TV star Sherrie Hewson appointed Ambassador to Avery Healthcare
Avery Healthcare is delighted to announce that stage and TV actress and media personality Sherrie Hewson has been appointed as an Ambassador for its care home group. Now passionately concerned about the senior adult social sector, following on from her own mother’s experience of being in care, she is very interested in the Avery quality approach to care and standards delivered in resident services. She sees that Avery are at the forefront of best in practice in the sector and is keen to support the importance and meaning behind good care and services and get involved with what Avery do. Conscious that “We are all going there” in her terms regarding later life, she is now a prominent voice in the quest for better care for those needing support in the senior generation. She was therefore keen to get behind the Avery model and message. Sherrie is currently one of the key characters in Benidorm on ITV, as character Joyce Temple-Savage, which is soon to tour UK theatres as a stage show from September. Amongst many career highlights to date she appeared for 14 years on Loose Women, had two stints in Coronation Street as Maureen Webster, appeared as Lesley Meredith in Emmerdale, spent ten years on the Russ Abbot Show, and appeared on Crossroads and In Loving Memory. She also appeared in Z Cars and Carry On Behind and Carry On Laughing. Sherrie will be visiting all 54 of the Avery care homes around the country in the next year and bringing her energetic and lively personality to delight the residents and staff alike. Avery Healthcare has a current portfolio of 50 care homes nationwide, with more new developments in build. They also have four independent living retirement communities with a fifth about to open in early 2018. As a progressive and innovative care provider Avery continues to be recognised for its quality and contribution to the sector; it was Residential Care Provider Of The Year in 2016 from two awarding bodies, its focus on training and development won it Large Employer of the Year at the 2017 Qube Training Awards, and the Environment Health awarded all the kitchens across all their locations with the 5-Star EHO catering rating. It has just been awarded with the Hospitality Assured accreditation at one of their independent living (IL) locations, and will role this hotel standards award out to all its IL communities. It is the first care sector provider to have a qualification for advanced senior carers to be accredited by City and Guilds, a big step forward in helping to vary the skills mix in care to support the pressure on the nurse role. Click here for more information on Avery Healthcare Photo: Sharon Winfield (Chief Operating Officer, Avery Healthcare) and TV actress and media personality Sherrie Hewson
It’s time to nominate Our Health Heroes!
Our Health Heroes, the national healthcare awards, are returning for the third year and promise to be bigger and better than ever, with new categories added to recognise more staff within the care and healthcare sectors. Launched in August at Neath Port Talbot Hospital and organised by Skills for Health and the National Skills Academy for Health, Our Health Heroes 2018 aims to recognise the contribution of healthcare workers across the UK. John Clifford, a Physiotherapy Technical Instructor from Neath Port Talbot Hospital, was at the launch. In 2017, he was among the 930 nominees and won the Clinical Support Worker of the Year award. He said: “I was shocked and very proud when I was nominated in the Clinical Support Worker of the Year category. During the awards ceremony I met with lots of deserving people from all over the country, who are all winners – every one of them go that extra mile in their jobs. “You can imagine how I felt hearing about all the superb nominees for the category – I could have picked any of them to be a deserving winner. When my name was called out as the UK winner I was shell shocked and sat there for a few seconds until my colleague told me to get up and go and collect my award. “I feel so proud to have even been nominated for this award, and even prouder to be the overall UK winner.” Also speaking to guests at the launch was Andrew Gunn, who won Apprentice of the Year in 2017 after a public vote where almost 6,000 votes were cast. Andrew, who is a Business Support Executive at The Edinburgh Clinic, said winning the award was a very proud moment. Andrew said: “I was honoured to have won Apprentice of the Year in 2017. I honestly didn’t expect it. “I love my job, so it is great to be acknowledged for delivering a high standard of work, especially against such fantastic nominees. I joined The Edinburgh Clinic when I was just 17 and the team have helped me to grow into the person that I am today.” Thanks to the ongoing support of headline sponsor Health Education England and prize sponsors UNISON, NHS Improvement and NHS England, the awards have grown and will now include the Lifetime Achievement Award #NHS70 and Staff Retention and Wellbeing Employer of the Year Award. The new categories are in addition to the established awards for: Apprentice of the Year; Workforce Planning Team of the Year; Integrated Team of the Year; and the Clinical Support and Operational Services Support Worker of the Year. Care and healthcare staff from across the UK can be nominated by line managers and colleagues via the Skills for Health website. Applications for the Lifetime Achievement Award are also open to public nomination. Entrants will be shortlisted and regional winners and finalists will either be chosen by public vote or by an expert panel, before the winners are announced at the awards ceremony later this year. John Rogers, Chief Executive of Skills for Health, said: “There are thousands of unsung heroes in our NHS without whom our healthcare system would grind to a halt. “These dedicated staff work hard to keep the NHS running, and the excellent patient care that we all expect from our health service would not be possible without their commitment and passion. “I am very proud that Skills for Health, the National Skills Academy for Health and our sponsors are shining a light on their contribution and I look forward to celebrating these amazing people at our awards ceremony in November.” Laura Roberts, Regional Director (North) for Health Education England (HEE), said: “Health Education England is delighted to be sponsoring the Our Health Heroes awards. “Healthcare is all about people and HEE is committed to ensuring staff working in the NHS make up a rich tapestry of knowledge and skills – whether they have entered the service through an apprenticeship or via a more traditional route. “Healthcare support workers are the life blood of the NHS and through bringing to life the right values and behaviours, such as compassion, respect and dignity, they are making a significant impact in ensuring patients receive high quality care.” Sara Gorton, Head of Health at UNISON, said: “As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the NHS, it’s important to recognise its staff who work tirelessly, year after year, to help others. Our health service is the envy of the world thanks to the commitment, hard work and skills of all its staff. “UNISON is proud to be sponsoring the Operational Services Support Worker of the Year award; these individuals are the unsung heroes of the NHS, who often work behind the scenes to make sure patients and their families get the best treatment possible.” Mark Radford, Director of Nursing at NHS Improvement, said: “It’s a huge honour to help recognise and celebrate the contribution of our healthcare workers. The NHS is nothing without its people, and we are proud to be part of highlighting the value our dedicated workforce brings to the patient experience, day in, day out.” The deadline for nominations for Our Health Heroes is midnight on Sunday 16th September and the awards ceremony will take place on Friday 23rd November 2018 at London’s OXO Tower. To make a nomination for Our Health Heroes visit www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/ohh-2018 Home page slider image: Our Health Heroes – John Rogers, Chief Executive of Skills For Health The UK health sector employs more than 2.1 million people who fill a wide range of roles from medical secretaries and finance officers to OT support workers and physiotherapy assistants. NHS and private health facilities also support the long-term careers of their employees by welcoming apprentices and offering ongoing training to established members of staff. About Skills for Health Skills for Health has been working with employers since 2002 and is the Sector Skills Council for the healthcare sector. It is the authoritative voice on workforce skills issues and offers proven solutions and
App aims to reduce low back pain through AI technology
Low back pain (LBP) is an increasingly widespread and expensive condition worldwide, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified back pain as being the global number one reason for disability. According to the Office for National Statistics back pain accounts for almost 31 million days of work lost in 2013 costing the UK economy £14bn a year – but this could now change thanks to an AI app which launches in the UK, and has significantly reduced the pain intensity of LBP by 40% in a recent clinical study. An estimated one-third of the UK adult population are affected by LBP each year, most of it unexplained, although some professionals think that it may be worsened by sitting at desks all day, carrying bags and general bad posture as well as by environmental factors like stress. The Kaia app has been developed by a leading digital therapy company Kaia Health in conjunction with physiotherapists, pain management physicians, orthopaedic surgeons and clinical psychologists. The app has been approved as a Class 1 medical product in the EU, and allows users to self-manage their non-specific back pain which is all cases of back pain that do not require specific treatment – and includes up to 90% of all cases of back pain. The app uses a multidisciplinary digital approach that offers users education, physiotherapy (including exercises for the lower back and lateral muscles) and psychological strategies (including mindfulness and muscle relaxation). The AI tailors treatment programmes for each user from over 120 exercises, and motion tracking technology ensures that the exercises are performed correctly using a smartphone without the need for additional hardware. Each session lasts for 15 minutes, and can be accessed anywhere 24 hours a day. The app also features a chat function which connects users to a physiotherapist or sport scientist for motivation and exercise-related questions. Recent clinical studies on the Kaia app were conducted at the Department of Neurology, Centre for Interdisciplinary Pain Medicine, Technical University of Munich and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Munich in Germany. Results show a significant reduction in LBP by 40% which is well above the clinically important threshold of pain improvement, whilst the second study shows a 40% long-term retention of users for 6 months with the mean app usage over this period being 3.2 times a week. The Kaia app was developed in Germany where it has been downloaded over 100,000 times in its first year. Thanks to reimbursement deals with several big insurances in Germany the Kaia app is now being offered free of charge to over 20 million patients in Germany (over a quarter of its population). Kaia Health is hoping to replicate this same success in the UK where an estimated one-third of the UK adult population are affected by LBP each year. Kaia Health is member of the Digital Therapeutics Alliance, an association of international manufacturers for digital therapeutic products that meet high quality standards. The company recently launched the Perfect Squat Challenge App, the world’s first AI-powered motion tracking fitness app that turns an iPhone into a personal trainer. Konstantin Mehl, Founder & CEO Kaia Health says: “A holistic, multidisciplinary treatment of LBP using education and exercise has always been an expensive, resource-intense undertaking which makes it hard to integrate in health systems such as the NHS. By digitising therapy we’re democratising access to effective treatment of LBP. This empowers and motivates individuals to take control, and self-manage their condition with evidenced-based, non-pharmacological, cost-effective alternatives that could save the UK economy billions each year. The Kaia app, and advances in technology, demonstrates why we need to rethink how we treat diseases, and make digital self-management a more realistic part of treatment. Low Back Pain stats: • 31 million days of work were lost in 2013 due to back, neck and muscle problems • The cost to the UK economy is £14bn a year • At work, back pain is one of the most common causes of sickness absence • 80 per cent of the UK population will suffer with back pain at some point in their lives • Approximately 8 million adults in the UK report chronic pain that is moderate to severely disabling • Back pain alone accounts for 40% of sickness absence in the NHS • Back pain is the leading cause of disability The Kaia app is available on iOS and Android, and can be downloaded via GooglePlay and AppStore. The first 7 days of the program are free. To unlock the full functionality the costs are: 3 months: £34.99, 6 months: £54.99 and 12 months: £69.99. See www.kaia-health.com for more information on the back pain app @KaiaHealth Bad backs cost the UK 31 million days of work costing the UK economy £14bn a year http://www.nhsemployers.org/news/2015/04/bad-backs-cost-the-uk-31-million-days-of-work WHO: Back pain is the leading global cause of disability https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(16)31678-6/fulltext Chronic pain costs the UK £billions but research funding is inadequate https://www.britishpainsociety.org/mediacentre/news/british-pain-society-press-release-chronic-pain-costs-the-uk-billions-but-research-funding-is-inadequate/ Treatment of Low Back Pain with a Digital Multidisciplinary Pain Treatment App: Short-Term Results http://rehab.jmir.org/2017/2/e11/ An estimated one-third of the UK adult population are affected by LBP each year https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11709/ Implementing Systematically Collected User Feedback to Increase User Retention in a Mobile App for Self-Management of Low Back Pain JMIR Rehabil Assist Technol.
Elston House care home rated Outstanding by CQC
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found the quality of care provided by Elston House in Newark, Nottinghamshire, to be Outstanding following an inspection. The service is run by Cygnet Care Services Limited and provides care for up to eight people with learning difficulties and autism. Inspectors found staff were caring and compassionate and people were being provided with safe, responsive, caring, effective and well-led care. A full inspection report has been published on CQC’s website. Under CQC’s programme of inspections, all adult social care services are being given a rating according to whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Elston House is rated Outstanding for being responsive well-led, and Good for being safe, caring and effective. Rob Assall-Marsden, CQC’s Head of Inspection for Adult Social Care in the central region said, “Our inspection team was really impressed by the level of care and support offered to people who use Elston House. “The care people received was tailored to meet their individual needs and people’s views and preferences were always taken into account. “People were supported to lead fulfilling lives and staff worked to support people so they could reach their full potential. Excellent support to manage people’s health needs was given through well-developed links with internal and external health professionals. “There was exceptional, strong and clear leadership at the service. Staff felt very well supported by the management team and there was a clear vision on what the service wanted to achieve for the people who lived there. “There was an open and transparent culture with people, relatives and staff who felt they were listened to. All of this meant people received a high standard of care, which is why it has been rated Outstanding.” Andrea Sutcliffe, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, said, “The quality of care which our inspectors found here was exceptional and I am very pleased that we can celebrate the service’s achievements. “An outstanding service is the result of a tremendous amount of hard work and commitment. I would like to thank and congratulate everyone involved.” Mike McQuaid, Chief Operating Officer at Cygnet Health Care commented, “We are delighted that the CQC has rated Elston House as Outstanding. It is a fantastic and well-deserved recognition of the effort and commitment of Jane Bellamy and the Cygnet team at Elston House, who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible care for our residents. “The CQC’s report acknowledges the strong leadership at the home and that the well-trained staff universally treat those in their care with kindness and compassion. As part of the home’s holistic approach, residents also benefit from access to a full range of support services including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and psychological and psychiatric support. “The wellbeing of our service users is our top priority and we are very proud of the Elston House team’s achievements and the consistently excellent care that they provide.” For more information on Cygnet Care Services Limited, see cygnethealth.co.uk
Medical devices company Bespak seal Cordant staff deal
Bespak, the leading developer and manufacturer of complex medical devices, has awarded The Cordant Group a three-year contract to provide temporary staff at three of its UK manufacturing locations. Under the terms of the deal the Cordant Group businesses PMP Recruitment and Cordant People will provide around 120 candidates each week to sites at Kings Lynn, Cambridge and Nelson, near Burnley. They will support the existing workforce in the development and production of a range of respiratory and injectable drug delivery devices with the business operating on a 24/7 basis. An onsite PMP Recruitment team will manage all aspects of the recruitment, training, performance and payroll at the Kings Lynn and Cambridge locations whilst Cordant People take the lead at Nelson. Maggie Grey, Indirect Category Manager at Bespak, said: “We needed a partner who could provide the right candidates, as well as intensive vetting and comprehensive training to ensure the highest safety standards are maintained. The Cordant Group proved they have the skills, experience and right attitude to support us and we look forward to developing this relationship moving forward.” Gary Bradley, National Business Manager at Cordant People, said: “We have strong experience in the medical and health sector so we understand the stringent requirements around candidate selection and training. Our branch locations that are near to each of the sites will provide additional support as required and we are confident in our ability to provide a highly efficient and reliable service.” Meanwhile, Phillip Ullmann of Cordant Group – one of the country’s biggest recruitment firms – recently said that British business needs to fundamentally change its approach to public sector contracts in response to growing public distrust. He said: “Flawed public procurement deals that leave taxpayers bearing all the risk are the best way anyone has yet devised to persuade voters that the modern economy really is a rigged game. New rules are overdue. Public services should be delivered by accountable social business that employ locally, share profits, and cap pay and dividends.” For more information, see www.cordantgroup.com or www.bespak.com
Q&A with John Ramsay, founder of dementia aid Tovertafel
John Ramsay, CEO of Shift 8*, the company bringing the dementia-friendly product Tovertafel to the UK, talks to Care & Nursing Essentials editor Victoria Galligan about the revolutionary reminiscing product… What is a Tovertafel, and how is it used within a care home setting? The Tovertafel is a small box that holds a high-quality projector, infrared sensors, speaker and a processor that projects interactive light games onto any table. The Tovertafel is mounted onto the ceiling in a communal area to ensure that as many people as possible are able to use it as part of their daily routine. Residents, along with their carers, family and friends sit around the table playing together in an extremely safe environment. There is always a carer with the residents when they’re playing the games to ensure that they are constantly being stimulated and engaged. Can you describe one of the games and its effect on users? One game we particularly love is the music box game (only just released). The game was created to spark reminiscence, sensory stimulation and relaxation which is incredibly important for those on their dementia journey. All of the songs are instantly recognisable for the residents, such as ‘Fleur de lise’ and ‘Dream a little dream of me’ to make sure that everyone engages. The music box game is our most recent game and went through two years of research before being released – designed hand in hand with loved ones, their carers and their families. What are the benefits to dementia residents? Is there any research done in this area? Research is the foundation to everything we do. The Tovertafel emerged from the PhD research of Hester Le Riche in the Netherlands, a country renowned for their dementia leading technology. We are working with universities around the world to make sure that we can provide 10 million moments of happiness across the world each and every day. The Tovertafel holds incredible benefits for people with dementia. It is always very moving to watch residents who are usually withdrawn as they engage with the game, fellow residents and their loved ones. It also brings people of all different ages together; as part of our Tovertafel Buddy Scheme, we liaise with local schools to visit care homes and play with Tovertafel alongside the residents creating amazing intergenerational activity. How many Tovertafels are used in the UK currently? We are up and running in nearly 250 care centres across the UK (and 2,000 in Europe). We love travelling up and down the UK meeting all the residents and wonderful carers who use the Tovertafel every day. How much does the Tovertatel retail at? We work with each individual care home to provide a quote based on the needs of the residents and staff. We work with a number of care homes who choose to fundraise and it’s always incredibly moving when communities come together to raise money for the Tovertafel. For more information on the Tovertafel and how it could be used in your setting, see tovertafel.co.uk
Why therapeutic sensory support is important for people with dementia
by Joanna Grace, author of Sharing Sensory Stories and Conversations with People with Dementia You may have heard people saying they do Sudoku or the crossword daily to keep their grey matter active. Well they are right to do this, but in order to maintain our brains we need to experience a broad range of stimulation, including sensory. Many people in later age end up in environments of limited sensory scope so there are always benefits to bringing in the sights, smells, sounds, tastes and touch sensations from other places. For over two decades we have known that multi-sensory environments can benefit people with dementia. In 1998 K.W. Hope reported residents of a dementia care setting responding positively to sensory environments. More recent research confirms that sensory interventions can support people with dementia, Livingston et al (2014) noted reduced agitation in the residents of a dementia care setting following sensory sessions. Baker et al (2001) found that during and immediately after multi-sensory sessions the people he was supporting talked more spontaneously, related better to others, did more from their own initiative, and seemed happier. How fabulous is that! Research into the benefits of the sensory world continues to this day with groups such as Mileski et al (2018) reporting that sensory therapies have the potential to benefit patients with dementia. But that word ‘therapy’ what does that mean? Once people start promising things will help we are vulnerable to being taken advantage of by people selling easy fixes and getting rich off our desperation to help those we care about. I am not promising that. In my book Sharing Sensory Stories and Conversations with People with Dementia I show you how you can use low-cost, everyday items to provide therapeutic sensory support for people with dementia. Sensory stories themselves are a wonderfully simple resource, they are concise narratives – typically less than ten sentences, where each line of the narrative is accompanied by a sensory experience that also carries the meaning of the story. Shared slowly with time taken to explore the resources they can be a rich communicative experience that does not rely on language. My own research into the use of the stories with people with Dementia whether at home or in care settings made the cover of Dementia Care here and in Australia! (Leighton, Oddy and Grace 2017). The book contains a sensory story to start you off, and also advice on how to choose sensory experiences most likely to appeal to the person you care for, and how to use sensory strategies to support independence and to minimise the chances of challenging behaviour and distress. Sharing sensory conversations is very simple and can be full of connection, joy and meaning. I encourage everyone to have a go! Sharing Sensory Stories and Conversations with People with Dementia, by Joanna Grace, is available from Jessica Kingsley Publishers at £19.99. For a 10% discount, valid from 3rd-10th August, use the code SHARE. Baker, R. Bell, S. Baker, E. Gibson, S. Holloway, J. Pearce, R. Dowling, Z. Thomas, P. Assey, J. Wareing, A. A randomized controlled trial of the effects of multi-sensory stimulation (MSS) for people with dementia British Journal of Clinical Psychology (2001), 40, 81–96 Hope K. W. (1998) The effects of multisensory environments on older people with Dementia Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 5, 377±385 Leighton, B. Oddy, C. and Grace, J (2017) Using sensory stories with individuals with dementia The Journal of Dementia Care July/August 2016 Vol 24 No 4 Livingston G, Kelly L, Lewis-Holmes E, Baio G, Morris S, Patel N, et al. A systematic review of the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of sensory, psychological and behavioural interventions for managing agitation in older adults with dementia. Health Technol Assess 2014;18(39). Mileski, M. Baar Topinka, J. Brooks, M. Lonidier, C. Linker, K. Vander Veen, K. (2018) Sensory and memory stimulation as a means to care for individuals with dementia in long-term care facilities Clinical Interventions in Aging 2018:13 967-974
Childcare voucher-style scheme proposed to tackle social care crisis
The County Councils Network has warned that social care funding will face a £2.5bn gap by 2019-20. This problem should not surprise anybody, as forecasts over the last several years have predicted this. There have been few practical suggestions to solve this problem, however a new salary sacrifice scheme similar to childcare vouchers has been proposed as a way to partly fund the future of adult social care. Currently, there is no obvious and financially viable solution to this problem despite predictions that the issue will continue to worsen. The alternative adult social care vouchers scheme has been put forward by John Woodward OBE, president and founder of the Busy Bees Group, a leading provider of childcare in the UK. Both Mr Woodward and the organisation were instrumental in lobbying the government to help working families with childcare costs via a non-taxable benefit. The result was the Childcare Voucher scheme which launched in 2005 and has helped more than 600,000 families. Similarly, social care vouchers would allow eligible tax payers to sacrifice a portion of their salary – which dependent on income could be up to £100 per week* to fund either their own or a dependant adult’s care. The vouchers could be flexibly accrued or deducted and if needed would allow multiple tax payers to contribute to a single individual’s care. John said: “The gap between what can be provided by the state and what is required by those who need it most has increased. More funding must be made available as demand increases, but taxpayers cannot bear the entire cost of everyone’s care. “This new initiative will give families the freedom and flexibility to not only fund care but to boost the quality of support they receive. This is only part of the answer.” Reflecting on his experience managing salary sacrifice schemes with Busy Bees, John also added: “We’ve proven that this type of option is popular, simple to run, has controlled costs and is rarely defrauded. Vouchers have already proven to work in practice and in this instance would provide long and short-term benefits while keeping the individual in control over all their care choices.” Mr Woodward is calling for the vouchers scheme to be added to the upcoming social care green paper to encourage debate and discussion of the issue. Adult social care comes in many forms, with, in many cases complex special needs requiring support. The proposal is that all types of adult care should be supported to include domiciliary and residential for ages 18+. Any care provider would need to be registered with a relevant UK care inspectorate, such as the Care Quality Commission in England, to accept Adult Social Care Vouchers. This ensures effective and clear regulation with minimal fraud potential. *Suggested figure
Driving innovation in the social care sector will change perception
Ross Peet, managing partner at ideas agency Yes&Pepper, on changing perceptions of social care roles… When public perception and industry data combined are helping to shape an uneasy reality, it’s time to make a change. Such is the lot of social care today. After reading that despite increased demand for social care, there are severe recruitment and retention issues because more nurses are leaving their jobs than joining for the first time in history. And expensive HR campaigns aren’t delivering the much needed resource this country requires. We started analysing the branding crisis that is driving people’s anxiety and concerns about the home care services sector. To glean more insight directly from the care sector itself, we facilitated in-depth interviews with stakeholders of the social care arena and broad reaching surveys with the general public. One of our findings was that even though this profession comes with a significant level of emotional stress, the carers find great satisfaction in providing assistance to elderly people and offering them moments of companionship and happiness. As far as society is concerned though, we massively undervalue the role and on top of that we seem to revert to out-dated stereotypes and see it is as mostly a job for women. No wonder they make up around 80 per cent of the care workforce. This is surely perpetuated by the current crop of recruitment adverts that almost entirely feature women in their imagery. Current campaigns can’t be working if the data showing unfilled roles is to be believed so why does every care advert look the same? The care industry is trapped doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. In the coming years our ageing population looks set to grow more rapidly, impacting the care sector even further. The declining youth population will reduce the pool of employees who take these roles as their first job and the uncertainty of Brexit will lessen the migrant labour force as well. And given that more elderly men need professional care than ever before and they tend to prefer to be in the hands of workers of the same sex, the recruitment of more male social care professionals seems to be a logical path to follow. This raises the question – why not try something different? What if we work to close the gender gap in the care industry and actively target men through recruitment campaigns? Why not aim to change society’s perception of who can fill the roles that are so desperately needed? While we’re at it let’s have the courage to be divisive. This job isn’t for everyone, let’s not sugar-coat it; it’s what makes it so special. It requires people who are up for the challenge, willing to share not only their successes but also their struggles so we can change out-of-date perceptions one day at a time and put respect back into the social care community. Let’s aim for a future where care workers are celebrated as heroes for looking after those in need and being able to embrace all of the challenges the role presents. A great example to support this approach is the Royal Navy – they’re specifically targeting women to fill roles that up until recently were very much deemed jobs for the boys. The job isn’t advertised as an easy role or that anyone can do it. But the result is an incredibly powerful piece that will inspire those who are interested in a career within the armed forces. Tradition is great for conserving values and emphasising what worked best throughout history. But unless this is paired with an innovative drive and the will to reframe an issue in order to solve it, it won’t contribute to the sector’s much-needed development. The answer will lie in a society that keeps an open mind and always pushes forward. See www.yesandpepper.com for more information.
