Newcross Healthcare launches Complex Care in-the-home to meet growing local demand
Newcross Healthcare in Chester has launched a ‘ Complex Care in-the-home ’ service to meet growing local demand. The national care provider has had a branch in the region providing staff to care homes and hospitals since September 2013. The new Complex Care service will also be based at the Chester hub but will cover the broader north west region. The new service is dedicated to providing care and support for people with complex needs in their own homes. Specialist nursing staff support people with conditions such as learning disabilities, home ventilation management, end of life care, spinal injury and head injury rehabilitation. Janette Carr, Complex Care Manager at Newcross Healthcare in Chester commented, “We have seen a marked increase in the need for care in the home on a local level, particularly for paediatric services. We are receiving enquiries from local authorities, case management firms and directly from families. With a strong workforce in the area, we can assign the right people with the right skills, personality and interests to each package of care to provide the best possible service. “Thanks to our investment in learning and development resources, we are also able to efficiently train staff in specialist clinical areas such as tracheostomy care, allowing us to support people with complex health or social care needs. “Being able to provide this essential service allows people to continue to live within the comforts of their own home for longer, rather than early admittance into a care home or long stays in other care settings.” For further details of the service or to apply for a role with Newcross Healthcare in Chester visit https://www.newcrosshealthcare.com/chester
Why Social Technology Is Now An Essential Tool In The UK’s Care Sector
Brand new research by Age UK shows that nearly three-quarters of people aged 70 and over in the UK are worried about the effect COVID-19 is having on their life right now. As part of this same research, 2.9 million of them said their mental health has already been affected. With the social distancing rules that have been put in place by the Government, millions of the country’s senior citizens remain in lockdown and while safety during this time is paramount the rise in depression, anxiety and loneliness has become just as prevalent. This is especially true across the UK’s care home sector where a number of residents and patients are finding themselves quarantined and ‘shielded’ in their rooms to avoid catching COVID-19 – necessary measures that ultimately are restricting their human contact and connection with loved ones.Speaking about this issue, Iain O’Neil, NHSX Digital Transformation Director, recently said: “We are working hard to find and develop services that meet people’s equally unprecedented needs. Technology has never been so important to providing one of life’s most essential things – the ability to communicate with the people we love regardless of where they are.” With that, Blueleaf, the UK’s leading care home supplier, is challenging care homes to actively introduce social technology to all its residents and has analysed the statistics behind it that demonstrate why it has become so essential. Social Technology Is As Important Now Than Ever Before Technology has taken many giant strides within the UK’s care sector over the last few years. Among the varying advancements, there has been the integration of smart home technology, patient monitoring, telemedicine and, to a certain degree, robots. Hardware like laptops, tablets and smartphones are also far more readily available in the care sector now than ever before. In line with that, further statistics from Ofcom show that UK seniors are, in fact, getting more digital too. The 2019 statistics show that 92% of seniors, aged between 64 and 75, use a mobile phone. That only drops to 81% for seniors aged over 75. While UK seniors have the ability to communicate digitally more now than ever, there continues to be a year on year increase in the amount of senior Facebook users. Senior Citizen Use Of Facebook Is At An All Time High According to Statista, records show that more than 44.84 million people used Facebook during March of this year, just as lockdown was coming into effect. Nearly 9% of that figure is made up of UK seniors aged 65 and over – meaning more than four million senior citizens are using the platform. By the end of 2019, seniors were also the fastest growing Facebook age demographic. The old adage tells us that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Many people, who were born in a generation long before the internet, tablets and smartphones are finding ways to use new technology to suit them; whether that be keeping up with the latest updates, watching video content or keeping in touch with loved ones. With free social media tools like Facebook, WhatsApp and Skype providing options to video call, it’s incredibly likely that we’re going to continue to see an upward trend in senior citizen’s social media use over the course of 2020. By Silas Campbell, Marketing Manager at Blueleaf
Delivering Well Designed Wheelchair Accessible Bathrooms
In such challenging times in the care sector, anything that can make life easier is a welcome addition. Here, Stuart Reynolds, Head of Product and Marketing at AKW, explains how bringing good design to bear in wheelchair accessible bathrooms makes not only residents, but carers lives that bit easier. Good wheelchair accessible bathroom designThe following is best practice advice taken from the Building Regulation’s Doc Mi for wheelchair user dwellings and also from Kate Sheehan, Occupational Therapist of The OT Service for a well-designed wheelchair accessible bathroom: Promote movement around the space Manoeuvring into and inside the bathroom are key considerations, not only when thinking about the wheelchair user but care assistants. With this in mind: Finally, good design needn’t be expensive. In fact, the majority of the suggestions in AKW’s latest Wheelchair Accessible Bathroom Design guide are focused on using cost-effective adaptation equipment in ways that make sense to the space and to the wheelchair user. For more information, please contact AKW on 01905 823298, Email: sales@akw-ltd.co.uk or visit www.akw-ltd.co.uk
COVID-19 antibody tests to create safer working conditions for care workers
Thousands of UK care home staff will be able to access free tests for COVID-19 antibodies after two major care home chains agreed new deals with Avonchem, a leading UK supplier of diagnostic test kits and chemicals. Avonchem announced that it will supply 4,900 COVID-19 IgG/IgM finger prick tests to Country Court and 1,500 tests for Nellsar Care, enabling both chains to offer the option of testing to every employee. The tests, which are manufactured by US firm CTK Biotech and cost less than £10, are approved by MHRA and CE marked. They must be administered by health professionals and can produce results within 15 minutes. Antibody testing is seen as key to being able to ease lockdown measures because it can help identify people who have previously been exposed to the virus. For example, the information could help implement safety measures such as pairing proportions of residents who likely have antibodies with staff who have not been exposed to the virus, and having staff with antibodies caring for residents without. While having antibodies is not proven to guarantee immunity against the virus, it could also enable staff to feel more confident working in care homes where thousands of residents and employees have died with COVID-19 during the ongoing crisis. Country Court said it had offered tests to each of its 3,000 staff on a voluntary basis, with 99% opting to be tested, and it will likely also explore the possibility of testing residents in the near future. It said the tests supplied by Avonchem will be used in conjunction with the Government’s testing programme for health and care workers. Al-Karim Kachra, Finance Director of Country Court, said: “By using antibody testing kits we can better understand the spread of the virus and use this to implement safety measures in the homes, such as using ratios of staff with and without antibodies on each shift. Everyone understands that people should not use the result of this test to go against PHE or government guidelines, but as there is a lot of anxiety nationally and we feel this has helped to alleviate some of this within our teams.” Nellsar Care is rolling out a programme under which tests will be offered to all of its 1,000 employees and 500 residents, starting with those who have already had a positive swab test. Staff who test positively will not be treated as immune or exposed to additional risk, but the results will help staff and residents feel safer and understand whether they have already been exposed to the virus. Martin Barrett, Managing Director of Nellsar Care, said: “By clearly identifying the current reach of the virus through my staff teams and residents, we can plan more effectively, we can keep people safer and we can show that we care for their well-being. We know that the Government agree that rolling out antibody tests is vital, but having seen the challenges evident with swab testing in a timely manner, I felt that it was my duty of care to act first. My staff risk-assess all situations and the feedback is clearly that they feel less at risk knowing if they, their colleagues and the people they support know whether they have antibodies or not.” James Gray, Managing Director of Avonchem, said: “Antibody testing is not a silver bullet but it can help track the spread of the virus, which is especially important in settings like care homes which continue to be on the front line of this crisis. It is brilliant to see the UK Government making antibody testing more widely available, and whilst discussions continue to support this national rollout, I am delighted we are already supporting care homes who immediately require this testing.”
Bluebird Care’s Website Wins Prestigious Award, As They Launch New Careers Website
Home care provider, Bluebird Care, has launched a new careers website to help people learn more about working in the care sector. The website, www.bluebirdcarecareers.co.uk, makes starting a career with Bluebird Care clear and easy. The new site acts as a strong resource for those looking to find out more about the care sector. It also details what a career in care can entail. The helpful Case Studies and FAQs pages give valuable insight into the industry and the ethos of Bluebird Care. As unemployment is set to rise even more significantly over the coming months, Bluebird Care hopes their new website will encourage people to pursue a rewarding career in home care. Their careers website clearly highlights the opportunities for training and development, and the specialisms that a Care Assistant at Bluebird Care is able to develop. The careers website provides information on roles at Bluebird Care that are administrative, and office based, not just customer facing. As the home care provider has offices in all regions, including Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, their franchise network provides opportunities across the UK. Bluebird Care’s career website launch comes after bluebirdcare.co.uk won the Kentico Website of the Year Award 2019 in the Home Care Category, with their web agency, Distinction. The panel judging the awards said that the Bluebird Care website was the “obvious choice in the health care category”. They praised the website for its large scale, geolocation functionality, and outstanding year-to-year performance. James Bloor, Managing Director and Cofounder of the digital firm, Distinction, said: “We’re proud to work with Bluebird Care, one of the top homecare companies in the UK, whose community of care assistants and homecare customers are facing incredibly difficult challenges right now. So, whilst winning the award for best website in the healthcare sector is a fantastic achievement for our team, it’s also the perfect moment to say thank you to our care professionals and to shine the light on the good work Bluebird Care is doing to support the care community.” Hannah Banfield, Marketing and Communications Director, Bluebird Care, said: “We are delighted that Distinction won the award for Kentico Site of the Year 2019 for our bluebirdcare.co.uk website. The site has to deliver for multiple stakeholders including prospective customers and potential recruits, as well as satisfying the needs of a network of nearly 200 franchise owners. “With our new careers website, we hope to emulate the success of bluebirdcare.co.uk, utilising the adaptability of the site for recruitment purposes. The health and social care sector is very much in the spotlight right now, amid covid-19, and so we hope the site will not only provide a clear pathway into a career at Bluebird Care, but also act as a key resource that provides valuable information about the significant benefits of working in the care sector.”
Sanctuary Care rolling out hand hygiene hardware in its homes
Sanctuary Care is distributing specialist hand washing equipment across its homes to ensure staff and residents are aware of the dramatic difference proper hand hygiene washing techniques can make in combatting coronavirus. The leading care provider is in the process of distributing the UV hand inspection cabinets it has ordered from specialist supplier Daro UV Systems, with one cabinet going to each of its 102 residential care homes in England and Scotland. By shining ultraviolet light onto the hands, the units show how effective hand washing has been at cleaning the skin’s surface. A test lotion, supplied with the cabinets, is applied to the hand prior to washing and the hand itself is then exposed to the UV light before and after washing. Remaining traces of the lotion, which will only appear when exposed to the UV light, will expose any gaps in the hand washing technique. Staff and residents alike will be able to make use of the units as an educational tool to help ensure they can iron out any missed areas in their handwashing routine. Sanctuary Care operations director Sarah Clarke-Kuehn said: “Hand washing technique is vital in combatting coronavirus, but despite the prevalence of clear guidance, these cabinets show how easy it can be for even the most thorough of us to miss areas. “The use of these devices will help give our 6,800 staff the confidence that their hand washing technique is effective, while also providing useful insight for our residents nationwide.” Mervyn Douglas, managing director of Daro Group said: “Since the onset of the coronavirus, we have seen a sharp increase in demand for our hand inspection cabinet – particularly across UK care homes. “Daro is proud to be able to deliver products that are both educational and help support the health and wellbeing of communities and individuals and ultimately protect staff, residents and their families.”
The coronavirus has forced many older shoppers to buy online regularly for the first time.
As lockdown loosens, ParcelHero says internet retailers must do their best to retain baby boomers’ custom and permanent changes should be made to sites seeking the grey pound. One positive result of the national lockdown has been that increasing numbers of older shoppers have jumped online for the first time. The UK e-commerce expert ParcelHero says over 65s spent 94% more on home deliveries this April than they did last year, and that e-commerce retailers need to lock-in lockdown changes now, to ensure they retain this huge new customer base. ParcelHero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks MILT, says that many of the baby boomers generation (born 1946-1960) have now retired but retain considerable spending power, and e-tailers need to learn the lessons of lockdown to retain their custom: ‘Many pensioners were forced into using the internet to purchase groceries and goods when lockdown hit the UK on March 23rd. Even before the Government closed non-essential High Street stores, many friends and relatives had set up new accounts for older people with little experience of shopping online, and even practised ordering with them. ‘There’s a wealth of data building up showing just how dramatic the growth of online shopping has been amongst senior citizens, as the lockdown took effect. A startling 54% of over 65s shopped online this April, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS) as opposed to just 22% a decade ago, and that number is still rising rapidly as older shoppers get to grips with the technology and discover the convenience of shopping from home. ‘Research from Kantar Worldpanel showed over 65s spent 94% more on supermarket deliveries in April this year, during the lockdown period, than they did in April 2019. That’s not surprising, as AgeUK reports older shoppers have responded to reserved delivery slots for OAPs and the increased uptake of home deliveries from pharmacists. Mintel, the market research agency, found that 37% of over-65s have increased the amount of online shopping they do since the outbreak started. ‘These numbers add up to one thing: a significant new consumer base for online stores has been created almost overnight. The question now facing online retailers is: how do they keep this initially reluctant customer base hooked on home shopping once lockdown is loosened? ‘ParcelHero’s research reveals strategies that can be adopted to encourage loyalty from older shoppers. Focussed offers, user-friendly Apps and simpler, cleaner web design can all play their part in stores retaining the grey pound. ‘Companies such as Waitrose have concentrated on developing an easy-to-use App for tablets – many older shoppers’ most favoured device. Elderly customers have left feedback saying, ‘Shopping with the app is much easier than from the website.’” For those stores not offering Apps, however, there is still plenty they can do to ensure their site does nothing to put off older users: ‘There are two more steps online stores can do to retain the custom of older shoppers. Firstly, don’t be in too much of a hurry to continually update your site once it is customised to your target customer profile. Older shoppers are more likely than other age groups to make written notes of how to navigate and purchase on a site and refer to these regularly when shopping. Changing the look and functionality of your site may lose their loyalty and they may either switch to another online store they have valid notes for, or simply return to the High Street post-lockdown. ‘Secondly, if your company has an omnichannel approach to retail, with both High Street stores and a website, ensure you offer easy click & collect options once the lockdown has ended. Older shoppers often enjoy physically shopping as a leisure activity, to socialise with people and get out of the house. But they like knowing in advance that their chosen product will be in stock; click & collect is ideal for this.’ For more information on how retailers can compare and contrast carriers’ prices and services during Covid-19 lockdown, see ParcelHero’s updated guide at https://www.parcelhero.com/en-gb/uk-courier-services
Helping a loved one with dementia during lockdown
Recognising that people need educating about dementia care, especially during these unprecedented times, Stuart Wright, Brunelcare’s Dementia Lead, shares advice to help friends and family who may be caring for, or helping a vulnerable loved one living with dementia during lockdown. Help empower the person As people are encouraged to follow Government advice to ‘stay alert’ taken, it’s a good idea to help the person living with dementia feel in control, even if we are living in a time where ‘control’ is limited. Creating a calendar, almost like a to-do list, with all the things they do routinely, will enable them to remain independent and keep busy for longer. Plotting things on the calendar such as taking the bins out, hoovering, watering the garden, or putting the washing on etc, can give people living with dementia a sense of freedom during these difficult times. Enable a positive state of mind During this time it’s easy to feel bombarded by information telling us what we can’t do, it’s important for you, and your loved one, to adopt a positive state of mind. Stuart says: “Although it can be challenging, maintaining a positive state of mind at this time is important. Watching the news or using social media too frequently can contribute to feeling anxious, especially if a person is living with dementia or if you’re caring for someone with dementia. So try to do this in moderation and focus your energy on the things that are in your control. Try not to speculate about what the future holds and instead take time to share positive moments with your loved one, all while maintaining a social distance.” Go outside if you can If your loved one is able to go outside for gentle exercise, then encourage this, but only if it’s safe to do so. If they are able, encourage walking or sitting in the garden, getting out and about in nature has a calming effect and is really good for our wellbeing. Gardens are a great place to do gentle stretches or relax and gardening can be therapeutic, plus it can be a lovely pastime to enjoy together. Get creative inside If getting out is difficult, or you are shielding, do remember it’s ok to stay indoors and there’s still plenty you can do with your loved one. Stuart says: “Creating photo albums is a great indoor activity and will trigger happy memories for not just your loved one, but you as well. Another suggestion is hand massages – gentle hand massages with scented oils and creams can stimulate the senses and have a calming effect for your loved one. Another, the BBC’s reminiscence archive is a wonderful resource for people living with Dementia. Designed to trigger memories, simply select a theme or a decade of interest, the archive will then show images, videos or play audio around the subject. And finally, Singing for the Brain is now online, which means people who regularly take part don’t have to miss out and for people who are yet to try it, now could be just the time!” Technology friend or foe? Stuart says: “At this time we have seen that technology can be our friend, allowing people with capacity to maintain a connection, whether this is talking to a loved one via a video call, sending and receiving text messages or daily phone calls. However, there is a thin line between technology being our friend and our foe during these uncertain times. Technology and lack of understanding and/or capacity could cause more distress and concern than it does good. Someone living with dementia, for example, could find it extremely difficult to understand why their loved one isn’t visiting, or why their loved one is on a small screen in front of them. The majority of older people struggle to grasp new technology as it is, let alone living with dementia. Do consider if tech will cause more harm than good before implementing it.” Helpful resources If you need additional support at this time, here are some useful contacts. Dementia UK helpline: 0800 888 6678 (Free advice and support for carers between 9am and 9pm, provided by Admiral Nurses). Alzheimers Society support advice line: 0333 1503 456 Dementia Navigators, signposting to local services adapted service 01179045151 Stuart Wright has worked in the health and social care industry for more than 30 years, starting his journey working with people with learning disabilities and behavioural issues before specialising in dementia care. Stuart is currently implementing and developing a human rights framework and standard for people living with dementia.
Nominations open for the NACC Awards 2020
The National Association of Care Catering (NACC) has launched the NACC Awards 2020. The prestigious awards welcome nominations from across the care catering sector to recognise and celebrate teams and individuals that go above and beyond in their field – from care homes to community services, such as Meals on Wheels and Lunch Clubs. The deadline for entries is Friday 3 July 2020 and the judges will be looking for examples of innovation, excellence and dedication that create tangible benefits for residents, clients and colleagues in the following categories: The winners will be honoured later in the year* at a gala awards dinner where the recipients of the Pam Rhodes Outstanding Achievement Award, sponsored by Robot-Coupe and the National Chairman’s Award will also be revealed, as well as the hotly-contested NACC Region of the Year Award, sponsored by Meiko. The NACC Awards 2020 nomination brochure with full category details and entry requirements can be downloaded here. Sue Cawthray, National Chair of the NACC, comments: “Recognising excellence, innovation and dedication within care catering has always been very important to the NACC, but in times of adversity and extraordinary challenges, such as we find ourselves in now, it’s all the more pertinent. “For a long time, the social care sector – be that in care homes or in the community – has been one of society’s unsung heroes. The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the vital role of the sector and the incredible, selfless work of everyone within it, including care caterers. Up and down the country, care caterers go above and beyond to ensure those they care for receive the right nutrition and hydration in an appropriate and enjoyable way that generates a positive impact on both physical and mental wellbeing. Never has this been so important for the welfare of residents and peace of mind of their loved ones. “We very much look forward to coming together with members, colleagues and friends later in the year to celebrate the exceptional achievements within our sector and the teams and individuals that encapsulate the very best of the best. We know these are challenging times for our members, but we urge them to enter the NACC Awards 2020 and ensure the hard work and brilliance of their team members do not go unrecognised.” Entry to the NACC Awards is open to members of the NACC. For more information about how to become a member visit www.thenacc.co.uk.
