Kent care home makes resident’s dreams come true with furry friendly alpacas
A Kent care home has made one of its residents’ dreams come true by welcoming friendly alpacas to the home as part of its ‘Together-We-Can’ initiative, which aims to fulfil the wishes of its residents, visitors, and employees. Fairways Care Home, a branch of ACI Care that specialises in residential, respite and dementia care, welcomed Alpaca Annie and her team to the home, much to the delight of one resident, Dave, who exclaimed that they were ‘lovely’ and made him smile. Dave lives with dementia, but with the help of his friend, Nicola, the home was able to deliver on his wish. The initial surprise soon turned to delight as Dave became particularly fond of one ‘cheeky’ furry visitor, Bebe. The alpacas, provided by Alpaca Annie in Romney Marsh, were introduced to the residents in the home’s garden, complemented by sunny weather and a delicious cream tea. Annie’s business originally started when her own mother was suffering from dementia and found animals therapeutic. The herd has now grown to 87 alpacas. Alison Yarnley, Registered Manager at Fairways, said: “I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who made Dave’s wish become a reality. We know that he’s unlikely to remember much from the day, but we also know that the ‘in the moment’ experiences matter so much to someone like Dave, who is living with dementia. It also created lasting memories for his friends and the home to treasure.” The alpacas are just one of many activities Fairways organise for its residents, which often include regular visits from various different animals due to their therapeutic effects. Animals can provide sensory stimulation through tactile activities, stimulate memories and positive emotions, while their playful nature brings joy and laughter to residents, helping to enhance their overall wellbeing. Alison continued: “The day was amazing, even down to Dave wearing his very apt hoodie that said: ‘Adventure? Alpaca my bags’. It’s clear to see how much he loves the animals, and how the day really was a dream come true for him. For us to be a part of that was so special.” For more information about Fairways Care Home, please visit https://aci.care/fairways/. Or for more information about ACI Care, visit https://aci.care/.
Parklands changes perceptions with intergenerational sports day
Care home residents and school children in Alloa have taken part in a joint sports day at Meallmore Group’s Parklands home, as part of an intergenerational programme. Residents and staff from Parklands hosted the event at the care home, located on Alloa Park Drive, with Primary 7 pupils from St Mungo’s RC Primary School. The two generations came together for sports day classics including a relay and an egg and spoon race, as well as other sports day-themed events. The sports day was the most recent event of their intergenerational programme which has been running since November 2022. Every week, pupils from the school visit those living at Parklands. Together, residents and children spend time chatting, playing games, reading, painting, and listening to music. Since the programme’s inception, residents and pupils have formed ties and learnt to appreciate the other generation in new, different ways. Studies show that intergenerational programmes not only benefit older people by lowering social isolation and providing a sense of purpose, but also benefit young people – and by extension, communities – by transforming perceptions and reducing ageism. Rick Murray, Area Manager for Meallmore said: “Creating meaningful activities and lifestyle options is a huge part of the work we do at Meallmore. This intergenerational programme at Parklands helps residents build up new relationships and allows them to share experiences and their life stories with younger people. “Welcoming the pupils is a weekly highlight and is a real benefit to our residents and colleagues, but it also allows the children to learn. It helps them to challenge some of the perceptions of what happens when you get older, as well as break down preconceptions of care home living. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.” Meghan Walker, teacher at St Mungo’s RC Primary School said: “At the start of the programme, the children were a bit apprehensive and shy as they didn’t know what to expect. But since last November, they’ve built up great relationships with the residents and now have strong, intergenerational friendships. “All our pupils very much enjoy chatting and playing with the residents and love their weekly visits; Parklands almost feels like their second home now! The school is very thankful for this local, community partnership with Meallmore.” Eric Burnside, resident at Parklands Care Home added: “The programme with the school is great; the children are wonderful, and they light up the place and bring us so much joy. “I really enjoyed the sports day. I might have cheated in the race though as I’m not going to get shown up by these youngsters!” Parklands is a purpose-built care home situated at 60 Alloa Park Drive and provides nursing care for older people and specialist services for people with dementia. It is run by leading care home provider, Meallmore Ltd. More information about Meallmore Ltd can be found at https://www.meallmore.co.uk/ More information about Parklands can be found at https://www.meallmore.co.uk/our-care-homes/parklands/
Musical memories: Kettering care home resident with dementia recites the verses of his career as a professional saxophonist to mark World Music Day
A former professional saxophonist and Kettering care home resident living with dementia has been reminiscing over his days fronting a band to mark World Music Day 21st June. Gabriel Court, a branch of ACI Care that specialises in residential, respite and dementia care, has been encouraging its residents to share stories and memories about music, with Roy Tosh’s anecdotes particularly striking a chord with other residents and carers. Roy’s journey into the world of music began at a young age when he discovered the saxophone, albeit after initially aspiring to play the clarinet. Reminiscing about his early days, Roy fondly recalls the joy of attempting to play along with the hits on pirate radio, with early experiences shaping his deep passion for music. After working as a potato picker, Roy eventually found his way to the saxophone when his clarinet needed new reeds, before eventually selling the instrument to purchase a ring for his now-wife, Jessie. In 1970, The Roy Bishop Sound was born, named serendipitously after a bishop’s chess piece that happened to be in Roy’s hand during a discussion about different names. The band began as a three-piece ensemble, and over time, it grew in numbers, incorporating a bass player, guitarists, and singers. Roy, 87, who now lives with dementia, spoke fondly of his musical past: “I’m left with so many memories of happy times and a keen ear and passion for music. I still remember attending the concert of one of my biggest influences, Victor Silvester OBE, a musician from the British dance band era. The lights went down on an empty stage and when they came back on the piano player was sitting there and began playing, captivating the audience. I knew then I wanted to perform in similar venues, and I went on to have a lovely career.” Music has a unique ability to stimulate memories and emotions, allowing individuals to reconnect with their past and evoke positive feelings whilst also helping to reduce agitation and improve mood — especially in those living with dementia. Reminiscing about these past times on World Music Day helps individuals to engage in meaningful conversations, promoting a sense of identity and belonging. Dale Knighton, Activities Coordinator at Gabriel Court, said: “Talking to Roy about his past in music has made it clear to me that music has a great impact on people’s memories and emotions. It’s been lovely hearing Roy share these memories and listen to some of the music of his life. Music is generational and is a great way to open up someone’s world.” For more information on Gabriel Court, please visit https://aci.care/gabriel-court/ or for more information ACI Care, visit https://aci.care/.
It pays to be a home care worker at award-winning London provider
A LEADING home care provider is on the hunt for more support workers and carers to meet with growing demand – and is offering pay above the London Living Wage. SweetTree Homecare Services, who are based in South Hampstead, London, have been operating across London for more than 20 years helping more than 18,000 people in the capital to live more independently. The impact of both Brexit and Covid had impacted the hiring of new staff, but the award-winning home care provider has been steadily recruiting and is still looking to fill vacancies. The London Living Wage is an hourly rate of pay, currently set at £11.95 and is calculated independently to reflect the high cost of living in the capital, however, SweetTree Care Home offer a minimum of £12 per hour. The current National Living Wage is £10.42 per hour (aged 23 and over), £10.18 (aged 21–22) and £7.49 (18–20). SweetTree Home Care Services is aiming to increase awareness about a career in care with them at Health & Social Care Jobs Live – the UK’s busiest recruitment event dedicated to the health and social care sector run by specialist event company Job Shows – at Westfield Shopping Centre in London on June 16-17. Michelle Palmer, Director of People & Values at SweetTree Care Home, said: “We’re actively recruiting across London to meet demand with our sole aim of continuing to provide a premium service to facilitate more and more people remaining in their own homes with dignity, independence and control over their lives. “Care sector recruitment has been impacted by first Brexit and then Covid but working in care is still one of the most rewarding and flexible jobs ever and we’re keen to speak to any candidates who’re looking to join the profession or return to it. “At SweetTree Homecare Services, we remain an independently-owned provider and we’re delighted to be able offer staff more than the London Living Wage, and empowering our employees with training and support to aid career development. “We’re proud to have been a Sunday Times Best Company to work for and be rated as Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission two years in a row. We’re also very humble after winning five awards at the National Home Care Awards this year.” SweetTree Homecare Services recently attended a general Job Shows event in White City last year and is looking forward to exhibiting at the health and social care industry specific, Health & Social Care Jobs Live, show in June. “We attended the White City event which was our first post-pandemic show and it was really successful for us,” said Palmer. “It was really important for us to meet potential candidates ‘off screen’ in a friendly face-to-face environment. “We were able to do ‘on the spot’ interviews and we filled lots of vacancies. Even months later we heard back from people who were not quite ready to make the move at the time who got back in touch and joined us later on, “The fact Health & Social Care Jobs Live is aimed at specifically health and social care convinced us to sign up to this one too. We’re looking forward to raising awareness about a career in care at SweetTree and speaking to people who have a genuine interest in joining the care sector and making a real difference to people’s lives.” SweetTree won five awards at the National Home Care Awards 2023 including the Grand Prix Golden Award for their outstanding overall performance and services for the past 21 years, the Day Care Expertise Award in recognition of the unique SweetTree Fields Farm which provides day care activities for their clients that promote self-development and independence, Specialist Care Award received by SweetTree’s highly skilled Brain Injury and Neurological Conditions Service team, Infection Control Award in recognition of the company’s highly effective response to the pandemic and Most Outstanding Independent Home Care Provider High Commendation due to their maintained Outstanding CQC rating and shining reviews.
Why your care facility should consider cyber insurance
As our reliance on the digital world increases it is no real wonder that cybercrime is on the increase, and this has been clearly evident in the last few years. For the opportunistic cybercriminal, it’s been a good time to commit cybercrime, as the pandemic forced us to move away from our usual routines and reliable systems, leaving an exploitable gap in our security as we quickly adapted to new ways of working. Between April and June 2021, the ICO reported that there were 2552 data security incidents in the UK with 688 of those related to a cybercrime. The healthcare sector was one of the most affected with 607 data security incidents in total – 108 a direct result of a cyberattack. (More on types of cyber-attack below). The most common attack occurred through email or social media, and accounted for 53% of all attacks on businesses, leading to substantial multi-million pound losses. Healthcare, financial institutions, manufacturing, real estate, and education were the most targeted industries. Whether a big or small-scale event, a cyber-attack is likely to have serious consequences for any business – shutting systems, deleting data, preventing data access or stopping them from trading altogether. Dealing with the fall out of a cyber-attack can be complicated and stressful, not to mention time-consuming and potentially expensive. Types of Cyber-attack Cyber-attacks can take many forms, all engineered to get the victim to disclose information or take action, or to infect systems with malicious software. Phishing, malware attacks and ransomware pose a threat to all businesses. It’s common to think that cyber threats against businesses come from unrelated hackers, cyber-attacks or ransomware and are big events, but sometimes they can be more subtle and come from sources a little closer to home. The four categories that cyber threats against a business typically originate from are insider threats, human error or negligence, external threats and third-party threats. Wherever the threat originates the bottom line is how you to respond. Have you thought about how you would continue to run your care home if you lost access to all your data? You could lose access to client records and supplier data, order information, diary appointments, financial data, your website and more. If you are held to ransom for access to patient files, the financial consequences could be significant. Additionally, you may be affected by reputational damage, which could affect existing relationships and damage future prosperity. You may need to rebuild and replace lost systems or create a new website. And, if a data breach occurred you are likely to face significant fines from the Information Commissioner’s Office. All of the above will require money, time and resources and need to be addressed in a timely manner to help you retain customers, employees, your reputation and may ultimately affect the future of your care facility. Having a comprehensive contingency and business interruption plan in place along with adequate insurance will help you to address and quickly overcome any fallout from a cyber-attack. A robust plan is vital to make sure you meet your legal obligations regarding data breaches and to reassure your customers. The benefits of cyber insurance Cyber insurance is a must for any care home business because it provides you with protection and peace of mind, should the worst happen. It will help against denial of service, which may occur with ransomware, the recovery from computer virus damage, which may have resulted in a significant loss of data, and other data breaches such as the loss of a memory stick or laptop. Getting assistance quickly and from reputable, knowledgeable and reliable sources will be key in ensuring your business can continue to operate with minimal disruption. If your care home holds data on a computer system, even with anti-virus software in place, you can still be vulnerable to a breach. Cyber insurance is relatively inexpensive and will provide you and your business with complete reassurance in the face of a data breach crisis. Every business is different and will have specific needs, so make sure you get advice for your unique situation and requirements. Don’t wait until you have experienced a cyber-attack to put measures in place, be proactive and help protect your care facility now. For information on Cyber Liability Insurance please speak to Barnes Commercial on 01480 272727 or visit their website www.barnesinsurancebroker.co.uk
Green-Fingered Care Home Residents “Grow Their Own Way””
New Sanctuary Care initiative sees residents reap the rewards of gardening therapy Figure 1 Sanctuary Care Residents Ann Widdowson and Jean Peters Grow Their Own Way A community of care home residents at Sanctuary Care are reaping the rewards of gardening therapy by growing and sowing their own produce, with fruits of their labour so far including tomatoes, courgettes, and cucumbers! Residents with a passion for gardening and cooking have been digging, pruning, and planting as part of a new “Grow Your Own Way” initiative, harvesting fruit and vegetables indoors and out to create delicious meals in collaboration with the care home chefs. The project is the brainchild of the not-for-profit care home provider, which delivers expert nursing, dementia, and residential care across England and Scotland. It aims to empower residents to play an active role in their own care and the running of the home by embracing former pastimes and developing new skills. Its introduction follows research by Sheffield University academic Mike Nolan[1] which found that a sense of continuity, purpose and achievement are key to living an enriched later life. Many studies have also shown that gardening therapy can improve the wellbeing of people living with dementia, encouraging social interaction, and evoking powerful memories[2]. Sarah Clarke-Kuehn, Chief Operating Officer – Sanctuary Care, said: “We are always looking for new ways to enrich the lives of our residents and provide that continuity of living that we need to feel happy and fulfilled as we grow older. We know that the physical and therapeutic benefits of gardening are vast, but tending to crops and watching them also grow fosters a real sense of achievement and purpose. “As many of our residents were keen gardeners before moving into our homes, with Grow Your Own Way, we hope to reignite our residents’ former passions and memories as they work together to plant, harvest, and cook their home-grown ingredients – ensuring they can enjoy the fruits of their labour, of course!” Amongst Sanctuary Care’s horticulture enthusiasts is Ann Widdowson, age 90, who lives at Regent Residential Care Home in Worcester. Ann said: “I like planting seeds and seeing them start to grow. I’ve always done this. During the war I had Scarlett Fever and when I got better, I went to the Isle of Wight and there was a field at the back of our garden where I went to help my Dad to grow things.” Helen Park, Activities Coordinator at Sanctuary Care’s Regent Residential Care Home, commented: “It makes my day to see residents out in the fresh air planting seeds and looking forward to picking produce, which is then used in meals in the home. It truly enriches their lives and gives them such a sense of achievement.” The Grow Your Own Way initiative will run year-round in all 110 Sanctuary Care homes across England and Scotland, with a carefully planned calendar of sowing, planting, and harvesting in place. For more information on how Sanctuary Care works to enrich lives, visit: www.sanctuary-care.co.uk/enriching-lives
Introducing the new pressalit matrix height and sideways adjustable washbasin
Mr Trax Curtain & Blind Solutions
Mr Trax Curtain & Blind Solutions aims to provide a first class service across a wide range of products and bespoke fittings thanks to its two decades of experience, with many previous clients in the care sector. The company was launched in May 2003 as a mobile fitting service and has developed into a full retail operation for south east England with many ranges of curtains, blinds and shutters, as well as specialist tracks and poles for bay and straight windows. Prior to launching Mr Trax, co-owner Douglas Coe worked in various aspects of the furnishings industry giving him an impressive 40 years of experience of working with people to help them to achieve the “look” or “feel” they desire. Mr Trax has a range of NHS compliant fabrics for use in care homes, including ‘blackout’. They can supply and fit a wide range of flame retardant curtains and blinds in various fabrics to be made to your sizes and fitted using heavy duty fittings and rails. Curtains can normally be made and installed within four weeks and blinds in two weeks.Fire retardant blinds on heavy weight systems are readily available and can be manually controlled or electrically operated. They also have antimicrobial options as well all at varying prices all normally available in two-three weeks. Faster times are available on some products. The company is affiliated with Checkatrade where you can see customer reviews, including this recent comment: “Douglas did a fantastic job fitting our shutters and curtain rail. He even fitted an extra rail for us which we had bought ourselves! Friendly and efficient service, plus great looking results. Very pleased – would definitely recommend!” Based in Hailsham, East Sussex and owned and run by Doug and Carol Coe, the firm also provides a number of corded and motorised options for blinds as well as curtains, and offers a comprehensive range of shutters. Doug says: “We stock two ranges of silent gliss corded curtain tracks and two ranges of silent gliss uncorded curtain tracks the fitted prices for which are available on this website. All of the aluminium silent gliss tracks stock can be shaped and fitted into bay windows, as can some of the poles. We also have ready access to many more ranges of both tracks and poles, most of which we can get in one working day. “For more information or to arrange for us to call on you, please contact us and we will arrange to visit you as early as possible, at your convenience and free of charge. We are available to receive calls from 8am to 9pm Monday to Saturday, and are able to do installations on Saturdays as well as during the week. “To read more of what our customers say about us please do look us up on Checkatrade: checkatrade.com/mrtrax” Call now to speak to one of our team on 0800 3345114 or 07968 242004, email us at: doug@mrtrax.co.uk
Average CQC fine increased by 242% post-pandemic, new analysis reveals
The healthcare watchdog is prosecuting and fining care homes and registered providers more now than pre-pandemic, new analysis[i] from full-service law firm Shakespeare Martineau has revealed. When comparing pre-pandemic (2017-2019) with pandemic and post-pandemic (2020-2022), prosecutions by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) increased by 50% – from 30 to 45. The research also found that the average fine amplified by 242% to more than £550,000. In comparison, the average fine pre-pandemic was just over £160,000. After a downturn in activity during the lockdowns and some cases taking more than three years to be brought forward, experts from Shakespeare Martineau expect this to increase further. Jordan Glackin, healthcare partner at Shakespeare Martineau, said: “After conversations with clients over the past couple of years, these findings are not surprising. “The CQC had virtually stopped all inspections – except in emergencies – during the pandemic and so, as a result of the backlog, an increase is prosecutions once normality started to resume was to be expected. “With more catching up likely to be done and the sector being placed firmly under a microscope during the pandemic, particularly in the eyes of the public, we expect this activity to increase further – especially as some cases have taken more than three years to be brought forward. “However, there are cautionary measures care homes and registered providers can put in place to mitigate the risk of persecution, limit the impact of prosecution and, in some cases, prevent it from proceeding to court.” The largest fine handed down pre-pandemic was £225,170 in 2019. During and post-pandemic, this was £2.5 million, which was delivered in 2021 – an increase of more than 1,000%. Prosecutions in the southern regions have doubled, and in the North and Midlands, they have increased by a total of 54%. The data shows the most significant increase in prosecutions by region is in the South East, where the number of charges have risen by 267%. Regulation 12 (safe care and treatment) was the most breached over the past six years, accounting for 63% of all prosecutions. Jordan added: “As the CQC is using its powers more than ever, it is vital providers ensure compliance with their regulatory and legal obligations; keep detailed and accurate records; stay up-to-date with any legal or policy changes; and seek specialist legal advice at the earliest opportunity.”
