Care South Take 5 May 2024

ISSUE 23 MAY 24

TAKE 5 MINUTES AND ENJOY HEARING ALL THE NEWS FROM ACROSS CARE SOUTH

DAVID’S FLYING START TO HIS 80TH BIRTHDAY YEAR

JOHN SCORED A GOAL AGAINST AFC BOURNEMOUTH CAPTAIN

CANDLES ON THE LAKE REFLECTIVE CEREMONY

TOP CARE PROVIDER FOR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

5

SUPPORTING APPRENTICES

William, Anthony, and Nathan have progressed in their careers thanks to apprenticeships.

19

FOODIE FUN IN THE HOMES

Residents across our homes have got together with friends to enjoy baking and themed meals.

7

INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY

The team at Castle Dene hosted a fun party to celebrate International Women’s Day in March.

21

TEAM MEMBER NEWS

Read about what the team do outside of work – from theatre and mountain climbs to football and rowing.

14-15

SPRING INTO ACTION

Every day is different in our care homes, out in the community and with our care at home teams. A snapshot of the food, fun and friendship experienced this spring.

17

MEET OUR CARE SOUTH AT HOME CLIENTS

Gayle talks about how the support she receives from our Crewkerne team helps her to stay independent.

24

NIN TURNS 107

Our oldest resident, Nin, celebrated her 107th birthday at St Ives House with a party and pub lunch.

A very warm Welcome to you all and to this new look edition of Take 5.

I know that Chris Golding and the Marketing team have listened to all your views and thoughts on what you would like to see in your ‘Take 5’, and the results are excellent – congratulations to Chris and the team on a job well done!

There are lots of new features in this edition of Take 5, some wonderful activities – in and out of work by young and not so young alike, hopefully some slightly more challenging puzzles and games than before, and even a very brief insight into the private life of our Chair, Chris Kean. We are so grateful for the expert and experienced guidance and governance of all our Trustee Directors who give their time to Care South for free. Trustee Directors recently enjoyed visiting Buxton House, with the next in line being Wickmeads, Talbot View and Castle Dene.

We do seem to be doing things very well at Care South! Our own internal auditors are finding that you are all doing an amazing job in quality and compliance in all our homes and offices, ensuring that the amazing care you provide remains at the very highest standards – thank you everyone, it is so reassuring to see.

Local Authority Contracts Monitoring visits have taken place at a number of our homes recently, with feedback on the care that you provide being so positive. Your compliance with mandatory training – ensuring residents are safe under your good practices – is at an all-time high at over 99% compliance. Really well done to you all! Recruitment at Care South continues to be a real success. We continue to welcome many new starters to our homes and care at home offices. We do still see people leaving us, but often they return, which is always good to see.

Food, fun and friendship is clearly visible wherever I look within Care South with just a few of the many heart-warming stories and the ‘Make a Wish’ activities shown in this edition of Take 5. Some of our residents have led truly remarkable lives and all your hard workand fun – is ensuring that they can continue to do so – thank you!

As ever, our HEART values remain a constant thread throughout everything that we do and this was especially apparent recently when we had a major water leak at Talbot View. I was so impressed and proud of the way that everyone pitched in, came to help from

WELCOME TO TAKE 5

other homes, stayed on at the end of shifts, came in on days off and rallied to ensure that all our residents were safe and comfortable at all times, and largely unaffected by what could have been quite a serious situation. With the incredible help of our external contractors the home was back to normal with a few days. Thank you so much to everyone involved in a huge team effort.

We are quickly approaching that time of the year when we will be celebrating all of your excellence at the annual Stars Awards. The nomination period is now closed and we will be getting together online on 5 June 2024, with parties at all your homes and offices, to celebrate the nominations and announcing the short-listed finalists who will be invited to a further event and prize-giving at the AFC Bournemouth Vitality Stadium on 18 July 2024. We have so many amazing teams throughout Care South, and as well as having some individual awards, our main focus is on celebrating that amazing teamwork within activities, maintenance, dining, care, management and administration, and within our head office support teams.

You all continue to encourage residents and relatives to rate us on carehome.co.uk, and they are telling us that they are so pleased and grateful for everything that you all do. Well done! Their accolades have meant that we are yet again a Top 20 Care Home Group amongst all providers in the UK for the fourth year in a row. You should be very proud of yourselves. Well done!

Our latest new care home, Marjorie House in Poole, is set to open in just a few months’ time. We are at the early stages of the planning process on the new four acre site at Queen Anne Drive, Merley, where we hope to develop a new care home and assisted living facilities, and this promises to be another exciting opportunity for Care South. As well as the new projects, we continue to invest in our existing homes whether that is to keep them safe by complying with the very latest building and fire regulations or keeping them warm and homely for our residents.

Take some time to read Take 5! It’s good to remind yourselves of why you all do what you do and how well you do it! You really do make such a positive difference to the lives of so many. Thank you to all of you for your commitment to Care South!

Simon NEW LOOK

A MOMENT WITH MAGGIE

Director of HR and Training

It’s been a busy period across all areas of HR, Recruitment and Training.

We hope that the new format of Take 5 will highlight why working at Care South is a great place to be. We will be sharing more information on our benefits, reward and recognition, loyalty awards, learning and qualification achievements, success stories as well as other information that will help with wellbeing and the everyday challenges.

We held the Staff Association meeting on 7 March 2024, and, as always, the feedback from your Staff Association Representatives was very informative and helpful. The latest news and minutes can be obtained from your local Staff Association Representative, or your manager.

Each year we review all company policies. Please make sure you keep up-to-date on any key changes by accessing our policies via your local device (e.g. tablets) or if you have a specific question, please speak with your line manager or contact Human Resources.

STAFF BENEFITS

In June this year, everyone across Care South will be invited to take part in the 2024 Employee Engagement Survey. Whilst local surveys have been undertaken in recent years, we want to hear from the whole business as your views are really important to us.

One of the most exciting events we hold each year is the Stars Awards and this year is no different. Colleagues were invited on 4 March 2024

As a member of the Care South team, you have access to a host of staff benefits. These include:

Employee Assistance Programme –

This independent service provides practical information, resources and counselling to help you to balance your work, family and home life. Support is available 24/7, 365 days a year over the phone and online and there is no limit to the number of issues you can gain support with and there is no cost to use the service. Call the EAP helpline on 0330 058 4885 or visit Lap-assist.co.uk with username: caresouth and password: employee

to nominate fellow workers. The nomination window has now closed.

We look forward to announcing all finalists and winners in the forthcoming events on 5 June and 18 July 2024, respectively. More information is given in this edition of Take 5.

Maggie

Blue Light Card – A discount service for the emergency services, NHS, social care and armed forces, which provides members with amazing discounts online and in-store on shopping, dining out, holidays, cars, days out, fashion, gifts, insurance, phones and much more. Visit BlueLightCard.co.uk to sign up.

Refer a Friend scheme – Do you have a friend or family member who demonstrates our HEART values and has a passion for care? You can receive a £500 bonus if you refer a new member of the team once they have completed six weeks of service or 200 hours for bank staff. Simply email IntroduceAFriend@care-south. co.uk prior to your friend completing their application.

SUPPORTING APPRENTICES

We are proud to support our fantastic, hardworking apprentices based across the team at Care South to progress in their careers while enhancing the lives of the residents in our care.

National Apprenticeship Week, which takes place in February each year, was the perfect opportunity to champion the achievements of our apprentices, including some of the team at Alexandra House.

William Hawker has been promoted to Senior Care Assistant after completing his Adult Care Worker Level 2 apprenticeship training course.

Anthony Birtwhistle has also been promoted to Senior Care Assistant and relief Care Team Leader following the completion of his Lead Adult Care Worker Level 3 apprenticeship training course.

CARE SOUTH LOYALTY RECOGNITION

“I love seeing the residents every day. Our team get to have a little chat with them about their meal and we hold resident committee meetings where they talk about what they’d like to see on the menu.”

Nathan

Nathan Benn joined Care South in October 2019 as a kitchen assistant at St Ives House and has worked his way up to Head Chef at Alexandra House through his apprenticeship training.

Nathan will be competing in the National Association of Care Catering Care Chef of the Year 2024 in October as well as Adam Csurai, Head Chef at Talbot View.

Jasmine Dickinson 10 Years | Head Office

Janet Bascombe 15 Years | Alexandra House

Janet Barry 15 Years | Dorset House

Heny Cadby 15 Years | Fairlawn

Julie Parkes

15 Years | Talbot View

Kim Thomson 15 Years | Fern Brook Lodge

Julie Hatcher

20 Years | Elizabeth House

Tina Taylor

20 Years | Talbot View

Jacqueline Hawkins

25 Years | Talbot View

Carl Holland

25 Years | Sussexdown

William Hawker (Left) & Anthony Birtwhistle (Right)Senior Care Assistants

Nathan Benn, Head Chef, Alexandra House

Get ready for a glittering Stars Awards

Now in its 14th year, the Stars Awards recognise and reward individuals and teams from across Care South for their outstanding achievements and excellent care provision.

It is an important event during which time is taken to celebrate the fantastic, hard work of our teams and thank them for their frontline duties and commitment to our residents.

Residential care awards:

Care Home of the Year

Carer of the Year

CTL/Nurse of the Year

Best Newcomer to Care

Dining Experience (Team)

Activities Team

Pride In Your Home

Residential Management Team of the Year

Administration Team of the Year

Care at Home awards:

Home Carer of the Year

Care Supervisor of the Year

Best Newcomer to Care

Pride In Your Service (Office support team)

Care at Home Management Team of the Year

Care at Home Office of the Year

Head office award:

Head Office Support Team of the Year

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

What a fantastic effort many of you put into making International Women’s Day special for the residents in our care, as well as your colleagues.

The annual event, which takes place on 8th March, saw our care homes hosting pampering parties, arts and crafts, and strawberries with prosecco for the residents. However, we were thrilled to see that some care homes also celebrated the fantastic members of the team who support the residents.

Lana, Home Manager at Castle Dene, gathered all staff on duty on the day and presented them with a keyring featuring inspiring words of thanks and encouragement.

WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT?

The home also enjoyed a poetry afternoon featuring each member of the team reading a poem about women. Judith, one of the residents, gave a talk about her mother’s life and the changes she had seen in her lifetime.

Afterwards, they all celebrated with a glass of prosecco and a piece of the lovely cake made Karen, administrator at Castle Dene.

If something is troubling you in your workplace then you should share your concerns with your line manager.

Following that, if you still have concerns then you can escalate those concerns - without worry of recrimination – to an Operations Manager, Director or the Chief Executive. You can raise your concerns inperson or over the phone, and if needed anonymously.

If you feel uncomfortable about speaking with someone then we have a dedicated email address to use: Whistleblowing@care-south.co.uk

Please remember that if you do choose to remain anonymous in raising your concern, we will still treat your concern seriously. However, we will not be able to communicate any response or outcome with you directly.

Full details of the type of concern that could be raised are shown on our Whistleblowing Policy available to view in the Policies folder on Sharepoint accessed via the Internet Shortcuts folder on your desktop and the Policies tablets in every staff room.

The team at Castle Dene celebrating together

UPDATE FROM PHIL

Director of Residential Care

How time flies!

We are a quarter of the way through the year and despite the rain, we have been very busy since my last update.

So far this year we have followed up on our team member survey, completed a resident and family survey, and done lots of work behind the scenes preparing for the Care Quality Commission’s ‘Single Assessment Framework.’ More details about all of this are across the next few pages.

Elsewhere, Mark Wardman and our great catering team have created the spring/ summer menus which were rolled out this month. A lot of preparation and hard work goes into the menus, with

feedback from residents, families, and yourselves being key to developing the diverse, great tasting and nutritional choices the residents in our care deserve.

As we creep out of winter, our minds turn to holidays! First of all, thank you for ensuring all of last year’s holiday hours were booked. However, I am going to ask the same again for this coming year. We need to be able to plan our staffing accordingly, so please book your holidays as soon as possible. The deadline for booking your

RESIDENTS’ SURVEY RESULTS

We’ve got the results back after conducting our latest resident and family survey and it’s brilliant to see so many positive responses highlighting the fantastic work we do in our care homes.

It is so important that we gain feedback on how we are doing to ensure that we are delivering the best possible care to the residents and learn from any areas where we may need to improve.

This also fits in with the Single Assessment Framework (See page 10) which places an even greater focus on ensuring that we deliver safe, person-centred care.

Overall, our results showed that 93% of our residents feel they were treated with respect and dignity, and 92% of our residents feel safe.

The survey did highlight to us that 13% of residents and their families were unclear on how to access their care records and can decide which personal information can be shared with other people.

The residents in our care and their families have received this feedback, and we are working on all areas that require additional

holiday entitlement will be 30/6/24, but of course you should be taking some of your entitlement before then. At the time of writing, you have already booked 57,000 hours of holiday, so just another 103,000 to go!

As always, thank you for all you do, day in, day out and I look forward to seeing you all when I visit your homes.

focus to ensure that they feel supported, valued and satisfied with the care and services we provide. Naturally, we have also shared these results across the teams, but if you’d like to talk in more detail about them, you can speak to your Home Manager or Regional Operations Manager.

Finally, please keep a look out for our company-wide staff survey in June. We look forward to hearing from you!

FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

OF TOP 20 CARE HOME GROUP AWARD

We are thrilled that our residents and their families have rated Care South as one of the best care providers in the UK for the fourth consecutive year.

Once again, we have been named as one of the ‘Top 20 Care Home Groups’ in the UK at the Care Home Awards in recognition of the high quality of care given to the residents by our teams.

At the Care Home Awards, the top care home groups receive an award based on reviews from residents, relatives and friends on the care home reviews guide, carehome.co.uk. The average group review score for Care South is 9.8/10 with the majority of our homes ranking even higher.

Simon Bird, Chief Executive, Care South, said: “We are thrilled to receive the Top 20 Award for the fourth year in a row. It is even more pleasing given that this accolade is based on reviews from residents in our care, their families and

their friends. Naturally, I am so proud of our care teams who work so tirelessly and compassionately to make sure that all residents in our care have the best possible experience in later life.”

Reviews for Care South’s homes on carehome.co.uk include: ‘Mum is well looked after, getting all the physical and emotional assistance she needs. She is socialising and has made friends. As her daughter, I am delighted at the care Mum is receiving. I only wish all elderly, vulnerable people received such great care.’

All you need to do for a chance of winning is identify the eight differences between these two photographs from Red Nose Day at Beauchamp House.

Send your answers to marketing@care-south.co.uk

THE CQC’S NEW SINGLE ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK

IS UNDERWAY!

The new CQC Single Assessment Framework began being introduced in 2023 although services have only recently started receiving inspections under this new way of working.

The CQC’s Single Assessment Framework is a big change to how the CQC functions across health and social care. The CQC has always had three assessment frameworks: one for hospitals, one for adult social care and one for primary medical services. Whereas, with the new framework, these all fall under one.

As a care provider, it’s crucial that we all understand the new inspection regime and how these significant changes to the way they regulate and inspect may affect us.

In terms of our practice, there isn’t a lot of change. However, there is much more emphasis on learning, improvements, and safety cultures to ensure we are delivering safe, person-centred care.

The ratings (Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement and Inadequate) and the 5 key questions (Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, Well-led) remain the same. These are followed by a new evidence scoring system and 34 ‘quality statements’.

CQC have also changed the way inspections are carried out by gathering more feedback and evidence on a regular basis, meaning ratings can go up or down more frequently than they have done in the past.

If you would like more information on the new single assessment framework, please speak to one of the operations team.

KATHLEEN SHARES MEMORIES OF LIFE AS A WREN

Kathleen, who lives at Elizabeth House, spoke about joining the Women’s Royal Naval Service, in recognition of International Women’s Day.

Kathleen joined the ‘Wrens’ at the age of 18 in June 1944. She was given the role of a bomb range marker, which involved sitting in a ‘drogue hut’ monitoring targets and charting each drogue parachute as it was released from a plane.

Reflecting on her time as a Wren, Kathleen said: “I loved it. We were all together and we did all of the rotten jobs together, whether that was carrying the coal or stoking the fire ready for the cook.”

Kathleen left the Wrens in July 1946 when she was presented with her Wrens employment certificate. On it she was described as ‘Intelligent and cheerful, proving to be a willing and accurate bomb range marker. A cooperative and loyal Wren.’

From there, she met her husband, Peter, who flew in a Blenheim Bomber during the Second World War, and moved in with his grandmother in Upton, Poole. They later welcomed their son Tim and Kathleen went on to work in retail.

MOTORBIKE RALLY

More than 120 motorbikes roared through Dorchester high street in honour of motorbike fanatic, Joe, who lives at Maiden Castle House.

Joe travelled in the sidecar of a motorbike to the Top O’ Town car park where he was surprised to be met by 126 motorbike riders who then travelled with him through Dorchester. Afterwards, the bikers were invited back to Maiden Castle House for tea and cake while chatting with Joe about their shared love of motorbikes, much to the delight of Joe’s daughter, Nicola.

The special event took place in response to Joe’s wish to ride on a motorbike for the first time in 20 years.

Emma Norman, Activities Lead at Maiden Castle House, put out a ‘shout-out’ to

WORD SEARCH

the local biker community to organise a surprise motorbike rally for Joe who were only too keen to help.

Submit your completed crossword to Marketing@care-south.co.uk to be in with a chance of winning £50.

JOHN SCORED A GOAL AGAINST CHERRIES CAPTAIN

Life-long Cherries fan, John, was thrilled to meet AFC Bournemouth’s captain, Neto, a during a surprise visit at Elizabeth House.

John, who was a steward at the Vitality Stadium for 55 years, was joined by Neto and Cherries legend, Steve ‘Fletch’ Fletcher, for a kickabout in the home’s communal living room, organised through our ongoing partnership with AFC Bournemouth.

FLYING START TO DAVID’S 80TH BIRTHDAY

Retired pilot, David, was joined by his daughter, Kirsteen, and Sam, Activities Lead for Dorset House, for a special experience ahead of his 80th birthday later this year.

John also got the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to score some goals into a small pop-up goal being protected by Neto, before John’s friends from Elizabeth House got to have a go.

David sat in the cockpit of one of TUI’s Boeing 737s at Bournemouth Airport. David chatted to pilot, Captain Richard Griffin, about his career in aviation including 20 years in the RAF, 15 years as a commercial airline captain, and 19 years training the next generation of pilots, before retiring at 75.

At the end of the special event, David was presented with a personalised cake shaped like a TUI plane to take back to enjoy with his friends at Dorset House.

Watch John’s special visit with Neto.

Watch David’s chat with the pilot.

Scores of people turned out for a special commemorative candlelit event at Kenwith Castle.

Our care village in Abbotsham played host to its first Candles on the Lake event in February which was open to the public and local carers who live and work in Bideford, as well as residents and their families from Kenwith Castle and Fremington Manor.

Attendees lit a candle in memory of a loved one with all donations going to North Devon Hospice. In total, the event raised £1,000 for the good cause which provides specialist care support to people with lifelimiting conditions.

DJ Jude, the former Mayor of Bideford, played songs during the event which had been specially chosen by the care home residents. She described it as ‘an amazing, very humbling event in a beautiful setting.’

gave a blessing before the candles were released onto the lake.

Pam, who lives in Kenwith Castle, said: “I really enjoyed it. It was a very nice event.” Her daughter, Chris, added: “I am really impressed, especially as this was the first event. We’re already looking forward to next year.”

Huge congratulations to Jo Passmore who attended Candles on the Lake as Deputy Manager of Fremington Manor.

CANDLES ON THE LAKE DEMENTIA INFORMATION SESSION SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY

St Ives House hosted a dementia information session for the relatives of residents led by Karen Hodges, Group Dementia Lead.

She has since been promoted to Home Manager of Kenwith Castle. Well done!

Karen spoke to the relatives about the symptoms that a person living with dementia may experience, along with an explanation of how parts of the brain responsible for language and communication can be affected.

She went on to explain how people can adapt their own language and communication to continue having meaningful interactions with their loved ones. The session also gave the relatives the chance to chat to others and share their own experiences.

Karen said: “Everyone told me how beneficial the session was. They described it as giving them a fresh insight into behaviours that they have observed with their loved ones. One lady said that the session has given her a renewed confidence to interact more easily with her mum.”

Plans are in place for these sessions to be rolled out to more of our care homes over the coming months.

Reverend Jules Harris, Team Rector for Torridge Coastal Mission Community,

Watch Kenwith Castle’s candlelit ceremony.

We have been enjoying a host of food, fun and friendship through a range of activities in our homes, out in the community and with our Care at Home teams including crafts, baking, animal visits, themed events and more.

Buxton House residents made Welsh cakes for St David’s Day

Care South staff and residents with the Lewis-Manning Hospice Care team at the Muddy Dog Dash

Alison Cherry celebrated 20 years of working for Care South at Home

Alexandra House residents visited the children at Sunbeams Nursery

Elizabeth House residents designed and painted clay elephants

Castle Dene residents enjoyed a pamper evening

Beauchamp House Men’s Shed hosted their first meeting

Dorset House residents fed cows at Longdown Activity Farm

Fairlawn residents were thrilled to see Kelloggs from Linking Hearts Therapy Horses

Maiden Castle House residents tried out chopsticks for Chinese New Year

Talbot View residents tucked into strawberries and prosecco for International Women’s Day

Wickmeads residents received Valentine’s Day cards and cakes from Kings Castle Nursery

St Ives House welcomed Fairlawn residents for a giant Scabble contest

Sussexdown residents went to the bowling alley

Fremington Manor residents and staff mark Dignity Action Day

Kenwith Castle residents enjoyed an Easter egg hunt and Sunday service

Fern Brook Lodge residents meet Nelly the dog from Doggy Dorset

UPDATE FROM MARTIN

Director of Care South at Home

This last quarter has seen some real challenges but also many opportunities.

Our mission ahead – to develop, grow and diversify our services in line with our charitable objectives. We continue to work in partnership with the NHS, supporting people home from hospital in a responsive and flexible way, which is greatly valued by fellow professionals across health and social care sector.

Meanwhile, our marketing and recruitment colleagues are working to significantly raise our profile across local communities. You will have seen the new photographs and videos being used on social media, our website and in print media featuring Gayle and Kathy from Crewkerne, among others. It is also great to see the ‘Make a Wish’ campaign taking off with clients such as lifelong Cherries fan, Michael, being invited to watch an AFC Bournemouth match (see back page).

I’m pleased to share that Karen Hodges, Care South’s Group Dementia Lead, will soon be introducing training for nominated ‘Dementia Coaches,’ enabling local expertise and signposting from our team members for clients, staff and family carers. Read more about this on page 17.

Finally, I wanted to share a recent example of how the team went the extra mile for one of our Somerset clients to be reunited with an old friend just before he passed away. This is a perfect example of the true dedication shown every day in the Care at Home team, which makes me very proud.

So, from me and everyone across the care at home team, we’d like to say a big thank you for your continued dedication, resilience, and passion. Keep up the good work!

Martin

MEET THE CARE SOUTH AT HOME TEAM

Ian McDougall joined the Care South at Home team four years ago having previously worked in the aerospace engineering industry for 20 years.

After joining the Royal British Legion where he helped to support the convalescence of ex-servicemen, he chanced upon an advert encouraging people to become carers in our Crewkerne office.

Ian said: “It’s a totally difference career change but I really enjoy it. Every single day is different and even though I see some of our clients all the time, every time I step through the front door the help they need can be different.

“Many of them feel like friends rather than clients as I have seen them so many times. I really enjoy going out and about to see them.

“Sometimes people can be a bit reluctant to receive support from us because they have always done things for themselves, but you can see the look of relief on their face when we offer a helping hand.”

MEET OUR CLIENTSGAYLE

Gayle receives four daily visits from the team based in our Crewkerne office. They help with her day-to-day living needs, washing and dressing, medication, and food and drink preparation as she lives with MS.

Gayle has made great friends Kathy Dowling, Care Supervisor and Alison Hunt from our Specialist Team. Alison has a weekly shopping/domestic visit to enable Gayle to do her food shopping, when she feels well and able to do it.

Gayle said: “My care team come to me every day and they’re not only my carers, they’re also my friends. I’m very lucky to have them. They are very good people.

She added: “I don’t know what I’d do without them. They help to me to be independent and take me shopping. They do everything for me. They’re wonderful.

“My carers work for Care South - I just think they’re angels for what they do for me”

Speaking of the joy of supporting Gayle, Kathy said: “Gayle is a lovely lady to care for and all the care team adore her. She does her best to keep smiling and on her bad days the team show up with a smile and are kind to her which means she’s soon laughing and joking with them. “

DEMENTIA CARE COACHES

This summer, we are launching the Dementia Care Coach Programme (DCC). The aim is to provide a person-centred, dedicated dementia care service at each of our Care at Home locations.

Each Dementia Care Coach will champion outstanding dementia care and will be driven to actively improve the care and wellbeing of people living with and affected by dementia.

Dementia Care Coaches will:

• Promote positive attitudes to working with people living with dementia, their families and loved ones

• Support the team to develop care practices that promote wellbeing and reduce disability and distress

• Identify training and learning needs for colleagues to improve their knowledge, skills and attitudes

• Work with your colleagues to help identify and overcome any difficulties they face in delivering excellent person-centred dementia care

• Provide support to the family carers and loved ones of people living with dementia

Each Care at Home office will be invited to nominate suitable candidates for the programme for selection in June with training starting in July. The six-week programme will consist of twohourly workshops each week delivered by Karen Hodges, Group Dementia Lead, with monthly support calls thereafter.

Scan me to watch Gayles wonderfully kind words

RECIPE

These no-cook burrito bowls are a simple, healthy and satisfying meal packed with flavour that can be made in advance ready to keep you sustained during a busy care shift.

Fillings can be changed depending on dietary needs and personal preferences and they can swapped based on what’s in your cupboards, fridge or freezer.

This will make two portions which can be saved for the next day or shared with a colleague. NHS guidance recommends that cooked rice is kept for no longer than a day before being reheated and eaten, so don’t wait too long before tucking in..

Enjoy!

Ingredients

250g microwave rice

170g tinned sweetcorn

200g tinned black beans

120g pre-cooked chicken (Halloumi or tofu are great alternatives)

Half an avocado (Guacamole is an easy swap)

100g salsa

1 lime Optional

Tortilla wraps/tortilla chips to serve

A small sprinkling of cheese

Instructions

Heat the rice according to pack instructions

Pile the rice into a bowl/lunchbox, along with the sweetcorn, black beans (optional for these to be heated) and chicken/halloumi/tofu.

Spoon on the avocado and salsa, and squeeze half a lime over each portion

across our homes to feature seasonal produce to celebrate the spring and summer.

The residents and chefs in every home spoke to Mark Wardman, Catering Operations Manager, and Patrick Fensterseifer, Regional Catering Support Manager, about the residents’ likes and dislikes to help to shape the menu.

Requests incorporated into the new menu include some lighter choices, more fish options, and firm favourites to continue as normal such as fish and chips on Fridays and roasts on Sundays.

Seasonal fruit and veg featuring on the menu include local produce such as strawberries from the New Forest, cress from Winchester and lettuce from Sopley.

We’ve ensured that menu options cater for all dietary needs, with less refined sugar and salt included in our recipes. This will benefit everyone including those needing to follow a diabetic diet, and we’ve also added more vegetarian choices to provide a nutritional balance for the residents.

FOODIE FUN IN THE CARE HOMES

We place a huge level of importance on providing nutritious, fresh produce in our menus as good nutrition and hydration are so important for the residents in our care. It’s also important that the food the residents enjoy is homely and comforting, so it’s great to see our homes encouraging the residents to get involved in some fun foodie activities...

Fern Brook Lodge welcomed Carole who appeared on Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off to taste cakes made by the residents, relatives and care team before taking a tour of the care home.

Dorset House residents have cooked up a storm with the help of chefs, Bert and Richard. The residents have made a host of treats including shortbread, apricot marzipan tarts, cinnamon swirl buns, and Cornish pasties.

Residents at Fremington Manor care home enjoyed observing and then having a go at making their own mini raspberry cheesecakes and chocolate cornflake cakes. They agreed that the real fun was in the tasting afterwards!

Kenwith Castle residents had fun tossing pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. Eileen successfully tossed a pancake seven times before the residents were served up some freshly cooked pancakes to enjoy with a host of toppings.

Buxton House’s residents were invited to attend a special Valentine’s Day lunch with their loved ones. Tables were set up ready for them to enjoy a three-course meal, wine and prosecco, rounded off with a sweet treat to finish.

Castle Dene held a Men’s Club lunch to encourage the male residents to sit together and chat. They tucked into a fish and chip lunch with a beer, which everyone enjoyed.

CHAIRMAN’S 2020 FUND PRESENTATIONS

Since launching four years ago, our Chairman’s 2020 Fund has made donations to many great charities, groups and organisations who benefit the residents, staff and Care at Home clients.

Here are the latest presentations that have been made:

Friends of M.V Freedom is completely reliant on fundraising to provide boat trips to wheelchair-users and people living with a disability. The charity enjoys taking Buxton House residents out onto the water in Weymouth in the summer months to enjoy the sights, sounds and smell of the sea which provides many therapeutic benefits.

Three Rivers Partnership (Dementia Friendly Gillingham) supports our Memory Cafe sessions run by Deb Wiltshire, Home Manager at Fern Brook Lodge. The sessions, which are complimentary and open to everyone, aim to raise awareness and offer education and support to people living with dementia and their carers.

Many of the teams and residents in our Dorset-based care homes will have met Kelloggs and Bambi the miniature horses from Linking Hearts Therapy Horses. Equine therapy is believed to bring a host of benefits including boosting physical and mental health, lowering blood pressure, reducing anxiety, promoting conversation and boosting social connections.

Weymouth School of Ballet and Theatre Arts puts on fantastic, fun performances for Buxton House residents to enjoy. The dancing school also recently taught some of the team how to line dance ahead of their country and western day, which saw the team sing songs and dance while dressed as cowboys and cowgirls.

The residents in our care love their trips out to Margaret Green Animal Rescue’s Visitor Centre at Church Knowle to visit the animals in need who are waiting for their forever home. Maiden Castle House residents went to visit the charity to hand over the donation and some blankets that they had knitted for the cats to keep them cosy and warm.

Little children from Muddy Boots Nursery in Hamworthy enjoy visiting the residents at Elizabeth House in Poole. They enjoy playing a host of games together, making crafts and have recently enjoyed planting seeds planted including sunflowers, lavender, carrots, potatoes and cucumbers.

Please do invite your community contacts to make an application to the fund, if they would like to. The home manager can provide them with a form or they can download one from our website. The deadline for applications for this round is Friday 31st May.

FRIENDS OF M.V FREEDOM

MARGARET GREEN ANIMAL RESCUE

LINKING HEARTS

DEMENTIA FRIENDLY GILLINGHAM

MUDDY BOOTS NURSERY

WEYMOUTH SCHOOL OF BALLET & THEATRE ARTS

TEAM MEMBER NEWS

As well as the fantastic care we provide in our care homes, our team are also keeping busy outside of their roles.

Here’s just a snippet of what some of the team are up to:

JURASSIC COAST CHALLENGE

Jenna Whaley, Accounts Technician, is training for the Jurassic Coast Challenge on 18 and 19 May. The 100km challenge, which Jenna is doing for Forest Holme Hospice as part of a team of five, starts at Corfe Castle, goes around Swanage and travels along the South West Coast Path finishing in Bridport.

MOUNT SNOWDON

Jo Passmore, Home Manager for Kenwith Castle, is a keen hiker who completed her first mountain climb with her partner and dog by taking on Mount Snowdon in March. She will also be taking part in the North Devon Hospice Nightwalk in May which will see women and girls walk between Bideford and Barnstaple.

BLANDFORD UNITED YOUTH FOOTBALL TEAM

Tom Cousins, Property Manager, has managed Blandford United Youth football team for the last four years. Tom says that ‘nothing beats a win and knowing you’re helping the players develop as footballers and decent young adults.’ He also travels around the country with his son who plays football for Dorset.

ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

Fiona Aucott, Digital Marketing Manager, will be performing at Royal Festival Hall in London in May as part of the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus. Since joining the group in 2010, she has performed in over 130 concerts, including many with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and will be travelling to Japan to perform with the chorus in September 2025.

RINGWOOD MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC SOCIETY

Tom Buxton, Software Support Specialist, starred as Lurch in The Addams Family in April with the Ringwood Musical and Dramatic Society. He previously appeared onstage as Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz with the Poulner Players back in February.

REUNION RACE

Sally Howard, Home Administrator at Dorset House, was training early in the mornings and weekends with with the original Senior Men’s Crew of the Poole Rowing Club for a reunion race on the River Itchen in Southampton on 13 April. The crew reunited for the final time to mark 30 years since winning their first championship.

5 MINUTES WITH… CHRIS KEAN

Having acted as a Trustee Director for a number of years, Chris became Chairman of Care South in 2023. He is also Chairman of the Audit, Remuneration and Chairman’s 2020 Fund committees, and serves on the Care Governance, Finance, and Property & Development committees.

By profession, Chris is a Chartered Accountant and spent much of his career as a Partner with PwC. One of the most enjoyable parts of his role was that it involved a lot of travelling, particularly across Africa and the Middle East, as well as within Europe and America. His three years living in Zambia ‘were not without their challenges but were immensely rewarding and enormous fun.’

Chris lives in the New Forest, has three sons and six grandchildren. He enjoys walking in the forest, golf, sailing, skiing, playing with his vintage Morgan car, and attending the gym ‘in the forlorn hope of getting fitter.’ He’s also an avid reader.

What’s your favourite food?

Anything that goes with custard.

Do you have any pets?

Until recently, we have always had springer spaniels, but at present, we are ‘between dogs.’

Where have you always wanted to travel to?

At the moment, we have our eyes on Memphis, Nashville and New Orleans. I love listening to the music, but I’m reliably informed that I have never managed to sing a note in tune!

Why do you love being a trustee?

It’s such a vibrant organisation with a highly-professional team across the charity. Just being part of it is so rewarding.

As a registered not-for-profit charity, we have a fantastic Board of Trustee Directors who volunteer their time to guide the direction of Care South and decide how we run.

The Board and our executive team work closely together to create a safe, enjoyable and caring environment for staff, residents and Care at Home clients alike.

Each member of the Board has specific expertise, commitment, professional experience and a strong belief in the ethos and values that lie at the heart of the charity.

The Board collectively bring together a range of skills,

FIND THE LOGO

knowledge and experience covering governance and law, healthcare, medicine, adult social care and/or nursing of older people, finance, property, HR, recruitment, learning & development, health and safety, marketing and PR, and IT.

Members of the Board visit our care homes and care at home offices to see how the services are run and to meet the teams, so if you see them out and about, please do give them a friendly welcome.

Reading through this edition of Take 5, it’s uplifting to see the team displaying our heart values through fantastic activities and providing brilliant support to the residents in our care.

We’ve hidden this ‘Food Fun Friendship’ logo across the pages of this magazine for you to find – Simply tell us the correct number of times this symbol appears and five entrants will win £30 each!

D-DAY

VETERAN,

JOHN,

CELEBRATES HIS 100TH BIRTHDAY

One of the last surviving D-Day veterans, who lives at Kenwith Castle, celebrated his 100th birthday in February with a tea party.

John joined the Royal Air Force on his 18th birthday and in World War Two he was part of the D-Day landings and travelled through France and Germany as a driver.

While in Germany, he met his late wife, Betty, who was in the WRAF, and they were married at the end of the war. En route to their honeymoon, John was tasked with driving Hermann Goering’s staff car to an American airbase to be flown over to the US.

MARJORIE HOUSE

Work is progressing well on our brand-new 50-bed residential and dementia care home on Evening Hill in Lilliput.

We are planning to open the doors to residents in September. They will be surrounded by unparalleled comfort and care while enjoying spectacular, world-class views across Poole Harbour towards Sandbanks and Brownsea Island.

Some of the team took a trip down to the site recently to see how the building work is going and to visualise the space, ahead of future enquiries. Congratulations to Sebastian Wiencelewski, Home Manager at Talbot View, who has been appointed as Home Manager for Marjorie House.

John and Betty moved to Barnstaple following their honeymoon and welcomed their late daughter, Lynne. John went on to work for BT, formerly known as Post Office Communications, for 37 years, moving to several different locations before retiring to Barnstaple. Betty sadly passed away in May 2020 just a couple of weeks before the couple’s 70th wedding anniversary.

When asked what the secret was to living to reach 100, John said that ‘he only smoked for 3 months and then he gave up.’

As a proud Yorkshireman, John didn’t want a lot of ‘fuss’ on his birthday, so the Kenwith Castle team arranged for him to have afternoon tea with his family and loved ones.

The 80th anniversary of D-Day will be marked across the UK on Thursday 6 June. All care homes have been supplied with support materials for your own events to mark the anniversary. Please let Marketing know what your care home’s plans are to honour the day.

...AND A SPECIAL MENTION TO

MICHAEL’S CHERRIES STADIUM VISIT

Life-long Cherries fan, Michael, visited the Vitality Stadium for the first time in 10 years thanks to the support of the Care South at Home’s Bournemouth office team.

Michael told his carers how he would love to visit the stadium and see the Cherries play, having first watched them at Dean Court in the 1960s. Through our partnership with AFC Bournemouth, we were able to arrange for him to watch the Cherries draw against Manchester United on Saturday 13 April where he was supported by Jane Legg, Care Supervisor.

He was then invited to come back for a VIP stadium tour, assisted by Chloe Renyard, Care Assistant, to see the players’ tunnel and to sit in the manager’s seat in the dugout and look over the pitch.

Michael said: “I watch every game on the TV at home, so it was exciting to be back at the stadium. I used to be a goalkeeper when I played football at school, so it was great to sit behind the goal. It was a really fast match. I really like Solanke as I think

NIN TURNS

The team at St Ives House were thrilled to celebrate Nin’s 107th birthday on Thursday 11 April.

Nin credits being a lifelong vegetarian as the reason why she has just celebrated her landmark birthday. She was joined by Simon Bird and the Deputy Mayor of Ringwood, Cllr Rae Frederick, for a special celebration with two cakes emblazoned with 107.

he’s got all the skills to play for England, so it was great to see him on the pitch.”

The surprise experience was organised as part of an ongoing partnership between Care South and AFC Bournemouth, which enables residents, home care clients and staff to get involved in a range of activities. These can include weekly seated football sessions, meeting players, coffee mornings, and visits to the stadium.

Nin received bouquets of flowers and a range of cards to decorate her room. These included a card from King Charles and Queen Camilla which can be added to her collection of cards received from the King and his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on Nin’s 100th, 105th, and 106th birthdays.

Afterwards, Nin went out for a pub lunch with her friends from the care home, daughter Jane, and son-in-law Eric, followed by tea and birthday cake.