Borough Care Appoints New Head of Finance
Borough Care has appointed Nick Pennell as its new Head of Finance. Borough Care is the largest not-for-profit provider of care for older people in Stockport and has eleven homes across the borough. Nick Pennell will be responsible for managing Borough Care’s finance team. The emphasis of his role will be updating the company’s financial processes and reporting capabilities, to help improve efficiency, through the introduction of new technology and systems. Commenting on what attracted him to his new role, Nick Pennell says: “The care sector as a whole is facing many challenges, especially in regards to number of beds, local authority funding and aging infrastructure. Borough Care’s leadership team is aware of the issues facing the sector and has ambitious plans to address these challenges. There is a key role for the Head of Finance to shape some of the thinking around funding, investment decisions and growth plans. The opportunity to help do this really appealed to me. This position also means I can use my skills in the area of finance transformation.” Nick continues: “I see Borough Care is a forward thinking, innovative company; characteristics which match my own values. I’m looking forward to helping the business continue growing.” Nick joins Borough Care from KPMG, one of the Big Four accounting firms. His most recent role was Deputy Finance Director of KPMG Learning Services.
The Sound Doctor receives accreditation for online course
The Sound Doctor receives national accreditation for new online diabetes course. The Quality Institute for Self-management Education and Training (QISMET), has given health educator, The Sound Doctor, national accreditation for its new online diabetes course. The structured and educational diabetes course has been created for people newly diagnosed with diabetes. Rosie Runciman, Co-Founder of The Sound Doctor said, “This online course is truly innovative. It focuses on film rather than text, providing an engaging and effective experience. It includes fun and interactive questions at the end of each section and uses attractive visuals to keep the viewer watching and learning. Having this accreditation is testament to the quality and deliverables of our course.” QISMET is the not-for-profit body supporting self-management providers and commissioners achieve the highest possible quality service for people living with long-term health conditions. NHS England’s current Long-Term plan emphasises the importance of education in the improvement of diabetes outcomes. The NHS offers structured education to anyone in England who has been diagnosed with diabetes. Traditionally, this has been done by face to face sessions over a period of weeks. This course is an alternative for those who are unwilling to take time off work to attend the classes. Rosie adds, “We understand that people need choice and flexibility. The Sound Doctor is providing the tool to do just that. We anticipate this will improve the take-up in structured education and outcomes.” The Sound Doctor course, which is now available at scale, will provide the means to reach and educate more people with diabetes. Diabetes UK states that if nothing changes, in excess of five million people will have diabetes in the UK by 2025. Professor Vinod Patel, a Professorial Clinical Teaching Fellow in Diabetes and Clinical Skills at Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick believes that “The Sound Doctor diabetes course is an excellent structured education option. It should help improve the quality of life for many patients.” The online course can be viewed anytime, anywhere and multiple times if required. This flexibility could be an important milestone in the education of patients. The Sound Doctor aims to create the very best film and audio content available to help people look after themselves better with long term conditions and improve outcomes. For more information, visit www.thesounddoctor.org.
Heathcotes Group appoints Head of Recruitment
Chesterfield-based care provider, Heathcotes Group, has appointed Colin Ramwell as Head of Recruitment to support its specialist residential services nationwide. Colin brings many years’ experience of delivering innovative talent acquisition strategies within the health and social care sector. Prior to joining Heathcotes, he was Group Recruitment Manager at Turning Point, a social enterprise providing health and social care services for people with complex needs. Colin has also worked as a Project Lead at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, where he designed and implemented staffing strategy, and as Head of Recruitment at Cambian Group, a provider of services for people with autism, Asperger Syndrome, learning disabilities and complex needs. He will now be overseeing recruitment strategy and delivery for 66 Heathcotes services providing specialist residential care for adults with learning disabilities, mental health needs and associated challenging behaviours. Colin said: “I am very excited to have joined a forward-thinking organisation like Heathcotes Group. Ninety per cent of the senior management started out as care support workers, so they understand the value of investing in workforce development and nurturing career progression. Heathcotes funds all training and qualifications for entry-level staff at its services and many step up to management roles, so the company certainly provides the opportunities and long-term career prospects to attract and retain talented, caring and dedicated people. “Heathcotes’ person-centred care can have a transformative effect on service users, enabling them to progress from residential care to a more independent life, so staff have a real sense that they are making a lasting difference. That is another aspect of working life at Heathcotes which we need to highlight as a prospective employer for people seeking a satisfying and rewarding profession.” Mikkel Togsverd, Managing Director of Heathcotes Southern, said: “We are delighted to welcome Colin to Heathcotes Group. He has a proven track record in recruitment and a wealth of experience of working within organisations that support individualswith learning disabilities and mental health needs. The quality of our people has been fundamental to Heathcotes’ success and Colin will play a leading role in ensuring that we continue to attract candidates with the attributes and values required for the kind of life-changing work that we do.”
Runwood Homes launches on-person guide for its carers
Runwood Homes, a leading UK residential and dementia care provider, has recently launched a new on-person care guide to every care delivery staff member, across all 72 of its homes. The R.E.D. Care Guide, which stands for ‘Residents Every Day’, is an innovative resource, full of supportive material for carers to promptly refer to, if and when required, and aims to support and promote safe, reliable, evidence-based care to residents every day. In the form of a laminated A6, on-person, multipage flipchart, The R.E.D. Care Guide is now carried on shift by Runwood Homes’ 3,700+ carers, in their tunic pockets as part of their everyday uniform. Gavin O’Hare-Connolly, Chief Operating Officer of Runwood Homes, comments, “The Guide is an easily accessible support and assists, using traffic light signal cues, to check residents’ health. For a consistent service, it provides standardised suggested next steps, highlighting when any issues require escalation. Providing our staff with this go-guide will give them heightened confidence in decision making in their important role of caring for residents.” Runwood Homes Care Assistant, Nicky Powell, talks about the R.E.D. Care Guide, “It’s a fantastic tool and really handy. The industry standard charts, which are tools that we refer to every day, are a great inclusion, such as The Abbey Pain Tool, Bristol Stool Chart and urine colour scale. Other prevention information included, for example, about falls, pressure sores and sepsis are also really helpful and keeps everything to look out for, front of mind, whilst still tending to residents everyday needs and wishes.” Find out more
How To Create An Accessible Care Home Garden
If you’re thinking of creating or improving your care home garden, there are a few things to consider before heading off to the garden centre… People are living longer than ever before. As medicine and healthcare improve and people are more aware of the need for diet and exercise, society has increased its ability to live healthier lives for longer. It was revealed that by 2039, one in 12 people in the UK will be over the age of 80. Those born in 2013 are now expected to hit 100. Old age can decrease mobility, and compromise the ability to tend to gardens properly, so it is important if you are thinking of creating a garden at your care home to address how the space can be made more accessible and user-friendly for the elderly. It’s important to ensure the safeguarding of residents and staff in the garden. This is suggested by figures obtained by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, as in 2007 it was recorded that there were 115,000 garden falls, slips, and trips. This guide will advise on keeping your care home garden safe and accessible – which will encourage members of residents’ families to share and enjoy the garden space too. Raised flowerbeds When it comes to the garden, i.e. when residents are trying to reach flowers and plant them, it gets harder to bend down for long periods of time and tend to them properly. However, if you’re worried about this, then raised flowerbeds can be a great way of avoiding this difficulty altogether. If residents are able to bend down for a short while, or are in a wheelchair or mobility scooter, then flowerbeds that are 18-24 inches off the ground will help. Alternatively, if residents can’t bend down at all, then opt for flowerbeds that are 30 to 36 inches off the ground. As we grow older, we often become more fragile, and as a result, more people end up needing assistance such as mobility scooters — this means you need sturdy pathways to accommodate. The paths should be around 3-4 ft or 91-121cm wide; the paths should provide residents with enough room and access to every corner of the garden. Try to ensure that pathways are made of a surface that isn’t slippy and provides enough grip. If you use a gravelled surface, then this should provide enough safety for anybody using your garden. Flagstone or tarmac, meanwhile, are cost-effective materials that will last a long time and offer support in terms of grip and safety. A space for zoning out Your garden may be accessible, but it also needs to be enjoyed. This means you need a place to zone out and relax. If you place an outdoor sofa or bench in the corner of your garden, then this can become a mini-retreat within an already tranquil setting – providing you with greater comfort within your garden. For a more alternative approach, embed seating areas within plants to create a floral atmosphere while residents are sitting down and relaxing. The perfect decking For all gardens, the decking is the centre-piece that hosts all of your outdoor activities. It can be a place where everyone sits and admires your green space! It’s important to choose the right composite decking boards that will be a reliable safe space within your care home garden. To boost accessibility even more, handrails should be built in by professionals. A care home garden is a great space where everyone can socialise and, by making it more accessible for all, then residents, family members and staff can enjoy without any compromises. See arbordeck.co.uk for decking options to create your accessible garden.
Care home celebrates new eco-garden with local MP and Wildlife Trust
On Friday, 6th September, an Oxfordshire care home welcomed local MP, Robert Courts, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, Barbara Muston as they celebrated the unveiling of their new eco-garden. The garden, designed to attract more wildlife for nature loving residents, has meadow and prairie areas that feature paths leading to birdboxes, hedgehog homes and a variety of plants and flowers. The garden has been specifically designed to ensure it is accessible to residents, encouraging them to spend more time in the garden. To celebrate, Churchfields held a garden party where guests enjoyed tours of the garden, along with a special cake. The two VIPs spent time exploring the new garden as well as chatting to residents about the benefits of the newly designed space. On the garden, MP Robert Courts expressed; “I’m absolutely delighted to come to Churchfields to celebrate this wonderful wildlife they have here. Just looking around today and you can see the wonderful job Jane and the team have done. “Primarily it provides a wonderful area for the residents, everything that is done here is for the care of the people who live here. It will give a wonderful area for people to relax and get closer to nature.” On the day, Barbara Muston, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust commented: “People who have spaces like this, spaces that haven’t been doing anything for nature at all, can be turned into a wonderful habitat. We’ve been hearing from Jane about how the animals, the birds and the insects are all returning to this space which had nothing four months ago, so it’s fantastic.” And the work won’t stop there. Further additions will include an allotment area and summerhouse and the care home will continue to work with the Wildlife Trust to improve and expand the garden. Jane Roberts, Churchfields Care Home owner, commented: “It was lovely to welcome the MP and local Wildlife Trust as we celebrated the new garden. With the project taking considerable amounts of thought and planning, it’s been fantastic to hear such positive feedback from both Robert and Barbara. “Our residents are already making the most of the garden, taking regular visits to the garden to view the birds and insects which have been slowly arriving in the new space.” For more information on Churchfields Care Home, or to take a look around the home, please call 01865 88140 or visit http://churchfieldscarehome.co.uk/.
Kare Plus secures £910,000 loan to expand care network
Kare Plus National Limited has received a £910,000 loan, to expand care network, from MEIF Maven WM Debt Finance, part of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund. Kare Plus delivers care and support services through residential establishments including large private hospitals, local councils and to private clients within their own homes, providing them with medical and care services. The funding package will allow the firm to expand its network of care facilities across the Midlands and also bolster its homecare services. It is also expected to create 20 new jobs. The rapid growth of the ageing demographic in the UK is projected to be more than five times the growth of the working population by 2024, where the number of people over 65 is expected to comprise more than 20% of the total population. The increase in demand for elderly care is resulting in a strain on public sector healthcare services and increasing the demand for private provisions. Kare Plus also provides temporary and permanent clinical staffing solutions to the private and public health and social care sectors.CEO, Steve Welsh, was originally a franchisee who purchased Kare Plus in 2010. Steve Welsh CEO at Kare Plus said; “The MEIF Maven WM Debt Finance will assist in the growth of our homecare services, which will continue to expand and develop alongside our national network of franchise businesses. Our focus is the delivery of outstanding nursing, care and support to local communities, nationally and we look forward to continuing to do just that.” Raj Minhas, Investment Manager at Maven Capital Partners, said, “Kare Plus is an established business with ambitious growth plans to expand the business and create new jobs in the region. We are delighted to have provided the management team with this loan facility from the MEIF Maven WM Debt Fund to help propel their growth journey.” Grant Peggie, Director at the British Business Bank, said, “The Midlands Engine Investment Fund seeks to boost growth in smaller businesses across the region with finance to support new jobs and expansion. Funding such as this, highlights the important role of external finance as well as the positive impact the MEIF is having on Midlands businesses. We would encourage other small businesses seeking to grow to see what funding support is available from MEIF.” The Midlands Engine Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.
Specialist care home rated ‘outstanding’ for being “responsive”
A Dover care home for people with autism and learning disabilities has been rated ‘outstanding’ for being “responsive” by the health and social care watchdog, the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Inspectors ranked Swerford House‘outstanding’ in the “responsive” assessment category, following a recent inspection. The CQC said, “People were supported to live meaningful lives, reaching and exceeding goals they chose for themselves.” Inspectors said, “People were supported to live full, active busy lives, taking part in a range of activities they chose for themselves. During the inspection, most people were in and out of the house, having chosen specific activities they wanted to part in during the day. A relative told us, ‘The staff all work so hard for their residents to make their lives as fulfilling as they can for the individual’.” The CQC mentioned how residents “were part of their community, and known locally at shops, cafes and restaurants”. A resident regularly goes to see his local football team play, and a staff member told inspectors “everyone knows him on the bus, they say hello and he gives them the thumbs up.” The report praised staff for supporting residents to “achieve things for the first time”, including helping one resident to go on their first ever holiday. A resident’s relative told inspectors that staff went “over and above” in supporting their family member to attend a wedding. The CQC rated the service ‘good’ overall and in each of the other four assessment categories: “is the service safe”, “caring”, “effective” and “well-led”. Inspectors were full of praise for Swerford House in the other four categories. For example, in their review of the “caring” category, inspectors said: “People and staff had formed relationships based on trust and respect. Staff spoke with and about people in a kind, compassionate way that demonstrated this…. Relatives told of us their loves ones were happy living at Swerford. One relative told us, ‘They managed to turn my loved one around in a short time. You can see it in their face, they are the happiest they have been for a long time’.” Swerford House supports adults with autism and/or learning disabilities. The care home is located in Dover, Kent, and is managed by Priory Adult Care, a division within the renowned Priory Group, themental healthcare specialists. Patricia Warman, Registered Manager at Swerford House, said: “I am really thrilled with this report. It reflects the tremendous work that our staff team do here. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved with Swerford House for all of their efforts.” Rebekah Cresswell, Chief Operating Officer at Priory Adult Care, said: “Patricia is an excellent registered manager who always does her very best for the staff team and residents there. The staff team is really effective in helping residents to improve their life skills and supporting them to do the things they enjoy. The feedback from relatives is so pleasing to see.”
Supporting People with Sight Loss in a Care or Nursing Home setting
If you support people with sight impairments as part of your working role, the following tips will help you understand the difficulties they may be facing and what you can do to help Only 5% of people who are registered blind see nothing at all so learn to recognise the signs of sight loss as it is more common than you may think and can be easily missed. Look out for changesin personal appearance, difficulties when reading, problems recognising people or if the person has given up a hobby, becomes clumsy, trips more often than usual or tells you they have visual hallucinations. Other signs include anxiety when using stairs, hesitancy in bright light or sunlight and adopting unusual head positions. Make time to chat so you can understand how they’re living with sight loss and how to help them make best use of the sight they still have. Find out about eye conditionsand how they affect vision as sight loss varies and affects people in different ways. Help promote good eye and spectacle careby ensuring glasses are clean, labelled with the purpose (e.g. red sticker for reading) and the person’s name and make sure there is a spare pair available.Remember the 3 C’s – correct, clean and current glasses. Ensure eye tests are carried out when neededand at least once a year. Some opticians offer a domiciliary service which may be helpful. Are you and your colleagues communicating effectively with the person? Introduce yourselfwhen you come into the room to ensure the person knows who you are, say when you are leaving to avoid confusion and always communicate directlywith the service user, rather than through a family member or sighted companion. For written information, Bigger, Brighter, Bolderhelps people to see better so use good colour and contrast in larger font or offer to read to service users. Use meaningful signifiers and appropriate well contrasted and consistent signage. Provide information in the person’s preferred formatfor example braille, large print, audio or electronic format. Recognise the importance of having good lighting, whether this is natural light, or a reading lamp and make sure the lighting fits the purpose of the activity and is comfortable to use for the individual. Use vertical blindsto control adverse effects of natural light such as glare and shadows. Artificial lighting levels should be consistent, even and controllableand avoid lampshades and lighting features that allow the bulb to be viewed directly. Avoid highly patterned wallpaper, furnishings, carpets or tableclothsas this can confuse visual processing and people with sight loss may mistake patterns with different images. Avoid reflective surfacesand clearly markglass doorsto make them easier to see. Use colour contrasted place mats, plates and cupsfor dining to make it easier to identify food and drink and consider using plates with taller rims to avoid food falling off them. Encourage a consistent clutter free environment to avoid trip hazardsand ensure all hazards are marked clearly, for example kerbs and steps have colour contrasting strips. Familiarise people with the layout of relevant work or home areasas appropriate and think about how things might be improved with tactile and/or audio signage and colour contraststo distinguish features of the environment. Be alert to other conditionssuch as hearing loss or dementia as sight loss can be compounded by these so ensure you identify the appropriate health support to minimise the impact. Involve your service users in decisionsas people need to be supported to develop their own strategies for coping with sight loss. Ask them what they would like to do and work with them to find practical solutions. Make time to reflect upon any changes and ask for feedbackon what works well and what could be improved. We can provide assessments to identify aids and adaptations to support people with sight loss, along with visual impairment awareness training. For more information, email daniel@visualisetrainingandconsultancy.co.uk or visit https://www.visualisetrainingandconsultancy.com/training/visual-impairment-awareness-training/ Daniel Williams was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at the age of 8 and is now improving the lives of others living with sight loss through his business, Visualise Training and Consultancy https://www.visualisetrainingandconsultancy.com/
