Avante Care & Support Impact Report

Impact Report 2015/16

CONTENTS 1 3 5 7 8 9 10 13 14 15 16 19 20

MANAGING DIRECTORS FOREWORD WHAT WE DO LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT THE WILLOW DAY CARE CENTRE PHILOSOPHY OF CARE THE EDEN ALTERNATIVE TIMELINE HOME CARE & SUPPORT WHAT OUR FAMILIES SAY ABOUT US THE PEOPLE WE SUPPORT STEPAHEAD SUPPORT FAMILY MEDIATION PROPERTY & DEVELOPMENT

Managing Director’s Foreword The purpose of our 2015/16 Impact Report which, also celebrates our 25th anniversary as a charity, is to celebrate the difference we make to the lives of people who have used our services during the past year.

There are many personal stories, both from our service users and also our staff members, which are touching and highlight the daily interaction in providing care and support to those people, both young and old who benefit from what Avante Care & Support offers. This Impact Report seeks to bring some of these stories alive in showing the difference we make.

On the 4th December 1990 under the leadership of our first Chief Executive, David Howells, Kent Community Housing Trust was formed with the transfer of a number of older person’s care homes from Kent County Council.

The charity (renamed as Avante in 2009) since that time has expanded to now employ some 1,600 employees delivering services to over 1,000 individuals on a daily basis within older person’s registered care homes, at home through domiciliary care or support and mediation support for young people and their families.

Through Avante Care & Support and Avante Home Care & Support our mission is to be a specialist registered and domiciliary care provider, seeking to understand and enable the journey through care and older age, by offering services that respect the choices and aspirations of the individual.

Through Stepahead Support, our young people’s service, our mission is to provide emotional, practical and therapeutic support to young people and families in the community who are finding life’s problems difficult to overcome or need support to move on in their lives.

At a time of austerity, the importance of charities, such as Avante Care & Support, is critical to offer support to those who, for whatever reason, may be struggling due to family pressures, housing needs in health or unemployment.

At the same time, a greater proportion of us are reaching retirement age and living longer, often with dementias, placing a greater strain on health and social care services. Our value to the local communities we serve can be judged by the demand for our services.

In 2014/15 we provided registered care for between 779 and 810 people with complex needs at any one time across 13 care homes, with a further 46 placements for day care. Over 88% of these people had a dementia related condition.

Our home care services offered support to 697 individuals providing 228,630 hours of care. Our New Outlooks service for people with learning difficulty and other specialist needs such as autism, mental health and brain injury, provided 21 individuals with 11,394 hours of support.

Stepahead supported 1,144 young people in need of support and provided opportunities and choices to lift self-esteem and promote inclusion. Stepahead also provided early intervention, preventative mediation services, providing support and empowerment for young people aged 8 to 16 and their families through one-to-one support, family mediation, school drop-ins and clinics, parenting and youth groups and workshops.

So, in celebrating our achievements in 2014/15 we also look back at some of the milestones in our charities history which has seen Avante care for and support probably more than 50,000 people over the past 25 years.

Mark LLoyd

Managing Director

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Avante Care & Support is a registered charity supporting over 1,000 older people through its registered nursing and dementia care homes and home care services.

We are a specialist dementia care provider, seeking to understand and enable the journey through care in older age by offering services that respect the choices and aspirations of the individual.

What we do We are proud to be a well-established not for profit organisation, with an experienced and committed workforce, looking to make a difference through the care and support offered to individuals and to families in need of advice, guidance and support.

Home Care & Support

Day Care

Avante Care & Support home care service delivers care at home within Greenwich, Bexley and Kent, made up of home care and support, health care support and live in care.

At some of our care homes we are also able to offer day care. This day care is provided in a secure and friendly environment, with a range of both organised and spontaneous activities combined with companionship and care. The service can include meals and transport where required.

All aspects of homecare and support are provided including personal care, washing, dressing, meal preparation, home bathing assistance, laundry and ironing, house work, shopping, assistance getting in and out of bed, medication assistance, pet care, respite, help with rehabilitation, live in care, and end of life care.

The New Outlooks service offers high quality support to adults with learning difficulties, physical disabilities, sensory impairment and mental health related issues. The service supports individuals across Kent and South East London to live as independently as possible.

Residential Dementia Care Our specialist dementia care homes provide a wealth of support services for people living with dementia. Our aim is not just to provide care and comfort, but also to introduce a new, positive and more engaging stage in the lives of our residents.

Nursing Care We offer nursing care through some of our care homes, led by a team of dedicated qualified Registered Nurses and Health Care Assistants, along with all the right equipment to ensure our residents receive the very best nursing care and support.

Respite Care & Short Stay Care Through our care homes we can provide respite care breaks with all the care required in a high quality, safe and secure environment. You may be getting over an illness or an operation or perhaps your carer simply needs a break.

Mental Health We have a 17 place mental health unit within Puddingstone Grange care home in Greenwich, which provides a specialist service for older people with mental health needs.

Stepahead Support We provide emotional, practical and therapeutic support to young people and families in the community who are finding life’s problems difficult to overcome or need support to move on in their lives.

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Our Mission To understand and enable the journey through care in older age by providing personalised home care and support and residential services.

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Learning and Development “I have learnt that care home residents don’t just spend their time in front of the TV drinking tea and eating biscuits - the residents at Amherst Court certainly don’t anyway!”

Since I was a child I had always had so much respect and time for the older generation. When I left school I had various jobs, but all I really wanted to do was care for the people that I thought deserved my time and love. So when I applied for a job with Avante Care & Support I was really excited that I was one step closer to being able to work with the people I had so much time for.

When I was accepted as a Care Services Assistant I was over the moon, but at the same time I was nervous as I had never worked with elderly people before let alone elderly people living with dementia.

My first few shifts I shadowed other staff members which was so helpful for me, but I knew I had a lot to learn. The hardest thing I found was learning everyone’s name. Then there was learning all of the social history and the likes and dislikes and hobbies for every resident. I have been on training courses whilst being with Avante Care & Support which have helped me progress in my job role and have a better understanding of the people I care for.

I have learnt that care home residents don’t just spend their time in front of the TV drinking tea and eating biscuits- well the residents at Amherst Court certainly don’t anyway!

They go out and do things like any other person would.

I care for the residents at Amherst Court as if they are my grandparents.

I have been at Amherst Court for over a year and a half now and enjoyed every moment. I don’t think I could have done my job without the support of the staff team that I work with, but also from the support I have had from my family. Written by a Care Service Assistant at Amherst Court.

In 2014/15 Avante Care & Support transformed the induction of all new care home staff so that all attend a pre – employment, induction programme, which introduces the standards set out in the Care Certificate.

Along with the 22 induction programmes, the training team have delivered 887 courses that have provided 5,856 training places for Care Homes and 24 induction programmes, 228 courses, 1,980 training places for Home Care. Building on last year’s leadership training, managers have had access to supervision training and a specialist development day, focusing on human resource management, led by our legal advisors.

To support staff in their career development, Avante Care & Support have continued to work with external providers to offer accredited qualifications and, this year, 238 members of staff have achieved diplomas and certificates at level 2 or higher.

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The Willow Day Care Centre The Willow Day Care Centre is an established day centre specialising in dementia care.

The Willow is located in the grounds of Avante Care & Support’s care home, Court Regis, and is open 7 days a week from 9am until 4pm.

The centre provides a safe, bright and relaxing atmosphere for people living with dementia. The team of qualified and attentive staff provide opportunities for its service users to interact socially and encourage participation in stimulating activities. The centre welcomes referrals from social services, mental health teams and G.P.s, as well as direct private referrals.

“My mother has always been an independent woman, and the family grew increasingly worried as she

developed dementia in her later years. She was desperate to maintain her independence, and we wanted her to remain in the environment she knew, was happy in, and with established routines – her own home.

The Willow day care centre has facilitated this. For up to seven days a week they offer the facilities to care for and stimulate people like my mother – and provide ease of mind for the family.

We cannot overstress the importance that the Willow day care centre has had on the life of my mother and her family.” - Mr Brooks (family member).

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The Eden Alternative, a tool for improving the quality of life for Service Users and for recapturing a meaningful work life for staff, was first introduced to senior staff at Avante Care & Support in 2007.

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The two day training allows staff to explore new ideas and to think differently about dementia and those living with the condition.

Avante Care & Support is proud that it has four Edenised homes (either accreditation imminent or accredited), with further homes due to be recognised and accredited in the near future.

We seek to understand and enable the journey through care in older age and by providing Eden training it allows our staff to enhance their care delivery.

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M I T

E N I L E ‘Finding ‘Finding Your Your Feet’ Feet’ for young for young asylum asylum seekers seekers launches. launches.

Celebrating 25 years of Care & Support.

Puddingstone Grange care home opens.

Riverdale Court care home opens.

NHS Stepdown Pilot service introduced at Bridge Haven care home.

Home Care & Support Our service user profile includes older adults with complex health needs including dementia, frail elderly including palliative care, younger adults with physical and/or learning difficulties and people with mental health needs.

Home Care & Support Betty is a 92 year old lady who lives at home and has dementia.

Betty receives care from Avante Care & Support’s home care team three times a day. The team carry out personal care, encouraging Betty to wash and dress herself every morning as she sometimes forgets to change her clothes.

Betty can get very confused at times and doesn't recognise clean clothes from dirty, but with the care and support from the home care team, Betty overcomes this daily challenge.

Another daily challenge for Betty is remembering which day of the week it is, but to support and prompt her with this she receives a daily paper through her door. Her carers also write things on the calendar to keep her up to date. Betty has a friend who brings her fruit twice a week and also a hairdresser pops in every Thursday.

Betty can sometimes become very frustrated and refuse help and these instances need to be handled in a very delicate way, to support Betty. Her home carers found singing old songs with her would help or asking about her family photos she had displayed on the walls. This helps alleviate Betty’s frustrations and allow care and support to continue.

Betty likes to be involved in her care and support so encouraging her to help with the cleaning and also meal preparation makes Betty feel happy. Due to her dementia Betty would not always remember to get herself anything to eat or drink, but by leaving drinks out and cooking with Betty we can make sure she is eating and drinking well.

Due to her dementia she would not remember to take her medication which the home care team help Betty with as and when required.

Betty no longer sleeps upstairs in her bedroom as the stairs have become too dangerous for her so we advised the family to move her bed downstairs. The furniture was rearranged to make it easier for Betty to move around her own home as she has had falls in the past.

With the care and support from Avante Care & Support’s home care team, Betty has managed to remain in her own home in familiar surroundings. With constant contact with her family and her doctor, Betty is receiving good quality of care and is very happy and content.

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Dorothy’s Dorothy’s Son Son and and Daughter-in-law Daughter-in-law visited visited and and were were over over the the moon at the difference moon at the difference in in their their mum mum being being on on Hardy Hardy Suite.

Suite. They They spent spent time time gazing through the lounge gazing through the lounge window window at at Dorothy Dorothy and and the the other other lady lady chatting chatting animatedly animatedly about about school days. school days.

What What we we really liked, really liked, apart apart from from the the enthusiasm enthusiasm and and empathy empathy of of the the staff, staff, was was the the design design and and cleanliness cleanliness of of the building. the building.

Since Since breaking breaking my leg in my leg in January January 2014 2014 at at the the age age of of 89, 89, II have been so thankful for have been so thankful for the the personal personal care care II have have received, received, and and am am still still receiving receiving from from Avante Avante Home Home Care Care & & Support.

Support.

The The carers carers are are friendly, friendly, cheerful cheerful and and reliable reliable as as they they carry carry out out the the care care II need need in a well-trained and in a well-trained and thorough thorough manner. manner.

Nothing is ever too much trouble and everyone is treated with dignity and care. Staff helped dad achieve his lifelong dream of visiting Buckingham Palace by attending a garden party for veterans. As a family we will be forever grateful for this.

The People We Support “It was the best weekend; Dad was so happy to have had this very special day!”

When he became a resident at Barton Court care home in New Road, Minster, he spoke about his beloved Hammers and how he would never get to see them again, but continued to venture out locally to watch his grandson play for the local team in Sheerness.

Elaine Bashford, Activities Coordinator at Barton Court, said ‘We try to make wishes come true if possible, so I approached West Ham a number of times before I managed to track down the right person. I explained Reg’s connection to the ground and to my surprise and delight they invited Reg and his daughter to the grounds to watch Burnley.

Reg Walton, 86, was a Milkman for 25 years. He has 4 children, 17 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren and was football mad! Reg was born in East Ham near Upton Park and used to go there to watch his uncle play, but moved to the Isle of Sheppey when he was 17 to escape the bombs being dropped on his street.

Despite the move, he kept the team loyalty going with his children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews all following suit.

Reg was collected by ICars (a local taxi firm) who did a very special offer to take Reg and his daughter to and from Upton Park. After being greeted Reg was shown around the lounge bar, given a tunnel pass and brought out onto the pitch to meet the players and pose with the team for photographs all before he and his daughter watched the match, which to top it all off, West Ham won 1- 0.

‘I really enjoy coming here as it feels like I have a job’ - Robert Shufflebotham New Outlooks is a care and support service run by Avante Care & Support which provides support for adults with learning difficulties to live independent lives. Robert Shufflebotham has been a client of New Outlooks for over 10 years and seven months ago was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.

Tracy Moss (Keyworker) has worked at New Outlooks for over 12 years and during this time has supported Robert for 6 years, introducing him to the Eco Shed project based in Sittingbourne. Robert attends the Eco Shed every Tuesday with Tracy’s support and has crafted a number of creations in the two years he has been attending, including a bird box, bird feeder and pencil box. Everything that Robert and his colleagues make at the Eco Shed goes on to be sold at various different outlets across Kent, with the profit from the sales going back into the service to buy much needed materials such as wood and paint.

Robert likes to be out the house whenever possible and Projects like the Eco Shed allow this to happen and have encouraged Robert to develop his carpentry skills and integrate with new people and make new friends. It also provides a real sense of purpose for being there and gives him an important role within the project.

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The service did a great deal of good. We still slip occasionally, but we talk a lot more now and are able to resolve issues before they become too big. We are really grateful for the help that we received.

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Stepahead Support was founded in 1995, growing from a small service supporting young care leavers in Thanet, to a multi-disciplinary service that supports children, young people and families across Kent and Medway.

We provide emotional, practical and therapeutic support to young people and families in the community who are finding life’s problems difficult to overcome or need support to move on in their lives.

Many of the young people we support have experienced significant challenges in their lives resulting in them having a heightened level of vulnerability. Stepahead provides them with a safe environment to explore their difficulties and identify their strengths, enabling them to increase their chances of leading a fulfilling life.

Families in crisis are supported to find solutions to their disagreements, allowing them to improve relationships and enable them to regain a positive family life.

Thank you to Corrina for helping bring my family back together. She is a lovely lady and I am eternally grateful to her. My family means everything to me.

Our approach puts the person(s) at the centre as fully integrated players, actively involved in their support, providing an effective way to listen and respond to people. The approach encourages us to take direction from the people we support by identifying their strengths, interests and desires.

Person centered planning helps people to think about what they want or need out of life and plan how to do it.

The person is the “key” to the planning process with input from others who care about the individual to help in the planning and doing.

Rural Youth Service The Rural Youth service operates in Thanet, Maidstone and Shepway for young people aged 11 plus. The service provides regular, organised and supervised activities that bring opportunity to have fun, build friendships, take part in sporting activities, undertake learning and offer the chance to try new things.

Family Mediation Our aim is to enable more children and young people to be nurtured and protected in their own families, through equipping parents and children with the skills to avoid conflict, build and maintain positive relationships and enjoy a stable and happy family life.

Medway Housing Support This service provides housing support for 33 young people aged 16 – 21, within a supportive environment, allowing them to build levels of confidence and resilience that will enable them to manage independently when they move into their own accommodation.

Young Healthy Minds Young Healthy Minds is an intervention service commissioned by Kent County Council to deliver emotional well being support to children and young people aged 4-18.

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Family Mediation Case Study Stepahead Support’s Family Mediation Service supporting Kent’s early intervention services across the county.

Most families go through difficult times and this can have a negative impact on the relationships within the family and their overall happiness. These difficulties may be as a result of financial hardship, personal loss or trauma, mental health issues, substance misuse or disagreements regarding behaviours and attitudes.

Stepahead Support provides a Family Mediation Service to support families who may be going through difficulties within their family.

The following testimonial was written by a family who have asked for their story to be shared.

“Our family has recently had mediation with Stepahead Support and we would like to share our experience Before our family mediation sessions began, our family was on the verge of falling apart as communication had broken down between my husband and I and this was having an effect on our children’s behaviour and all relationships within our family household.

After seeking help, Stella visited and spent time with us individually to assess what our fundamental issues were and how we wanted our relationship to change for the better. We all had open and frank conversations which seemed to get to the root of our problems. We were seen over 6 sessions and each week our relationship progressed and improved as we worked on the solutions suggested by Stella. Our home life has improved considerably, our relationships have blossomed and our marriage has been strengthened by learning to communicate better.

One of the greatest things mediation has brought to our family is self-reflection and the realisation that how we behave has an impact on other family members. We now have some secure building blocks in place and are going from strength to strength with forming good friendships as well as a husband and wife partnership. We are very grateful and fortunate to have been clients of Stepahead Support and our family has been saved from breaking apart.”

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Property and Development Avante Care & Support is currently working to a 2 year development programme to modernise the older care homes within the property portfolio, ensuring that the highest quality homes are provided to meet the aspirations and needs of our customers and provide an attractive and efficient working environment for our staff.

Bridge Haven Care Home in Bridge is undertaking a complete makeover of the central lounge and dining areas, to bring the home up to the same standard as the newly decorated bedroom areas and the new reception and coffee/sitting area that was completed in 2012.

The lounge diners will be completely redecorated and new furniture provided, making it a much improved environment for residents and their families and friends.

Works have also been scheduled to complete the final phase of the new cinema room at the home.

Improvements to Parkview Care Home, Bexleyheath, will follow later in the year and include a completely revised office and reception area, enhancements to the dining

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areas, a new activities room, improved bathrooms and WC’s with assisted technology. The central courtyard will also have a makeover to make it a more attractive area for residents and their families and friends to sit, with sensory planting and plenty of seating areas under a new shaded pergola and walkway.

At Weybourne Care Home, Abbey Wood the plan is to bring the central courtyard back to life with a similar makeover and remove the large trees that have outgrown their space. New raised planters will enable residents to get their hands dirty with a bit of gardening and weeding. The dining room will be completely remodelled, the corridors decorated and new lighting provided.

Executive, Operations and Governance Teams Mark LLoyd, Managing Director

Debbie Pert, Derek Lindars, Finance Director & Deputy Director of Human Managing Director Resources

Jacqui Morris, Director of Quality Standards & Compliance

Angela Johnson, Home Care Director

Carolyn McVittie, Managing Director of Stepahead Support

Jane Kingsmill, Regional Care Director

Heather Brimm, Regional Care Director

Bob Bushell, Patron

Peter Smallridge CBE, Chairman of the Board

Philip Harland, Deputy Chairman

Giles Craven, Trustee & Chairman of Finance & Resources Comittee

Brian Munday, Trustee

Robert Perkins, Trustee

Sandra Hendry, Trustee

Dr. Adrian Adams, Trustee

Michelle Gardener, Trustee

Jane Loudon, Trustee

Vinod Kumar Khanna, Trustee

A Company Limited by Gaurantee (Registration No. 2565021) • A Registered Charity (Registered Charity No. 1002727) Registered office: De Gelsey House, 1 Jubilee Way, Faversham, Kent ME13 8GD Tel: 01795 597400 • Email: enquiry@avantecare.org.uk • Web: www.avantecare.org.uk Regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC)

Members of:

Cert No. 545 ISO 9001

Approved Provider for:

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Thanks to Spaghetti Weston and Ednas Journey for images.

www.ednasjourney.co.uk

www.spaghettiweston.com