Focus on partnerships - Care Talk · The Voice of Excellence in Social Care Let's talk social care!...

The Voice of Excellence in Social Care

Let's talk social care!Issue 38 - December 2014 & January 2015£2.50

Focus on partnershipsPLUS: The hallmarks of partnership Embrace the changes that 2015 brings Dementia discussion map’ Let’s talk co-production and tongue-twisters

l

l

A HENRY STEWART MARKET BRIEFING

This year’s essential briefing will cover:

• Current market trends in property values and opportunities for growth

• What funding is available, for what purposes and on what terms

• Making the most of existing buildings and limited capital to increase value and fundability

• The impact of CQC inspections and the Care Act on your business in 2015

For all those involved in the ownership, operation, valuation, funding, sale and purchase of care and nursing homes, assisted living property, domiciliary care businesses and third age housing.

To book your place online and for the full agenda, visit: www.henrystewartconferences.com/nursinghomes2015

Nursing Homes, Care Homes, Assisted Living, Domiciliary Care Services and Third Age Housing Le Meridien Hotel, London W1Wednesday, 11 February 2015 Care Talk Readers are eligible for a 10% discount

Use discount code CT10

A HENRY STEWART MARKET BRIEFING

This year’s essential briefing will cover:

• Current market trends in property values and opportunities for growth

• What funding is available, for what purposes and on what terms

• Making the most of existing buildings and limited capital to increase value and fundability

• The impact of CQC inspections and the Care Act on your business in 2015

For all those involved in the ownership, operation, valuation, funding, sale and purchase of care and nursing homes, assisted living property, domiciliary care businesses and third age housing.

To book your place online and for the full agenda, visit: www.henrystewartconferences.com/nursinghomes2015

Nursing Homes, Care Homes, Assisted Living, Domiciliary Care Services and Third Age Housing Le Meridien Hotel, London W1Wednesday, 11 February 2015 Care Talk Readers are eligible for a 10% discount

Use discount code CT10

Inside Issue 38

Care Talk is a trading name of Care Comm LLP.21 Regent Street Nottingham NG1 5BS

T: 0115 959 6134 F: 0115 959 6148

Care Talk contactsEditorial: Lisa Carr [email protected]: Kim Simpson [email protected] Designer: Tanya GoldthorpeGeneral: [email protected]: Julie Griffiths, Debra Mehta

Tell us your news, views and suggestions! Email [email protected]

Follow us!

twitter.com/caretalkmag

facebook.com/pages/ Care-Talk

ContributorsThank you to everyone who has contributed to this magazine. Do keep your articles, news and views coming.

08 24 50

David FosterDeputy Director of Nursing and Midwifery AdvisorDepartment of Health

Janet CramptonConsultant2020 commissioning

Samantha Cox Trainee SolicitorRidouts

Gail BessentSenior activity co-ordinator Bupa’s Heathbrook House

Sharon AllenChief executive officerSkills for Care and the National Skills Academy for Social Care

Jane Ashcroft CBEChief executive Anchor

Gemma de GouveiaPr and marketing officer C2L Care to Learn

Amy KertiAdmiral Nurse Bupa

Paul PatarouDivisional managerHealth & Social Care DivisionAccess Group

Peter Salisbury Communications manager BILD

Mark ThomasManaging directorCare Management 2000

Des Kelly OBEExecutive directorNational Care Forum

Michael TurnerCo-production support managerSocial Care Institute for Excellence

News05 Guest Editor06 Newsround08 Why we care about the Great British Care Awards09 ‘Thank you’ treat for dedicated care workers10 Let’s learn from the life histories of our older generations 10 Bupa maps out support for those with a recent diagnosis of dementia

Opinion12 The hallmarks of partnership

Stories14 My Gran is back!

15 Putting people first for at Bupa’s Healthbrook House

16 Reuniting mothers with learning disabilities

Good Care Week18 Good Care Week 27 April 2015

Chat20 Care Talk competition21 360 opinion: How can we break

down barriers with health?22 Planet Janet23 This is your life24 Care creatures25 Voice Over26 Mrs MacBlog

Celebrate27 And the winner is...28 Wall of Fame30 The 2014 Regional Great British Care Awards

Showcase32 Care Talk on the road

Learn34 One of the main changes I have seen in my time in social care is a much greater emphasis on partner ship working.35 Let’s talk co-production and tongue- twisters

Special38 Supporting a person with learning disabilities who has dementia40 Revalidation41 Care to Learn, the story so far42 A day in the life of Charlotte McGimpsey44 Trition Showers45 The Travel Time Conundrum46 How an affordable nurse call system can help.

Business48 Farrer unveils plans to broaden SureCare service offer49 Business round-up51 Home is where the heart is for elderly City West customers52 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards

Welcome to our combined December and January issue of Care Talk.

Christmas is of course looming and as ever I am unprepared. I am utterly in awe of care workers who tell me they have all their shopping and Christmas preparations done with weeks to go. With care work being such a demanding job, both in time and energy, I never cease to be utterly impressed.

For some older and vulnerable people the pressures at Christmas can be real and heartbreaking, especially for those living in their own homes. This time of year can only greater emphasise the unavoidable loneliness and isolation. In my experience, all frontline care staff again go above and beyond, working in partnership with health professionals, families and informal carers, to ensure these feelings are minimised.

The theme of this month’s issue also focuses on partnerships. Des Kelly’s article on page 12 The hallmarks of partnership revisits insights from the past and reflects on their contemporary relevance in social care. The Social Care Institute for Excellence’s article on page 35 looks at partnerships through co-production and the success of user lead involvement in our sector.

Assistive technology is a key factor in user lead involvement. Our guest editor, Mark Thomas from Care Management 2000, looks at bringing homecare and technology closer and whilst embracing the changes that the new year will bring. See his article on page 5 for more

details.

And as the festive season commences, the 2014 regional Great British Care Awards season comes to a close. What an honour and a privilege it was to meet so many dedicated

and committed social care professionals – and what better way to pay tribute to them than through these wonderful awards? While we in the awards team are pleased to have our weekends back, there is a sense of sadness that it is all over. However, the finals will soon be upon us, and March next year will bring together

the winners of the nine regions to further shine at the judging days for the national finals.

We do hope you enjoy this issue and thank you for supporting Care Talk. And please keep your wonderful stories, news and suggestions coming.

Wishing you a very happy Christmas and a most joyous and peaceful new year.

Editor’s Note

Lisa

Circulation listHas this month’s Care Talk been read by all your staff?

Use our easy circulation list to be sure!

JobChief executive

Managing director

Registered manager

Supervisor

Care staff

Ancillary staff

Service users

Families

Read?

www.caretalk.co.uk I 07www.caretalk.co.uk I 05

GUEST EDITOR

Mark Thomas is managing director of Care Management 2000

Embrace the changes that 2015 bringsAs someone who has worked for a number of homecare providers I know that legal and statutory inspection changes inevitably create extra work. My passion has always been to bring homecare and technology closer - driving innovations that make homecare delivery safer and more efficient.

Caring for care workers

Making sure care workers get a fair deal is something the Government, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and many industry stakeholders are passionate about. providers will need to be more accountable and ensure at the very least they are paying in accordance with national minimum wage and other statutory regulations. Using scheduling and monitoring data can help you establish whether your care workers are being appropriately remunerated for their visits and time spent travelling. Not doing the calculations will not be an acceptable defence and providers need to prepare themselves for extra scrutiny.

Evidencing your service

As CQC continue to roll-out their new inspections, providers need robust systems and procedures in place to

evidence the thirteen fundamental standards. How well a Provider complies impacts upon the eventual published rating they receive.

There are many areas where technology can assist. For example an automated scheduling tool not only saves time but helps ensure the service is safe, with care visits being allocated to staff holding appropriate skills and availability. CQC want to see that rotas are organised and correct, so a good scheduling system will factor in appropriate travel time between calls as well as automatically optimise staff schedules.

CQC will be looking to see that continuity of care and missed calls are being managed. This is one of the most tangible benefits of electronic care monitoring, empowering providers with real-time data so they can take action if visits start to run late or get missed.

Maintaining the relationship with self-funders

As councils calculate the costs of implementing the Care Act funding reforms, there are inevitably questions being asked about what will happen to

self-funders when they reach the cap on care costs? As a provider you may have concerns over your long term relationship with self-funders.

I’ve recently led some innovative research and data modelling using actual self-funder data, and the results were extremely surprising. In a typical leafy (affluent) suburban Borough Council only 3% of current self-funders are expected to reach the cap. Furthermore, we found that for these elderly homecare users, they will become eligible for state funding support in approximately eight years. This is significant news for providers as it means you should continue to ‘own’ the relationship with your self-funding clients. CM2000 will help you do this by working with councils to ensure electronic care monitoring records can be submitted to the self-funder’s care account as robust auditable evidence.

Managing homecare provision is a tough business – so let technology take some of the strain. Make it your new year’s resolution to see how technology can support the crucial work being done by your office and field-based staff.

Mark Thomas, managing director, Care Management 2000

CARE PROVIDERS

Bluebird Care launches online campaign to stamp out ageismHomecare providers, Bluebird Care has launched an online campaign aimed at tackling ageism. Stamp Out Ageism uses social media to highlight incidents of ageism, and draw attention to discrimination against people of all ages in the UK.

Using a combination of Twitter, postcards and email, people across the country will be able to share their experiences of age discrimination, raising awareness of how common ageism is. By cataloguing people’s experiences of ageism – however major or minor – Bluebird Care will help

to show that ageism is a serious problem in this country, and help to stamp it out.

Britain has one of the worst records in Europe on age discrimination, with nearly 40% of people questioned claiming to have been given a lack of respect because of their age.

Stamp Out Ageism will help people to highlight the discrimination they face on a daily basis, bringing the attention of a wider audience to the very serious problems of ageism.

Bluebird Care is encouraging everyone who has experienced ageism to send in their stories and share their experiences to show that this is a widespread problem that needs to be stopped. People will be able to share their experiences by tweeting @StampOutAgeism, emailing [email protected] or by filling out a postcard and sending it to Bluebird Care, which the team will then share online.

Bluebird Care will use its network of almost 200 offices across the country to help local people share their everyday experiences of ageism by encouraging them to get online, and providing postcards where they can highlight age discrimination.

06 I www.caretalk.co.uk

NHS

New laws for more open and safe NHS care come into force (Source: Department of Health)Duty of Candour and Fit and Proper Person’s Test will help improve patient safety, transparency and leadership in the NHS.

The two new laws has come into force. The Duty of Candour places a legal duty on hospital, community and mental health trusts to inform and apologise to patients if there have been mistakes in their care that have led to significant harm.

The introduction of the Duty of Candour is an important step in ensuring a more honest and open culture in the NHS, particularly when things go wrong. It is a major milestone in the government’s response to the Francis report into Mid Staffordshire, which called for a more open culture in the NHS. It forms part of a wider package

of measures designed to support this.

The Fit and Proper Person’s Test will help to ensure strong and safe leadership in healthcare organisations. Under the new regulations, all NHS board members will be required to undergo the Test before they are appointed. This will include an assessment of their character and a robust consideration of whether the person has the right qualifications, skills and experience for the role. The Care Quality Com-mission (CQC) will check during their inspections that providers have strong systems in place to carry out these checks before an appointment is made.

The Fit and Proper Person requirement came into force for NHS healthcare bodies yesterday. It is intended to be extended to all other registered provid-ers, such as care homes, in April 2015.

The CQC has published guidance for NHS organisations to help them meet the requirements of these new regulations.

For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-laws-for-more-open-and-safe-nhs-care-come-into-force

NEWSROUND

@[email protected]

Help us

Tweet:

Email:

LEARNING DISABILITIES

Winterbourne View report urges care closer to home (Source: BBC News)A report says that people with learning disabilities in England are being kept in hospitals far from home for too long.

The review, written by Sir Stephen Bubb, recommends introducing a charter of rights and more com-munity facilities for people with learning disabilities and calls for some “inappropriate” in-patient facilities to be closed. The report comes after abuse was exposed at Winterbourne View care home in Bristol in 2011.

For more information visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30195857

New innovative video from DanshellDanshell, a provider of learning disability and mental health services in the UK, has produced an innovative animated video to enhance communication with people who may be considering using its services.

The care provider prides itself on utilising different ways of communicating with all key stakeholders, including commissioners, carers, families and service users.

The simple, but effective animation explains what happens when an individual enters a Danshell service. It is designed to inform and reassure service users and outlines the company’s commitment to providing high-quality care designed to meet the needs of the individual.

The animation can be viewed at http://www.danshell.co.uk/

NEWSROUND

www.caretalk.co.uk I 07

SECTOR BODIES

Autumn Statement: George Osborne announces £2bn to save NHS (Source: The Telegraph)George Osborne is to announce an extra £2 billion for the NHS in an attempt to avert a crisis in hospitals and modernise the health care system.

The Chancellor will use his Autumn Statement to MPs to announce the extra funding, which will help support the day-to-day work of doctors and nurses struggling to cope under the increasing pressure from the ageing population.

Mr Osborne will say that Britain’s strong economic growth means he can afford to spend the extra money, which he describes as a “down-payment” to secure the future of the NHS. He will also suggest the Conservatives may be ready to commit billions more to help modernise and transform the NHS over the next Parliament if in power after the general election in May.

However, the head of the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies warned that protecting the NHS for the next five years would force “staggeringly big” budget cuts elsewhere, with schools, pensions and benefits all in line for “dramatic” reductions in the years ahead.

For more information visit http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/nhs/11263192/Autumn-Statement-George-Osborne-announces-2bn-to-save-NHS.html

Intimacy in care homes – call for greater awareness (Source: Alzheimer’s Society)The Alzheimer’s Society wants greater training and awareness among care home staff when it comes to sex and relationships: Sex and dementia

The charity says that staff caring for people with de-mentia are having to tackle sensitive and often difficult situations on a daily basis, and that all care homes should have a specific sex and intimacy policy in place.

For more information visit http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=2248

Striking the right balance with CCTV in care homes? (Source: National Care Forum)The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has agreed in principle to publish information for providers, as well as for people who use services and their loved ones, about the use of covert or overt surveillance to monitor care.

Over the last year, CQC sought views from people who use services, carers, providers, staff and other partners about this important subject. CQC’s Board members have approved the information to be included in the final documents but have asked that the information for the public be written in a more accessible way. With this approval, CQC will publish the information shortly.

Andrea Sutcliffe, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care at the CQC, said:

“We know that exploring the potential use of hidden and public cameras in care homes and other care settings is a really sensitive issue – and one that pro-vokes a huge range of debate and opinion. … The information we will publish for providers makes clear the issues we expect them to take into account – for example, consulting with people using the services and staff – if they are considering installing hidden or public cameras. I hope the information we will publish for the public will help them make the right decisions in difficult circumstances and I look forward to making sure that this information is written in a way that is most useful for them. I am clear that any form of surveillance cannot be seen as the only way to ensure people are receiving safe, high-quality and compassionate care. We need enough staff, properly trained and supported who really care to

ensure people get the services they have every right to expect.”

Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb said:

“Cameras have helped to expose terrible cruelty and neglectful care and I welcome this new information. Decisions about using surveillance are extremely dif-ficult – there is always a balance to be struck between protecting people and respecting their right to privacy – but this information will help families to make the right choice for them. We are committed to preventing poor care from happening in the first place and have introduced tougher standards for inspecting care services as well as measures to shut down those that aren’t up to scratch.”

For more information visit http://www.nationalcareforum.org.uk/viewNews.asp?news_ID=2280&sector_id

DEMENTIA

‘Cash for diagnoses’ dementia scheme is dropped (Source: Telegraph)The NHS is to drop a controversial “cash for diagnoses” scheme which pays GPs £55 for every extra patient diagnosed with dementia.

Simon Stevens, NHS Chief Executive, said the initiative, which met a backlash from doctors and patients, will end in April - the Government deadline for a tar-get to improve diagnosis rates.

For more information visit http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/11256059/Cash-for-diagnoses-dementia-scheme-is-dropped.html

World Dementia Council to prioritise care and risk reduction while welcoming new member living with dementia (Source: World Dementia Council)The World Dementia Council is to welcome a new member who is living with dementia. The decision follows the Council’s third meeting, where they heard a moving address from Hilary Doxford, who was diagnosed with dementia two years ago and explained how her life has been affected.

The Council considered that this kind of personal in-sight would enhance its reflection of the experiences and needs of those living with dementia.

At the meeting in London, the Council also added

two further priority areas to its work: care and risk reduction. The WDC’s work on care is being supported by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and World Health Organisation which are developing a framework exploring how international collaboration could improve dementia care, looking at sharing best practice, and metrics for measuring progress.

The Council’s new fifth priority is whether lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of developing dementia. Following a presentation by Harry Johns, WDC member and President and CEO of Alzheimer’s Association, members concluded that the evidence strongly suggests cognitive decline at the population level can potentially be affected by behaviour changes acting on cardiovascular risk factors.

For more information visit http://dementiachallenge.dh.gov.uk/category/wdc/

We live in a world that’s full of opportunities to sponsor any multitude of events and good causes and finding one that aligns with your principles and what you set out to achieve is vitally important. This is why it’s a great privilege for Access Group to be sponsoring the Great British Care Awards (GBCA); for us it’s a perfect fit. It’s a sector that we’ve been working closely with for many years, and most recently with the formalisation of our experience under a new Health and Social Care Division, and our acquisition of CareBlox which provides software to care homes, we decided to partner with GBCA to further cement our commitment to the industry.

“It’s a great privilege for Access Group to be sponsoring the Great British Care Awards”

As business software providers for domiciliary, supported living, nursing and residential care, we’ve built up a track record of offering integration solutions that reach across the whole organisation from planning and scheduling rotas to finance, payroll and business intelligence tools. With development teams dedicated to each of the different elements of the business solution, we’re continuously improving and extending our portfolio to meet the changing needs of the sector. Most importantly we understand every facet of a care organisation.

Indeed, we’ve seen first-hand how those

within the sector have been able to improve efficiencies where it matters most. Our aim is to help reduce and automate repetitive processes within the organisation wherever possible so that less time is spent on administration and more time is spent on delivering high quality care to those that need it, when they need it. Considering there is an increasing expectation for the sector to do more with less, if technology can support and help in the delivery of more consistent, relevant care then this stands to benefit everyone. By providing the right tools to help organisations run more smoothly it’s our intention to help relieve some of the pressures that face the sector.

And for us, this is why the health and social care sector is so important because we believe we can make a real difference in our own small way. Furthermore, as sponsors of the awards we have an opportunity to be involved in something incredibly special as part of the judging process. With so many worthwhile entries it’s clear to see just how devoted people are to the sector and the effort and commitment they place on the work they do and the people they care for each day and night.

“As sponsors of the awards we have an opportunity to be involved in something incredibly special as part of the judging process”

From the regional events to the national finals, they each offer up an opportunity for us all to celebrate excellence. By recognising the hard work and dedication of everyone in the industry from volunteer carers and front line care staff right through to those who administer and manage the organisation, we can pay tribute to those who often quietly provide a vital lifeline for the care receiver. It is truly eye opening and a reminder of what matters most in life – people.

Working within Access’ dedicated Health and Social Division it’s been a privilege to see the passion and commitment displayed by these incredible individuals; they truly are a credit to their industry. These awards give recognition to those who are really making a difference to people’s lives. It’s for that reason that we’re delighted to endorse the awards, be a part of this great community, and we’re proud to celebrate alongside them.

Paul Patarou, divisional manager, Health & Social Care Division, Access Group


NEWS - SECTOR

Why we care about the Great British Care Awards

Steve Sawyer, divisional director, PSS & HSC, Access

Care workers from Westminster Homecare in Leicester were treated to afternoon tea to thank them for the fantastic work they do looking after vulnerable members of the community.

The tea was funded by care monitoring specialist CM2000. As part of the company’s 15 year birthday celebrations, users of their CallConfirmLive! system were invited to enter a competition.

David Bushby, branch manager for Westminster Homecare, Leicester City branch, was thrilled to win on behalf of his team. He said “Our staff work so hard and the nature of community care means they don’t get many

opportunities to see their colleagues. The afternoon tea was great for teambuilding and a tremendous boost to morale.”

Mark Kennion, CM2000’s commercial director, added “We are delighted that so many care workers were able to take time out of their busy day to enjoy this reward. It was very humbling to hear first-hand about the heroic work that happens every day to ensure people can remain safely in their own home.”

The event was such a great success that CM2000 hope to make it an annual competition.

NEWS - SECTOR

‘Thank you’ treat for dedicated care workers



NEWS - SECTOR

In October 2014, Anchor launched our Life Histories campaign aimed at tackling what is fast becoming a worrying disconnect between generations.

Although many of us have fond memories of listening to our grandparents’ tales of days gone by as we were growing up, sadly it seems that children today are missing out on that valuable experience. Recently, Anchor conducted a study among children. A third of those questioned said they didn’t know what their grandparents had done for a job and 37% had no idea where they grew up.

“A third of those children questioned said they didn’t know what their grandparents had done for a job and 37% had no idea where they grew up.”

And, when we surveyed older people at the same time, we found that nearly half (47%) of older people now think that younger people are simply not interested in what they have to say.

This is why we launched our Life Histories campaign, backed by children’s TV legend Bernard Cribbins. Life Histories is a nationwide schools initiative aimed at

helping primary school-aged children learn about older people’s lives. We created teaching packs suited to the new curriculum (suitable for years five and six) which we shared with 15,000 head teachers.

The initiative was inspired by Anchor’s approach of asking about an older person’s past when they come into our care homes. Compiling life stories in our homes helps us see beyond any illnesses or health problems and focus on the uniqueness of the individual to plan and deliver personalised care which honours their preferences.

Good care is built on good relationships so the more we know about the person the better the relationships will be. For example, I remember learning about a resident who had been a postman all his life. So it was no surprise that he continued to be an early riser when he moved to one of our care homes. It’s that understanding that helps ensure, wherever possible, older people in care homes continue to live the lives they choose.

Taking the time to listen to and learn from the memories and experiences of older generations shouldn’t just be left to care homes. By encouraging schools to do the same we’re hoping to create connections across the generations, as well as combat loneliness and isolation, which are growing issues for our ageing society.

Our research found that 14% of older

people say they never see family members who are children, and 68% of older people don’t have any regular contact with young people outside of their family. Yet 92% of older people agree that spending time with younger people could help those who

“Taking the time to listen to and learn from the memories and experiences of older generations shouldn’t just be left to care homes”

are lonely. This is why reconnecting the generations is so important, and we at Anchor believe we all have a part to play.

Great relationships and mutual understanding are good for all generations. By helping school children to understand more about an older person’s experiences, an older person’s story becomes an enjoyable way to learn based on practice rather than theory.

We hope that the initiative will prove popular all over England. We all like to think we’re listened to so perhaps it’s time to open our eyes (and ears) to more of the older people living around us.

To download the Life Histories Guide go to www.anchor.org.uk/lifehistories

Let’s learn from the life histories of our older generations before we drift apart

Jane Ashcroft CBE, chief executive of Anchor

Bernard Cribbins, supporter of Life Histories

NEWS - SECTOR

Bupa maps out support for those with a recent diagnosis of dementiaBy Amy Kerti, Bupa Admiral Nurse


As a Bupa Admiral Nurse, I work closely with people who have dementia every day, and so it’s very helpful to have a new tool to support and guide patients who have recently been diagnosed with the condition. Bupa Admiral Nurses are specialist dementia care nurses accredited by Dementia UK, who operate out of our care homes. Bupa directly cares for around 14, 000 people with dementia in the UK, leading with the philosophy ‘person first, dementia second’.

“The map depicts a seascape in order to articulate some of the moments, emotions, and experiences that someone living with dementia might go through.”

At the National Dementia Congress, Bupa launched a new ‘dementia discussion map’, a visual tool that uses a seascape to visualise and frame moments, emotions and questions for people in the difficult period that follows a diagnosis. The map depicts a seascape complete with a marina, boats, beaches and rocky waters in order to articulate some of the moments, emotions, and experiences that someone living with dementia might go through. Using the map helps me to cover areas such as the diagnosis itself, working through feelings, dealing with relationships, finding advice and support, and planning for the future.

We talk through a wide range of topics, from support and social services to concerns about feeling out of control and having a sense of foreboding. It’s important to acknowledge that there will be good and bad days, as well as considering the best ways to keep healthy and enjoy life.

It can be an incredibly difficult time for both the person diagnosed and their family, which is why it’s so invaluable to have something visual to support us as we

discuss important advice and information. The map has been developed through in-depth working sessions with Bupa’s dementia ambassadors – a group of expert practitioners from across our care homes – and Bupa Admiral Nurses.

When testing the map, we conducted a number of focus groups with people with dementia and we found that the order of the map could vary depending on the person we were speaking to; we jumped back and forth from different areas according to where the conversation led us. It became clear that it was most helpful to use the map as a guideline and starting point for conversations, and to let it take its natural course. For example, we found that one member of the group was feeling particularly uncomfortable that family members were managing their finances. We used this as an opportunity for them to communicate on paper to their relatives that they would get peace of mind from seeing receipts. The map provides a very effective way of alleviating anxieties by

prompting questions that people may not have considered.

Similarly, the use of an activity log alongside the discussion map to encourage conversation within group sessions and share tips and experiences proved very useful. It’s a great way for those dealing with a recent diagnosis to find support from others who understand what they’re going through. One man had begun to print off a daily itinerary to keep track of his routine and retain his independence, which could be a useful idea for others to follow.

Bupa is now working on a second map, which addresses the more advanced stages of dementia and is tailored towards the family and carers of the person with the condition. This is due to be ready by the end of 2015 and will be another great way to harness the wealth of information and advice that is available, and to help families, as well as individuals, to navigate their way through the implications of dementia.

Sometimes it’s interesting to revisit insights from the past and reflect on their contemporary relevance. I know it doesn’t always work this way but there are occasions when what has been said already actually become the definitive statement on a topic. I have been rereading an excellent paper on understanding partnership by sociologist Keith White (of the inspiring community Mill Grove which is also his home and family) published almost 15 years ago. I found it influential when I first read it. In the paper he identifies four hallmarks of poor partnership (colonisation; conflict; co-existence; contract) and four hallmarks of genuine partnership (respect; reciprocity; realism; risk-taking). In this short piece I only have the space to consider the genuine partnership hallmarks but I would suggest the original paper is essential reading for anyone interested in gaining a good, rounded understanding of partnership working.

Let’s look at Keith White’s comments on genuine partnership.

Respect – “is the only possible starting point for partnership” and at whatever level. Seeing a person, or party, as they really are and not as you would want them to be is the essence of respect. It is a two-way process because as

he points out “one-way respect is a contradiction in terms”.

Reciprocity follows on from respect. As a genuine partnership is a two-way process which involves shared responsibilities and shared power. Partnership is thus about equality. The nature of the exchange demonstrates the reciprocal aspect of the relationship.

“As with quality in care relationships are crucial”

Realism – “true partnership necessitates the accurate and realistic appraisal of the challenges, tasks and resources.” It’s about honesty and truthfulness underpinning the way partners work together. Without transparency and openness it is not possible to have genuine partnership. Knowing the differences and any constraints will be vital if a partnership is to succeed.

Risk-taking builds on realism and trust. Partnership working demands that risks are taken. For this reason Keith White states that risk-taking is perhaps the most difficult element of genuine partnership. Effective partnership working requires both parties to take a chance, and therefore risk failure,

which is increasingly difficult to do. The context of care service provision and a tendency to be risk-averse obviously complicates matters.

So what can we learn from this typology? As with quality in care relationships are crucial. The best relationships are characterised by trust and loyalty… and they take time to develop as experience of the partnership working is also a crucial attribute to success. The best partnerships therefore get better with time as relationships are influenced by the process of working together.

Now here’s the thing: although Keith White’s paper ‘Towards an Understanding of Partnership’ was written in 2000 it draws extensively on work he did in preparation for a speech delivered at a conference in 1984! I was there and I can still remember how illuminating the ideas seemed and how useful they were to making sense of working in a residential care settings for older people. I think the lessons are just as powerful and have stood the test of time. What do you think?

Des Kelly Executive directorNational Care Forum

p Des Kelly, executive director, National Care Forum

The hallmarks of partnership“The best relationships are characterised by trust and loyalty”


OPINION


OPINION

We are recruiting for Independent Living AssistantsPolkadot Care is currently looking to expand our team of valued

Independent Living Assistants across all our branches.The role is to provide person centred support and care to the people who use the service, meeting their individual needs whilst maximising independence, choice and respecting their privacy and dignity. The role will support the Management team in the day to day service delivery, ensuring that the support provided is compliant with the CQC essential standards and any other legal requirements.

What Polkadot can offer you:

We are looking to recruit in the following areas:

Free UniformRewarding VocationFlexible hours Location to suitFully supported programme of learning

Opportunity to work for an innovative provider of quality care within a dedicated team of professionals.Continued professional Development

Are you....ResponsibleSupportive

Caring attitudePerson Centred

SensitivePatient

UnderstandingPersonable

FlexibleEncouraging

Loughborough, Burton on TrentLeeds, Nottingham and

BridlingtonContact Gemma or send your CV to

the email below01636 703386

[email protected]

PolkadotCare, 18a Baldertongate, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1UF

We are recruiting for Independent Living AssistantsPolkadot Care is currently looking to expand our team of valued

Independent Living Assistants across all our branches.The role is to provide person centred support and care to the people who use the service, meeting their individual needs whilst maximising independence, choice and respecting their privacy and dignity. The role will support the Management team in the day to day service delivery, ensuring that the support provided is compliant with the CQC essential standards and any other legal requirements.

What Polkadot can offer you:

We are looking to recruit in the following areas:

Free UniformRewarding VocationFlexible hours Location to suitFully supported programme of learning

Opportunity to work for an innovative provider of quality care within a dedicated team of professionals.Continued professional Development

Are you....ResponsibleSupportive

Caring attitudePerson Centred

SensitivePatient

UnderstandingPersonable

FlexibleEncouraging

Loughborough, Burton on TrentLeeds, Nottingham and

BridlingtonContact Gemma or send your CV to

the email below01636 703386

[email protected]

PolkadotCare, 18a Baldertongate, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1UF


STORIES

My Gran, Anges Thomas aged 95, was diagnosed with dementia eleven years ago. Despite her condition, throughout the years she has managed to maintain living within her own home with the assistance of carers and support of her family.

In March this year, after a fall at home and a hospital stay, my Gran was transferred to a rehabilitation unit in Dumfries. You hear about the realities that many families face within elderly social care; I would never have imagined it was soon to become our reality too.

Her health was rapidly deteriorating; she was confused, left in her bed, and her nutritional needs were not taken care of. As a family, we had to take matters into our own hands. Each meal time we would take turns to travel to feed her by hand and try to get fluids into her system.

“Now participating in karaoke, three months on and our Gran is most certainly back!”

My Gran most certainly was ‘wiped away’ and her needs were assessed as end-of-life care. My family and I became so concerned that we decided to take immediate action to relocate Gran as we did not want her to pass away in her current environment.

My Gran was on the waiting list for Charnwood Lodge, part of national charity Community Integrated Care, so my mother and I went to visit. From the very first moment we entered the home, we were made extremely welcome and could sense a warm caring atmosphere.

After three traumatic months in the unit,

my Gran was transferred to Charnwood Lodge in June this year. This was not treated as a conclusion, but a new chapter in my Gran’s life - and indeed a very positive experience of the sector for us all.

Upon arrival, the team identified that Gran was in poor spirits and lacked nutrition. It was a crucial time, but only days after her transition to Charnwood Lodge her health began to improve due to the immense care and assistance given to her every need from the carers. From encouraging her to take small amounts of food and water to making sure she was always clean and tidy. As a team, the staff worked to nurture these improvements. Now participating in karaoke activities and eating anything she possibly can from the kitchen,

three months on and our Gran is most certainly back!

My family and I are overwhelmed by the exceptional service and standard of care my Gran is receiving at Charnwood Lodge. The staff are absolutely excellent. They are very caring, have a huge amount of empathy, attention and sincere willingness towards the health and well-being of our Gran and others in Charnwood Lodge.

Our experience of the elderly social care sector has most positively changed, thank you Charnwood Lodge!

Clare Louise Carson, granddaughter of Agnes Thomas.

My Gran is back!

Gail Bessent (below), senior activity co-ordinator at Bupa’s Heathbrook House in Bromsgrove, Worcs, explains why she decided to go beyond the call of duty to help one resident’s spirits soar...

Working with residents living by dementia, their family and friends is a part of daily life in my work as a senior activity co-ordinator at Bupa’s Heathbrook House nursing home. As anyone who works regularly with people who have dementia will know, despite the challenges, they all have a story to tell. What’s more, as part of Bupa’s ‘Person first...Dementia Second’ approach, we are all encouraged to really get to know each and every resident on a personal level.

“I wanted to unearth Barney’s story to see if it would help him rekindle some memories.”

One such story came out of the blue when chatting with the local vicar following a service one day. He mentioned that one of our residents, 92-year-old Barney Job, had served in World War II and had won a number of medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). This story resonated with me, as my own father served in the RAF himself and I wanted to unearth Barney’s story to see if it would help him rekindle some memories.

After digging around, I discovered that Barney had actually been a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force and his

DFC medal was one of 247 awarded to Canadians in the RAF during World War II for “acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty”. This was a great starting point, but I wanted to find out more specific details that might resonate with Barney.

Eventually, I discovered a book which told Barney’s story and featured a photograph of him alongside a pilot. When I showed the photograph to Barney, he recognised himself and the man next to him as ‘Jack’, who it transpired was Barney’s pilot all those years ago when he served as a navigator. Intrigued and inspired by what I had discovered, I pushed on. My aim became to find Jack and reunite him and Barney in whichever way I could.

Thinking it was a long shot, I emailed the author of the book to ask if he could help me to track down the man in the photograph. To my amazement, the author was able to put me in touch with Jack, now in his 90s and still living in Canada.

Following my detective work, Barney and Jack have reconnected and are now in regular correspondence. I’m more than happy to act as an intermediary, reading aloud Jack’s emails to Barney and responding on his behalf to keep Jack updated on how he is doing. Even though Barney has quite advanced dementia, it’s heart-warming to see him recognise someone from over half a century ago. It’s moments like this that make my job so rewarding and they reinforce why it is so important to get to know a person for who they are and not just care for someone with a condition.

Douglas Job, Barney’s son, said: “I’m so grateful to Gail and everyone at Heathbrook House for going the extra mile and taking the time and effort to look into my father’s past. His emotional tie with the Canadian Air Force, and in particular Jack who he almost died with, is so deep that despite having dementia he always reacts to Jack’s name.”

I will definitely continue to play detective and explore all the stories behind Bupa’s Heathbrook House. When I began looking into Barney’s past, I never imagined that I would be able to put him in touch with an ex-comrade from wartime, I just wanted to see if I could rekindle old memories. But revealing such a hidden gem and bringing together Barney and Jack once again after all these years has been a real highlight for me - it’s things like this that get me up in the morning.

Putting people first for at Bupa’s Healthbrook House

STORIES



STORIES

Mums with learning disabilities are being reunited with their children thanks to a council service in Gateshead. The mums, who have had their children removed from their care, are being helped by Shared Lives, which is a service akin to fostering for adults. One of the mums lives with her husband but, from time to time, needs a break from family life. She is able to take a short break with a carer who helps her recharge her batteries.

Another two mums live with approved carers on a permanent basis. The carers help the women develop parenting skills as well as providing the emotional support that is needed after the courts have removed their children from them.

“The carers help the women develop parenting skills as well as providing the emotional support”

Jennifer Neill, manager of Shared Lives, says that it has been a traumatic and painful journey for the mums who are now several years into living with their carer.

“The children have ranged in age from a newborn to a teenager. For the mum, no matter what the age is, they want to nurture and care for their children. It is very hard for them,” she says.

The carers provide emotional support as well as help in navigating a system that can seem complicated and frightening to

a mum with learning disability. And they make it less stressful by opening their home for the supervised contact between mum and children so that their meetings are in a familiar and comfortable setting rather than the clinical environment of a centre.

“It is very stressful for the mums because they are being watched by social workers all the time. Having it at home makes it a much more positive arrangement,” explains Jennifer. “Sometimes the children don’t understand the reasons they have been removed from their parent so there are occasions when they get upset too.”

Carers, whom the mums trust, help by providing guidance on how to manage the contact sessions. For example, one of the mums has two children with special needs and rough play has always been the norm. But the children become very excitable and the mum finds it hard to calm them down again. The carer has helped her to work out a way of playing without behaviours getting out of control.

The carers also help the mums with practicalities such as finances and budgeting.

“One mum became pregnant while she was staying with her Shared Lives carer”

“One of the mums believed that she could survive on £35 a week even though she couldn’t. We help her budget and plan

menus and find social activities that she can do based on the money available”, says Jennifer.

For another mum, whose children are older, she is being helped to come to terms with the prospect that her family may never live with her again. Her eldest child is now a teenager and planning a future that involves living with friends rather than her mum.

“That’s very hard for the mum. But her carer is helping her to think about finding a place to live that her child could visit mum and stay over,” says Jennifer. Shared Lives provide training and support to the carers who are often affected by the issues facing the mums. One mum became pregnant while she was staying with her Shared Lives carer. After much thought and discussion with her carer, the mum came to the difficult decision that she would be unable to care for her child.

“The Shared Lives carer was supporting the mum to make the right decision, whatever that was, but it was upsetting for both carer and mum,” explains Jennifer.

But, she says, that although it is challenging work, the service is a lifeline for the mums with learning disability who might otherwise find it difficult to cope and maintain a relationship with their children.

“It can be very difficult but we are supporting the mums to rebuild their lives after a crisis.”

Reuniting mothers with learning disabilities

Interested in finding out more?

Whether you are a potential carer, you know someone who mightbenefit or feel you would benefit from the service yourself call us for an informal chat.

Shared Lives ManagerTel: 0191 433 3000or find out more by visiting www.gateshead.gov.uk

Produced by Community Based Services, Gateshead Council© April 2010

Community Based ServicesCivic CentreRegent StreetGatesheadNE8 1HH

Do you have time to share?

What is Shared Lives?

Information for paid carers

Shared LivesServices for people with disabilities

Shared Lives ServiceServices for vulnerable adultsInformation for paid carers

Produced by Gateshead Council © December 2013

ukqcs-new-care-standards-sep-14-v1-8-0.indd 1 07/11/2014 11:51

Celebrating the good care behind Great Britain

Good Care Week 2015 takes place 27 April 2015. Care providers and individuals from the sector are already demonstrating their commitment towards Good Care Week with some fantastic examples of raising the profile of social care to their wider community.

The UK-wide annual awareness campaign, in association with Care Talk magazine, saw local initiatives

/Sector support

www.goodcareweek.co.uk

Good Care Week 27 April 2015

Care homes’ totaliser tops £2,000 for Children in Need South Coast operator Colten Care has done its bit for Children in Need by raising more than £2,000.

Activities managers totted up the total following sponsored events held in 16 individual homes during the BBC’s annual fundraising appeal.

The home that raised the most in the group, Avon Reach in Mudeford, Dorset, auctioned gifts donated by residents, relatives and friends, collecting £716.

Avon Reach Activities Organiser Sandra Boulton said: “We allowed a couple of hours for viewing and then invited bids on paper or in person. People were very generous, often paying over the odds.”

At Amberwood House in Ferndown, staff came to work in their onesies while at Kingfishers in New Milton, resident Jack Tolson was sponsored to paint faces. His subjects included Senior Care Assistant Fay Suenfa, waitress Lily John and

receptionist Lisa Jones.

Other homes saw fancy dress events, craft sales and staff wearing pyjamas and polka dot combinations inspired by official appeal mascot Pudsey Bear. The full amount raised was £2,063.38.

Amberwood House Activity Organiser Jan Burns said: “Lots of our residents and colleagues dressed up and really enjoyed themselves. It was a great chance for everyone to join in and support such a worthy cause.”

Get involved and champion good careBe a part of this groundbreaking initiative to raise awareness of social care and ensure that this sector gets the respect and appreciation it merits.

• Get your colleagues involved; care workers, managers and providers. What could you do collectively to raise the profile of social care in your local community? Open days, encouraging volunteers and visits from local schoolchildren are just some simple yet effective initiatives.

• Get your service users and their families involved. Ask them to support the campaign by providing testimonials about their care provision.

• Write to your local MP about Good Care Week. Ask them to help you raise the status of social care in your community and formally support the campaign.

• Share your ideas with us for raising the profile of social care locally so that colleagues throughout the sector can emulate this in their own communities. We will feature your examples, stories, comments and suggestions on the Good Care Week website and in Care Talk magazine.

Sector demonstrates principles of Good Care Week

www.goodcareweek.co.uk

Celebrating the good care behind Great Britain

We will be publishing Good Care Week initiatives in every issue of Care Talk ... so why not make every week a Good Care Week?

Primary school children bloom at Heathland VillageYael Tam (8) and Michal Tam (7) seen here with one of the Heathlands Village residents, Charlotte Tryger.

The girls were part of a birthday activity with other friends from nearby Broughton Jewish Cassel Fox Primary School. They made sunflowers and visited our home to present them and sing for residents.

Mother of the two girls pictured, Shifra Tam said “The girls said it was the best birthday party they’ve ever been to!!”

Care home residents go back in time with history workshopA Middlesbrough care home has welcomed a national self-help organisation for a special history workshop aimed at leading residents in discussion.

The Gables were joined by the expert history group from the University of The Third Age, who provided a stimulating session on Early Television, Post War Britain and the Cambridge spies: Burgess and Maclean.

Residents at the home actively participated in the event and told stories and reminisced about their past experiences during the discussions.

The session, which was led by Stephen Palczynski, was organised so that residents could take part in a new experience and as part of The Gables continuous efforts to outreach to groups and individuals within the local community.

The U3A is an organisation that provides opportunities to retired and semi-retired people. They learn skills and share experiences together for enjoyment, rather than to gain any qualifications. They run a number of events and activities in and around Middlesbrough, including the history group.

Naaila Rehman, activities co-ordinator at The Gables, said: “We contacted the U3A

group as part of our ongoing work to involve residents in activities that are organised outside the home. This enables us to develop strong links with the community and provides our residents with a further sense of belonging.

“All of the residents at the home found the session led by the history group incredibly interesting and enjoyed discussing their memories of the early television and their post-war experiences.

“Events such as this allow our residents to actively discuss their past, keeping their memory active and providing a platform for discussion and engagement.

“We were delighted with the session and hope that U3A will visit the home to host other activities in the future.”

Abbeyfield Kent celebrates Christmas with residents at Annual Lantern ParadeThe Abbeyfield Kent Society, a charity that provides housing and care for older people across the county, celebrated Christmas with a seasonal church service and lantern parade.

The Society’s Lantern Parade takes place each December at the picturesque Friars in Aylesford and provides residents of Abbeyfield Kent homes with an opportunity to attend a seasonal service with their close friends, family, staff and contacts of the Society.

Each year, the festive celebration sees the community of Kent coming together to celebrate Christmas with a seasonal church service, followed by a candlelit parade around the scenic grounds as the sun sets.

After the collective parade, guests were invited to warm up and indulge in a mince pie and hot drink in the tearoom, whilst they socialised with other guests and chatted about the event.

Gravesend’s Riverview Junior School choir sung a range of upbeat and seasonal carols throughout the service and one pupil presented a reading of the Christmas Story.

Leon Steer, chief executive at The Abbeyfield Kent Society said: “Aylesford Priory is a wonderful venue for a Christmas event and it provides a very special backdrop for our Lantern Parade.

“It is very important for the Society that our residents are able to enjoy a special Christmas service, and we do all we can to ensure they are afforded every opportunity. This year’s Lantern Parade really was special, everyone at the

CHAT - CARE TALK COMPETITION


At Care Talk we love shouting about what is good in social care, challenging negative media perceptions and raising the profile of our sector through good news stories and examples of excellence.

It’s time to blow your own trumpet!

Many of the articles we receive are sent in by colleagues, managers, care home and domiciliary care providers, service users, friends and relatives ... but so often the amazing stories of examples of excellence and innovation are not told by those who have carried them out ... YOU!

We at Care Talk want to encourage and motivate the frontline workforce (this includes the gardener, the cook, the housekeeper …) to raise the profile of the sector by writing about your own examples of good practice.

• How have you improved quality of life for a service user?

• How do you help colleagues to improve their good practice?

• How do you involve relatives in your care home?

• Have you involved the local community in any way?

• Have you had an idea that your company has taken on board to improve services?

Through Care Talk we can share your examples of good practice with your colleagues in the sector – a great way to initiate joint working.

Each month Care Talk readers will be invited to submit an article that highlights particular areas of innovation and good practice. Care Talk will choose a winner every quarter to receive a two-night stay in a luxury hotel, including an evening meal, courtesy of PJ Care and Specsavers.

Winners and photos of them enjoying their prize treat will be featured in Care Talk.So don’t delay, get writing today! Email us at [email protected]

Rules of competition• Articles must be written by the

individual who features in the article demonstrating good practice and innovation.

• Word count is 600 words, plus photos and an image of the contributor.

• Copy deadline is the first day of the month prior to publication; e.g. the copy deadline for Febuary issue would be 1 January.

• Winners will be chosen by a panel of judges and announced quarterly.

• Winners will have a choice of UK ‘home’ or ‘away’ destination for their weekend hotel stay.

• The prize must be used within 12 months of winning.

• There is no cash alternative.

Care Talk readers

competitionWanted – Good News

Stories from the Frontline

Sponsored by

specialised neurological care

The Charity - John McLachlan, manager, Scope

It’s a challenge. Unfortunately, I think it’s through forcing working together because while we have health colleagues and social care colleagues sitting in the same offices, they have their own budgets, do their own thing and are never quite working together.

So it has to be through a direction of force through a pooled budget or clear direction that an

individual’s needs must be met whether from Health or Social Care. Social Care as a profession has come on a lot and when you have a good team working together people recognise each others’ skills.

The care association - Ann Taylor, chair, Kent & Medway Care Association

We’ve just really got to persevere on a very local level and prove to health that social care can solve some of their problems. If we look strategically at things, make sure people are doing the job on the ground, and working with health colleagues that actually do the job every day, and actually proving those very small examples, we’ll break down those barriers.

How can we break down barriers with health?Innovation is critical in developing quality care provision and benefiting outcomes for service users. Following the publication of the Commission for Residential Care report A vision for care fit for the twenty-first century, we asked six care professionals, ‘What do you think the significance of innovation will be for care providers, frontline staff and service users?’

Conclusion• communication

• transparency

• robust infrastructures

• get things right at a local level

• breaking down cultural barriers


The government - Glenn Mason, director of people, communities and local government, Department of Health

One of the greatest barriers is the cultural barrier, and two-tribe approach of health and social care. It’s really important that leaders of health and social care come together, work together, and share a common vision. Making sure that common vision is transmitted through the organisations, listening to their staff teams in terms of what gets in the way between social care and health is also key.

The care manager Karen Cooper, manager, Greensleeves

Communication! We need to invite them to see what goes on in a care setting, invite them in to work with us rather than a body that works against us. Recognising that there is a need for the integration of both health and social care, there should be a natural progression - not thinking that every time someone goes from a care home into the health service that they’re going to be difficult and not know how to look after them. And it’s about educating them in how to look after older people.

The care provider - Ken Waterhouse, managing director, Homecare Preferred

It’s communication really. Quite often there tends to be a blame culture in the healthcare service when things go wrong. It’s about transparency and when things go wrong, people should face up to it and try to learn from mistakes because the best organisations in the world make mistakes. And it makes us bureaucratic which means we spend a lot of time making sure everything is documented, but at the same time, we need to be delivering good care.

CHAT - PLANET JANET


My father always used to say that Partnerships are the only ships that don’t sail!

It’s a cynical view but borne out of experience; he always used to say “It’ll end in tears” because sooner or later, despite people’s good intentions, the partners begin to want different things and their interests diverge.

To some extent he was referring to formal, legal entities, where two or more people or organisations come together for a specific and usually mutually beneficial purpose.

I prefer to make the distinction between Partnerships, with a capital ‘P’, and partnering with a small ‘p’.

The first is a noun, just the name of something and doesn’t really give clues as to motivation or intent in forming the Partnership. The second is an active verb, indicating a continuous way of parties working together in a spirit of mutuality and support. For a partnering arrangement to work, each party to the agreement can aim for their own positive outcome but only through an equally positive outcome for the other party(ies).

We’ve been hearing about the value of working together for some time – that the benefits of each party being rewarded for working collaboratively outweighs the challenges of each learning to trust and respect the others. There are many examples of where organisations with similar aims and values have come to work together effectively and well – that the sum of the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, as it were – and where their mutuality and equality is embedded in all that they attempt together.

And yet we work in a climate of stringency and economy that mitigates against more partnering relationships – adversarial contracting, for instance, in which every input and every output is counted, measured, assessed and evaluated, cannot in any sense be construed as genuinely partnering approach because there is no equality in such a relationship. Dependency is created but not equality or mutuality.

Even if no formal partnership exists, the sense of everyone sitting down to resolve problems and find innovative ways of working together to find the right solutions is appealing, but the reality is often very different.

Where, for example, could any notion

of a zero-hours contract forced because of stringent contractual conditions ever be seen as beneficial to worker, employer, commissioner or, ultimately, the service user? How can formal re-tendering processes fit in with any ideas of a partnering or co-productive approach, when whole workforces may be scattered or subject to re-employment by the next incoming contractor, and what does that do for morale and the quality of service?

Many of you will be reading this and nodding at a scenario you recognise, perhaps one which has directly affected you and the security of your employment. You will know that in such scenarios, it felt that no-one was affording you much control over your future or how much employment you would get, where you’d work, who’s company name was on your wage slip. How valued and respected did you feel during that process. I suspect, not very.

But on a more positive note, the more we are clear about the benefits of working together in a more reciprocal way – each party having pride in their partners’ as well as their own performance – the sooner we will achieve that sense of knowing that this is the route to better outcomes all round.


We have been married for 53 years but when my wife Dorothy became ill and her quality of life was declining we decided to move into residential care.

On arrival we were greeted by all staff who were friendly and welcoming.

I did initially wonder if we had done the right thing as we have lived in our house since 1937. Since coming into care I didn’t realize how many people suffer from dementia. Dorothy and I like our peace and quiet and we did find it hard at the beginning.

At home we have a large garden which I can no longer maintain. Dorothy does now need twenty four hour care and I want to be with her. I would not be able to cope on my own if I returned home and I would be worried if I fell again, putting stress onto our son.

I am involved in Dorothy’s care, I help her dress and walk with her to the toilet as she becomes bit confused.

It didn’t take long to settle in. We have a sitting room as we like to watch the news and we can choose where to go

within the home. We are still able to go out and attend church services, go to the bank and be independent just like we were at.

We feel more secure within Ashley Court and less stress on the son knowing where they are also less risk of falling. Overall life is better now and we couldn’t be happier. Thank you Ashley Court.

q David and Dorothy Linnet, celebrating 53 years of marriage at Ashley Court

CHAT - THIS IS YOUR LIFE

This is Your LifeDavid and Dorothy’s Story - Still

together after 53 years of marriage

Care creaturesCHAT - RESIDENT CAT

Care home introduce ‘henpower’ to benefit residents A Shropshire care provider has welcomed some new residents to its homes – a brood of chickens that are helping to improve people’s health and wellbeing.

Coverage Care has introduced a flock of feathered friends at Barleyfields House in Shrewsbury, and at Lightmoor View, in Telford, to stimulate and engage residents, especially those with dementia.

The scheme is now being rolled out across its other homes across Shropshire.

The project started with the introduction of a brood of Speckled Pekin chicks - a miniature breed known for its friendly

disposition and love of being handled, making it ideal for older people and those with dementia.

Residents help to feed and look after them and collect the eggs, which are then used in the home’s kitchen.

At Lightmoor View, Coverage Care’s home in Lightmoor which specialises in dementia care, the chickens are part of a dedicated outdoor area created for residents. As well as the chicken coop, there is a caravan in the grounds where residents can ‘holiday’ and enjoy al fresco refreshments under the awning.

The chickens are the latest animals to be welcomed at Coverage Care homes in the county. It already encourages families to bring in their pets and also organises visits from donkeys, ‘pat a dog’, guinea pigs, and birds to interest the residents.

My challenge was nutrition

If the CQC inspected us today, I could tell them the exact nutritional content of every single meal we serve

Passionate about care home food

challenge usHave you got a nutrition, cost, service or quality challenge? Get in touch and we’ll help you solve it – GUARANTEED.

www.challengeapetito.co.uk/paul or call the team on 0800 542 2631

Paul Swithenbank Founder Chairman and Chief Executive,The Willows, Blackpool

13457 Adverts 215mmx134(h) aw2.indd 1 30/04/2013 12:48

CHAT - VOICE OVER


What key things do you practice for infection control?Everyone has a role to play in the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infection (HCAI). We asked a group home care managers, ‘ What key things do you practice for infection control?’

Debra Mehta

Stephen Penketh Affinity Supporting People

We have good training and a regular checklist within our service, but the main thing is to ensure that staff have all the correct training and equipment. If those two things are key, then the majority of everything else falls into place. We only have three small services but they’re all compliant with infection control.

Conclusion• robust training• correct equipment• ongoing monitoring• communicating with other health professionals

Rose ClewsRadis

Hand washing, training, monitoring and just passing that message on to everyone in the community. This makes a huge difference and there’s lots of flyers and training through the council and so we pass out the information they send to key staff. We also send leaflets out to our service users, so that if a staff member doesn’t get the memo, then it’s there in the book at the home. It’s drilling in the importance of hand washing, wearing aprons and gloves etc. We also provide hand gel.

Denise Coates Nurse Plus UK Ltd We do a lot of training in infection control and spot-checking and supervisions to make sure people understand the importance of wearing personal protection equipment like gloves, aprons, correct hand washing procedures etc. We also work with other groups to make sure they understand the importance of PPE even though it looks impersonal. Some clients don’t understand the protection factor of it and can think it’s a waste of time, but it works, and once you explain it to them, they’re a lot more accepting.

Cathy DyerHome Instead Senior Care

Controlling infection requires hand washing, personal protection equipment, constant training, supervision and just ensuring the staff are fully aware. There’s definitely an improvement with all this in place compared to years ago before standards came in. I’ve been here three years and we’re training new staff right the way through and we have no issues at all with infection. It works.

Donna Stinton Enara

Key things are good hygiene, following instructions correctly and making sure there’s no cross-infection. Hand washing and gloves are vital. If you open food make sure you cover it and put the date on it. Also making sure you wear aprons, hair tied back, no jewellery and nail varnish. And it all pays off. We believe in hands-on training so we use the torch after washing to demonstrate and this enables staff to understand the different types of germs and how they’re carried.

Lynn Rogers EnaraObviously hand washing, gloves, aprons and ongoing training. We tap into various local authorities where they offer intensive training on hygiene. We prioritise it: it’s all about communicating with hospitals and district nurses especially with discharges from hospitals because service users come out and could have infections, so we need to be

sure that the carers are trained adequately and have the right protection in place. At the moment we’re seeing an increase in live TB, so one of the biggest issues is ensuring our staff have been inoculated because some of them may have come from a country where the BCG vaccine was not available when they were younger.

I’m very put out!

I have a very favourite painting - a print actually – of a place when my George and I used to love to visit. It was too big for my little flat so they said it could go in the lounge area, and I have enjoyed seeing it there every day. But now they’ve just done redecorating and my picture has disappeared. Where has it gone? No-one seems to know.

Much more to the point, no-one other than me seems to be the least bit bothered.

It’s not the first time things have gone missing. I don’t say that anyone is actually stealing things, its just that they don’t take care of other people’s belongings.

Mrs Brown’s TV was taken off for repair. The firm said they returned it the management team here, but it was never to be seen again. Mr White is convinced that someone is stealing his money but he does get a bit confused about things. Betty Green said something about the staff selling things on eBay (whatever that is) but I don’t know if she really has grounds for saying that.

It’s just we’re all a generation that values our things. Some people have had to work hard all their lives to get nice things and its upsetting when they go missing. And even if things haven’t got much value, except of the sentimental kind, that doesn’t mean to say other people have no responsibility for looking after them for us, does it?

I’d love to know what happened to my picture. Will I ever see it again, I wonder?

CHAT - MRS MACBLOG

Mrs MAC LOGMrs MacBlogMrs Mac is now 92 years old. She has lived in extra care accommodation for more than 6 years and she has been widowed for over 12 years. She gets 4 calls a day.

Challenge for care workers – discuss the following issues. 1. Looking after people’s personal possessions is

important. They attach a lot of value in familiar things, even if they aren’t valuable in a monetary sense. Do you know of any situations where things have gone missing mysteriously?

2. How important is it that you and your colleagues get training in recording and monitoring people’s personal effects? Does it help you to have procedures that protect you from accusations of theft or disregard for people’s possessions?

3. How would you deal with the upset caused to people like Mrs Mac when things are damaged, go missing or are stolen?

4. What can you do to make sure that more care is given to personal items?


▲ Host Steve Walls with winner Emma Lewis and sponsor Mark Poland from National Skills Academy for Social Care

CELEBRATE

What the winner said…Discovering I had been nominated by my team was an emotional surprise! I have a genuine passion for what I do which drives me to succeed, being lucky enough to have a team that shares my passion and supports me to realize my objectives makes me feel very fortunate.

What the judges said…Emma demonstrated a clear understanding of Home Care Services, being aware of staff and customers’ needs. The judges were impressed with Emma’s passion and skills especially maintaining a quality service and a gelled team during major change from a small company to becoming part of a larger company.

Emma Lewis, home care registered manager award, Mihomecare

Emma demonstrated a clear understanding of Home Care Services, being aware of staff and customers’ needs. The judges were impressed with Emma’s passion and skills especially maintaining a quality service and a gelled team during major change from a small company to becoming part of a larger company.

CallC

onfirmLive!

calming &

refreshing

CallConfirmLive! The perfect blend.Providing innovative electronic monitoring, scheduling and financial management solutions CallConfirmLive! is used by Councils and Independent Providers to deliver better quality more efficient Homecare service.

www.cm2000.co.uk

• competitively priced landline and mobile options • flexible mix & match solutions• innovative Self Directed Support modules• outcomes recording to ensure person-centred care delivery.

Call 0121 308 3010 to arrange a demonstration.

CELEBRATE


17 October, 2014

Former Nuneaton soldier short-listed for care award

Ryan Pleavin is a finalist in the West Midlands Great British Care Awards for Best Newcomer

A former soldier from Nuneaton has been short-listed for a care award after carving out a new career as a support worker for people with learning disabilities and mental health needs.

The 32-year-old’s passion for his new role impressed the judges and ensured his place as a finalist at the awards.

Giselle Parkin, Warwickshire service manager, said: “Ryan has shown a huge amount of commitment and dedication to his new role. He is not afraid of hard work and has developed very positive relationships with both the people we support and his work colleagues.”

Ryan said: “Being a finalist in these awards is the icing on the cake for what has been a big year for me in terms of my new career.

“I’m finding this new role both rewarding and interesting, everybody is different and the same approach doesn’t work for everyone so I have to be creative in my support for each person and think on my feet.”

Courtesy of Coventry Telegraph

November, 2014

Concern Homecare feature in film series

“This month, west London-based domiciliary care provider, Care Concern Homecare Ltd, feature in a film series produced by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) for Social Care TV. The series, entitled ‘Dignity in Care’, portrays dignity in practice and examines four key factors that contribute to a caring and respectful care experience: choice and control, privacy, social inclusion, and communication.

Care Concern Homecare featured as an example of best practice in illustrating how care services can be provided whilst maintaining people’s dignity. Registered Manager, Catherine Gunnewicht, explains further, “Dignity and respect are at the core of our work and we were very proud to showcase our high standards of care in these films.”

The films are useful tools for anyone involved in the delivery of care to understand how people’s needs can be met with dignity and respect.

SCIE works to improve the lives of people who use care services by sharing knowledge about best practice. The films are available on SCIE’s website (www.scie.org.uk).”

Courtesy of SCIE

CELEBRATE


4 November, 2014

Best Employer Award’ at the Great North West Care Awards 2014Head of people at CLS Care Services, Phil Orton

A charitable organisation that operates care homes in Crewe and Alsager is in the running for a regional honour.

CLS, which runs a number of care homes across the North West including New Milton House in Alsager and The Elms in Crewe, has been shortlisted for the ‘Best Employer Award’ at the Great North West Care Awards 2014.

The group has been selected as a result of its success in demonstrating strong leadership and performance management, as well as its continuing commitment to investing in its staff.

CLS offers effective training to every member of staff, and all employees are encouraged to develop their skills as a care industry professional by pursuing relevant qualifications.

By investing early in the development of its staff, CLS is able to consistently provide a high quality of care, as demonstrated in last year’s independent Your Care Rating Customer Survey, which returned an overall performance rating of nearly 90%. That result puts the group comfortably ahead of the national average.

CLS Care Services managing director Robert Black said: “We are delighted to have been selected as a finalist for this award. Our people are key to our ability to provide excellent care, and that is what we strive to accomplish.

“We have a happy and well-equipped workforce, and that is reflected in the high demand for places in our homes, as well as the satisfaction

of our residents.”

Testament to CLS’s commitment to people development, its lead locality trainer Penny Mottram has also been selected as a finalist in the ‘Care Trainer Award’ category.

Nominated for her efforts to maintain and improve the quality of training across all CLS homes, Penny has overseen increases in the uptake of personal development training, and a sizeable reduction in outstanding training events.

Phil Orton, head of people at CLS, commented: “Penny is not just an exceptional trainer, but is a voice and motivator for excellent care practice within the organisation.

“The quality of our staff is what makes CLS so successful. Over 67% of our staff are qualified, and we are working towards achieving over 90% in the near future.

“We are determined to make the quality of our workforce the benchmark for the industry, and being so well represented at the Great North West Care Awards is a sign that we are on the right track.”

Courtesy of Crew Chronicle

November 06, 2014

Choices Housing Association lands awardsStaff at a care provider are celebrating after landing two prestigious awards.

Newcastle-based Choices Housing Association – a not-

for-profit housing and care organisation – landed two regional awards from Great British Care.

Representatives from the provider attended a gala evening in Solihull where they collected Care Employer and Dignity in Care awards.

Managing Director Nigel Downs said: “I’m delighted that Choices has been recognised for two such prestigious awards, reiterating the value we place on both our staff and service users.

“We currently employ over 380 people across Staffordshire, but due to continued growth and expansion, we will employ around 500 staff by the end of 2015 across the whole region.”

Courtesy of Stoke Sentinel

Have you, your care home or agency had any local media coverage?Send your Wall of Fame features to [email protected]

CELEBRATE


principle sponsor in association withThe regional 2014 Great British Care Awards have now drawn to a close. This year we were privileged to meet even more fantastic heroes of social care.

Meet the winners

Great South West Care AwardsOld Passenger Shed, Bristol

17 October

Great West Midlands Care AwardsMotorcycle Museum, Solihull

17 October

Great Yorkshire and Humberside Care Awards, National Railway

Museum, York , 31 October

Great North West Care AwardsPalace Hotel, Manchester

1 November

Great South East Care AwardsHilton Hotel, Brighton

8 November

Great East of England Care Awards, Peterborough Arena

14 November

Great London Care AwardsGrand Connaught Rooms

15 November

Great East Midlands Care AwardsEast Midlands Conference Centre,

Nottingham, 21 November

Great North East Care AwardsHilton Hotel, Newcastle

22 November

CELEBRATE


Not forgetting the runners

Great South West Care AwardsOld Passenger Shed, Bristol

17 October

Great West Midlands Care AwardsMotorcycle Museum, Solihull

17 October

Great Yorkshire and Humberside Care Awards, National Railway

Museum, York , 31 October

Great North West Care AwardsPalace Hotel, Manchester

1 November

Great South East Care AwardsHilton Hotel, Brighton

8 November

Great East of England Care Awards, Peterborough Arena

14 November

Great London Care AwardsGrand Connaught Rooms

15 November

Great East Midlands Care AwardsEast Midlands Conference Centre,

Nottingham, 21 November

Great North East Care AwardsHilton Hotel, Newcastle

22 November

We look forward to seeing all the regional winners at the national finals of the Great British Care Awards in April and May 2015 at the ICC in Birmingham

www.care-awards.co.uk

SHOWCASE


Care Talk on the road

Nursing Homes, Care Homes, Assisted Living, Domiciliary Care Services and Third Age Housing

11 February 2015

Le Meridian, PicadillyCare Talk has a packed agenda of conferences and seminars ahead. We are proud to be media partners and supporters for some fantastic events, listed right.

LUCY IS HERE FOR YOU ON YOUR RAINY DAY, WILL YOU BE THERE ON HERS?All of us will call on Britain’s 1.8 million care workers at some point. They are our largest workforce, but also one of the lowest paid. By fundraising or donating just a little you can help The Care Workers’ Charity provide support to care professionals going through tough times.

The rainy day fund for everyday heroeswww.thecareworkerscharity.org.uk

Our most obvious partnership is with the 17000 plus employers who offer services across the country. That relationship is critical because our primary task is to help them make sure their workforce can access quality learning and development opportunities from day one of services right through to senior management roles.

But we can’t just talk about the importance of partnership working; we have to make sure we are totally committed to it. The merger of Skills for Care and the National Skills Academy for Social Care is one prime example of the way bringing expertise together helps us offer employers a one stop shop for learning and development support.

“Our direction of travel is to widen our partnerships beyond employers into areas of community development, housing, transport and leisure”

So we might work in partnership with employers on a strategic level when we were refreshing the Recruitment and Retention Strategy. It might be working with employers to look at the benefits of signing up for the Social Care Commitment. It might be an employer signing up to be a member of the National Skills Academy. Or it might just be something simple like one of our Locality Managers visiting an employer to find out what they need from us.

The common theme is that we seek the views of those on the frontline so the products we develop are fit for purpose. We don’t have a monopoly of good ideas so partnerships really help us get it right.

Whilst we work closely in partnership with employers and members, our direction of travel is to widen our partnerships beyond employers into areas of community

development, housing, transport and leisure, all of which affect the adult social care workforce, including unpaid carers.

All this is work is underpinned by the Principles of Workforce Integration which we developed to offer organisations some ideas about how we can fully integrate services. The reality is that people who need care and support aren’t interested which uniform a person wears or where that service comes from as their only criteria is do those services meet my needs.

“Another positive development is the joint work we have done with the Housing Learning and innovation Network”

Another positive development is the joint work we have done with the Housing Learning and innovation Network looking at how we can integrate care and housing services as we know where people live is critical. We have also been looking at how we can harness the huge array of skills in every community to link with care services and we recently published Skills around the Person to bring what we have learnt from those grassroots partnerships.

Our offer is now a single solution for leadership, learning and development of the adult social care workforce at all levels based about working with others, and our leadership and development programmes illustrate this perfectly. Our Leadership for Change programme, delivered with the Leadership Centre, Public Health England, the NHS Leadership Academy, and the Virtual Staff College has offered

a programme across adults’ and children’s services to create and develop leaders using the Systems Leadership model.

The Leadership for Empowered and Healthy Communities, in partnership with Think Local, Act Personal, the Local Government Association, ADASS, DH, and the NHS Thames Valley and Wessex Leadership Academy, has been widely acclaimed, and we are about to release dates for the 2015 cohort.

People who need care and support rightly demand services that give them maximum choice and control - the sorts of effective partnerships that we are involved with are essential if we are to meet their aspirations.

Sharon Allen, chief executive officer, Skills for Care

LEARN

One of the main changes I have seen in my time in social care is a much greater emphasis on partnership working.


Co-production has become one of the buzz words in social care in the last few years. Its place has now been cemented with the Care Act 2014 guidance. This loftily defines it as: “When an individual influences the support and services received, or when groups of people get together to influence the way that services are designed, commissioned and delivered.”

In many ways it’s not a new idea. We’ve had user involvement, participation, patient and public involvement (PPI) and engagement; these have all been around for a while, and have had varying degrees of success.

“Co-production is the ambition to push these ideas that bit further.”

What you get that’s new with co-production is the ambition to push these ideas that bit further. At my organisation, the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), we were known for doing participation well and then co-production emerged as the natural next step. This was set out in our 2012 strategy, “Towards co-production: taking participation to the next level.” You can find it at www.tinyurl.com/copronl.

We at SCIE are focusing our work on people who use services and carers, with four key principles: Equality, diversity, accessibility and reciprocity. Some people rightly point out that words like co-production and the tongue-twisting “reciprocity” just add to the existing walls of jargon around social care and put us in real danger of breaking our own principle of accessibility.

But if co-production is going to be really

different to what we’ve done before, using new words is an important way of showing that. So let’s break down that jargon. My colleague Cecilia Mercer has recently written a blog about how she understands co-production as a person with learning difficulties. She writes that reciprocity: “Means that everyone gets something for doing something. This could mean making new friends, being listened to, being heard, and feeling important.” Find it at www.tinyurl.com/coprocm.

Making the language accessible is a key part of making sure that new words do not become jargon. The other key thing to do is make sure the words become real so that people see and experience them; and not just a nice word about something that never quite happens in the real world. So if you’re going to deliver real co-production, rather than using the old approaches to working with people who use services and carers, using the right words and doing the right things are both important.

“Making the language accessible is a key part of making sure that new words do not become jargon”

SCIE has a guide: ‘Co-production in social care: what it is and how to do it.’ It advises that the starting point has to be working out what you mean by co-production at the start of any process. Agreeing what you mean by reciprocity will also help the process and will make sure that everyone knows what they will be achieving, and also what they are getting out of the process; that’s another important part of that process.

The guide includes ten practice examples of how co-production works with a range of different people in different areas. One of these is a scheme developed by Action for Carers Surrey. They have worked with a user-led organisation, the County Council and health services (including GPs) to use direct payments, to provide short breaks for carers. This has been a true partnership with everyone working together as equals.

Co-production is often described as a relationship or conversation. A great way to get started, and to make it work, is to pin down exactly what these new words mean for you.

SCIE’s co-production resources are at www.tinyurl.com/coproall

Michael Turner, co-production support manager, the Social Care Institute for ExcellenceTop tips

LEARN

Let’s talk co-production and tongue-twisters


Community Advent Calendar

For more information contact [email protected]

1. Say hello to everyone you meet today.

7. Ask to join a neighbour on their dog walk.

13. Hold a Christmas Karaoke night with your friends.

19. Volunteer in your community: www.do-it.org.uk is full of ideas!

20. Host a Christmas Party! Music, food and mingling!

21. Call someone you’ve not spoken to for a while.

22. Be positive and say ‘yes’ to things you would usually say no to.

23. Offer to carry someone’s shopping bags.

24. Wish everyone you meet a

14. Offer to help a neighbour put their decorations up.

15. Invite people round for a festive brew!

16. Take a trip to your local Christmas market.

17. Make a Christmas hamper and deliver it to a neighbour.

18. Get baking! Deliver some Christmas biscuits to a friend.

8. Find a new club in your area and join it.

9. Hand deliver your Christmas cards to your neighbours.

10. Offer to sweep a neighbour’s path.

11. Join a local choir and go carol singing.

12. Invite a neighbour round for a mince pie.

2. Take part in our #xmashatsnap for #givingtuesday.

3. Attend our London or Easingwold carol service or find one near you.

4. Offer someone you meet some help.

5. Organise a group to go and see your town’s Christmas lights.

6. Host a Christmas film night and catch up with friends.

hallelujah

ELF

Happy Winterval

Rocking around the Christmas tree

Happy Winterval

SPECIALIST SERVICES


As the life expectancy of people with a learning disability increases, both they and the individuals and organisations that support them will need to know more about dementia and the care and support that people with dementia need. Whilst it mostly affects people over 65, people with a learning disability are at greater risk of developing dementia at a younger age.

To meet the need for accessible information, the British Institute of Learning Disabilities, in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society, has launched two new factsheets about dementia for people with learning disabilities.

“People with a learning disability are at greater risk of developing dementia at a younger age.”

The factsheets are in Easy Read format and they use simple sentences and photo illustrations in a clear, accessible layout, making the topic of dementia as easy to understand as possible. Members of Our Way Self Advocacy in Kidderminster were involved in creating them, and self advocates from Grapevine in Coventry and Building Bridges in Sandwell helped test them.

The first factsheet, ‘What is dementia?’ looks at how dementia affects people. The second, ‘Supporting a person with dementia’, provides advice for someone with learning disabilities who may have a friend or relative with dementia. It covers communication, coping with behaviour changes, and supporting the person to remain engaged and active.

The onset of dementia in people with learning disabilities offers a challenge to those who provide support. Aspire in Herefordshire were one of the first to offer specialized support for older people with a learning disability with dementia. As part of their dementia strategy, all Aspire staff receive dementia training regardless of the age of the person they support, ensuring that they have an awareness of the signs to look out for.

Gail Cooper is registered care home manager at Aspire’s Markyes Close, a specialist service for older people with a learning disability in Ross-on-Wye. “Because the conventional methods of detecting dementia are less relevant - asking who the prime minister is only works if you were likely to have been able to answer that question in the first place - Aspire have developed dementia assessment tools, a series of observations based on behaviours, skills and awareness that we carry out over time.”

“Aspire were one of the first to offer specialized support for older people with a learning disability with dementia.”

“Once a dementia diagnosis is confirmed, the quality of support someone receives is crucial” said Gail, “they’ll need more support delivered by people trained to give it and it really helps if this is done by people who have known them previously. Communication may become more challenging so if they know the person well that can help, it helps too if they know something of their family and place background, as this can make all the difference in ‘rollback memory’ conversations around things like family photos and reminiscences”.

Because someone with a learning disability may not understand the consequences of a diagnosis of dementia, explaining to them what is happening in terms they understand is important. Family and friends may also need to support to understand the changes taking place. “Sometimes a family member can be upset if their relative doesn’t recognise them”, says Gail, “we explain what is happening, breaking down medical concepts into simpler language, that whilst they might not remember them that day, “you are always in his heart””.

Useful links• ‘Learning disabilities and dementia’ -

Alzheimer’s Society factsheet, http://bit.ly/12x3WJt

• Download the Easy Read Dementia Factsheets at www.bild.org.uk/dementiafactsheets or order printed copies on 0300 303 5933 or [email protected]

• www.bild.org.uk/ageingwell has a lot of dementia information and links to other resources

Peter Salisbury is BILD communications manager. BILD’s Ageing Well project promotes a better understanding of the needs of older people with learning disabilities.

Supporting a person with learning disabilities who has dementia

The National Learning Disabilities Awards

Revalidation is coming and it will affect every single nurse on the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register. It is the matter of considerable debate, has been subject to public consultation and will be tested by the NMC with early implementers during 2015. From December 2015, all of us who are due to re-register will then start using revalidation. This means that by December 2018, everyone on the register would have undergone revalidation

So far revalidation is just a jargon word to many. However, understanding what it means, how it will affect you and what its implications are is important.

“Revalidation aims to protect the public, and increase public confidence in us as nurses”First and foremost, revalidation aims to protect the public, and increase public confidence in us as nurses. It will also help us to meet more transparently the standards required of us and to promote a culture of professionalism and accountability through on-going reflection on the NMC’s Code and standards.

Naturally, there is a public expectation that we are up to date and fit to practise at all times. Both the Department of Health and the Professional Standards Authority have recommended that a continuing fitness to practise process such as revalidation is necessary for all healthcare professions. The NMC is working to meet this recommendation for nurses.

We are all used to the current renewal of registration process every three years. Revalidation will become part of this process. At the point of the renewal of registration every three years we will need to demonstrate to the NMC that we remain fit to practise. We will have to declare that we have practised for 450 hours during the last three years and have followed requirements on continuing professional development.

A new part of the process will be that we will be required to obtain confirmation from a third party to support our continuing fitness to practise. This will need to come from someone who is well placed to comment on a nurse’s practice based on the requirements of the NMC’s Code. At the moment there is debate around who this might be. The strength of opinion is that it should be a fellow NMC registrant and should be based on an existing process such as an employer’s appraisal system. This could cause problems for those who are self-employed, who don’t have a regular employer, who practice in isolation and are not surrounded by fellow nurses and who are not regularly appraised. There is no hard and fast answer to all these permutations yet, but these are the sorts of things that will be ironed out in the testing phase with the early implementers.

In addition, we will need to show how we are using practice related feedback from patients, colleagues and others to improve standards of care. I expect the new confirmation and feedback processes will to be introduced with clear and comprehensive guidance so that people are not coerced into providing inappropriate evidence for this process.

“ We will need to show how we are using practice related feedback from patients, colleagues and others”To make sure revalidation can meet the needs of an individual’s scope of practice or setting, the NMC is now consulting on revising continuing professional development requirements and what are suitable continuing professional development activities.

Much of the new process is already framed, but there are some things that still need to be tested. In talking about this to some registered nurses in adult social care I sensed there is still some confusion about what counts

as nursing practice. One of them said to me that her interpretation was that in order to revalidate she would need to do a course at an NHS hospital to successfully complete the process. Absolutely not! Adult social care is a legitimate setting for nursing practice in its own right. You will need to tailor your evidence for confirmation, feedback and continuing professional development for submission to the NMC accordingly. My scope of practice these days is largely in leadership and policy – I will not need to go back to a hospital to run around with bedpans and administer drugs to revalidate! Revalidation will be an important issue for all of us. To keep abreast of developments there is more information on the NMC website:

http://www.nmc-uk.org/Documents/Revalidation/Revalidation%20factsheet.pdf

David Foster, Deputy Director of Nursing and Midwifery Advisor, Department of Health

NURSING


Revalidation

TRAINING


LPI Learning Awards Finalists- C2L Care to Learn, the story so far ....

This month, C2L Care to Learn (C2L) became finalists for The Learning Awards 2015, run by the Learning and Performance Institute (LPI). The Learning Awards are the Learning & Development sector’s annual celebration of outstanding achievement, best practice and excellence in corporate learning and performance.

“C2L’s chief executive Susannah Spencer was not a fan of school and hated learning”C2L Care to Learn were up against stiff competition, not just nationally but with a significant contribution from global organisations . This year saw a 44% increase in organisations who applied for this award, which makes becoming a finalist for this award even more valuable, not just for C2L Care to Learn, but for the sector. We are the only social care learning provider to be shortlisted.

To celebrate this achievement we thought we’d share a bit about how C2L started and the difference we aim to make within the sector C2L’s chief executive Susannah Spencer was not a fan of school and hated learning. Despite this she entered into an Apprenticeship and found her niche and fell in love with learning. Her love for learning helped her to progress and realised to get the best out of people, you need to develop and communicate effectively.

With this new passion for learning she developed into a facilitator and then a manager of learning and development. Over the years she soon realised that learning providers were providing learning that was

being led and dictated by them and not being led by the commissioner or the actual learners.

C2L, was formed in July 2012, determined to create an “Excellent Learning and Development Provision” that the sector deserves. They started with two facilitators – a flip chart, a wealth of knowledge and huge amount of enthusiasm and within a year they had moved into offices and recruited an administrator, a public relations, marketing and creative designer. C2L’s ethos attracted like-minded people that wanted to facilitate and eventually recruited an apprentice to provide the same opportunities that Susannah had. C2L really are different and innovators in the sector. All learning is led and guided by the commissioning client, by engaging learners through focus groups, whilst also focusing on the wishes and needs of the people that use the services. It’s a simple formula, that –At the core of what they do is the “Learner” and at the core of what they do, is the “Person”.

They place a great emphasis on creative learning materials and creating a positive learning vibe to change people’s attitude to learning that may stem from bad learning experiences. Through this they enthuse learners to want to know more, improve their practice and share knowledge.

The Care Quality Commission often scrutinizes learning and a lot of providers will work on only commissioning learning, when they absolutely need to, they want to change that. C2L want to educate the sector, on the importance of Learning and show how an investment in their employee’s continued professional development, can help to

improve retention, motivate and enthuse people to keep learning. This in turn, will impact on the quality of care they deliver, which then ultimately helps them to grow their business.

It’s important that they work with people to realise the benefits of investing in learning. C2L Care to learn have a strong commitment to help create a more confident, competent, empowered and diverse workforce with innovative and creative skills to secure the quality of services and dignity of those people receiving adult social care in the UK.

“She entered into an Apprenticeship and found her niche and fell in love with learning”As a sector we need to raise the ambitions for a skilled workforce, demonstrated through embedding learning cultures.

“We help people to make a difference to the lives of the people they support and I just hope when I need services, that there are some motivated facilitators of learning helping people to understand, what it is like to have dementia, or a learning disability, showing them how to reflect on their behaviour, what they did to get a certain reaction” Susannah Spencer, CEO, C2L Care to Learn.

The C2L Team are proud to admit that they are all ambassadors for learning, it’s importance and the impact it can make when what’s provided exceeds expectations and changes peoples attitude towards learning.

AdvertorialWELLBEING


Specsavers Healthcall: A day in the life of Charlotte McGimpsey, a customer services director at Specsavers HealthcallLife on the road with HealthcallCharlotte McGimpsey – who covers Chorley, little Hulton, Bolton, Blackburn, Darwen, Accrington, Euxton and Bury - gives an insight into life with Specsavers Healthcall.

Who makes up your domiciliary team?We are a two-person team on the road, made up of an optician and a customer services director. As the customer services director I’m primarily responsible for building patient relationships and supporting my optical partner, Zetun, who is responsible for all of the eye examinations.

We each have very specific and different functions so we work in tandem and rely on each other to make our venture a success. The fact that we are a succinct team is one of the main benefits of the service in that we offer real consistency and build genuine relationships with our patients.

Zetun and I are supported by our trusty scheduler, who fills the diary with a mix of care home and house visits to help ensure we meet all the regulations involved with the approval of such visits. She provides the first interface with customers, so her pleasant and informative phone manner is a real asset.

What does your working week look like?Each day is long but varied. My day usually starts when I get the delivery of recent orders that have been placed. Our scheduler will have prepared our diary for the day, so I will use the first hour checking we have everything we need for the day ahead.

My optometrist partner, Zetun will then meet me and we travel together to the first appointment of the day. During the visit

I spend the time liaising with the matron or care worker and discuss any referrals, patient updates or results from a recent eye examination, while Zetun performs the eye examination. Our time with each patient varies, but we spend as much time as is required with every patient and nobody is ever rushed.

Once our time at the care home is complete, we then move onto our next destination. We are very flexible about when we eat lunch, for us it’s more important we can see our patients when it’s convenient for them.

A big part of my job is to help raise Specsavers Healthcall’s local profile. All other tasks such as checking jobs, fittings, banking, ordering, fielding calls, processing voucher claims we share between ourselves – it truly is a joint effort.

Getting to know the care homes and patientsWe are in the business of caring and know that strong personal relationships have a big part to play in providing an effective service. We strive to get to know all of our patients personally. This makes the experience a better one for our patients as they know who we are and what we do.

We have good relationships with the care home matrons and managers, which helps us understand the best time of day for our customers for us to visit our care homes. For example, we know when it’s the doctors round or more difficult times to avoid. We understand that every care home works differently, which is what makes our service so personal.

We have a unique support tool to help our care homes regarding residents’ eye health. The Personal Eyecare package contains each resident’s personal eyecare information, including results of their eye

test, the glasses dispensed and top tips for staff.

The double-sided A4 document has images representing vision with various eye conditions such as cataracts or glaucoma. We will tick the box on the picture relating to each patient’s condition.

We understand that care home teams are extremely busy, so this guide helps them to, at a glance, get an impression of each resident’s eye care needs. The document is not designed to be a clinical or comprehensive record but gives staff some information, in an easy to follow format, to help them towards caring for their residents.

What do you enjoy most about your job?Simply being able to make a positive difference to often very vulnerable people is hugely rewarding. We try and do anything we can to make the process as smooth as possible.

In order to make it easier for care workers to tell whether a resident is wearing the most appropriate glasses for a particular activity we engrave each resident’s name into their frame and will also provide an indication of whether they’re for near or distance vision and the month and year of dispense. We’ve had positive feedback from the care homes we work with on this, which is what it’s all about – helping to make their days easier and helping improve the quality of life for our patients.

To book a visit from your local Specsavers Healthcall team, call 0800 198 1135 or visit specsavers.co.uk/home-eye-tests

20398G OPINABOX 285x230 MASTER.indd 1 12/11/2014 14:52

WELLBEING


Triton, The Great British Shower CompanyEnsuring every homeowner can achieve a stylish and modern bathroom space, Triton, The Great British Shower Company, has launched the new Safeguard+ thermostatic electric shower, providing the ultimate inclusive showering solution for customers who desire an elegant option. Whether you are updating the family bathroom or require a safer showering solution, the newly developed Safeguard+ shower combines the key elements of safety, simplicity and design. Triton has worked with a team of Occupational Therapists to ensure the newly designed product meets a variety of homeowner needs. Offering thermostatically controlled showering for total peace of mind, the new Safeguard+ incorporates Triton’s tried and tested Tri-Therm technology. This ensures the shower delivers a constantly regulated water temperature within +/-1°C, even if the toilet is flushed or the tap is used elsewhere in the home making it the perfect solution for family bathrooms. As well as boasting CE Mark, Kitemark and BEAB Care certification, the unit has RNIB endorsement thanks to the cool grey and white design – making it suitable for users with varying degrees of sight difficulties. A timer can also be set so the shower automatically stops after 5, 10, 20 or 30 minutes, ensuring the unit can adapt to meet individual homeowner requirements. The new Triton Safeguard+ electric shower is priced from around £245. For more information on Triton’s range of inclusive showers, scan the QR code or visit www.tritonshowers.co.uk.

Advertorial

TECHNOLOGY


The whole topic of travel time and minimum wages is a burning issue right now and like every problem of this nature the answers are never simple. From lack of adequate funding for care providers to cover the true costs to carers not getting enough time to deliver quality care to the service receiver, there are many elements that call into question how care is delivered.

Previously care companies would pay a lower hourly rate, but top up with higher mileage rates as a trade-off. HMRC clamped down on this practice because they were not receiving national insurance and PAYE, and introduced legislation.

“Rural clients can average 15,000 miles for each payroll run, and these are not excessive figures”

This whole issue hits care providers particularly in rural areas where a carer can easily travel hundreds of miles a week. In fact, we did some modelling with our clients based on increasing the basic pay and decreasing the mileage rate, and the carers spend more time in their cars than they do with their clients.

Rural clients can average 15,000 miles for each payroll run, and these are not excessive figures. A carer can spend 15% of their time travelling, over and above caring for their client. With councils offering more contracts for 15 minute calls it is putting the care industry in an impossible situation. The result of all this? Care providers face bigger tax bills and carers are worse off. What’s more, care providers could face steep fines for non-compliance.

The situation is really worrying. Care providers work incredibly hard to make sure that they remain within the law and carers work equally as hard to care for some of the most vulnerable people in society. However, in some instances care agencies are now

turning down work with local authorities because councils are not paying enough.

Over the last 4 years expenditure has increased for local councils from 30% to 35% in the main due to the growing number of elderly needing care, so there are some tough decisions to be made. It has been estimated that there has been a 26% decrease in funding from central government over the last 4 years too. Unfortunately less funding and more elderly needing care do not add up.

Roger David co-owner of Mid Yorkshire Care in Wakefield, and a client of Access using PeoplePlanner, said that the issue is so complex but in many respects they’re lucky as their local authority do pay for travel time. Whilst it doesn’t quite reach the UKHCA suggestions Roger says it comes close. He laments as to why local authorities can’t take – and build upon – the best practice of other authorities.

We can only hope that common sense will prevail; that councils will be given the necessary funding to care for the elderly and disabled, and that they in turn will

create contracts to provide for travel time and at least a sensible amount of time allocated to care receivers. Even better, if carers get paid quite simply from the time they start at their first appointment to the time they finish with their last client.

“Care providers face bigger tax bills and carers are worse off”

At Access Group we’re doing all we can to help care clients meet their obligations. With PeoplePlanner we’ll soon be releasing functionality to automatically calculate whether someone is being paid the minimum wage taking into consideration travel time, which will cut down on manual intervention and help to ensure compliance. Where we can take advantage of technology to take the administrative strain we will do so in order that our clients, the care providers, can be better prepared and more focused on those they are there to serve.

By Paul Patarou, divisional manager, health & social care division, Access Group

The Travel Time Conundrum

TECHNOLOGY Advertorial


Care homes in Britain are under increasing financial strain. Our ever-growing, aging population, who harbour increasingly complex care needs, has meant the cost of providing quality care is mounting. Instead of meeting this need this has instead coincided with severe funding cuts to the care sector. Consequentially, this places greater significance on the quality of the Nurse Call systems that support care givers and the cost of obtaining, installing and maintaining them.

It is widely known that we are living longer. It is predicted that by 2033 the number of 65 – 74 year olds will increase by 54% and those aged 75+ will soar by 97% . An aging population also brings with it increasingly complex care needs. Disability and illness become ever more prominent as we age and, as we are likely to need care for longer, this all translates into a greater demand on care homes and wider care services.

While demand for care home spaces has increased dramatically there is less money available to support them in meeting this need. The Coalition Government rapidly cut public spending in order to reduce the existing deficit. As a result, Age UK calculated that social care spending for older people

has dropped by £1.2billion since 2010 . With the elderly population continuing to grow and with further cuts imminent, this funding gap is only set to worsen.

A report by The Royal College of Nursing suggests that central to challenging this conundrum is intelligent, robust technology . Wireless nurse call systems provide advanced support for carers. They alert carers to an emergency call and provide detailed information to assist in the quick and effective treatment of such calls. Through improving staff productivity they significantly improve levels of care and they instil confidence in residents who are reassured that help is always nearby.

Stuart Barclay, Business Development Manager for Aid Call, says: “Nurse Call systems are not only an investment within the property, but also an investment in the service users and the staff. They can offer a tailor made package to suit individual care homes and help the care organisation to deliver the person centred care that we are all striving towards.”

In the current climate every penny counts. While there are initial financial considerations involved in obtaining nurse call technology, the right system can provide a long term solution. While the initial price of the system is a prominent factor, it is also important to consider the cost of install, maintenance and the life-span of the products to reduce ongoing costs.

When you invest in a system you

The Social Care Conundrum:How an affordable nurse call system can help.

expect it to last. Investing in good value healthcare technology is, therefore, imperative. A quality system will bring longevity to your investment, ensuring the technology will not need to be replaced. In line with this, the maintenance contracts and customer support services offered to you must also be investigated thoroughly.

Flexibility, a feature that is specific to wireless systems, allows them to adapt to change within each individual care home and evolve as the care environment does. Beyond providing a personalised service, this means they are relevant and useful for far longer.

You must also consider whether your nurse call system is future proofed. This feature means your system can be added to and enhanced with new technology and product developments without incurring large costs or significant infrastructure changes.

In this climate the concern is the effect the funding shortage will have on the quality of care available to our older generation. There is increasing media scrutiny on poor performing care homes and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is tightening disciplinary measures to try and prevent deterioration. A quality, affordable Nurse Call system can support staff in offering a high level of care without necessitating huge, ongoing financial commitments. This will help to reduce the gap between the growing needs for care services and the insufficient funds available to provide effective care.

TECHNOLOGY

Let’s remove the stressSupporting over 100,000 residents nationwide, Aid Call wireless nurse call systems are…

� Efficient � Reliable � Powerful

� Simple to use � Future proof � Cost effective

0800 052 3616www.aidcall.co.uk

EN

300 220 (2007)

Quote Ref: CTALK

The new owner of leading care company SureCare has laid out his plans to grow the business.

Gary Farrer says he wants the company to be seen as the first port of call for anyone looking for a quality care and home services provider.

Since Farrer was appointed as managing director by previous SureCare owner, Housing & Care 21, he has set about ensuring that franchises and branches across the UK offer the widest possible range of services.

“The micro franchises allow people to become franchisees of smaller territories for just £8,995”

When he arrived at the business two years ago, it was still heavily focussed on providing traditional domiciliary care to elderly and disabled people.

Farrer said: “SureCare has moved a long way and is now able to offer modern, relevant care and home services.

“Whether it is a working mum looking for childcare, parents in need of a babysitter, an elderly person needing help with the garden or someone requiring more intensive personal care and support, SureCare can help.

“The care sector has changed dramatically over recent years and will continue to do so. Companies like SureCare have a responsibility to continually adapt and evolve to ensure we are providing the right services for today’s society.”

Earlier this year, Farrer and his team made a bold statement to the care sector by launching the industry’s first ever micro franchises, known as SureCare Local.

The micro franchises allow people to become

franchisees of smaller territories for just £8,995, compared to the £32,000 cost of a full franchise, opening up franchising to much greater numbers of people while, at the same time, offering more community-focussed services.

The first SureCare Local was launched in October by Yan Huang in York

Yan provides clients with a mix of home services – including gardening, DIY, cooking and cleaning, shopping and companionship – and children’s services such as mobile crèches for weddings and babysitting.She said: “We are excited to be the first SureCare Local micro franchise. Our vision is to provide clients in York with the best possible home services and childcare. We aim to enhance people’s quality of life whether they are young or old.”

Keith Hume is the most recent full SureCare franchisee, providing care and home services across Merseyside.

Keith said: “I was impressed by SureCare’s approach to developing and delivering care and home services. Gary Farrer and his team recognise that people’s requirements are changing all the time and that there is a need to provide a comprehensive range of services to meet those needs throughout life’s journey.

“Our team will have the experience and flexibility to be able to tailor our services specifically to the needs of the individual client.”

Farrer and his wife Stephanie have a proven track record in the care industry having previously built the Lancashire-based Safehands Group into a £5.5million turnover business before selling in November 2011.Stephanie Farrer will form part of the new team at SureCare acting as a consultant with specific responsibility for rolling out SureCare Local across the UK. SureCare’s head office is in Chester.

Gary Farrer said: “I am looking forward to building the SureCare brand. We have put in place a strong, passionate management team and created a comprehensive range of services totally relevant to the needs of people of all ages today.

“The introduction of our SureCare Local micro franchises is set to transform the care sector in this country meeting demands of clients at a very local level. No other care company is innovating and rising to the challenge like SureCare.

“SureCare Local micro franchises is set to transform the care sector in this country meeting demands of clients at a very local level”

Vikki Donnachie, SureCare’s franchise sales manager, said: “Gary believes passionately about opening up franchising in the care sector to a much larger pool of talented candidates.

“Since we launched SureCare Local, we have been inundated with enquiries from experienced managers in the care sector interested in becoming their own boss and being empowered to provide the highest quality care. The beauty of franchising is that franchisees are also assured of having an experienced team to help them get their franchise up and running and doing everything a franchise has to do in order to be successful.”

Bruce Moore, chief executive of Housing & Care 21, said: “Gary Farrer and his experienced team at SureCare are perfectly placed to take SureCare forward and meet the diverse and changing requirements of its clients.”

www.surecare.co.ukwww.surecarefranchise.co.uk


BUSINESS & FINANCE

Farrer unveils plans to broaden SureCare service offer

C2L Care to Learn is currently recruiting freelance facilitators to help us to undertake learning in

the health and social care sector

We are looking for motivated, creative and innovative (powerpoint free) facilitators to cover

the following subject areas:Common Induction

Standards

Person Centred Care

Medication

Moving and positioning of

IndividualsDementia

Safeguarding of Adults

Mental Capacity ActDeprivation of

Liberty

Basic Life SupportNutrition and

Hydration

To applyPlease send your CV, a recent photo, two references and a

covering letter answering the following questions:• Whatdoyouthinkmakesagoodfacilitator?• Provideuswithanexampleofcreativepracticeusedwithin

yourlearningsessions?• Ifyouweretoreflectonyourownperformanceinyourlast

learningsession,Whatfeedbackwouldyougiveyourself?• Howimportantisevaluationinthesessionsyoufacilitateand

howdoyoumakethemmeaningful?

End of Life

Please email to [email protected] or post toC2L Care to Learn, 18a Baldertongate, Newark, NG24 1UFFor More information about what we do. visit our

website www.c-2-l.co.ukor call us on 01636 703386

Business round-up


Business round-upCare providersSuccessful acquisition for Care Management Group (Source: InBrief)

Carterwood has successfully acquired a domiciliary care provider based in Surrey on behalf of Care Management Group.

Starr Care, a provider of home care and support services since 2000, was owned and founded by Nigel Sibley and has a team of 35 care and support workers.

Garry Fitton, financial director at CMG commented on the acquisition, “As part of our expansion and acquisition strategy Starr Care fits very well with our future growth plans. We were delighted with the approach Carterwood took to fulfil our brief and the short timescales involved”.

Carterwood’s Tom Hartley, who was responsible for the acquisition, commented, “The bespoke nature of our business meant that we were able to tailor our approach to potential vendors and achieve a relatively quick transaction, which CMG were delighted with”.

Did the Bank Wreck My Business? (Source: BBC News)The banks we bailed out are supposed to be supporting British business, but RBS and Lloyds have been accused of wrecking good companies. Reporter Andrew Verity meets the entrepreneurs who say their businesses have been unfairly shut down. He also hears new revelations from a former Government insider on the power and influence of Britain’s biggest banks.

Lawrence Tomlinson – the Government’s entrepreneur in residence – also features. It was his report published 12 months ago that caused a furore when it said the banks, and

RBS in particular, were forcing companies with valuable real estate assets to go to the wall.

Law firm Clifford Chance was instructed by RBS to review the Tomlinson report and the criticisms made of it, at a cost of £1.5m. Evidence given to Select Committee by Chris Sullivan, deputy chief executive of RBS, in oral testimony that RBS’s Global Restruc-turing Group was not a profit centre for the Bank. It was. A few weeks later Mr Sullivan received a bonus of £467,000.

The documentary can be viewed for the next 12 months at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04t6jy1

Movers and shakers Senior management changes at Sevacare

Homecare provider Sevacare has announced some senior management changes as the company moves forward. Founder and current chairman

Ravi Bains is to reassume the role of chief executive, while Darren Stapelberg takes on the post of chief operating officer. The changes follow the departure of former chief executive Roger Booker, who has left to pursue other interests after five years with the company.

Chai Patel most influential leader in health & social care (Source: HealthInvestor)

HC-One and Court Cavendish boss Chai Patel has been named the independent health sector’s most influential leader at the HealthInvestor Power Fifty 2014 countdown.

Dr Patel pipped Spire Healthcare chief executive Rob Roger to the number one spot in a top five that also included HCA International’s Mike Neeb, Four Seasons Health Care chairman Ian Smith and Priory Group’s Tom Riall.

Comedian Mark Dolan counted down the top 15 lead-ers in the UK’s independent health and social care sector, as voted for by HealthInvestor readers, at the Bloomsbury Big Top on 27th November 2014. Dr Patel was awarded the top spot due to his role in the landmark sale of HC-One’s parent group NHP to Formation Capital, Safanad, HCP and his own company, Court Cavendish.

To view the complete list of fifty go to http://www.healthinvestor.co.uk/PowerFifty/

BUSINESS ROUND-UP

New director for Danshell

Danshell, a provider of learning disability and mental health services in the UK, has appointed Amanda Smith as director of finance.

A Chartered Accountant, Amanda has a wealth of experience working in learning disability, mental health and CAMHS services.

Amanda initially worked at board level in the retail and distribution sectors before moving into mental health care, an area she is passionate about.

Efi Hershkovitz, chief executive and founder of Danshell, said: “Amanda will be a valuable addition to our senior team. Her financial experience combined with her knowledge of the care sector, make her ideal to lead the finance team as a member of the group board.”

New director at Avante Care and SupportAvante Care and Support, a leading provider of high quality care homes in Kent and South East London, has announced the appointment of Heather Brimm as its new regional care director for Bexley, South London

Heather brings with her a wealth of experience in the residential care home sector and has previously worked with Avante Care and Support as a consultant.

PropertyNew £7.5 million care centre opens in Warminster

One of the UK’s largest not-for-profit care home providers, The Orders of St John Care Trust, officially opened Wiltshire’s newest care facility – Ashwood Care Centre – on 25th November in Warminster.

To celebrate the home’s opening, HM

Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire Mrs Sarah Troughton attended the event to tour the new centre, meet with residents and unveil a commemorative plaque.

Developed as a state-of-the-art care home for older people, Ashwood provides person-centred care, including a combination of specialist nursing and dementia care, along with short-term respite care for those who may only require a short stay.

Equipped with 82 beds, the £7.5 million care facility is divided into six separate household units, each self-contained with its own communal dining and lounge areas, as well as specialist assisted bathing facilities.

Don Wood, OSJCT’s chairman, commented: “As a Trust, OSJCT is committed to creating new care schemes and facilities to meet the current and future requirements for the care of older people, and the opening of Ashwood Care Centre is the latest achievement toward furthering that mission.

BUSINESS ROUND-UP

Business round-up


Business round-up


BUSINESS - PROPERTY

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham MP joined City West Housing Trust in launching a new extra care facility that will change the way health and housing services are delivered to vulnerable people in Salford.

Mr Burnham joined staff and customers from the landlord at the official launch of the Amblecote Gardens facility in Little Hulton, which has been designed to help to build better relationships between vulnerable residents, essential care and wellbeing services and the wider community. The facility is the first extra care scheme to be built in Salford since 2009, and is the first in the country to be developed using the new Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund – which was established to encourage the construction of more facilities for vulnerable people.

“City West has based the design on the principals of Intentional Communities”“Amblecote Gardens is a great example of the kind of facilities that we need to deliver so we can continue to provide first-class care and support for people living in communities across the country,” said Mr Burnham, who planted a tree to mark the launch of the facility.

“By improving links between health services and housing provision we can ease the pressure on the NHS and local care providers, and help people live independent lives for longer.

“Housing associations, like City West, are playing a major role in delivering a new approach to housing for elderly and vulnerable people that will have a lasting impact on their health.”

Amblecote Gardens will provide 66 state-of-the-art apartments for customers in need of an easy-to-manage and secure home, and has been built using £1.45 million of funding from the Department of Health and the Homes and Communities Agency. With £4.7 million of cuts to be made to adult

services in Salford, City West hopes the facility will provide a lifeline for an increasing number of people, and their families, forced to spend weeks in hospital because they are no longer able to live independently in their own homes. Dorothy Worthington, from Walkden, will be amongst the first residents to move into the new centre.

The 84-year-old, who has diabetes and struggles with mobility issues, has lived in supported accommodation for 20 years since her husband passed away, and is looking forward to life in her new home.

Dorothy’s daughter Jean Kelly, 58, says care homes like Amblecote Gardens are essential to support people as they get older.

She said: “Most people want to stay in their own home for as long as they can, but there comes a time when that is no longer possible.

“We need more schemes like this to make sure that older generations have a secure place to live.

“My sister and I both work, so we can’t be around 24/7 to look after our mum. Knowing that she is in a place where she can maintain her independence, but also provides access to support whenever she needs it is really important to us.

“She says the care home is like a five star hotel, and I know that she is looking forward to having her meals cooked on site by a chef.”

City West spent three years developing its plans for Amblecote Gardens, and has based the design on the principals of Intentional Communities – which has seen the extra care scheme integrated into the surrounding neighbourhood.

The facility will be surrounded by a mix of more than 100 new family homes, putting it at the heart of a newly created community and giving residents easy access to key facilities such as

shops, a library, GP services, and a pharmacy, while also ensuring they can draw on the support of neighbours when necessary.

“We are asking the community to join us in making the residents of Amblecote Gardens an integral part of the neighbourhood.”The scheme will also have its own hairdressers and café, both of which will be open to the public encouraging more interaction between residents and their neighbours.

Colette McKune, Deputy Chief Executive at City West, said: “With an aging population and health and support services already stretched, facilities like Amblecote Gardens will be essential in ensuring that we can help our most vulnerable customers maintain independent and happy lives. “The scheme will sit right at the heart of our brand new community, and will help break down barriers between the residents at the facility and their neighbours.

“As more people are cut off from their families in their old age, we are asking the community to join us in stepping in and filling that gap, offering help and support to those who need it, and making the residents of Amblecote Gardens an integral part of the neighbourhood.

“By helping tackle major issues such as isolation and loneliness we can relieve pressure on the NHS and services provided by the local authority.”

Amblecote Gardens has been built for 21st Century living and offers round-the-clock tailored support, a team of chefs providing healthy and delicious meals prepared at the facility and on-site security to ensure peace of mind for both residents and their families.

Home is where the heart is for elderly City West customers

BUSINESS - LEGAL

All care homes in England should be aware of the Supreme Court’s judgement in P v Cheshire West and Chester Council (the ‘Cheshire West’ case). The case addresses the deprivation of liberty safeguards (DoLS) and has had and continues to have a number of practical consequences for providers.

What are DoLS?

DoLS are a part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and they aim to make sure that people who lack capacity in care homes, hospitals and supported living are looked after in a way that does not inappropriately restrict their freedom. The DoLS ensure that if someone’s liberty needs to be restricted this is done in a safe and correct way in consideration of the person’s best interests.

DoLS apply to individuals over 18 who lack the capacity to make decisions, so capacity assessments form part of the decision making process on whether DoLS apply. If it is determined that a deprivation of liberty applies to an individual then an application for authorisation needs to be made to the local council.

What is the significance of Cheshire West?

The judgement of Cheshire West clarifies the test for determining whether there is a deprivation of liberty. The test requires two key questions to be asked:

1. Is the person subject to continuous supervision and control?

2. Is the person free to leave?

If the answer to both of these questions is ‘yes’ then the person is being deprived of their liberty.

There have been questions surrounding the interpretation of the two questions. For example, what amounts to “continuous supervision”? And how do you decide if someone is “free to leave”? It could be argued that all of the incapacitated service users in a care home are being continuously supervised so it is difficult to see who would not fall into this category. However, what is clear from the

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards

case is that the judge said providers should “err on the side of caution” when determining what constitutes a deprivation of liberty.

Practical tips

The judgement has huge potential implications for providers and in particular providers of residential care homes accommodating residents that lack capacity. This is because it could be argued that both questions asked could always be answered ‘yes’ in care homes just by virtue of the incapacitated person living there.

Care homes should assess all their residents as a matter of priority to identify those that lack capacity. If a resident lacks capacity and you feel they are potentially being deprived of their liberty check whether a DoLS authorisation is in place. Urgent authorisations should be made in all cases where providers are accommodating an incapacitated person where DoLS authorisations are not already in place. This should be followed up within seven days by an application to the council for a standard authorisation.

Your local council should have developed a strategy for handling DoLS applications in line with the Cheshire West judgement and they should be able to advise you on how they will handle applications. Ensure that you get confirmation of what they advise in writing and follow up with your understanding of their advice.

The good news is that once a DoLS application has been made the responsibility is then on the council to decide whether the deprivation of liberty is in the best interests of the resident – the problem will have been taken out of your hands on submission of the application.

DoLS are likely to be in the spotlight for the foreseeable future and both CQC and local authorities are picking up on this. It is vital that provider act quickly to avoid facing criticism from either of these bodies for failing to make the necessary applications.


when it comes to healthcare, we never miss a beat...

Browne Jacobson offers an award winning heavyweight corporate and commercial practice, combined with a wealth of expertise in all aspects of health law, gained from our extensive experience in acting for private sector, third sector, NHS and other public sector organisations. We take pride in working collaboratively with our clients and are widely recognised as a leading legal advisor to the healthcare sector.

www.bjhealthlawyers.com

t 0115 976 6292

Community Integrated Care is proud to have had 3 fantastic winners at this year’s Great British Care Awards Finals, as well as 18 amazing nominees recognised at the regional events!

Find out more about our award winning services at www.c-i-c.co.uk

We’re Proud of Our People

Community Integrated Care is proud to have had 3 fantastic winners at this year’s Great British Care Awards Finals, as well as 18 amazing nominees recognised at the regional events!

Find out more about our award winning services at www.c-i-c.co.uk

We’re Proud of Our People

Coming up in the next issue of Care Talk• Nursing

• Guest editor - The reality of integration

The Voice of Excellence in Social Carewww.caretalk.co.uk

ISSUE 16 October 2012The Voice of Excellence in Social Care

Let's talk social care!

Specialist Services

October 2012 £2.50

To get your free copy of Care Talk, register online at www.caretalk.co.uk

Focus on

SUBSCRIBE NOWFREE ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION TO CARE TALK PROMOTING POSITIVE CARE AND OUTCOMES

Please fill in your details below and return to Care Talk for your free subscription to our monthly online magazine. Company:

Job title:

Name:

Address:

Number of employees:

Email:

Website:

Please tick if you do not wish to receive information from other third parties and partnerships of Care Comm.

Type of industryplease tick:

Please tick here If you would be interested in subscribing for a monthly printed copy of Care Talk magazine.

Domiciliary care

Residential and nursing

Other (please state)

• National Heart Month

For more information about the awards or to nominate call 0115 959 6133 or visit

www.nationalldawards.co.uk

Gala dinner on Friday 15th May 2015 at The ICC, Birmingham

A Day & Evening of Celebration for the sector

Hosted by

The National Learning Disabilities & Autism Awards

Celebrating excellence in supporting people with learning disabilities

For more information about the awards or to nominate call 0115 959 6133 or visit

www.nationalldawards.co.uk

Gala dinner on Friday 15th May 2015 at The ICC, Birmingham

A Day & Evening of Celebration for the sector

Hosted by

The National Learning Disabilities & Autism Awards

Celebrating excellence in supporting people with learning disabilities

Focus on partnerships - Care Talk · The Voice of Excellence in Social Care Let's talk social care!...

Documents

Transcript of Focus on partnerships - Care Talk · The Voice of Excellence in Social Care Let's talk social care!...