Care South Take 5 November 2023

Take

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News and views from around Care South Issue 21 | November 2023

Care South at Home visits Number 10! page 3 Inside...

Update from Simon Bird...........................2 A Moment with Maggie.............................3 Update from Phil Smith, Director of Residential Care.....................4 Update from Martin Ross, Director of Care South at Home...............5 Care South welcomes...............................6 Anniversary celebrations!.........................6

Candles in the Community with Lewis-Manning Hospice Care page

Dementia Care Coach champions.............7

page

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New Kenwith Castle Pavilion is a hub of Food, Fun and Friendship

Food, Fun and Friendship and furry friends!................................ 8-9 Plus all your favourite Take 5 competitions and features

Welcome to Take 5 There is always a real focus in Care South on Food, Fun and Friendship and I am pleased to see that this is so embedded across the organisation – there are so many examples in this edition of Take 5.

Our other strapline is centred around you – People, Purpose and Passion. The last edition of Take 5 focused on your amazing achievements in the Care South Stars Awards, but since then there have been so many occasions to celebrate your successes and contributions.

I am all too aware of just how challenging the delivery of really good frontline care can be, but you still manage to deliver it – week in, week out! Thank you.

It is clear that because of you, our residents and care at home clients are able to continue to lead happy and fulfilled lives. Your hard work also ensures that quality and compliance across the group, both with our own internal audits and with CQC, is the best it has ever been, and our compliance with mandatory training is maintained at an all time high as well – just shy of 100%!

I genuinely believe that Care South is a good place to work, and it is an organisation where our people matter and our HEART Values really are lived on a daily basis, across all aspects of the charity.

I am always so thrilled to be asked to present long service awards – I seem to be on a run of presenting one a week at the moment, whether that be 10, 15, 20 or 25 years; sometimes even more!

Clearly people like working with us.

I was delighted to be asked to join Phil Smith in presenting Certificates to our first round of Dementia Champions, and very much look forward to the next round. I also look forward to presenting certificates to those that have attended our Leadership Development programmes. Upskilling our frontline teams, enabling continued personal development and advancing career progression, is a fundamental principle of Care South, and your ability to be able to fulfil your career aspirations and ambitions with us is so important. We have so many examples of people starting with us as carers, progressing to seniors, then to Care Team Leaders, and then to Deputy Home Managers and Managers.

We also take your feedback and views through regular staff surveys. There is one going on across the group at the moment.

Please complete the survey – if we don’t have your thoughts we can’t respond to them.

I would normally sign off my introduction to Take 5 with a thank you to you all for always going that ‘extra mile’ in keeping all our homes and our Care at Home clients warm and safe, and with Food, Fun and Friendship in abundance, and at the heart of everything you do.

You do that so well – so thank you!

However, this time I would like to sign off with a slightly different message to you all please – People, Purpose and Passion.

Care South people go about their daily business with a purpose and with passion. You do well in whatever you do. You deliver amazing care. You are well regarded by CQC. You are well trained.

You have opportunities for personal development and career progression. Care South is a good place to work, where we do live by our HEART Values and where we do value all our staff – please share that message.

At a time when adult social care is experiencing high staff turnover and staffing shortages, it is so important that we – you – encourage and support others to start or continue their careers with us. We need to be especially welcoming to new starters to our homes and Care at Home offices. We know that new starters in the social sector really struggle in their first 12 months – but we also know that they can be our long service awards of the future, if we can support each other through those tough times.

Please continue to welcome new colleagues, as well as looking out for old ones!

Thank you to all of you for your commitment to Care South! I can see from the centre pages of Take 5 - you still find a bit of time to have some fun!

Thankyou.

Our Staff Association met recently, and we were able to openly and honestly receive and discuss your feedback and further advance our understanding of the many challenges you face on a daily basis.

Following our fantastic Stars Awards event in July, we are delighted to showcase some wonderful testimonials from residents which are a ‘must watch’. Check them out by scanning the QR code!

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These really acknowledge the fantastic work you all deliver, with some heartfelt tokens of thanks – a big well done to everyone and happy viewing.

Simon Bird, Chief Executive

A Moment with Maggie I hope you all had a fabulous summer with friends and family.

The HR, recruitment and training teams continue to be busy working across the portfolio.

As you will know, the delivery of good quality training is important to us, so that you feel fully equipped and supported in delivering care to our residents and clients. Training compliance is monitored daily and it is in a good position at 98%. This shows that you are all keeping your mandatory training up to date, thank you.

Care South at Home visits Number 10 Downing Street Martin Ross, Director of Care South at Home, recently visited 10 Downing Street with other representatives from the social care industry who were given thanks by Minister for Care, Helen Whately MP and accompanied by the Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, Deborah Sturdy CBE, for the outstanding work and excellent care that is provided to their communities.

The event was held to thank and recognise all 1.6 million members of the social care workforce for all they do to improve lives. It was attended by CEO of the Homecare Association, Jane Townson, as well as representatives from home care, care homes, extra care housing, supported living for people with disabilities, mental health, autism, learning disabilities, unpaid carers, and local authorities.

Martin Ross was chosen to represent the home care industry, thanks to the consistent high quality of care provided to clients, promoting their best interests, and delivering fantastic care day-in, day-out.

Martin said: “What an incredible experience this was. It was fantastic to meet The Minister for Care and members from the Homecare Association and to listen to the experience of others across the industry. We were all able to provide support, advice, and exchange ideas with one another.”

I mentioned in the last edition that we were launching our Learning and Development programmes. Whilst there are a couple of courses still to run, I am pleased to announce that the following individuals have successfully completed the Lead to Succeed programme: Ali Coles, Bela Racz, Britney Shipwright, Caroline Parsons, Charlotte Runyeard, Deborah Yeaxlee-Batch, Emily Spencer, Felicity Brant, Hazel Filer, Jackie Gower, Jemma Gowans, Karen Andrews, Liam Conlan, Mark Bryant, Michele Chana, Nadia Toogood, Richard Sands, Robert Lyons, Sarah Thompson, and Tracey Harbage. Well done to everyone – you will shortly receive your certificates!

Recruitment continues to be a big focus and, since 1 July, 106 new starters have joined the business. Please continue to help support any new joiners to your home or office. Don’t forget you can earn £500 if you ‘refer a friend’ to the business. The recruitment team is there to support the needs of every location, and in August we welcomed Vicky Withers to the team as Recruitment Co-ordinator, working alongside Care at Home.

This month we held the second Staff Association meeting of the year, and it was good to see the majority of locations represented. We shared the business news with your representatives and as always, listened to any feedback they had gathered from you all. It was an enjoyable and informative meeting – please talk to your Staff Association Representatives to get all the up-to-date news.

I look forward to updating you further next time.

Maggie Maggie Searle, Director of HR and Training

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Update from Phil Smith, Director of Residential Care Where have the last 6 months gone?

It only seems a couple of weeks ago we were planning summer garden parties and thinking about keeping residents and ourselves cool! Recently I’ve spent time with the residential team concentrating on Christmas planning – covering topics from place settings for our Christmas Day lunch for residents to menus, decorations, competitions for homes to enter and of course, Christmas schedules.

All Christmas rotas in the homes should be published by 27 November.

In other news, by the time you are reading this, we shall have the results from the latest staff survey. During November, staff meetings will be held in every home to share the results and to start the process of creating an action plan to consider the output of the survey. Your feedback is so vital and where we can, it is important we react to it!

With winter just around the corner I would like to encourage you all to take up the flu and covid boosters now available – not only to protect yourselves but residents in our care and colleagues we interact with daily.

As always, I look forward to seeing you all in our homes, particularly over the festive period.

Phil

Football, Fun and Friendship!

We have been celebrating our continuing partnership with AFC Bournemouth Community Sports Trust for the 9th year and have committed to working with the Trust for a further three seasons.

This partnership has been hugely beneficial to Care South’s homes and Care at Home offices over the past eight years, with so many events that residents and Care at Home customers love. Many residents have enjoyed meeting players, attending coffee mornings, and welcoming members of the team into the homes for seated football and competitive games. Lots of residents and Care at Home customers have also enjoyed trips to the Vitality Stadium this year, which is a real treat.

As part of the partnership, members from the Care South team and residents from local homes took part in a game of walking football in October as part of the AFC Bournemouth Community Trust Walking Football Tournament, with everyone enjoying a fantastic afternoon!

Watch this space for lots more exciting initiatives and fun in 2024!

Candles in the Community with Lewis-Manning Hospice Care We were delighted to support Lewis-Manning Hospice Care’s ‘Candles in the Community’ for a third year in a row. Two events, in Poole Park and Swanage seafront have already taken place, and there is one last event taking place in Wimborne on Saturday 18 November.

Local choirs and The Salvation Army perform at each event, which include a short reflective reading and a magical display of lights.

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Simon Bird said: “As a charity partner of Lewis-Manning Hospice Care, we are delighted to support such a worthwhile event with our team, residents and their families. Candles in the Community is a lovely event that gives people the opportunity to do something special to remember their loved ones.”

Update from Care South at Home

New Kenwith Castle Pavilion is a hub of Food, Fun and Friendship It was a special day when we launched the new Kenwith Pavilion Pantry and Lounge – a hub of ‘Food, Fun and Friendship’ in the grounds of Kenwith Castle.

This newly-built facility is a treasure trove of tasty treats and culinary delights, serving the residents of Kenwith Castle, Kenwith Gardens and the new Kenwith Meadows.

It’s the perfect place to relax in good company, in the cosy lounge or the sundeck (when the weather is warm), enjoying views of the countryside. It’s also ideal to pick up a weekly shop from the pantry, which sells ready-meals, cereals, freshly baked bread, vegetables, condiments and more.

The Pavilion was launched with a special party, including residents, families and team members, all of whom enjoyed a barbecue on the sundeck to celebrate this fantastic new facility.

It has been another superbusy period for Care South at Home, with many positives and some challenges. Our recent client survey has brought some wonderful feedback such as “all carers are lovely and accommodate mum’s needs – they focus on promoting choice and independence” and “as always, the carers are very kind, polite and helpful with a smile What more can I say, very happy and gold stars to them all.” These examples are testament to the day-to-day care, compassion and dedication shown by all our teams. There are some areas of improvement highlighted by some clients and this feedback – this enables us to continuously improve, and we are now working to make that happen.

Thanks to the hard work and drive of the office teams, Managers and Operations Team, quality and compliance across the offices is in a consistently strong place. For staff, we have worked hard at getting the basics right; ensuring training is planned well in advance, regular supervisions, team meetings, and continuing to work to support the welfare and wellbeing of staff and ensure achievable patterns of work. These are the essential components that help to retain existing and attract new staff. Recruitment remains a challenge for Care South at Home but our new Recruitment Coordinator, Vicky Withers, is making measurable progress. The digital care planning system, PASS, is well embedded and working well and feedback from all our frontline teams is positive. We look forward to January when we will review the PASS rostering system again with a view to implementation in 2024. This will see us complete the modernisation project.

Our main challenge now is negotiating the changes in public sector commissioning and in the next six months you will see Care South at Home shift some of its focus onto attracting more private clients and opening new areas of operation in Dorset, Somerset and Bath & Northeast Somerset. Our hospital discharge teams continue to provide flexible and responsive specialist services and the contribution we make towards getting people home as soon as they are medically fit is much valued by patients, their families and our NHS colleagues.

It was great to see members of the Bournemouth team participating in the Walking Football event with AFC Bournemouth and thank you to the Chairman’s 2020 Fund for donating towards client Christmas hampers this year – the teams are already starting to prepare! In our Assisted Living services, we continue to support and engage with residents, and it has been lovely to meet with them over the last few months. In North Devon, our Kenwith service has opened the doors of the Pavilion shop and café, a beautifully designed community space for residents and family members to meet, hold events and shop. It has been very well received and represents a new direction for Care South and will feature in future Assisted Living projects.

The winter months bring challenges for our clients and staff, but also opportunities for Care South at Home to do the things we don’t have to do but choose to do. Stay safe, continue to look out for the welfare of our clients and your colleagues and keep on doing a great job.

Ma rtin

Martin Ross, Director of Care at Home

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Care South welcomes...

New recruitment coordinator joins busy head office team

Lucy Yao joins Care South as new Operations Manager

Vicky Withers is embarking on her first role in the care industry with the Head Office recruitment team.

Lucy joins the team as a new Operations Manager, with over 20 years’ experience in the care sector.

She is hoping to use her strong recruitment and employability skills from previous roles to assist in candidate attraction, screening and processing for the four Care South at Home offices.

Lucy’s role is to oversee the business performance and quality compliance of our care homes and support Managers to make continuous improvements. She has held various management roles throughout her career and is a qualified nurse.

Lucy said: “I am passionate about residents receiving the highest quality care, food and service, and I’m focused on working closely with all Managers to develop passionate and knowledgeable teams, to ensure each resident enjoys a fulfilled life at Care South.”

Vicky is looking forward to making a positive impact on the recruitment process and engaging and onboarding some fantastic new staff.

Anniversary celebrations!

We have lots of anniversary celebrations in this issue of Take 5 – a big thank you to everyone for your hard work and dedication.

Celebrating 10 years are:

Laura promoted to Deputy Manager at Dorset House Laura Reilly has joined the Dorset House team as Deputy Manager, after a successful role as Care Team Leader at Alexandra House.

Laura started her care career 13 years ago – she then switched to teaching where she taught Level 2 and 3 Social Care apprenticeships, before moving back to care in 2018.

When asked if she had any advice for anyone starting out in a career in care, Laura said: “The job is very passionate, and you have to want to make a difference. It’s also very rewarding; the job opportunities are endless and there is always room to develop.”

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Asya Boteva Mosaheb, Sussexdown Angela Jenner, Kenwith Castle Vanessa Webb, Fairlawn Catherine Pitman, Fern Brook Lodge Beverley Anstey, Fern Brook Lodge Annie Hornby, Care at Home Crewkerne Ellie Powell, Elizabeth House

Celebrating 15 years are: Pauling Russ, Care at Home BANES Marion Body, Care at Home Crewkerne

Celebrating 25 years are: Lucy Prior, Buxton House Maria Long, Dorset House

Celebrating 30 years is: Jackie Gower, Beauchamp House

Congratulations to all our Dementia Care Coach champions!

We were incredibly proud to present certificates to 23 team members from five of our homes, following the successful completion of Phase 1 of our Dementia Care Coach initiative.

Sussexdown

Elaine Strudwick, Pritchard Sibanda

Talbot View

Donna Wesson

Maiden Castle House

Sue Greenham, Becca Chivers, Teresa Chapman, Sarah Heward, Sasha Biss

Buxton House

Ian Hooper, Jackie Connor, Nadine Purnell, Liam Conlan, Jemma Smith, Evangeline Bridge, Charlotte Runyeard, Ben Warner

Fern Brook Lodge

Kizzy Cook, Kim Thomson, Emma Haynes, Laura Skipper, Tracey Harbage, Natasha Wilkins, Stephen Benfield

The programme has been a real success and we are looking forward to presenting even more team members with this fantastic accolade over the coming months, as the schedule progresses into 2024.

The role of a Dementia Care Coach (DCC) is to support, mentor and coach colleagues in the most up to date, evidence-based practice in dementia care. They have collaborated in eight different workshops, covering numerous topics in dementia care and leadership skills, and are now working on implementing person-centred approaches in each of their homes.

Karen Hodges, Group Dementia Lead at Care South, said: “To achieve this accolade is no mean feat and we have been incredibly proud of how invested everyone taking part has been in this programme. Recipients should be very proud of themselves for contributing to the success of our dementia strategy, and ensuring we are delivering the best-in-class care to anyone living with dementia and their families.”

A big congratulations to Karen for achieving her Post Graduate Certificate in Dementia Studies!

Donna Wesson, Care Team Leader at Talbot View (left), completed the eight-week course, commenting: “The knowledge I have gained during this course has been invaluable and will really help me to pass the skills and knowledge on to the rest of the care team. I have used the knowledge gained to contribute to the Diploma 4 Lead Practitioner apprenticeship that I am also undertaking. I’d like to say a big thank you to Karen and the rest of the Care South team that helped deliver such a fantastic course.”

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Food, Fun and Friendship

Residents from Fern Brook Lodge enjoyed a summer day out to Otter garden centre in Wincanton.

Flower arranging activities brought smiles to everyone’s faces at St Ives House.

Sussexdown residents had a laughter-filled trip to Worthing Pier in the beautiful sunshine.

Residents at Fremington Manor were treated to a ‘pamper and sax’ morning, serenaded by the talented Jonathan on saxophone and clarinet.

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Kath and Jo celebrating World Friendship Day at Wickmeads.

The specially-designed planters at Kenwith Castle yielded a magnificent crop of delicious home-grown courgettes this year.

Dorset House residents had a wonderful day out on the Swanage Railway – a real experience for all the senses, with the smell of the locomotive and the gorgeous views of the Purbecks.

Maiden Castle House has recently re-established its community ties with The Grove Pre-School, with the children regularly visiting the home for activities with residents.

and furry friends!

Castle Dene residents were delighted to receive a visit from Tumble from Caring Canines to celebrate National Dog Day.

Warm sunshine welcomed visitors to the Beauchamp House garden open day.

Talbot View residents had a great day out exploring Monkey World. They enjoyed seeing all the different primates, who were extremely mischievous!

Two alpacas from ‘alpaca adventure’ The Fairlawn Summer Fair was a visited the residents of Elizabeth House. resounding success!

Three residents from Alexandra House had a day out to The Tank Museum. Guy, Peter, and Bob were all excited by the trip; Guy especially had been asking to see the tank museum since lockdown and his patience was eventually rewarded!

Buxton House residents were thrilled to get out on the water in Weymouth Bay on board ‘The Freedom Boat’, where they enjoyed fantastic views of the Jurassic Coast.

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St Ives House welcomes Lewis-Manning Hospice Care We are delighted to see so many of you engaging in some fantastic local community initiatives and building some strong relationships in your local area.

St Ives House recently welcomed one of our charitable partners, Lewis-Manning Hospice Care, for a spot of lunch in the bistro and a home tour, which was well received by everyone.

Let’s par-tea!

Sussexdown partners with The Village Hub for community high tea event Another successful community outreach saw Sussexdown residents enjoy afternoon tea in partnership with The Village Hub, a shop, cafe, and community hub for the people of Storrington which is run by the Life Community Church Storrington.

The Village Hub and Sussexdown put on a spectacular high tea for the team, residents, and members of the local community.

The Village Hub hold afternoon teas monthly but due to the number of people who were attending this event, they needed a larger space. Thankfully, Sussexdown was able to host the event.

Watch the video!

One resident commented: “The event was great. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the food that we helped prepare and it went down a treat!”. The fun didn’t stop there, as the event continued in the garden with a game of croquet, and those who took part enjoyed some light-hearted competition.

First tattoo on 89-year-old’s bucket list Hilda Parsons’ wish of getting a tattoo was fulfilled at the age of 89 as the carers at Maiden Castle House arranged for a tattoo artist to make her bucket list dream come true.

After consulting Hilda’s GP for any potential health risks and ensuring Hilda knew what the process would involve, Beccy, one of the carers at Maiden Castle House, reached out to a local tattoo artist. Nathan from Tattoo Lounge in Weymouth created a design to capture Hilda’s love of bird watching, with Hilda choosing a dainty artwork of birds on a branch.

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Hilda said: “There’s not many people my age having their first tattoo. The lovely team at Maiden Castle House did everything to make my wish possible and nothing is ever too much trouble. I’m so pleased with my tattoo.”

St Ives House ‘Ride for Research’ As part of Dementia Awareness month, St Ives House staff, visitors and residents ‘cycled’ across the New Forest in their ‘Ride for Research’ initiative.

The 200-mile virtual route was chosen by the residents and staff, visitors and residents all took a turn – including visiting staff from the AFC Bournemouth community team.

The cycle was to raise money for and awareness of dementia – over £365 was raised by the St Ives House team, which will be donated to vital research into dementia.

Hero of the challenge was Care Team Leader, Dan (pictured above on the bike), who personally cycled over 90 miles!

An Evening with Kate Adie Alexandra House residents, Hazel and Peter had a lovely evening meeting Kate Adie and were very grateful to Lewis-Manning Hospice Care for inviting them.

Her stories were extraordinary – she talked about her youth, getting into local radio and how her career then took off with the BBC and her infamous reporting from war-torn regions across the world.

Both Hazel and Peter received a signed copy of Kate’s book.

Hazel said: “I have loved every minute of tonight. Kate is someone I relate to, as we both worked in male-dominated environments. She was fantastic. I will remember this forever’.”

Community engagement is key!

Well done to everyone who has been actively progressing work on their list of community contacts – as a group, we’ve substantially grown our database of community groups during the year.

We are well-equipped with the tools to professionally engage with our local communities, with your newsletters and the Care South Insights magazine.

Remember to actively distribute copies of Care South Insights within your local community at every opportunity!

Buxton House Cycle for Alzheimer’s As part of World Alzheimer’s Day, staff and residents at Buxton House have been static cycling inside the home to raise as much money as possible for Alzheimer’s society.

Residents, Sylvia, Carol, Ros and Doreen all got involved in raising money for this great cause.

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Take 5 photography competition This issue’s photo competition winner is Francesca Skirth for her amazing photo of the Red Arrows, entitled ‘Infinity break’.

Take5 autumn quiz time!

Fancy winning a £30 voucher? Simply answer the ten autumn-themed questions below and send your answers to:

Congratulations Francesca – you have won a £50 voucher! We look forward to seeing lots of autumnal images ahead of our next issue.

Please remember to send us high-res images – if sending from your phone use one of the highest settings.

Send your entries to take5@mckennatownsend.com Best of luck everyone!

take5@mckennatownsend.com 1.

Do you turn your clocks forwards or backwards in autumn?

2.

In which year did Guy Fawkes try to blow up Parliament?

3.

When is Remembrance Sunday?

4.

What do we call trees that lose their leaves in autumn?

5.

The full moon closest to the autumn equinox is traditionally known as a what?

6.

In Australia, autumn begins in which month?

7.

The Oktoberfest is held annually in which German city?

8.

What is autumn known as in North America?

9.

Hedgehogs start to hibernate in autumn, but what is a baby hedgehog called?

10. Which of these birds migrates in autumn? (a) Swallow (b) Robin (c) Cuckoo

The Dot Collective at Wickmeads

Closing date is 1 December and all the winners, plus the correct answers, will be in the next issue.

The Dot Collective is a touring theatre troupe which provides professional theatre experiences or those living in care, particularly those living with dementia.

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The company produces innovative theatre that is accessible and stimulating.

During the summer, the group put on a fantastic show at Wickmeads, and the residents were thrilled to be involved in the action!

Care South in the heart of the community – Chairman’s 2020 Fund The Chairman’s 2020 Fund was set up as a way for us to show support for and appreciation of not-for-profit groups and individuals who benefit our care homes, residents, Care at Home clients and staff.

New to this year’s beneficiaries are Dementia UK, The Grove Pre-School, The Friends of Dolphin, Margaret Green Animal Rescue, Ringwood and Bransgore Dementia Action Group, BIGLITTLE Theatre School and Linking Hearts Therapy Horses, with Care South donating a total of £9,250.

Simon Bird said: “We are delighted to be able to support many incredible organisations which are important to Care South’s staff and residents. Residents in our care and team members frequently make use of the services that these fantastic organisations have to offer, and it’s wonderful to see these partnerships continue to go from strength to strength.”

Dementia UK provides specialist dementia nurses to those affected by all forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. The Talbot View team nominated the charity to be a beneficiary for its wonderful work with those living with dementia. Team members and residents from Talbot View walked one million steps between 1 June and 15 September to raise money and awareness for the charity.

Team members and residents from Maiden Castle House recently re-established its community relationship with The Grove Pre-School playgroup, with the children regularly visiting the home and participating in activities with residents. Each week, several children visit the home with their teachers and engage in a range of activities with the residents including arts and crafts, food, fun, exercise and games.

The Friends of Dolphin, a Charitable Trust, is run by unpaid volunteers and provides wonderful free boat trips for disabled people of all ages in a specially-designed boat. Residents from Dorset House and Alexandra House both benefit from regular trips out around Poole Harbour.

Margaret Green Animal Rescue takes in pets and other animals that have become homeless or have been neglected, mistreated or abandoned. Some of Care South’s care homes visit the centre at Church Knowle and enjoy many calming cuddles with the furry friends.

Ringwood and Bransgore Dementia Action Group is manned by volunteers and is committed to promoting Ringwood, Bransgore and the surrounding area as a Dementia Friendly Community. The group regularly holds information sessions on becoming a Dementia Friend.

Most residents love the theatre, but for many, they are no longer able to attend. With dedicated Activities Teams and wonderful organisations such as BIGLITTLE Theatre School, the theatre can come to them!

Linking Hearts Therapy Horses rear and train miniature horses for them to be therapy horses. The Chairman’s 2020 Fund donation will go towards vet bills, upkeep and daily living costs of Mr Kelloggs, Linking Hearts’ original horse, and newest recruit, Bambi.

The current round of grant applications closes on 30 November 2023.

We are looking for not-for-profit groups or individuals whose work could benefit Care South staff, residents and Care at Home clients. You can apply on behalf of an organisation – simply scan the QR code or visit the website to find out more care-south.co.uk/chairmans-fund

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Take 5

minutes with Nathan Benn, Head Chef at Alexandra House

Nathan’s Austrian Baked Cheesecake This cheescake is a little different from the conventional biscuit-base recipe, plus it’s easy to prepare and light and delicious to eat!

What drove your decision to become a chef?

550g ricotta cheese

I never particularly wanted to be a chef, but I was offered a job working weekends as a pot washer in a pub and from there I fell in love with it and became more passionate about food and the different style of food presentations. Since then, I’ve quickly worked my way up through the ranks to hone my skills and have now progressed to take on my role of Head Chef at Alexandra House.

4 large eggs, separated

How long have you worked for Care South?

Ingredients: 150g butter (softened) 150g caster sugar

50g ground almonds 100g semolina 100g raisins Zest and juice of two large lemons Icing sugar to dust Method: 1.

Pre-heat the oven to 190°C (gas mark 6)

2.

Grease a springform tin and line the base with baking parchment

3.

In a large mixing bowl, gently beat the softened butter, sugar and ricotta together well until light and creamy

4.

Beat in the egg yolks one at a time

5.

Fold in the ground almonds, semolina, raisins, lemon zest and juice

6.

Leave to stand while whisking the egg whites

7.

Fold the egg whites into the mixture and pour into the prepared tin

8.

Bake for approximately 1 hour or until firm, covering the top to prevent over-cooking if necessary

9.

When cooked, turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven for about an hour

10. When ready to serve, dust with icing sugar and enjoy!

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I joined Care South in September 2020 as Kitchen Assistant and in 2022 was promoted to Assistant Chef before taking on the Head Chef position in August 2023. I really enjoy the responsibility and leading my amazing team to create flavourful and nutritious meals for our residents.

What are some of the Alexandra House residents’ favourite meals?

The residents are quite traditional – they absolutely love fish and chips on a Friday and enjoy having twice-a-week roasts.

They are also big fans of puddings and love a good crumble or sticky toffee pudding.

How do you plan and create your menus?

We run a four-week menu that has plenty of input from our residential committee team, who we meet with once a month. We also ensure we always cater for a variety of residents’ needs and requests.

How do you organise and run a busy kitchen?

Something I’m passionate about is empowering the kitchen team to learn more and strengthen our team to provide the very best for residents, whilst maintaining organisation in what can be a stressful kitchen.

What do you love most about your job?

I really love speaking to the residents and hearing their feedback about the food, including any ways they feel we can improve.

Take 5 WordSearch Try this Wordsearch for a little brain-teasing fun!

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Q W E R D F R G H Y J U K C A N D L E S M N B C H E E S E C A K E F T H Y R F D N T H G F R T Y U K H F E S W W S D F H P U A G F D P I H S R E N T R A P N H R A S D T F G H J U Y G F D E Y T H G D G L K J H T G F C R A F T D S S W E R T Y Y T H G F O S A W Q W S S Z C F D P M N T E A Y T E O C S F E E B C S R L A K E I M N V Y C X Z A S N F G H J U K V Y R N Q W E R R T Y U D H J G F R E W I D T U P H O T I U D N Y T R S E W Q A L S D M Z A X N C V I B N H G P F D S A I R Z M P L O A I K W U Y T R O W Q A S O F H O R L T P H G A D F R X R G R F U N D N C Q O W E R T L F G H Y T R E W S D F G M N W V C X Z I A S D F G H J L I G H T J K E L O I U Y T R E W Q A S D F G H J L K E H R E M E M B R A N C E W E D F T J U N T G F D E W S D F H G F D S A I E M N B F G E X E R C I S E A S T R U S T

Take 5 winners

Spot the object

Congratulations to all our winners from the summer issue of Take 5 !

We’ve zoomed in on this mysterious object – can you identify it?

Linda Edwards from Care at Home Crewkerne, Teresa Tealey and Leanne Pearce from Fern Brook Lodge, Penelope Honnor from Buxton House and Nigel Lees from Head Office were the issue’s Anagram winners.

Also receiving a voucher for correctly spotting the difference are Dominique Tilsed and Kamila Strutwa from Alexandra House, Laura Biggs from Fern Brook Lodge, Linda Edwards from Care at Home Crewkerne and Elizabeth Cuthbert from Elizabeth House.

The winner of the quiz goes to Robyn Dibben from Wickmeads.

Kerri Pote from Wickmeads, Sally Mayo-Smith from Care at Home Crewkerne, Julianne Gray from Dorset House, Tom Cousins from Head Office and Lindsay Smale from Kenwith Castle all correctly ‘guessed the object’ and will also receive a voucher prize. Well done everyone!

Summer issue quiz answers: The answers for the quiz in our spring issue of Take 5 were:

Send your answer to take5@mckennatownsend.com

1. Paris 2. Vitamin D 3. Grease 4. Tzatziki 5. Pollen 6. Ariel 7. Summer Solstice 8. Choux 9. Squid 10. Home & Away

– the first five correct entries selected from the hat will each win a £30 voucher.

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Take 5 spot the difference We have five £30 vouchers to give away!

All you need to do for a chance of winning is identify the eight differences between these two photographs from our recent, funfilled walking football tournament.

Send your answers to take5@mckennatownsend.com

Tell us what you think!

We’d love to hear your feedback on Take 5 !

Is there something you’d like to see in the next issue, or do you have any news that you’d love to see featured?

Just get in touch by emailing take5@mckennatownsend.com We look forward to hearing from you!

Anagram Corner Can you untangle these tricky anagrams?

All these words can be found on the pages of this issue of Take 5. The first five correct entries drawn out of the hat will all receive a £30 voucher.

PALSACA DER WORSAR GIDNOWN TERSET TROSTEGECU NUMTAU

The savvy shoppers among us will already be thinking about getting festive shopping underway. Don’t forget to use your Blue Light membership to get the latest deals and savings

www.bluelightcard.co.uk

Take 5 competition entries Send your entries for all our Take 5 competitions to take5@mckennatownsend.com Closing date for all the competitions in this issue is 1 December – and all the lucky winners will be listed in the next edition of Take 5. Good luck everyone!

Head Office | 39 Commercial Road | Poole | Dorset | BH14 0HU 01202 712400 | info@care-south.co.uk

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