Health and social care technology group reward local Care Worker
A leading health and social care technology group management technology company is rewarding care workers for their commitment to providing quality care, as part of their ’20 years, 20 prizes, 20 weeks giveaway’. As a treat for committed individuals who utilise CM’s real-time care visit logging system, CM is rewarding lucky care workers over a 20-week period with a hundred pounds worth of high street vouchers, as part of their 20-year anniversary celebrations. Suzanne Pearson, who works for Bloomsbury Homecare in Lincolnshire, is the latest winner in CM’s care worker prize draw and was presented with her award at Bloomsbury’s Christmas event by CEO Nick Christodoulou. With just over 20 years of care experience herself, Suzanne commented: “The part I most enjoy about my job is seeing the clients are happy and settled in their homes and enjoying time with their families and friends. I enjoy chatting to clients and finding out about their life history. I would like to thank CM for running the competition and I am overjoyed to be one of the lucky winners.” As part of the prize draw, winners also have the opportunity to select a charity of their choice and CM will donate £100 on their behalf. Suzanne’s charity of choice is the Alzheimer’s society, she added: “This charity is close to my heart as both of my grandparents have Alzheimer’s and I’ve helped clients throughout my career who have developed this disease.” Part of HAS Technology Group, CM (previously CM2000) started as a simple visit time recording solution which has safeguarded two million service users over the last 20 years. It now supports over 100 local authorities and 3,000 care provider branches with mix-n-match integrated care monitoring , scheduling and financial management solutions.Mark Kennion, CM director added: “We’re delighted to be able to give something back to care workers and reward them when they use our CM system. “It’s lovely to hear that Suzanne has worked in the sector since she was 18 and is well known for her dedication and devotion. “We look forward to rewarding more hardworking care workers as part of our 20 year celebrations.” Bloomsbury Home Care commented: “We at Bloomsbury would like to thank CM for their ongoing excellent service and user support, it is with their help that we and our staff can continue to provide the best possible service to all our clients.” HAS Technology Group offers a variety of services, including CM, PAMMS and ARMED, which provide holistic prevention, commissioning and a delivery package of solutions. The group is leading the way with an innovative approach to social care technology solutions to ensure ongoing improvements in delivery and quality of care.
Care Homes To Provide Free Financial & Legal Advice
Aura Care Living is an award-winning provider of luxury care for the elderly. The company has two care homes – one in Cirencester, Gloucestershire called Stratton Court and one in Camberley in Surrey called King’s Lodge. Aura Care Living is leading the way to revolutionise later-life-living, providing unparalleled care on every level in exceptional environments. It can be a sensitive time for families when they have to plan for their loved ones as they get older and require more support. Aura Care Living has a team of expert industry professionals who strive to help advise on every level and deliver excellent care for the elderly. Every Thursday this month (9th, 16th, 23rd & 30th January) in both care homes, Aura Care will be having public open days in both care homes between 2pm and 6pm to offer free advice on later-life-living. They have teamed up with local legal and accountancy providers to offer advice on critical matters families have to consider when planning later-life-living, including power of attorney, wills, tax affairs, and financial planning. The staff in both homes will also be on hand to advise on care for the elderly and showcase the facilities on offer. Everyone is welcome to go along from 2pm to both homes for complimentary refreshments and to chat to the professional legal, financial and healthcare advisors. Each Thursday in January in Stratton Court care home in Cirencester, financial advice will be provided by Samantha Collins (L.L.B Barrister. Dip PFS), Associate Partner of St. James’s Place Wealth Management; and legal advice will be provided by Phillipa Bruce-Kerr, Partner at Harrison Clark Rickerbys Limited heading up the Wills, Trusts and Estates Planning Team that specialises in advising older and vulnerable (and disabled) clients. Each Thursday in January in King’s Lodge care home in Camberley, financial advice will be provided by Paul Adams of local firm of Independent Lifestyle Financial Planners, Branston Adams, and Financial Planner Mark Raybould Dip PFS, Certs CII (MP & ER), EFA, of Northwood Wealth Management; and legal advice will be provided by Anthony Tahourdin, Partner and Head of Private Client Department at Herrington Carmichael LLP.
UK’s leading care home reviews site launches first ever TV advert
carehome.co.uk, the UK’s leading care home reviews site is launching its first ever TV advert on Boxing Day.Every year carehome.co.uk sees a huge rise in the number of people looking for a care home after Christmas, with nearly a half million extra people visiting the site during this time. The increase in traffic is the result of many families realising over the Christmas period that their relatives are not coping well on their own.You can watch carehome.co.uk’s TV advert at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyE62v4XyXQ&feature=youtu.beAndrew Bennett, Marketing Director at carehome.co.uk, said: “With the post-Christmas period being peak time for those searching for care, we hope the TV advert will bring more people to carehome.co.uk so we can assist them in finding the right care home. “The advert is aimed at strengthening the carehome.co.uk brand with the specific goal of increasing the numbers of visitors to the site and ultimately boosting traffic to our care home profiles. “The advert will make more people in the UK aware that we have nearly 150,000 in-depth reviews of care homes, which give a real insight into what they are like. “When it comes to searching for a care home, carehome.co.uk continues to be the ‘Go To’ site, receiving over 90% of care home directory traffic and we anticipate the ad will build upon a hugely successful 2019 and help carry the momentum through to 2020 and beyond.” The TV ad, which launches on Boxing Day and runs till 19 January across multiple channels including C4, ITV3, Sky Arts and BT Sport, has three key messages. Mr Bennett added: “We wanted to show how easy the site is to navigate through to relevant and useful content. “Secondly, we wanted to show the depth of information held on carehome.co.uk. This includes the number of care homes we list, the types of services covered and the sheer number of reviews. It’s all here and in one place. “Thirdly and this is possibly the most important, we wanted viewers to come away with an understanding of how seriously we take our reviews process. Reading reviews is such an important part of choosing a care home for a loved one and you have to be able to completely trust every review. It’s important for the person searching for the care home and for the integrity of carehome.co.uk. We have a continuously evolving review checking process which comes across in the ad.” The TV advert was produced by Happy Hour and filmed at Barchester Moreton Hill Care Centre in Stroud, which provides 24-hour nursing and residential care, alongside expert dementia care. Tina Marsh, Team Leader at the care home along with Steve Chamberlain, the Activities Coordinator, both star in the advert.Andrew Bennett, carehome.co.uk’s Marketing Manager, said: “We received fantastic support from Barchester Moreton Hill Care Centre who kindly allowed us to film in their care home and to keep the advert authentic we used actual staff. We are extremely grateful to Moreton Hill and especially to Steve and Tina who came across so well on screen.” Daney Thomas, General Manager at Moreton Hill said “It was fantastic to have our home chosen for this advert. The team here are proud of our work and hope this reflected that the care of residents is always at the forefront of everything we do.” Tina Marsh, Team Leader at Moreton Hill and former Carer of the Year said “It was exciting to be filmed in this advert. I have worked at Moreton Hill for over 20 years and this was a new experience for me. This care centre is a fantastic example of how to provide effective nursing and residential care while feeling at home and I hope that comes across.”
Borough Care Signs Up To Reward Gateway
Borough Care, the largest not-for-profit provider of care for older people in Stockport, is providing a range of attractive benefits and incentives to staff through Reward Gateway. Reward Gateway offers a huge range of high street discounts, which allows employees to save and earn money back on everyday shopping. Borough Care will also be using Reward Gateway links to help staff improve their wellbeing, by providing access to counselling services and financial management advice. Jayne Hennessey, Head of Human Resources at Borough Care, says: “At Borough Care we value the contribution made by all our employees and are keen to help make life as stress free as possible; so they can concentrate on continuing to provide exceptional care to our residents. We are always on the look-out for ways to incentivise and help people with their daily lives, which is why we decided to link up with Reward Gateway. Through the new system, our staff will be able to take advantage of a wide range of benefits.” Reward Gateway will also host Borough Care’s ‘My Hub’, which is a one stop shop for all the software and cloud-based sites the company uses. This will make it quicker and easier for Borough Care staff to access company information. Jayne Hennessey continues: “Making sure we have the best possible tools in place to effectively communicate with our teams is really important, especially as the majority of our staff are based in our homes and work shifts. We are embracing the digital age, to ensure staff can quickly and easily find out about what’s happening in the business and share information.” Find out more about Borough Care here
Live-in care provider supporting older people to vote
With the general election just around the corner, a national live-in care provider is ensuring those they care for are supported to make their vote. Promedica24 provides around the clock care in people’s own homes. The 1-1 support that is provided enables care workers to accompany individuals when accessing the community, including visiting the polling station. Care workers have also been on hand to remind people of their right to vote, provide them with accessible information and ensure they are aware of the general election deadlines. Paula Beaney, Quality Assurance Director at Promedica24, commented: “Everyone has the right to vote, and with social care continuing to be a high priority subject for many, those who are receiving care and support need to have their chance to help shape the future.” Older people continue to be more likely to vote than the younger generations, and YouGov reported that 84% of people aged 70+ turned out to vote in the 2017 general election. Paula added: “Although older people are more likely to vote, when they become less able it inevitably becomes more difficult for them to do this. This could be for a number of reasons including mobility or awareness of the date and location of the voting station. “As during the previous elections, our carers will be on hand to support the people they look after in exercising their voting rights. Many of our clients find it very important to be able to visit the polling station on election day and have their say on national and local matters. But some of them would not be able to do this without carer’s assistance. “Our role is to integrate those we care for into the community and ensure they still feel important in their role in society. Voting is one way they can do this.” Promedica24 provides live-in care, as an alternative to residential care, allowing those with care needs to remain in the comfort of their own home. For more information about live-in care services visit www.promedica24.co.uk
Lorraine Lee takes top title at The Caring UK Awards 2019
Lorraine Lee, Orchard Care Homes’ Executive Director for Quality and Governance, has been announced as the winner of an Outstanding Achievement award at one of the care industry’s most prestigious ceremonies – The Caring UK Awards. The Caring UK Awards 2019 celebrate excellence, highlighting and paying tribute to people who make an outstanding contribution to caring for the elderly. At a glittering awards ceremony at Athena, Leicester recently, Lorraine received the Outstanding Achievement award for her contribution to the care sector. Lorraine’s nursing career started at the age of 6, when she was desperate to celebrate her 7th birthday, so she could join the Red Cross. Later in her teens, Lorraine volunteered at a local geriatric hospital until she was 16, when she commenced her professional nurse/clinical training. Lorraine qualified as a Registered Mental Health Nurse in 1981, and over her 43-year career, held a number of clinical and senior management roles, transforming people’s lives through her relentless focus on improving quality of care. Underpinning her experience, Lorraine achieved an MBA/Bsc (HONS) in Nursing Studies, a Cert. Ed in Nursing and an MBA, Mental & Social Health Services and Allied Professions at Glamorgan University. She has streamlined policies and procedures to protect residents, staff and care homes from preventable risks, and created platforms to celebrate residents’, staff and organisational achievements. Demonstrating such passion and vision has allowed her to keep staff aligned to the caring ethos so the very best outcomes for residents can be achieved. On receiving the award, Lorraine said: “Right at the start of my nursing career, I was inspired to improve the way things were done in healthcare. For the past 43 years, I have been committed to giving a voice to some of the most vulnerable people in our society and to create a meaningful change. I am humbled by receiving this award and thank you to everyone who has shared this journey with me.”
Staff urged to wear pyjama looking scrubs so residents know its bed time
Some care homes around the UK have trailed wearing pyjama looking scrubs when they are working a nightshift, with some care homes even enforcing a non-uniform policy as they believe that their residents find it more relaxing if their carers don’t have a uniform on, as some can find it intimidating. Research that was conducted by Alzheimer’s Research Uk suggested that more than half of the people living in care homes in the UK have been affected by dementia, with this number having risen by over 15 percent since 2013. One care home that has adopted the non-uniform way of working is a family-owned home in the village of Allithwaite, named “The Old Vicarage”. They believe that their residents fell more at home when the carers wear their own clothes and they believe that uniforms are a way of separating them, and act as a symbol of power and control. They want their “residents to feel special, loved and at home” explained Charlotte Gregson, The Old Vicarage home manager> After recently posting a picture on Facebook, the care home has received nothing but prayers from members of the public, after being shared almost 240,000 times, had more than 400,000 likes and received 50,000 comments. Ms Gregson explained that they never expected to post to become to popular, “Many of the comments are from people whose loved ones are living with dementia, saying how confused they get at night, and this simple idea can make such a huge difference.” Last year, the idea of scrubs that looked like pyjamas was adopted by Simonsfield Care Home in Runcorn, Cheshire. They found that it reduced sleep deprivation, as well as pacing and disorientation for residents living with dementia.” They have decided to make the switch a permanent one with the results of the trial being so successful with their residents. Approximately 850,000 people in the UK suffer from a form of dementia, with the number set to rise to more than one million by 2025. More than one in six people over the age of 80 suffer from the incurable condition. Sue Learner, from carehome.co.uk, which commissioned the poll, said: “It is good care home staff are thinking outside the box and trying out innovative initiatives in a bid to make life better for people with dementia. “We need to adapt to people with dementia instead of expecting them to adapt to our way of life.”
Valerie Egan Shortlisted For National Care Award
Valerie Egan, Head of Care at Borough Care, has been shortlisted for a National Care Award. Borough Care is the largest not-for-profit provider of care for older people in Stockport and has eleven homes across the borough. Organised by Caring Times magazine, the National Care Awards celebrate the very best people in the long-term care sector, highlighting excellence and rewarding those who work tirelessly to provide consistently outstanding care. Valerie is a finalist in the Lifetime Achievement in Care category. The awards will be announced at a ceremony taking place in London on Friday 29 November. Having a care sector career spanning over 32 years, Valerie has worked at the homes managed by Borough Care for her entire working life. She started work as a casual Night Care Assistant and showed the talent and ambition to work her away up the ranks to become Head of Care. Having previously managed four of Borough Care’s eleven homes, Valerie has a wealth of indispensable knowledge and uses this first-hand experience to help guide and support Borough Care’s team of Home Managers. Commenting on her long care career, Valerie Egan says: “When I first started working in care homes, the night shift fit in with my home life, as I had two very young children. Although I never thought of it being a career at the time, I was lucky to have great mentors who saw my potential and the rest, as they say, is history.” Valerie recently attended an interview with the award judges who will be selecting the winner in her category. Valerie says: “I spoke about Borough Care being a company that promotes talent from within the business and of my pride in helping our staff reach their full potential, which I am always very keen to encourage. I see supporting staff to aim high as a crucial part of my role. I like to attend our welcome to Borough Care induction sessions for new staff so I can tell people that working in care can be a career to be proud of. With the right attitude, people can go far at Borough Care.” Valerie continues: “Besides supporting staff to reach their full potential, other things I am proud of achieving in my career include working with our care home teams to achieve a good Care Quality Commission rating for all our eleven homes and providing personalised care for residents before it became the industry norm.” Valerie Egan was nominated for a National Care Award by Borough Care’s CEO Dr Mark Ward. Dr Mark Ward says: “Valerie has dedicated her working life to caring for older people in Stockport. Her ongoing support helps the teams at each of our homes provide the best possible care for our residents. Valerie is not someone to personally shout about her achievements but staff regularly sing her praises. I was keen to recognise the extremely valuable contribution Valerie has made to the business throughout her long career and the inspiration she is to other members of the team.”
State of Social Care
Care England, the largest representative body for independent providers of adult social care, has welcomed the Care Quality Commission’s State of Healthcare and Adult Social Care in England report published this morning. Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, says: “CQC’s annual report, State of Care, identifies workforce and inadequate funding as major concerns and echoes the sector’s call for a long term strategic plan for adult social care. The regulator recognises providers that have seized the initiative and attempted to work in different way to head off the impending crisis and asks that Parliament, Local Authorities and Commissioners support them. Moreover, the report only accentuates the fact that the Government cannot side-line social care reform for any longer. The risks of further inaction are too grave”. State of Care outlines the challenges faced by the care sector; namely funding and workforce but also shows how quality is more uniform and on an upward trend. The CQC is quite strident in its assessments and call for a long term strategy for adult social care stating that the fragility of the sector is of grave concern highlighting the plight of Learning Disabilities and winter pressures. The report highlights the extraordinary and acute nature of the problems that the care sector faces.
