Retirement Villages Group hires new Head of Care & Wellbeing in expansion of care offering
Retirement Villages Group (“RVG”) has hired its first ever Head of Care & Wellbeing, Shirley Hall, who will lead the review and expansion of the business’ care and wellbeing offer. This comes during an ambitious growth period for the business, as it continues to roll out its strategy to acquire, develop and operate 5,000 homes across 30-40 new developments in urban and peri-urban locations across the UK in the next 10 years. Shirley joins with a focus on overseeing existing external care services, as well as reviewing and helping deliver RVG’s wellbeing offer. She will also become a key contact for some of our residents, working closely with them day-to-day to shape the new offering to fit their needs, to drive independence and innovation. Hall is a registered nurse with experience providing clinical governance in a range of positions. She joins from a variety of senior roles at organisations including The ExtraCare Charitable Trust, where she developed a new wellbeing assessment on an app for residents in conjunction with Aston University, and before that, the British Heart Foundation, where she led their ‘Hearty Lives’ programme – which aimed to address obesity and inequalities for younger people. This represented a stark shift in direction for them and led to a widespread national de facto change. Commenting on her appointment, Shirley Hall, Head of Care & Wellbeing at Retirement Villages Group said: “I was drawn to this role as it felt like a real opportunity to support our residents – to set the bar for quality of care and make a difference. We know that across the sector, it is difficult for many residents to access GPs and primary care, and I intend to change this across our villages. RVG has a fantastic culture, and I am excited to meet with the employees and residents to ensure my approach is coordinated and aligned.” Will Bax, CEO of Retirement Villages Group, added: “At RVG, we see opportunity in old age. Helping people to stay mentally, physically, and emotionally fit is at the heart of what we do. But for retirement living solutions to be truly excellent, they also need a discrete but brilliant care offer to catch people when needed. I’m thrilled Shirley has chosen to join us as we look to rapidly expand our portfolio of integrated retirement communities. She’s a leading light in the sector and will make sure that we can help many more people to thrive in later life.”
Welcoming experience for Japanese Resident in Bridgewater care home
A Japanese woman who has been living in the UK for nearly 30 years has been enjoying a ‘cultural experience day’ organised by her care home in Bridgwater to enable her to revisit her native heritage. Seventy-three-year-old Fumiko Mackintosh is the newest resident to move into specialist dementia care home Avalon, where staff arranged a Japanese-themed wellbeing day to help her settle. After a morning shopping trip – one of Fumiko’s favourite pastimes – the highlight came in the afternoon with a special visit for Fumiko from fluent Japanese speaker Lulia Marton, a friend of Avalon and daughter of the home’s deputy manager. Fumiko was delighted to have the chance to talk in her native language and also enjoyed writing in Japanese with her young conversation partner. Lulia, who also speaks fluent German, is in Year 11 at The Castle School in Taunton and has studied Japanese privately for four years, prompted by a love of Japanese culture. A special bonus for Fumiko was a home-made Katsu curry, which Lulia had prepared especially for her visit. Avalon’s activities co-ordinator, Lisa Priddice, said: “Fumiko liked it so much she had tears of joy in her eyes and she was smiling the whole time. “This was a really special time for Fumiko who thoroughly enjoyed celebrating her culture with Lulia, talking with her about her early days with her beloved husband and about Osaka where she grew up.” Fumiko emigrated to England in 1995 with her husband Terry Mackintosh, who had been working as an English teacher in Japan. The pair returned to the UK after a major earthquake and spent most of their married life in Axbridge where Fumiko worked as a secretary. Lisa Priddice said: “We always make sure we find out as much as we can about our residents’ life stories, because being able to converse with them in a meaningful way about their memories is such an important part of dementia care. “Fumiko is fluent in English and has lived here for many years but her Japanese roots are still an important part of who she is. She really enjoyed her special day and is looking forward to more visits from Lulia in the future.” https://www.camelotcare.co.ukAvalon Nursing Home is run by award-winning care providers Camelot Care who also have homes in Wellington and Plymouth. More information at www.camelotcare.co.uk
Suffolk care provider delighted to announce finalist success in prestigious care awards
A family-run Suffolk care provider is delighted to announce the successes of two of its staff members in one of the UK’s leading care industry awards. Wellbeing Care, a care provider operating across Suffolk and Northamptonshire, has seen a member of its staff win their category, and another receive highly commended, in the Great British Care Awards 2022, which serve to celebrate excellence in the social care industry. Maisie Brabben won the ‘Care Home Worker’ award for the East Midlands after consistently providing a high quality standard of care for residents at The Dell and continuing her career development by recently completing a Level 3 in Health and Social Care. In the same category, Team Leader, Amanda Colvin, received a “Certificate of Recommendation”. Seeking to shine a light on the care industry, the Great British Care Awards comprises a series of regional events throughout the UK that celebrate excellence across the sector, and as winner of the group, Maisie goes on to compete on a national level next year. Whilst Cristian Hoca, Activities Coordinator at Meadow View Care Home, was highly commended in the ‘Activity Coordinator’ category for his person centred approach and engaging entertainment and activities within the home. His notable mention comes as he also lends his hand at cooking when help is needed – with no task too much to ask of him. Away from the awards, Wellbeing Care continues to celebrate the success of its staff, with Carl Andrews also recently completing his Level 3 in Health and Social Care. Joy Henshaw, Regional Director of Wellbeing Care, said: “We are proud of each and everyone of our staff. They’re hard working, dedicated and compassionate, and we’re immensely proud to have them recognised at such prestigious awards. Although only a select few make it to the final, we believe it is a team effort that helps them get there. “We’re delighted for Maisie and can’t wait to support her at the national event next year. We’re lucky that all of our staff want to continue to further develop their knowledge and understanding and that’s why we continue to excel in every aspect of care.” For more information on Wellbeing Care and the services it provides, please visit https://www.wellbeingcare.co.uk/. Or for more information on the Great British Care Awards, please visit https://www.care-awards.co.uk/.
Catch of the day: Lowestoft care home residents tackle old hobbies as part of ‘compassion campaign’ to encourage an active lifestyle
From catching sizable carps to unearthing dinosaur bones, tenants from a Lowestoft support facility are being encouraged to remain independent and active by adopting a hobby as part of a ‘compassion campaign’ to coincide with World Kindness Day. Wellbeing Care’s Dell View, which specialises in assisted living services, has been helping its tenants to find and pursue activities they enjoy to promote independence and support mental wellbeing as part of its new compassion initiative that launched on World Kindness Day (Sunday 13th November). Two residents who particularly like the sport of fishing were recently supported on a fishing trip, and even managed to catch a sizable 5lb carp. Whilst another tenant was given the opportunity to go horse riding, and now attends sessions regularly after falling in love with the activity. One gentleman has been uncovering historical remains through his metal detecting hobby, which he then sells on to museums. His findings include rare bottles, artefacts of historical importance and dinosaur bones. He also completed the Hadrian’s Wall challenge this summer, finishing three hours before anyone else. Research shows that people with hobbies are less likely to suffer from stress, low mood, and depression, as spending time on an activity you enjoy can improve mental health and wellbeing. Joy Henshaw, Regional Director for Wellbeing Care, said “Across all of our homes, we encourage our tenants and residents to maintain their hobbies and interests, as we see huge impacts on their confidence and happiness by doing so. Especially at Dell View where some tenants are reluctant to leave their residence, it’s great to see them out and active whilst gaining some social interaction, as we’re all about helping our residents to lead as normal life as possible. “We work hard to support all of our residents’ hobbies and interests, whatever they may be. From motorbike riding, art, fitness or fishing, we hope to ignite a passion within them all that gives them a sense of purpose and makes their days more interesting.” Wellbeing Care’s Dell View provides person-centred assisted living services that are all about treating each and every tenant as an individual. The apartments promote independent living but offer peace of mind that help is close by. With a team of highly qualified, trained and dedicated staff they aim to offer professional and dignified care to residents tailored to their individual needs. For more information on Wellbeing Care, please visit www.wellbeingcare.com.
eConsult implements imageHOLDERS kiosks to streamline digital triage and check-in at busy GP surgeries and emergency care departments
imageHOLDERS has developed a range of kiosk solutions to help eConsult provide a ‘digital front door to healthcare’ in 3200 GP surgeries and 9 Urgent & Emergency Care (UEC) centres across the UK. Founded by GPs wanting to modernise healthcare methods, eConsult aims to digitally connect patients to healthcare to improve accessibility, efficiency, and patient care. This ethos was the driving force to implement self-service kiosk solutions in healthcare environments. imageHOLDERS has worked with eConsult to create a tailored product catalogue that meets the individual specifications and requirements of different healthcare settings. Each self-service interactive kiosk with eConsult‘s digital triage software is highly secure, user-friendly, accessible and health-conscious to reduce cross-infection. Efficient and effective urgent care in hospitals has never been more important. eConsult aim to radically improve emergency departments by deploying digital triage kiosks at the front door. This intelligent software helps to identify a patient’s priority level and, consequently, personalise their care. eConsult’s systems reduce waiting times, save essential resources, and improve patient experience and care. eConsult’s Urgent and Emergency Care platform is a self-service patient check-in software system that uses a comprehensive and itemised algorithm to predict patient outcomes based on their symptoms and/or the level of injury. This accelerates the initial personal assessment process. Patients can use an imageHOLDERS healthcare kiosk that hosts eConsult’s software to check in on arrival, inputting general personal details and then answering questions that they would be asked by a nurse or clinician. This reduces the time patients spend queueing at reception, helps the nurses and clinicians to understand more quickly which patients are the sickest and need to be seen sooner. It also avoids patients needing to repeat their reasons for attending with every interaction they have in the department. eConsult had completed extensive work with their clinical users and patients to best understand what features would be useful to assist usability for all. The final kiosk solution offers UX/UI of the electronic platform, alongside clear and easy-to-understand signage to help users navigate the customer journey. The final signage and kiosk options can be tailored to the requirements for each site whilst retaining the need for a consistent approach to aesthetics and branding The project in more detail The final kiosk outcome is clinical, and therefore governance and security are paramount. Consequently, the kiosk solution needed to securely house an iPad and the enclosure had to be strong and robust to withstand heavy footfall in the hospital setting. Accessibility was crucial, as the interactive kiosk needed to be able to service as many users as possible. Therefore, secure fixtures were needed to support the variety of user options, including floor-standing and wall-mounted solutions. Additionally, eConsult aimed to aesthetically enhance how kiosks looked and function within the hospital environment. Historically, eConsult found the standard kiosks that were attached to benches lacked cohesivity with the setting and did not seamlessly integrate with the available space in waiting rooms. imageHOLDERS needed to ensure the designs were adaptable so that the kiosks look bespoke for the specific waiting room, while still ensuring completely security and functionality for the iPad tablet and eConsult software. Close collaboration between imageHOLDERS and eConsult means the latter are both highly knowledgeable and confident when helping healthcare customers choose a self-service kiosk solution for their specific environment. The eConsult team can assuredly advise how their kiosks should look, and function, plus how to get the benefits of using the imageHOLDERS-eConsult kiosks from word go. imageHOLDERS and eConsult have defined a product catalogue of interactive kiosk enclosures to house iPads and the digital triage software, to ensure choice and flexibility for new hospital Trusts and their individual requirements. This tailored product catalogue is now an integral part of eConsult’s sales and implementation resources, helping their customers choose the right products for their needs. Nicola Ryall, Secondary Care Implementation Lead at eConsult, says: “My role means I must be able to advise customers about the best products and approaches to optimise the use of our products to improve patient care. Working with imageHOLDERS has meant I am able to be confident that I am offering them the best advice, quality products, a quality installation and a quality service supported by a supplier who really understands our and the customer’s needs.” Jon Ellis, ImageHOLDERS Senior Account Manager, who worked with eConsult, adds: “Working with eConsult is a real pleasure, their clinical background means they not only care about the patient experience but know how to make it flow efficiently. They have helped shape our hardware offering using knowledge that can only be gained by having been on the frontline of healthcare provision.” “Given our reliance on the healthcare services in the UK, over the last few years in particular, it feels great to be part of creating a solution that will genuinely help both staff and patients. I look forward to getting more hospitals using the solution.”
Going the extra furlong: Surrey care home arranges mobile farm and pony visit for a resident’s 102nd birthday
A resident of a Surrey care home has celebrated her 102nd birthday in style, with the home organising a day of fun-filled surprises to mark the occasion – including an extra special visit from some four-legged friends and the local town mayor. Princess Christian Care Centre, part of the family-run Nellsar group, recently arranged a very memorable day for resident, Joyce Tofts, aiming for it to be bigger and better than the birthday wish they made a reality for Joyce’s 100th birthday back in October 2020, when Joyce joked with her carers that she hoped to receive a pony to mark the occasion. Reaching out on social media for help, the home arranged for a surprise pony visit to mark Joyce’s 100th birthday – and the care home was determined to go one step further this year. Joyce started the day with a pamper session in the home’s salon, where she had her hair and make-up done. Joyce was then escorted to the resident lounge where she was greeted with a table of presents, cards, balloons and a bouquet of flowers from her fellow residents and care staff, before receiving a special visit with a difference. Joyce was delighted to receive a visit from members of her family too. Princess Christian Care Centre welcomed a host of adorable farm animals, including ‘Misty’ the Pony, ‘Del Boy’ the Donkey, ‘Alice’ the Goat, ‘Betty’ the Lamb, ‘Emintrude’ the Cow, ‘Soy’ the Piglet and ‘Erksie’ the Turkey — which saw Joyce and her fellow residents hold, pet and take pictures with the animals. Fellow residents came together to celebrate Joyce’s special day, immersing themselves amongst the animals, which is known to lower anxiety and stress levels, stimulate memory and endorphins, and reduce depression and blood pressure. The excitement didn’t stop there, though, with Joyce receiving a personal visit from the Mayor of Woking later that afternoon, with a gigantic chocolate cake presented by the home’s Head Chef, Cosmin Cristea. Speaking of her day, Joyce said: “Princess Christian outdid themselves again! I feel very lucky to have so many people go above and beyond for me and couldn’t be happier with how the day went.” Mario Taherian, General Manager at Nellsar’s Princess Christian Care Centre, said: “Joyce is adored by everyone throughout the home, so we wanted to ensure she had a day that befit her admiration amongst her carers and residents. It was a pleasure to see how she was throughout.” For more information on Princess Christian Care Centre, please visit https://princess-christian.nellsar.com/. Or for more information on Nellsar, visit https://www.nellsar.com/.
“On the Admiral Nurse Helpline, we never judge – it’s open access for anyone living with dementia or supporting people with dementia.”
58-year-old Mark Challinor works as an Admiral Nurse at Dementia UK on the national Admiral Nurse Helpline. Dementia UK is the only charity that provides Admiral Nurses who are specialist dementia nurses. Mark completed his Registered Mental Health training in 1989 at Lincoln. Having worked for seven years in Scunthorpe in older people’s services in inpatient and community services, he moved back to Lincolnshire initially as a community psychiatric nurse. This created a platform for Mark to take up a variety of older people leadership/management roles over a 24-year period managing inpatient, community, and mental health liaison services across Lincolnshire. Throughout this time, Mark undertook several complementary roles that included CQC Specialist Advisor, University Practitioner/Lecturer, and an additional role as a Best Interest Assessor. At the age of 55, Mark left the NHS in 2019 with a yearning to return to front-line clinical services. “Whilst I had heard about Admiral Nursing when I was working in the NHS, I didn’t really understand or know the role they played in supporting families with dementia.” A new countywide Admiral Nurse community for Lincolnshire hosted by St Barnabas Hospice was piloted in June 2019 where he mainly visited families in their own homes. Whilst the local communities and the commissioners were supportive of the pilot, the service was redesigned in 2022 and Mark saw this as an opportunity to strengthen his skill set working for Dementia UK on the national Admiral Nurse Helpline. Mark started as the only substantive male member of staff on the helpline in February 2022 and can say without hesitation that “it’s the best job and organisation that I have worked for.” “Although home based you never get the sense that you are working alone. No two days are ever the same and whilst the helpline is extremely busy, you always work with supportive and passionate colleagues that share similar aspirations and skills. “This internal network creates a supportive culture so that you can draw on this wealth of experience and knowledge whenever you are faced with a particular challenge or question. When juxtaposed with a continual focus on personal development and personal well-being, it is easy to understand why this ‘recipe’ is successful and probably explains why retention rates remain high for Admiral Nurses. Although a cliché, ‘happy staff equates to happy customers.” For Mark, it’s also about positive connections. “Some people, especially older people just want to chat. I love making a difference, and giving people hope and inspiration. Having a skill set within dementia care allows me to provide ideas, coping strategies, and understand their needs to manage and embrace dementia on a day-to-day basis both during the day and at night. Whilst dementia is sometimes portrayed negatively by the media you never sense this when you are supporting families. “I’ve found the positive thoughts and comments received from individuals and families who I’ve supported to be overwhelming. “People who call us on the helpline can be very distressed, especially when memory problems are evident, after a diagnosis, or when they are trying to support the person with dementia. “Many callers disclose their frustrations about the current health care system, their feelings about injustice and funding, and continual issues with trying to navigate through health and social care systems. “For many calls you provide encouragement, validate their feelings, and acknowledge strategies, tweaking an approach or providing them with a script that they can use to enable further help. Many callers ring in to check with us that they are doing ‘the right thing’ and are ‘on the right track.’ “We often receive calls from younger people who are worried about problems with their memory or something they have seen in the news. “On the Admiral Nurse Helpline, we never judge – it’s open access for anyone living with dementia or supporting people with dementia. This can include those people with dementia, their families, or friends as well as professionals seeking additional help. “Although many of the callers are of a sensitive nature, many families also want to talk about amusing anecdotes or stories and particular strategies that they have adopted that we can always share with others. “We often lose sight of the fact that supporting somebody with dementia can create new experiences and opportunities, gathering insights that carers find amusing and want to share with us.” Mark often finds himself laughing with the callers as they find this a welcome release of emotion that can be cathartic. A typical day for Mark Mark works substantively three days a week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Generally, he logs on around 8.45am and the team are led daily by a shift coordinator. From Monday – Friday there are between 10-16 Admiral Nurses on a shift from 9am-5pm and from 6pm-9pm and on weekends, there are 3-5 nurses. The Admiral Nurses are assigned one of two specific roles; a triage team that works through previous requests and emails from callers or alternately a team dedicated to take live calls from callers as they ring in. These roles, including the shift coordinator, alternate so that they always have opportunities to change roles as demand dictates. He starts taking calls at 9am which can vary, depending on the clinical situation described on the call. Some calls may be short in relation to signposting and offering advice and others may be complex, averaging around 30-60 minutes. “In between calls, we’re also encouraged to take a break to reflect and where needed debrief. Every shift always has a senior lead nurse who can provide additional support in situations like safeguarding. “I document calls after speaking to a family. On a call, we can access an extensive database of information and we also have a map to help us access where the Admiral Nurse teams are across the UK. “I have 30 minutes for lunch and stop taking calls at 4.30pm. I then have 30 minutes to complete the final call and check out and then debrief again with colleagues.” Nursing is
South East care group champions ‘Wear it PINK!’ day to raise awareness for breast cancer
Residents and staff at a South East care group were left overjoyed following the success of its fundraising competitions and activities to raise awareness of breast cancer to mark ‘Wear it PINK!’ Day 2022 – one of many educational projects championed to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Nellsar, a family-run group of 13 homes throughout Kent, Surrey and Essex, were among the millions of people across the country taking part in the awareness month to support life-changing research for breast cancer – providing literature on the importance of self-examination and championing early detection as a means to save lives. Throughout the awareness month, the ‘Know Your Breasts’ booklet, as well as other guidance leaflets, were distributed across the 13 homes reaching 900+ staff members, all residents, their families, friends and more, utilising this vast network to reach out and educate an incalculable number of people of all ages. On Friday 21st October, Nellsar also supported ‘Wear it PINK!’ day, which has been running for 20 years to raise money and awareness for ‘Breast Cancer Now’. Whether it was a dash of nail varnish or glamming up in hot pink from head-to-toe, the family-run care group encouraged staff, residents and families to come together and further promote the importance and benefits of self-examination and early diagnosis though engaging activities such as fundraising games, raffles, sponsored walks and auctions. Viv Stead, Recreation and Well-Being Manager at Nellsar, said: “Our motivation for such a big initiative was to impact as many lives as possible. We wanted to use the resources throughout the business and reach out to as many staff, residents, friends and family members as possible. “Breast cancer is a profound issue and one that we are determined to ensure doesn’t go unnoticed. It affects millions of people every year, which meant we felt morally obliged to get all of our staff and residents on board through a month-long campaign of education and fundraising activities. All our residents and staff fully embraced the insight, togetherness and enjoyment the month had to offer, coming together to raise awareness for such a wonderful initiative. All in all, the month was an overwhelming success and I have to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part and helped spread such an important message for an incredible charity that is so close to our hearts.” Built on strong foundations, the family-run Nellsar care group has worked hard to build the trusted reputation of its homes and prides itself on being approachable, accountable and empathic in its relationships with the families it supports. For more information on Nellsar and its homes, please visit www.nellsar.com. Alternatively, to read more about ‘Wear it PINK!’, visit https://www.wearitpink.org/.
Introducing Social Prescriptions: Can They Aid My Physical and Mental Health?
There is no hiding that chronic health conditions can have a huge impact on many areas of our lives. From physical issues (i.e. asthma, diabetes) to mental illnesses, including anxiety and depression, medical conditions may limit the extent to which you are able to carry out your daily tasks. Indeed, you may find it challenging to work, leave your house, or even spend time with your loved ones. Of course, specific medications are essential to help patients overcome a wide range of conditions. But on 22nd August 2022, the British government announced that it is gradually starting to trial an additional, alternative way to alleviate and improve patients’ mental and physical health. In 11 different areas across the country, GPs will be able to offer ‘social prescriptions’, which aim to take care of the whole person, as opposed to address set of symptoms. But what are they exactly? Here, we take a look at the introduction of new social prescriptions, while highlighting their impact and effectiveness on patients’ overall well-being. What is social prescribing? Social prescribing allows GPs, nurses, and other care professionals to refer people to an array of local, non-clinical services and support. This concept recognises that a patient’s health is dependent on a number of environmental, social, and economic factors, and therefore seeks to treat people’s needs in a more holistic fashion. For instance, social prescriptions encourage individuals to join and get involved in a variety of friendly, socialising activities. These can include all-ability cycling taster days, running and walking groups, healthy cooking lessons, and art therapy. It is a valuable opportunity for people to get active and connect with their community, which in turn can highly benefit both their physical and mental health. Not only that, but specific activities (i.e. dance classes, gardening) are becoming popular options for social prescribing as they help tackle sentiments of loneliness, thanks especially to their social focus and physical demand. In short, social prescriptions are non-medical referrals that aim to complement existing treatments to better one’s general well-being. The benefits and effectiveness of social prescriptions Social prescribing can work for a large portion of people, and at least 900,000 patients will receive this type of referral by 2023/24. It may be useful for those living with one or more long-term conditions, for those who feel isolated on a regular basis, and for those who are dealing with complex situations and therefore require some tangible, moral support. Tobias Alpsten, CEO and Founder of myGP comments, “Social prescribing takes a holistic approach to addressing a patient’s symptoms. It can be used when medication may not be required. This concept has shown evidence in improving emotional wellbeing and improved quality of life for a patient. For example, a patient who has an existing long-term condition could be prescribed socialising or exercising by their GP, to best support them.” Here are some of the most noticeable advantages of this innovative form of GP prescription: Are there any disadvantages? As with everything, there are some possible downsides to the introduction of social prescriptions. One of them, for example, is that some patients might fail to engage with their prescribed scheme for long enough to notice the incentives. As well as lowering the chance of effective treatment, this can also take space from a person who instead would have benefitted from the opportunity. It could also be argued that, in the case of people suffering from social anxiety, social prescribing might intimidate the patient, as they could feel challenged or forced to engage in community activities. This means that they may end up finding themselves in uncomfortable situations that could add to and heighten their sentiments of anxiety. Further research is definitely required to determine who is more likely to benefit from social prescribing. But overall, emerging evidence suggests that it can improve people’s mental and physical wellbeing. Ultimately, from aiding social connection to providing tools to manage chronic illnesses, social prescriptions are alternative, non-clinical referrals that are here to stay.
