which during the war was the world’s best kept secret and a key part of the country’s war effort against Germany. It is where the team of codebreakers – who included Alan Turing – cracked the German Enigma and Lorenz Ciphers. Juliet married her Husband, Fernand, a Cabinet Maker at St Christopher’s Church in Montreal, having moved to Canada after the war. The pair honeymooned on the Gaspé Peninsula, a peninsula along the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River that extends from the Matapedia Valley in Quebec into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Following their time in Canada, the couple returned to England where they raised their family having two daughters. Chatting about her 100 years, Juliet believes that, for her, the best years were 1946 through the 1950s and that being in the Army during WW2 was very important. She said: “I didn’t complain. I was honoured to be doing such important work for my country. I didn’t question anything, I just got one with what I’d been asked to do. “Reaching 100 is quite an achievement. I’m the same age as the BBC and was born the year they discovered The Tomb of Tutankhamun. I also heard that 1922 was the year that water skis were invented; but I have to say that I think the best invention of my lifetime has to be the Smartphone,” Juliet added. Jan Daly, the Registered Manager at Redcot said: “Juliet is a lovely lady who is very popular with her care home friends. Everyone at Redcot wanted to make sure Juliet had a wonderful 100th Birthday and we’re so glad she enjoyed her day. Juliet is a real character and always joins in with the activities, she’s very special and we wanted to show her just how special she is to all of us.” “I’ve had a lovely 100th Birthday,” said Juliet, “It’s been wonderful. I was asked recently what important lessons I’d learnt during my lifetime. I answered not to be afraid, be confident and to just be yourself and I think that is exactly what I’ve done.”
Hastings care home worker surprised by residents and staff after reaching 30-year milestone
An activities coordinator at a Hastings care home is celebrating 30 years at the residence she joined at as a volunteer, and was even born opposite – with staff and residents throwing her a surprise celebratory lunch. Shelagh Hazleton started working at Mountside Care Home, a branch of ACI Care that specialises in residential, respite and dementia care, in 1992 – where she joined to assist residents with their hair, before volunteering with afternoon activities. Staff and residents at the Laton Road home kept the celebrations a secret so Shelagh was overwhelmed when she walked into the lounge to be greeted by a room of smiling faces. Even some residents who would normally stay in their room opted to come out and share Shelagh’s special afternoon. She was given a card full of warming messages, a bottle of wine and a beautiful clock, and the home’s chef Steve had prepared a buffet. The rewarding job has seen Shelagh spend three decades at the care home, ensuring each resident is engaged, happy and their needs are met. Shelagh, who is now the home’s activities coordinator, joined after her husband’s grandmother became a resident at Mountside thirty years ago. By showing kindness, Shelagh received kindness in return. Mountside wanted to offer Shelagh a full-time position after seeing her patience and empathy with the residents during her voluntary work but she initially turned down the offer due to childcare struggles of her newborn daughter, Louise. However, not wanting to lose Shelagh and the great work she does, the home offered the solution for Shelagh to bring Louise to work with her so she could continue her duties whilst keeping an eye on her daughter. This delighted some of the residents, with one finding particular joy in cuddling and feeding Louise. Shelagh leads various activities throughout the week, trying to make each day different and engaging. Some of the most popular activities include board games, card games, magnetic darts and bingo on a Friday. She goes above and beyond to ensure all residents’ needs are met, and for those who don’t wish to leave their rooms, Shelagh sits with them one-to-one and encourages them to play cribbage and cards, or just engage in conversation. Speaking of her time at the care home, Shelagh Hazleton said: “It’s amazing. I love my job every single day. It’s hard work but very rewarding. In fact, the rewards you get from it far outweigh the hard work.” Talking of one of her fondest memories, she recalls: “We did have one lady who thought our Elvis performer was the real Elvis. Her heart would melt the minute he came in and her family always paid for him to come and sing for us all. Even when her dementia got quite bad she could always recognise Elvis, and it was lovely to see!” Not falling far from the tree, in what could be considered fate, Shelagh was born in the house opposite the care home where she now works. Reminiscing over its history, she recalls that the property was two separate buildings – one being a boys school, and the other a house that was sold to become a care home. The care home took over the house next door, combining the properties and adding an extension to make it what stands today, before ACI Care acquired it in 2020. Kimberley Mann, fellow activities coordinator at Mountside Care Home, said: “Shelagh is amazing with the residents and she really takes her time to ensure they are all happy and accounted for. Even those who don’t want to come out of their rooms and participate in activities, Shelagh is happy to go and just spend time with them one-on-one for a chat. “To reach a 30-year milestone working at a care home is amazing. There is always bad press about care homes being understaffed and experiencing high turnover, but amongst all the noise there is a Shelagh who wouldn’t want to be doing anything else, and in Mountside’s case, the residents wouldn’t want anyone else here either. It’s a pleasure to be able to work alongside her in creating a bit of magic for our residents’ lives every day.” For more information on Mountside and ACI Care, please visit https://aci.care/mountside/.
New Dementia Development Lead will drive care home group’s plans for sector leading care
Maria Mallaband Care Group (MMCG) has appointed a new Dementia Development Lead to drive forward their commitment to delivering the best possible care for people living with dementia, and the best training and support for their teams Laura Steward has devoted her entire career, spanning more than 25 years, to social care, specialising in dementia education from 2012. The appointment saw her take the reins of MMCG’s Dementia Strategy, a multi-pronged approach which includes upskilling staff and sharing best practice with the aim being to enable those living with dementia live as well and as independently as possible. Earlier this year, as part of this strategy, MMCG established the role of Dementia Ambassadors. These trained specialists work in homes and take the lead in educating colleagues, sharing knowledge, skills, and evidence-based strategies and tools. Laura Steward said: “We want every member of the team to have the right knowledge, strategies, skills and compassionate understanding to respond to and care for people living with dementia across our homes in the best possible way. “Having devoted a lot of my professional time to mentoring and coaching others I believe the most successful way to educate is harnessing that flow-down of learning. “Our specially trained Dementia Ambassadors will show, train, lead, mentor, guide and inspire their colleagues, so that every member of the team has the confidence and know-how to improve the daily lives and experiences of those living with dementia in their care.” Laura, who has completed vocational training throughout her career, gained a Post Graduate Certificate in Person-Centred Dementia Studies from the University of Worcester earlier this year. She also brings to the role a broad range of experience including developing and delivering dementia education programmes and designing and improving dementia care services, with a strong focus on person-centred care. She added: “Improving the quality of care for those living with dementia is my passion, and I have developed particular interest and skills in reducing levels of distressed behaviour and developing tailored, holistic approach to care practice for each individual. “Over the past ten years I have really enjoyed gathering a better understanding of the condition and how to make people’s lives better – and for me that doesn’t have to be more complicated than simply understanding people and meeting them where they are. “I’m also focussed on delivering the right training and support for team members. By making sure we pay close attention to care teams working experience we can ensure it’s less draining for them, allowing them to give their best to those in their care. “I am so excited to get stuck into this role. MMCG’s commitment to delivering the best dementia care is second to none, and that level of support will allow me to have a massive impact and bring positive improvements across our homes.” To find out more about the Maria Mallaband Care Group visit: www.mmcgcarehomes.co.uk
