Caring Times September 2020

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COMPASS STAYING THE COURSE: HOW WE HELPED OUR CLIENTS NAVIGATE COVID-19

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Compass Associates

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Compass staying the course: how we helped our clients navigate COVID-19 t never surprises me how well the social care sector and in particular the elderly space responds to adversity.

Compass was established in 2009 during the last recession where the government slashed funding to the most vulnerable. We have witnessed some pretty savage influenza seasons, the health and NOT SO social care secretary routinely ignores his responsibility to the elderly and as a result of this abdication there have been staffing, financial and quality challenges that the sector has had to routinely overcome.

COVID presented an opportunity for the government to step up for once in unprecedented times to assist the sector and in turn our elderly and frail. True to form it failed spectacularly and even made the catastrophic error of discharging patients, untested, to homes within the community that lacked PPE to safeguard their residents.

Once again the sector was left to fend for itself and contrastingly, true to form, they delivered.

They always do when the chips are down because that is all they have ever been accustomed to. Their resilience is unparalleled and we owe everyone attached to social care a debt of gratitude.

During the crisis and still today Compass adopted a light touch approach. Our aim was to be visible yet not overbearing, efficient but low maintenance and deliver at all costs. We took the conscious decision to keep all staff within our care teams working despite lower levels of demand and make sure our clients knew we were on hand at any point. Home working was implemented in March, April, May and partly in June.

We implemented new processes and embraced technology to ensure that candidates and clients still had a valuable and insightful experience despite restrictions. Virtual interviews became the norm, professional shirts or blouses on screen accompanied by joggers off seemed to be the attire of choice and due to the nature of a process not involving travel the results were achieved in double quick time. This was especially comforting for clients who were looking to act quickly given the circumstances.

Compass returned to its offices full time in July to facilitate pent up demand across our other service lines and whilst I think it is not for debate that we definitely work better together there are lessons to take from remote working that we will look to implement moving forwards. Our recommendations to clients will

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include the following:

1 Briefing meetings while restrictions in place to take place virtually as opposed to F2F. 2 First stage interviews to also take place virtually.

3 Wrap up virtual meetings post assignment to debrief.

Whilst all 3 are time saving point 2 is particularly pertinent for a multitude of reasons.

Pre COVID a general manager who has 1 eye on other opportunities may not have the time to take half or a day’s leave to interview elsewhere.

First stages can be very fragmented with 5 or 6 candidates being seen over a 2 week period as an operations manager navigates their ever changing diary. This can lead to disengagement amongst the short list. That or a candidate may be lost to another offer. The old adage of time kills all deals is very prevalent within general management recruitment.

To circumvent these obstacles the virtual first stage eliminates all these hurdles and provides an opportunity to meet an increased amount of candidates who are more engaged with time saved and accommodates the interviewer a designated time slot away from an environment where anything can happen at any one point.

Time saved, a more focussed approach and less waste will result in better hires for clients.

Whether this would have happened or not pre COVID is open to debate but time is the

commodity that underpinned most elongated processes. This simple measure will alleviate a lot more of this commodity for hiring managers.

Looking to the future Compass is in a very good position. We have proved to be nimble, dynamic and precise and most importantly have a great awareness of what our clients are going through. The elderly care team has in excess of 120 years of experience recruiting UK wide and are in a great position with an unrivalled network of talent to maintain this. As a business owner I want to ensure that our thinking does not drift into an insular mindset. It is very easy to retrench in tough times and forget about the texture of your business and the external elements that made you successful.

One of our main strengths is our team spirit and community involvement. We love to visit care settings, organise charity days and add value to the vulnerable as much as possible. This is front and centre in our thoughts, even with restrictions as we return to a more normalised routine.

So from everyone at Compass it is a big thank you once again to all those on the front line.

There is no doubt you will continue to deliver first rate care and compassion. We will of course continue to work hard with our client partners to assist where we can and save you that most valuable of commodities, time.

All the best Sam

Compass internal communications during lockdown

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September 2020

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THE SHAPE OF CARE TO COME

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inside 4 12 A NEW WORLD OF HI-TECH SOCIAL CARE

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September 2020

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LEARNING CURVE

NCF’s VIC RAYNER says social care must not be viewed as an afterthought

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CARE HOME CLOSURE

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SCOTLAND

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THE WATCHED

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TRANSFORMATION

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LAND HUNGRY

Ridouts’ GEMMA NICHOLAS writes about the risks

How providers can best comply with the Care Inspectorate’s new key question CQC is considering using covert surveillance, says solicitor NEIL GRANT We can change how the sector is perceived and valued, says VICTORIA SYLVESTER

McCARTHY & STONE seeks sites currently occupied by care homes

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September 2020

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UK’s approach to social care – world beating, or beaten by the world?

In a report published at the end of July, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has described the government as being “slow, inconsistent, and at times negligent” in its approach to social care in the Covid-19 pandemic. The report says the government’s handling of the pandemic in social care exposed the “tragic impact” of “years of inattention, funding cuts and delayed reforms”, leaving the sector as a “poor relation” that has suffered badly in the pandemic.

The National Care Forum (NCF), which represents not-for-profit social care providers, says the findings of the report do not come as a surprise, as it mirrors the demands from the sector to government. NCF executive director Vic Rayner said there was much in the report that Editorial & advertising Investor Publishing Ltd, 1st Floor, Greener House, 66-68 Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4RF Tel: 020 7720 2109 • Fax: 020 7451 7051.

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had shifted in relation to the social care response, but the core fact remained that government was too late to identify and act on the absolute pressures on social care and the very real frailty and vulnerability of those receiving care to the “vicious nature” of Covid-19.

“Care providers have proved themselves to be agents of change in the face of government inaction,” said Ms Rayner. “Particularly in relation to accessing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), where the report shows that providers were essentially left to manage for themselves, purchasing individually against not only the collective buying power of the NHS, but also the rest of the world. The fact that PPE was sourced under extremis has been down to the grit and determination of providers to ensure that they had

performed, compared to other countries, asking “Where is the UK in relation to the rest of the world – world beating, or beaten by the world?” and refers to a policy brief in late July in which the World Health Organisation (WHO) released a plan for “Preventing and managing Covid-19 across long-term care services” where they outlined the challenges faced by countries across the globe. The briefing notes that many parts of the world faced the same struggles as the UK government. However, what is also clear is the direct impact of government policy – recognising that around the world – long term care provision is under prioritised and suffers from underfunding, lack of accountability, fragmentation and poor coordination between health and long-term care

VIC RAYNER: The opportunity to learn from Covid-19 and produce a ‘world beating’ social care offering to UK citizens should be the ambition of not just the short term Covid response, but also the long term reform agenda. the right PPE to protect those they care for and their workforce.

“We believe that there has been huge amounts of learning – both about how the virus transmits – and about how to offer care and support in a Covid-19 context. The importance of the PAC report, and learning from other government committees, is that it emphasises in the face of further outbreaks that both local and national government must never again view social care as an afterthought to health. The core functions that sit with government around access to PPE, testing, support for the workforce and the right level of funding must be central to the social care task force focus.”

The NCF has examined how the UK has

and an undervalued workforce.

“The fact that we are not alone in this is not reassuring – but does provide a very positive goal for a government so keen on being ‘world beating’,” said Ms Rayner. “The opportunity to learn from Covid-19 and produce a ‘world beating’ social care offering to UK citizens should be the ambition of not just the short term Covid response, but also the long term reform agenda.

“The National Social Care Taskforce is due to report at the end of August. I strongly suggest that it will do well to stop reinventing the wheel and look hard at this international evidence, which offers a clear set of recommendations that on first glance the UK government failed at first time round.”

C O M PA N Y I N D E X Achieve together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Advinia Health Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Armighorn Capital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Balhousie Care . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17, 20 Brunelcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Burlington Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Canford Healthcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Care South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Caring Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Cornerstone Healthcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Gracewell Healthcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22, 30

Hamberley Care Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 HC-One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Making Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 McCarthy & Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 National Care Consortium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 New Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20, 38 Renaissance Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 RNIB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Sanders Senior Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Sunrise Senior Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

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news DIGEST

September 2020

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£22.7m funding boost in Wales Care providers in Wales have been allocated £22.7 million in extra funding to help meet the additional costs they are incurring as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The money is in addition to the £40 million the Welsh Government made available to councils in April to assist the adult social care sector.

Health and care minister Vaughan Gething

said the initial payment of £40 million helped the sector meet the rising costs incurred during the pandemic in areas such as staffing, increased infection control, higher food prices and greater use of information technology to keep families in touch with their loved ones where they were no longer able to meet.

“This further funding will ensure adult social

‘Not Forgotten’ to tour care homes

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The Not Forgotten, a British Armed Forces charity which supports serving and ex-service men and women has launched ‘Those Not Forgotten Years’, a nationwide outdoor concert tour of care homes.

The concerts are part of the charity’s centenary celebrations and aim to entertain, boost morale and lift spirits by reaching thousands of care home residents across the country during a seven-week tour that will run until October.

The Not Forgotten professional entertainment team will perform a set of popular classics and rousing favourites from the ‘30s through to the ‘60s with a special tribute to Dame Vera Lynn, so residents can enjoy a trip down memory lane and an entertaining singalong after spending many weeks in lock-down.

The concerts will take place as small garden parties served alongside tea and cakes, all organised in strict adherence to current Covid-19 government guidelines and in close consultation with care home managers.

Weather permitting, they will be held outdoors within the grounds, but if rain intervenes, the show will go on and residents can watch from their windows while the performers entertain from a gazebo.

Care South chairman retires

■ The Not Forgotten charity combats isolation and loneliness among the Armed Forces community through social activities and challenge holidays. If care home staff are aware of someone who could benefit from the help of The Not Forgotten, they can get in touch by contacting Tel: 0207 730 2400

Older people’s charity says providers need guidance on care home visits Tailored guidance from government is needed to help care providers facilitate visits by loved ones to care home residents, says older people’s charity Independent Age. The charity’s chief executive Deborah Alsina says care homes and their residents were consistently being overlooked when it came to planning for Covid-19.

“Receiving visits from loved ones could make a huge difference to the wellbeing of people who live in care homes, and benefit their families too,” said Ms Alsina.

care providers can maintain their vital care in what continue to be challenging circumstances” said Mr Gething.

“This is particularly so in the case of care homes which are now also facing financial challenges through loss of income as a result of increased vacancies in their homes due to the need to restrict new admissions to contain the virus.”

The funding will be made available immediately and continue until the end of September after which the situation will be reviewed again. However, provider representative body Care Forum Wales has described the extra £22.7 million in emergency funding as a “temporary sticking plaster” and that fundamental long-term structural change was needed. Care Forum Wales chair Mario Kreft said providers could not afford to wait until September to review the overall situation again.

“We need to start planning now so we can sustain the sector through this coming winter so that, crucially, care homes and nursing homes can support the NHS,” said Mr Kreft.

“As yet, the government has not done nearly enough to ensure that guidance is available to facilitate people across the country to safely visit their loved ones. Yet guidance for the NHS on how to facilitate compassionate visits during the pandemic has already been issued. We believe the government should build on this by delivering tailored guidance as soon as possible to enable care providers to open up to visitors as well. Care home staff and residents have been on the front line of this crisis and too often the challenges they have faced have been overlooked.”

Felicity Irwin has retired as Care South’s chairman, after being a trustee director of the not-for-profit provider for nearly 30 years and leading the organisation as chairman for 20 of those years.

For many years she worked closely with Susan Willoughby, Care South’s previous chief executive and, more recently, with current chief executive, Simon Bird.

Felicity is succeeded by Jane Stichbury, one of Care South’s existing trustee directors.

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news DIGEST

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

Care workers pledge to protect residents as lock-down eases As lock-down loosens in England care workers committed to protecting their residents from COVID-19 have made a promise to be leaders in the fight against the virus.

Staff at Hamberley Care Homes are signing up to the ‘Hamberley Hero Promise’ which recognises the responsibility social care workers have, not only in care settings, but in the wider community to stop the spread of the virus.

Care home residents are amongst the most

vulnerable to Covid-19 and staff at Hamberley wanted to show that they will do all they can to ‘Stay Alert’ as the rest of the country starts to return to normal.

Hamberley has launched the initiative across all 11 of its luxury care homes.Head of operations Charlotte Quartey said the ‘Hamberley Hero Promise’ showed that staff wanted to do everything they could to keep residents safe and well.

“While it’s wonderful that we are seeing an easing of the lock-down across the country, with pubs and restaurants opening, this could present

an elevated risk of virus transmission,” said Ms Quartey. “Our staff wanted to show that they were alert to these increased risks and would be an ambassador for their community, reminding people that we must all remain vigilant – now is not the time to let down our guard.

“The ‘Hamberley Hero Promise’ is not some legally binding document, it is an inspiring reminder that we all have our part to play in the fight against Covid-19.

“Our colleagues have been proud to sign this as they want to be part of the movement that works to keep people safe.”

Dementia consultancy service for care staff in response to pandemic

Nurse Cosmin Cionca and head of operations Charlotte Quartey signing the ‘Hero Promise’

A new service – Dementia Support UK: Connect, Consult – aims to provide immediate expert support for people caring for those living with dementia in the care home sector.

Funded by Innovate UK, and provided by HammondCare, the service is now available to every care home in England. In response to the Covid crisis, the service provides care home

‘Cheapskate Awards’ given to councils in Wales A “terrible ten” local authorities are being presented with Cheapskate Awards for paying the lowest care home fees in Wales during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The awards have been devised by provider representative body Care Forum Wales who say the biggest difference between the highest and lowest weekly fee per person is more than £12,000 a year – equivalent to nearly £500,000 in a care home with 40 residents over a 12 month period.

The “league table of shame” was revealed by the organisation which represents more than 450 social care providers in Wales and they are writing to all the members of the Senedd to point out the unfairness of the system.

According to Care Forum Wales chair Mario Kreft, the huge gulf between the top and the bottom payers was evidence of an unfair postcode lottery which threatened the well-being of the nation’s most vulnerable people and the future of social care in Wales.

managers and their staff with access to a trained consultant at no cost to provide personal non-pharmacological support - through video conferencing and telephone consultation.

Associate Professor Colm Cunningham, director of Dementia Centre, HammondCare said the new service addressed an urgent need to help people living with dementia in care homes, their carers and families.

“People living with dementia have been impacted by coronavirus and the social isolation resulting from restrictions on family visits has led to depression and anxiety,” said Prof. Cunningham. “The aim of the service is to help staff, solve problems and give them confidence. Our consultants will be able to offer advice and support and share their extensive knowledge of dementia-related behaviours. We are a listening ear and additional support to help them offer the best care.”

■ Care homes can access Dementia Support UK: Connect, Consult in the first instance by visiting dementiasupportuk.org

Exclusion of care staff from work visa is an insult The sector has rallied during this Covid-19 national crisis. We were hoping that care workers would be recognised, so it was very disappointing to hear the government’s statement on immigration.

Post-Brexit immigration plans by the government confirmed today that care workers are not classified as skilled workers and are not listed as a profession that qualifies for a Health and Care Visa.

Every care worker is highly skilled and a significant part of the care workforce consists of foreign care workers who spend their lives caring for our family and friends in need. The immigration policy is a direct insult to a hard-working sector who have risked their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic to care for those in need,

By KAROLINA GERLICH, executive director of The Care Workers’ Charity sacrificing their own safety and the safety and wellbeing of their families.

Care workers were on the frontline during Covid-19, fighting a seemingly losing battle, but never once wavering or giving up on those in need despite the overwhelming pressure and undesirable conditions. Some lost their lives, lost their loved ones, people they care for, financial stability, their mental health has even been affected. The consequences of Covid-19 have left scars that may never heal and yet they are still out there on the frontline.

It is unfathomable that their bravery and courage should be repaid in this way.

Denying skilled and competent care workers the right to enter the country under the Health and Care Visa will heavily and irreversibly impact a sector that is already at collapse from a struggling recruitment and retention rate.

Social care cannot continue to be crippled this way, it is already at breaking point and these new measures will only serve to worsen the conditions it is already facing.

We need to stand together and demand recognition and rights for care workers of every nation who work in the UK to support those most in need. All care workers are highly skilled and invaluable members of the workforce and should be treated as such.

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news

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

Care workforce growth continues The number of people working in adult social care across has increased again to 1.52 million according to a new report by Skills for Care.

The organisation’s annual ‘Size and structure of the adult social care workforce in England’ report suggests that if the adult social care workforce grows proportional to the projected number of people aged 65 and over in the population, then the number of adult social care jobs would need to increase by 520,000 jobs to around 2.17 million jobs by 2035.

Skills for Care’s Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) is funded by the Department of Health and Social care and uses workforce data supplied by twenty thousand frontline employers. The data used in this report for the 2019/20 period was collected prior to the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in England. Other key findings from the report include: ■ An estimated 18,200 organisations were involved in providing or organising adult social care in England.

■ An estimated 38,000 establishments were involved in providing or organising adult social care in England.

It is estimated that approximately 70,000 direct payment recipients OONAGH SMYTH: were employing their own Workforce will staff.

■ Since 2012/13, the number of have a vital role in adult social care jobs has increased by 9% or 130,000 jobs, future reform. to 1.65 million jobs in 2019/20.

■ The rate of increase for adult social care to see a significant decrease over the social care jobs has slowed – between 2014/15 period down 15,500, or 30% since 2012/13. and 2019/20, the workforce grew by around 15,000 jobs per year compared to an average Skills for Care chief executive Oonagh Smyth said increase of 26,000 jobs per year between the report was a reminder of the vital role the 2012/13 and 2014/15.

■ Since 2012/13, the workforce has continued to growing workforce would play in any future reform of the sector. “Their skills, knowledge and comshift away from local authority jobs (a decrease mitment to person centred care will support peoof 25%, or 37,000 jobs) and towards ple to live the lives they want to,” said Ms Smyth. independent sector jobs (an increase of 11%, or “We are grateful to all the employers who have 130,000 jobs).

■ The number of jobs in domiciliary services contributed their data because as we start to think about what the adult social care sector will increased at a faster rate between 2012/13 and look like after the pandemic it is vital we do that 2019/20 - an increase of 95,000 jobs and 15% based on the gold standard data in this report.”

- than jobs in residential services - an increase ■ The full report can be downloaded here of 25,000 jobs and 4%.

■ Registered nurses were one of few jobs in adult www.skillsforcare.org.uk/sizeandstructure ■

Hampshire trials robotic aids in care

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Hampshire County Council, in partnership with Argenti Care Technology Partnership, are to trial collaborative robots – or cobots – in the UK care sector.

Working with Japanese robotics developer Cyberdyne, the local authority is keen to explore how cobots could help with the physical demands faced by care sector staff. Already in use in Japan, cobots are worn around the lower back and actively support carers in moving objects or supporting people. Using electrodes, cobots can also detect electrical signals between the wearer’s brain and their muscles and convert his into motion.

The trial of cobots in Hampshire began in February and was quickly adapted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with further investigation of how the aids could be used to help manage the challenges faced by care workers and informal carers who are supporting vulnerable people at this time.

Councillor Liz Fairhurst, the County Council’s executive member for adult social care and health, said the trial was about supporting care workers.

“While we don’t yet know the extent to which cobots will help transform the delivery of care, early results are very promising, and I am increasingly confident that we will see them play an important role in supporting our care workforce both now, and in the future,” said Cllr Fairhurst.

Steve Carefull, social care technology expert at PA Consulting, which is partnering Hampshire in

the trial, said using a cobot had shown that care for a person with complex needs which may have previously required two carers working together, could, in some instances, be delivered effectively by a single individual.

“This not only alleviates some social distancing concerns but will also help to make the social care system more resilient,” said Mr Carefull.

“In Hampshire alone, it is estimated that an

extra 6,000 people in caring jobs could be needed over the next five years.

“Now, more than ever is the moment to embrace new technology.

“Our hope is that cobots could support care workers with the more physically demanding aspects of care, freeing carers up to focus on other aspects of human care or care for another vulnerable person.”

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promotion

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

Utopi Protect: attract new residents and rebuild confidence In a recent report, the Office for National Statistics suggested that between March and June 2020 29.3% of all deaths in care homes were caused by Covid-19.

Among male residents, this constitutes the main cause of death, even allowing for the 5% of residents whose deaths are unrecorded here because they died in hospitals.1 When residents are transferred between hospitals and care homes, there is a significant risk of disease transmission, in part because of the lack of digital infrastructure. Once the disease is present in a care home, the lack of available data makes containment that much harder. Andrew Morris, director of Health Data Research UK, has called the lack of data-driven infrastructure in social care a “catastrophe”. In a presentation for the Institute for Government, he pointed to the lack of information and intelligence and huge data deficit in social care, specifically in care homes.

One has to be reminded that there are 400,000 people living in 10,000 care homes across the UK. It was almost a complete data black hole. We couldn’t even define key variables such as the denominator.2 One effect of this has been a sharp decline in public confidence. Care homes owners and operators must show that they are doing everything in their power to make the environment safe for staff and residents in order to arrest the declining occupancy figures.

As Morris points out, there is a clear 1

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulation andcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/ deaths/articles/deathsinvolvingcovid19inthe caresectorenglandandwales/deathsoccurring upto12june2020andregisteredupto20june2020 provisional

2

https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/ events/data-bites-12

need for a UK-wide effort to improve data gathering and data sharing in health and social care, not only to meet the current challenge but to safeguard against the recurrence of pandemics in the future.

More immediately, care homes must stay open safely. This has been our focus since the pandemic began. We have developed a new product to augment our existing platform: an affordable, subscription-based mix of hardware and software that we call ‘Utopi Protect’.

Utopi Protect has been designed to give care home owner-operators the means to resume service with confidence, with an auditable data trail, collecting valuable data that can be shared with occupants or their families, analysed further to give insight, or used to demonstrate compliance with government guidelines on social distancing.

Utopi Protect uses IoT devices to thermal screen, people count, assess footfall in high risk locations such as toilets, kitchens, and meeting rooms, and to measure the utilisation of common spaces (reception, for example), giving real-time data through a configurable user interface. It can issue automated work instructions to staff or control aspects of the building under logical software control.

Its fundamental purposes are to: • Keep the virus out • Facilitate social distancing • Enable data driven cleaning, and

• Report in real-time giving compliance metrics As part of their wider Covid19 mitigation plan, any care home that can demonstrably meet these requirements will stand out as a safe environment, attracting new residents and kick starting the recovery of the care home sector. It will also attract and retain staff, something of vital importance as residents get to know the people taking care of them, forming meaningful connections that should be safeguarded. We know from recent research in integrated facilities management that the churn rate of staff is reduced in workplaces where safety, compliance, and user experience are maintained at a high standard.

Digital infrastructure represents a great opportunity for the care home sector, not merely to meet the requirements for reporting and safeguarding against infection, but to lead the way on gathering and processing data, lowering barriers to entry so that data can be shared more easily with researchers, in line with the “principles of open scientific inquiry” that Health Data Research UK advocate. Investing in digital infrastructure today demonstrates future-readiness, making sure that your care home is not only ready to safeguard the health of residents and staff, but to form part of a “new normal” in national data infrastructure. Utopi Protect is the first step towards a digitally-enhanced future.

Utopi protect can be purchased on a subscription basis, with no capex for the hardware. The software is built into the monthly cost, and all equipment is fully maintained. Prices start from £499 a month. With government funding available to care homes to help control infection rates, Utopi Protect falls squarely into solving this problem.

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CHH 2020 Overall Winner dps.qxp_Layout 1 12/08/2020 15:43 Page 10

competition

2020 Many congratulations to our overall winner for 2020 – Jordan Williams of Ty Mair, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire

Care assistant wins National Care Home Heroes Award Jordan hasn't been a care assistant for the longest time, however he's certainly made his mark within Ty Mair. Prior to commencing his role within Ty Mair, Jordan had never worked in care before and has said that without the support of Ty Mair

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and his colleagues, he wouldn't be the carer he is today.

Jordan is famed for his humour and his ability to make all our residents feel at home, something that is so appreciated by them all, as well as their families.

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competition Prior to the COVID pandemic, Jordan had just welcomed his new born son in to his family and is a dedicated father to him and his other son. Despite this, when Ty Mair was hit with a COVID outbreak, Jordan was one of the first to offer himself to work within the red zone area of the home. As a result of this Jordan felt it would be the safest for his family if he moved out of his home and therefore lived at Ty Mair for over 8 weeks, a time that was so difficult, not only because he was caring for the most poorly of our residents, but also because he didn't know when he'd be able to see his young family again.

Jordan had no idea that he had been nominated for this award, let alone won! To celebrate, ABOVE: From left to right Rachel Jones, Jordan Williams, Charlotte Charles and Peter Michael RIGHT: Ty Mair

we decided to hold a surprise tea party for all the residents and staff and announce this wonderful surprise! He was so overwhelmed and found himself quite emotional, when awarded with his certificate and gifts from all at Ty Mair, he responded by saying "I can't believe it, this means so much. I couldn't have won this or been the carer i am today without you all."

Our residents thoroughly enjoyed the celebration, with one saying to Jordan, "I'll have to have your autograph, you're famous now!"

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technology

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

A new world of hi-tech social care The care sector is in a time of technological change and the opportunities are exciting, says SILAS CAMPBELL, marketing manager at care consultancy firm Blueleaf. blueleafcare.com

W

12

hile great strides have been taken in recent years to get the care industry up to speed with new technology, there is still a huge way to go to achieve widespread take-up.

Robotics, AI, 5G and machine learning technology are expected to play a large role in enhancing and transforming care homes in the future. Technology is expected to benefit not just residents by combating issues such as loneliness, but care professionals as well.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is slowly being filtered across the UK, allowing for the monitoring of residents to predict the need for early intervention.

Acoustic monitoring is possibly the greatest breakthrough in this area with care givers, more than ever before, being one step ahead when a resident is in danger of falling. This type of technology is used by more 250,000 care receivers in 752 care institutions worldwide.

Beyond AI, smart home technology integration has become more prevalent in recent years. With the help of a home hub, care homes are in a position to control smart lighting and thermostats.

Social technology has also been integrated. Smartphones and tablets are a lifeline for residents to keep in touch with loved ones – especially so during the Covid-19 pandemic, and also provide a range of entertainment.

Information technology is also benefiting employees, who are able to use mHealth apps to monitor residents’ health and medical records. Even more significant are the vastly improving care

home management and eMAR software solutions. Streamlining and automating processes, technology will assist with daily core tasks and reduce workloads to allow carers to devote more time to residents.

Robotics Robots are in the very early stages of being introduced in care homes across the world and future possibilities are especially exciting.

While living in a care home can help to reduce feelings of complete isolation, loneliness increases mortality rates by 26% – it’s predicted that in the future, robots will combat this by offering companionship.

Robotic suits are also likely to have a place in care homes, helping residents who suffer from arthritis to stand and walk more comfortably.

Residents with gait disorders can use exoskeleton technologies to improve their motor function and increase their independence and there is a feeling within the industry that exoskeletons may replace wheelchairs and hoists in the future. As this development continues, it is potentially going to be significant to the future of mobility, and not just in the care sector.

Are there any drawbacks to an increased involvement of robots? While the possible future roles of robots in care homes are extremely exciting, there is a fear that they will “steal” jobs. However, a PricewaterhouseCoopers report has found that, while robots are predicted to have replaced 30% of jobs currently undertaken

by people in the UK by 2030, it’s estimated that this percentage is just 0.35% for employees in health and social care Another major concern with robotics in care homes is a general lack of trust. A survey conducted by The European Commission found that, while 68% of respondents thought robots were beneficial in helping people carry out their jobs; only 26% felt comfortable with the idea of having a robot companion when they got older.

Similarly, a survey by UK recruitment specialist Randstad found that 83% of people opposed the use of robots in care homes.

However, with positive reports of of robots being deployed in care homes in Japan, there’s hope that the use of robots in care homes will come to be viewed much more positively.

The care sector has adopted the use of current technology, such as smart home systems, patient monitoring equipment, artificial intelligence, and software solutions, in a bid to become more efficient.

The ability of robots to free-up carer time by taking on large volumes of administrative work, and subsequent ability to improve the wellbeing of residents shouldn’t be ignored – especially with the demand for carers due to rise over the next few years.

One thing is for certain: with many issues present in the sector, the ability to implement new technology will be paramount to the success of care homes in the coming years.

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legal landscape

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

Care home closures: reducing the chances T

he adult social care sector is in a precarious position with the recent challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic and staffing issues. There is a growing concern among directors of adult social services about the sustainability of care providers and the likely increase in care home closures. There are a number of factors that might contribute to a home closure but there are steps that providers can take to reduce the chance of this becoming a reality.

Pandemic pressures The financial strain on adult social care providers has been highlighted more in recent months. The Care Quality Commission’s recent analysis of providers through its market oversight scheme has shown an overall reduction in admissions to care homes during the pandemic. Its analysis shows that local authority (LA) funded admissions for the week ending 7 June 2020 has been an average of 72% of that which it was for the same period in 2019, with self-funder admissions as low as 25% of 2019 levels. Self-funder admissions have decreased in comparison to LA-funded admissions, putting added financial pressure on homes that are more reliant on people who fund their own care.

The care home sector has not been stable for a long time. According to the Competition and Markets Authority, care homes that have more than 75% of LAfunded residents are most at risk of failure and a quarter of the UK-wide care homes fall into this category. Then there is the challenge of LAs having to prioritise access to their social care budgets in the face of rising demand. As such LAs have been trying to limit how much they pay for services.

LAs’ attempts to save money at the expense of social care providers, as well as the disproportionate division of contracts between suppliers can lead to cancellation of contracts and removal of service users.

Ridouts has been successful at challenging commissioners’ attempts to reduce fees without the agreement of providers, as

By GEMMA NICHOLAS, solicitor, Ridouts Professional Services ridout-law.com well as obtaining fee increases through analysis of the commissioning contracts.

Such sums can make a big difference to the on-going financial viability of a home.

Staffing Covid-19 has highlighted both the resilience and the vulnerability of the social care sector. One area that is experiencing a lot of strain is care home staffing. Covid-19 has put an enormous strain on staffing levels within care homes.

According to Skills for Care, 34% of providers say they need more staff and sickness levels are now 8% instead of 2.4% – 5.2 million extra days lost in March to June 2020.

There are not enough staff in adult social care – according to the Kings Fund there are 122,000 vacancies at any one time.

Most believe that better pay is the critical factor in recruiting more staff, but better pay stems from LAs paying providers more for care, which may not be possible without long term financial investment in the sector. Such changes will not only lead to a more sustainable market, but improved quality care.

Regulatory action A number of circumstances can affect and lead to the closure of a care home, including and not limited to, emergencies such as infection control, flood or fire, market exit by the provider, workforce issues, suspension of placements by commissioners and regulatory action.

Regulatory action such as cancellation of registration by the CQC results in the closure of all locations owned by a

provider. While the CQC does not actually close services per se, the regulatory action of cancellation of registration renders it a criminal offence for a provider to continue to carry on a regulatory activity after cancellation. Other regulatory action can have a similar effect to cancellation of registration and therefore closure.

It is vital that with any closure, planned or unplanned, that the service is closed in a controlled way to minimise the effect on service user’s wellbeing, as it can be very distressing for residents to move. The impact for residents is significant as they consider the care homes that they reside in as their home. However, in an emergency, it is extremely difficult to minimise the effect on service user’s wellbeing, and often the obligations mentioned above are not carried out. Ridouts has dealt with cases where LAs have taken service users away in ambulances as the home has closed. This is particularly distressing for service users, family and staff and should be avoided wherever possible.

If providers are facing potential closure as a result of any of the scenarios above, seeking legal advice early on can help prevent such an outcome.

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27 November 2020

Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations for the 22nd National Care Awards. Year after year, we are overwhelmed by the outstanding quality of entries and this year was no exception!

Here at Caring Times we recognise that Covid-19 has had a widespread effect on the care sector.

Despite the challenges that many of you have been, and are still facing, we know that there are incredible teams, staff, managers, homes, and groups out there that deserve recognition to reflect the hard work and achievements of all involved.

The Gala Evening and Awards ceremony on 27th November will be the culmination of a process many months in the making.

We cannot wait to announce our incredible finalists, who will all be contacted in September.

The Awards celebrate the very best people in the long-term care sector, highlighting excellence and rewarding those who work tirelessly to provide consistently outstanding care, and we can’t wait to celebrate this incredible sector with you in November!

We extend a huge thank you to our Sponsors, without whom this celebration would not be possible. Special thanks to our Main Sponsor, Christie & Co for their continued support!

main sponsor

dinner programme sponsor

photobooth sponsor

drinks reception sponsor

category sponsors

Questions or queries contact • events@investorpublishing.co.uk Sponsorship opportunities contact • caroline.bowern@investorpublishing.co.uk

#CareAwards

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scotland

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

Care Inspectorate’s new key question SENGA CURRIE, head of care development (Scotland) for Quality Compliance Systems (QCS) outlines how providers in Scotland can best comply with the Care Inspectorate’s approach during the pandemic.

S

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cotland’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic has been widely praised.

With the country introducing lockdown measures much earlier than the rest of the UK, Scotland recorded its first case of Covid-19 more than a month later than England. Moreover, according to a recent paper published by the Centre on Constitutional Change, Scotland’s faster response meant that it reached the peak of cases nearly three weeks more quickly than did England.

However, many in social care circles believe the Scottish government acted too late to prevent the large number of fatalities in care homes. According to the National Records of Scotland (NRS), since the outbreak began in March, more people have died in care homes than in hospitals.

In order to meet the duties placed on them by the Coronavirus Act (Scotland) (No. 2) Act, the Care Inspectorate has brought in several key measures to protect service users and frontline care staff. The most radical shift in thinking has been to suspend the six key questions and replace them – albeit temporarily – with a new key question. The question, “How good is our care and support during the Covid-19 pandemic?”

It is not only vital that care providers have an in-depth understanding of the new key question, but are able to put the three quality indicators that underpin it into practice. This is the key to achieving an ‘Excellent’ grade. The question is, how do care homes do it?

Effectively, the new question has been designed to increase scrutiny in three key areas; infection prevention and control, personal protective equipment (PPE), and staffing.

Having worked as a registered manager for many years, I can say that the quality illustrations that the Scottish Inspectorate

provides are nothing new. Firstly, inspectors will check that a person-centred culture has been deeply embedded in the home. But what does a person centred culture look like? And how does a provider know that it’s present in their home? Perhaps the best way of finding out is through self-reflection. How do staff interact with service users, for example? Are they compassionate and warm towards service users? Do staff smile and share a joke with those they support? Do they listen to service users?

Are they attentive to their needs? If the answer to these questions is ‘yes’, then the chances are that a person-centred culture is in place, which is in keeping with the guiding principles of the health and social care standards.

Freedom of movement The key question to ask, is have the Covid-19 restrictions a care home has put in place limited a service user’s freedom of movement, choice and control? While the lock-down placed severe restrictions on mobility outside of homes – and sometimes inside them – homes should not resemble secure units or hospitals. Yes, there should be strict and robust infection prevention and control procedures in place, and barrier nursing restrictions imposed where necessary. But these measures should be constantly risk assessed, using effective tools to ensure that restrictions are kept to an absolute

minimum. Most importantly, every action must be recorded and logged with detailed notes stating the steps taken to ensure a person’s human rights have been considered.

Enhanced communication is another key area. It shouldn’t focus only on service users, however. It must also include relatives. At the most basic level, friends and family should be informed of visiting arrangements, and this is where technology has been a real game changer.

During the pandemic we have seen staff use video conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams to reunite families, who were shielding or selfisolating.

But with the use of such technology in care homes still very much in its infancy, there are best practice steps that providers should always consider. Firstly, care homes should check that anti-virus software is up-to-date in all equipment and training should be provided for carers who don’t have the requisite digital skills

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scotland to operate the technology. Government has a key role to play by ensuring that homes and service users aren’t digitally excluded. There is also a danger that some care homes might see technology as a substitute for direct contact, which of course it is not.

Infection control practices While PPE is an absolute pre-requisite, it doesn’t mean that staff should always don full PPE. Instead, they should frequently risk-assess its use and deploy it as and when it is needed. It can be unsettling and sometimes frightening for service users with dementia to encounter staff wearing masks, visors and gowns. If full PPE is judged to be absolutely essential, however, then there are a number of best practice points that staff might consider.

Firstly, they could write their name on their gowns, place their photo on their visors or talk or sing to service users.

Simple steps like these help service users to recognise their carers, which reduce any fear and anxiety that they might be experiencing.

Staffing To be graded as ‘Excellent’ in this category, the Care Inspectorate says that care homes must ensure that “the right number of staff with the right skills are working at all times to meet people’s needs”. What does this mean and how does a providers ensure they are following the guidance correctly?

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

The Care Inspectorate wants to see managers not just closely monitoring staff, but proactively intervening – albeit in a light touch way – when they sense that they may have experienced trauma from a bereavement.

Essentially, inspectors will look at whether staff can provide excellent person-centred care while closely adhering to infection prevention and control procedures.

If, for example, service users wish to stay in their bedrooms, care workers have an additional task of bringing food to six different bedrooms rather than serving it centrally in the dining room.

Are there adequate resources to do this? If not, managers need to think how best they solve the problem. If managers are unable to bring in extra staff to help, they should focus on mentally preparing staff in team meetings that their approach to person centred care needs to be even more flexible and supportive than normal.

Equally paramount is for staff to understand their role. Managers have a duty to keep their staff up-to date with current and changing practices and also to provide the necessary training and competence, enabling them to carry out their roles to the highest standards.

Ensuring mental wellbeing in staff is a huge challenge. The Care Inspectorate will

be looking for evidence as to whether extra resources have been put in place to manage their staff’s mental health during the pandemic.

The Care Inspectorate wants to see managers not just closely monitoring staff, but proactively intervening – albeit in a light touch way – when they sense that they may have experienced trauma from a bereavement. Managers need to create a safe environment for staff who are suffering from mental health issues. There should be an “open door” policy, and every home should have access to a network of support which includes GPs and counsellors. Most importantly, carers should never feel alone. Managers should be with them every step of the way. If staff feel safe and supported, they are more likely to embrace reflective supervisory practice and engage honestly in group meetings around mental and emotional wellbeing. This helps to build emotional and psychological resilience, reserves of which may need to be heavily draw upon this winter, should Scotland experience a second wave.

Dundee care home chef runs virtual cookery classes for foster care youths A Dundee chef has not let the lock-down stop him continuing to teach life skills to children in foster care.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Daniel Inglis, head chef at Balhousie St Ronans care home, had been sharing cookery skills with a group of five young people from Swiis Foster Care in Dundee.

Daniel hosted weekly sessions in the kitchens at St Ronans, covering everything from cooking their favourite dishes to budgeting and CV writing, until they came to an abrupt halt in March.

Daniel has since run the sessions virtually via Skype. Each participant is sent a box of ingredients for the online class and Daniel talks them through the steps remotely, offering tips as they follow the recipe together.

“It has been working well and the participants are still coming along and learning more life skills through our video sessions,” said Daniel.

“We’ve been cooking many of the young people’s favourite dishes during the sessions, from hunter’s chicken to sticky toffee pudding. We’re

St Ronans head chef Daniel Inglis

looking forward to being able to enjoy the weekly sessions back in our care home kitchen again soon though.”

Another benefit from the online sessions is that they have reached more young people as Swiis Foster Care have been able to post some of Daniel’s classes on their website which can be accessed with a special QR code.

As well as the young people attending the classes, some foster carers have also expressed interest in learning some cookery tips from Daniel and have enjoyed helping and getting involved with the virtual classes. Responding to demand, Daniel is hoping to organise a one-off session for the carers as well.

Balhousie chief executive Jill Kerr said the group was pleased to have been able to support Swiis Foster Care with this educational collaboration.

“It has been wonderful to see Daniel, one of our everyday heroes, make such a difference to these young people with his classes,” said Ms Kerr.

“Not letting coronavirus stop them, the virtual classes have been an inspired way of continuing the learning.”

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workforce – comment

F

or the government, social care reform may still be a prospect to be idly dangled in front of us as it has been for the last decade and more.

That does not mean, however, that the sector itself should not be working on the issues which will need to be resolved if and when any serious political discussion starts.

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

JEF SMITH says that, ahead of social care reform, the sector needs to get cracking on identifying the care worker skill set.

All about skills

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Fair Care Work, a report from the business school at King’s College London published earlier this month, explored a range of issues around employment relations in health and care. One suggestion it floated was the appointment of a special commission to review and establish fair pay rates in health and social care. Its proposal for the membership of the commission, however, revealed its heavily skewed thinking – independent pay experts, government, trade unions, employers, ‘and even service user representatives’.

The fact that service users are included as no more than an afterthought, with no mention of social care professionals or academics, shows how traditional an exercise in corporate bargaining and compromise such a exercise would be.

This manifestly business-oriented approach needs to be turned on its head.

The debate about pay has to be preceded by a thorough exploration of the skills a really effective care workforce needs to deploy, and this is a matter on which practitioners should emphatically be taking the lead.

The current climate is actually quite positive, as the Covid-19 pandemic has given a much wider swathe of the public a sympathetic insight into what care workers actually do. The government’s insulting designation of care for the purpose of immigration

regulation as “low skilled” – by which of course it meant “low paid” – has been contradicted by many tributes. Helen Whately, the responsible minister, has even described the job as “brilliantly skilled”.

It is vital to distinguish skill from motivation. No-one should doubt that looking after very vulnerable people requires personal qualities of empathy, commitment and warmth, but these are human capacities which many people display, and are not to be confused with professional expertise. Sympathy and dedication are not in themselves enough for the effective delivery of social care.

What the profession should now set about is a systematic examination of the precise skills care workers require. The organisation Skills for Care will doubtless claim that such work is its central mandate, but the detail of the analysis needs to be shared much more widely. It must not be lost among discussion of other (admittedly important) issues such as who should own residential homes and who pays for services.

One model might be the Clinical Nurse Grading exercise undertaken within the health service in 1989. Though terribly

What the profession should now set about is a systematic examination of the precise skills care workers require. It must not be lost among discussion of other (admittedly important) issues such as who should own residential homes and who pays for services.

botched in implementation, the worthy objective of Clinical Nurse Grading, introduced in advance of reforms in nurse training, was to set out in detail the differential skills needed and the responsibilities carried by nurses, auxiliaries, supervisors, managers and so on. If social care undertook such an exercise, it would expose – to select only a few areas – the skills needed to communicate with variously disabled clients, the knowledge required about social, rehabilitative and therapeutic activities appropriate to different residents, and – obviously –- the expertise deployed in handling the special challenges of infection control.

What care workers are paid is central to social care reform, but we cannot allow that debate to be conducted by a dialogue between on the one hand relatively weak employee representatives – there is simply no trade union organisation across large parts of the care sector – and on the other the employers, of course eager to hold down salaries, their largest recurring cost, and national and local government, the ultimate paymasters. In employment, pay follows status, and status is determined by the worth society places on a workforce. That’s why the discussion should be based on a close look at skills and it’s not too early to get started.

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promotion

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

Post Covid-19 financial sustainability and the VAT strategy of contract restructuring Given the recent dramatic increases in expenditure and the simultaneous significant reductions in income which the pandemic has wrought, both serving to add to the growing financial crisis which looms within the care sector, the need to address financial stability has never been more pressing.

The subject of VAT within health and social care could not be more pertinent than at this time. The Government’s recent ‘break’ in its treatment of VAT on PPE, albeit a temporary measure, has served to highlight the issue further amongst operators, with the importance of sector VAT strategy, as well as the wider policy issues around VAT rating, coming to the fore.

A subject central to our ongoing sector conversation around VAT planning is that of ‘contract restructuring’. The concept is not new to the sector, however, the technical detail of creating an operational VAT group and linking it securely, safely and effectively to the practical implementation through contract novation in a way that optimises the benefits, has been the missing part of the jigsaw. Without the complete package of both restructuring and implementation being securely in place, the process is, at best, unlikely to optimise VAT potential and, at worst, could lead to business exposure in tax, legal and regulatory terms.

However, when correctly structured and implemented, the process has the potential to unlock huge financial gain. It is important to emphasize that there are a number of key points which must be addressed before embarking upon restructuring to ensure that it is robust and secure for any care organisation. Firstly, the entire restructure must be supported by legal, regulatory and tax counsel.

Full disclosure to HMRC of the impact of restructuring on a group’s VAT liability must be considered, and any party carrying out such a process must understand, and be fully conversant with, the impact of HMRC’s DOTAS regulations in relation to tax avoidance. This is of paramount importance.

Similarly, although the opportunity is as relevant and significant to the not for profit sector as it is to the private sector, there are additional critical nuances for charities/not for profits that must be understood and applied. Equally, and in the same vein, a restructure without implementation can place a great burden on any operator and drain valuable resources which are needed and better used elsewhere. Restructure and implementation incorporating novation must be addressed hand in hand and simultaneously, as any other approach leaves any operator in danger of falling well short of their objective.

As well as a safe and efficient technical restructure, the crucial element of the process, and that which may have been considered as the ‘missing piece’ of the jigsaw and a stumbling block for operators in the past, is successful and thorough implementation. It is here that we see how our specialist knowledge not just of VAT, but also a thorough understanding of funding streams and a history of positive dialogue and trust with local authorities and CCGs reaps its rewards.

Coupled with this, it is our education of finance (purchase and sales ledger) personnel within the care operation, and our training in best practice and billing methodology advice which all combine to make implementation a success. A robust implementation strategy and project management approach which is firmly embedded in the finance function serves to streamline the entire operational fee contracting process.

In an uncertain post Covid-19 operating landscape, the immediate financial uplift available

to operators through a sound and well-linked restructuring and implementation incorporating contract novation is of huge significance. We estimate that it is likely to inject an additional £1 billion into the sector if one also considers the potential for retrospective VAT recovery in respect of CAPEX incurred 4 years prior to VAT registration.

Even if the ultimate goal of zero-rated status for the sector is eventually achieved, a combined restructuring and novation compliments and sits well alongside (rather than conflicts with) this aim.

In terms of moving towards Post Covid-19 sustainability, the opportunity presented by restructure/novation offers a financially challenged sector a very positive step forward.

Next Steps…

If you would like further advice regarding this opportunity, or if you would like us to prepare a free, no obligation cost benefit analysis for your company, then please contact: Rob Burton, Managing Director, rob@vatsol.com or Clare Newboult, Business Development Manager, clare@vatsol.com Office: 0114 280 3630

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moving around in association with

Appointments Balhousie Care, one of Scotland’s biggest providers of residential care, has appointed two managers at a care home in Perth.

Originally grouped together as they sit on the same site, Balhousie North Inch North Grove has now segmented with residential home North Inch and specialist dementia unit North Grove now having a manager in each unit.

North Inch and North Grove are two of 26 homes in the Balhousie Care portfolio.

Catriona Short, (above right), recently deputy manager at Balhousie Lisden in Kirriemuir and previously a senior carer, has joined North Inch to take the home into its new chapter.

Also as part of the plan, North Inch is undergoing refurbishment of bedrooms and communal spaces.

Catriona has always enjoyed working in the care sector and is looking forward to getting to know her team and residents better at North Inch.

Kaye McKay, (left), who has worked in care and predominantly with Balhousie since her school days, has been appointed manager at North Grove, which is being developed as a leading facility in dementia care.

With 20 years’ experience in the care sector, Kaye had been working in a senior role at North Grove.

After demonstrating her leadership qualities during the Covid-19 pandemic, Kaye was an excellent candidate for the manager position.

Canford Healthcare has appointed Shawndell Barker as manager of the 44-bed Parkfield House Nursing Home, in Uxbridge, Middlesex.

A registered general nurse, Shawndell brings a wealth of expertise and experience to the home manager role.

Over the last 20 years, she has worked in many areas of nursing, specialising in the care of elderly people.

Having taught social studies and English language briefly in her native Guyana, South America, Shawndell realised that her real calling lay in nursing.

She qualified as a registered general nurse and gained valuable experience as an intensive care and emergency nurse in a private hospital and, later, a nurse manager for a gynaecological clinic. Since moving to the UK, Shawndell has held several senior managerial roles including deputy manager and registered home manager.

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Corinna Foster has been promoted to deputy manager at The Hamptons care centre in Lytham St Annes, near Blackpool, operated by New Care and offering residential, nursing and dementia care for up to 76 people.

In her new role, Corinna will support home manager Suzanne Scholz in the running of the home including taking care of the residents and the team, managing the employee rotas and resident medication plans and ensuring overall standards in every area of care remain exceptionally high.

Having worked at the home for a number of years, Corinna is particularly keen to use evidence-based practice and encourage reflection and learning with the team and will do this through her personal blend of ‘coffee and chat’, making time to listen to each individual member of staff and their feedback.

After joining as a care assistant just over two years ago, Corinna has developed her career with New Care, progressing to senior care assistant and then team leader before being promoted to deputy manager. She is currently working towards her Level 5, Health and Social Care diploma.

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

HC-One appoints a new chief executive James Tugendhat has been appointed as chief executive of HC-One, the UK’s biggest care home provider.

He will join the company in September.

James has a wealth of experience from a number of different sectors, including health and care, as well as consumer and financial services. Most recently James led the European and international division of USbased Bright Horizons, prior to which he was chief executive at Towergate Direct. James spent a number of years with Bupa, working across several parts of the group, including Bupa International, as commercial director; Bupa Commissioning, as managing director; and Health Dialog, as president and chief executive. James is also a non-executive director of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.

“Throughout my discussions with the board and my future colleagues, I have been deeply impressed by the commitment of the company to its mission to be the first choice for families, and to thrive by being the employer of choice, sustaining quality with kind care,” said James.

“I have no doubt that HC-One’s culture and values have provided a strong foundation through this difficult time and will support it to build going forward.”

Sir David Behan, who has been executive chairman of the company since Justin Hutchens stepped down as chief executive in January, will be handing over executive responsibilities and reverting to his previous role of chairman of the HC-One board.

Clare Hall has been appointed the new registered operations manager for Brunelcare’s South Gloucestershire, Bristol home care division.

Clare started with the charity in July and comes from a background in care and corporate banking. Clare will use her previous career experience to improve rotas, client interaction and relationship management in her new role, making her office and carers one team.

Cornerstone Healthcare, which operates two specialist nursing homes in Hampshire for people with challenging behaviours associated with complex neurological and mental health needs, has appointed Janice West as general manager clinical governance.

Janice, who started working for the company more than 21 years ago as a nurse, will lead on clinical policies and procedures throughout the business as it expands its service.

Her expertise and dedication to her residents has seen her promoted several times over the years. Chief executive Johann van Zyl said Janice’s latest promotion from general manager of Kitnocks House in Botley, to general manager clinical governance was testament to her dedication to both the company and their residents.

“Janice will be making sure our clinical policies are consistent as well as embedding training and quality assurance in all areas,” said Mr van Zyl.

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catering & nutrition

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

Travelling the world through food DARWIN SERRANO talks about his career as a chef and his role as head of hospitality at Gracewell of Church Crookham in Hampshire.

G 22

racewell Healthcare is a premium provider which prides itself on the personalised services it provides to all of its care home residents across the UK. A vital aspect of the care the organisation provides, and one of its key priorities, is the catering offering.

Darwin Serrano is head of hospitality at Gracewell of Church Crookham, a 60-bed care home with nursing in Hampshire.

Prior to joining Gracewell, Darwin had pursued his career as a chef across numerous critically acclaimed restaurants and five-star hotels. Notably, he worked as a sous chef at the Dorchester Hotel in Mayfair, London.

“I started my journey at the Dorchester in the room service team before being moved to the main kitchen and working for six years as a sous chef,” said Darwin.

“I later moved to plated banqueting where I managed a team catering for an average of more than two thousand people a day. While doing this role I cooked for the Queen, Tony Blair, Nelson Mandela, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and many other royal personages from around the world.

“Every two years, there is a chef conference where all the famous chefs from around the world would come

together and cook for guests to raise money for charities. I have attended this conference three times now with Gordon Ramsey attending the last one I went to.

He made starters from scallops which needed frying off seconds before service. It would have been easier to prepare them ahead of time but Gordon, being a perfectionist, insisted he wanted it to be done the right way. In the end, myself and all the other chefs were there together frying these scallops off just before service.

After we’ve finished cooking, we all get changed and go out with the customers and toast with them.”

When Darwin was 17, he applied to work in his cousin’s hotel in the Philippines as a room boy, but they hired him as a kitchen helper instead.

While he worked there, he developed his love for cooking.

“I would finish my chores and then ask the head chef to teach me to cook and after three months I was promoted to chef.

“After I was promoted, I thought to myself “I want to learn everything about being a chef” so I moved to a three-star hotel after six months to build my knowledge. Once I had learnt what I could from there, I moved on to a four-star hotel in Manila to continue building experience. After two years in Manila I went back to the three-star hotel working as the head chef.”

Darwin worked in five-star hotels in the Philippines for more than five years as an executive sous chef. He was sent to do cross training in Hong Kong at the Holiday Inn golden mile, Peak Café and Mandarin Hong Kong hotel and this is

when he was offered the opportunity to work in England. Why has Darwin decided to become a chef at a care home.?

“After leaving the Dorchester Hotel, I worked at the Royal Surrey County Hospital for nine years. However, it started feeling like I was doing the same thing every day so I put my name online to see if I could find any new opportunities.

“I started getting calls from care homes with one of them being Racquel who was the general manager of Gracewell of Camberley. She completely sold me the role that they were hiring for and I started at Gracewell not long after.

“I love cooking, I love when people enjoy my food and I love getting to know the residents. It’s true that life doesn’t stop when you move into a care home so the team are committed to giving residents the best quality of life possible.

“I also love cooking dishes from all over the world and giving residents the opportunity to travel the world through their food. Some of the residents can’t get out into the community so it is important we bring the community to them. Before Covid-19, we loved throwing functions where they can invite their friends and family and also local schools, entertainers to celebrate with them. The main goal is balanced nutrition, we aim to give the maximum nutrition to all of our residents by having dietary meetings with the residents every week to find out what they enjoy eating, every recipe is sent to our head of nutrition and hydration to create a balanced diet.

“At Gracewell of Church Crookham, we have started an event called ‘The Captain’s Table’ which takes place on the first Wednesday of every month. We asked all the residents, if they could go on a cruise, where they would like to go around the world. Then, at the event, we put on a banquet of food from each of the locations that residents have chosen. All residents who have a birthday on that month are invited to dine with our general manager in our private dining facility, “The Captain’s Table”.

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promotion

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

Disinfectant to revolutionise fight against Covid-19 in care home sector The hygiene product manufacturer, Aqualution Systems, is working with the care home sector to deploy its, anti-virus, infection control, ‘Salvesan’ brand of hypochlorous acid (HOCl), disinfectant which kills 99.99% of viruses and 99.9999% of bacteria in seconds.

HOCl is gaining more and more attention as various sectors begin to understand its revolutionary properties and their role in fighting the Covid-19 virus. HOCl occurs naturally in the human body and when manufactured for use in infection control regimes, is completely non-toxic for humans, animals and plants, and is environmentally-friendly too.

Nick Meakin, CEO at Aqualution Systems, said: “Our product application system and regime is providing healthcare facilities with the best probability of protecting against infection and cross-contamination. The production and application of hypochlorous acid, proven to protect against Covid-19, is quickly, simply and effectively creating a healthier environment and helping care homes and other health facilities to protect people.”

Salvesan has been formulated using Aqualution’s own technology which was invented by its team of British scientists with a pharmaceuticals background. Available as a surface disinfectant, deodoriser, hand sanitiser and soft furnishing disinfectant, the product can also be applied via an approved fogging system for rapid air and environmental sanitation to supplement the physical disinfection with the product.

The Aqualution technology generates HOCl, the chemical produced by the human immune system to fight infection. The unique electro-dialysis process which was designed in-house, produces a stable, fast-acting biocide with many different uses, and, it is environmentally-friendly and completely skin-safe.

Professor Clive Bowman, ex-medical director, consultant physician, gerontologist, and visiting professor at City University London, has undertaken research with the Salvesan team and has been involved in its successful implementation with several care providers. He said: “Salvesan is used in our routine approach to hygiene at several large providers due to it being proven for infection control. Thorough cleaning with detergent followed by disinfection with hypochlorous solution (Salvesan) using individual cloths for individual rooms/areas is simple, practical, affordable, safe and highly effective insofar as hypochlorous unlike most disinfectants is non-toxic to humans.

“Good hygiene control during COVID-19 is vital, particularly in a setting where we are looking after vulnerable elderly people who will cough more frequently than young healthy people, and use their hands to grasp surfaces to help them walk and move around.

“Surface cleaning in such environments is absolutely critical, and we must be able to confidently rely on disinfecting products that are safe when used liberally on a regular basis.”

Many care homes are now using the highly effective Salvesan product and demonstrating strong results. The business is experiencing exponential growth as a result of Covid-19 and to keep up with demand, the business has opened a new facility in Coldstream, in the Scottish Borders, ten miles south of its primary manufacturing facility in Duns. The second unit has enabled the business to increase production by 350% to fulfil bulk orders and to satisfy international demand from Europe, the Middle East, China, Africa and Canada.

Aqualution’s products are already widely used effectively in many other sectors such as the food supply chain, including those supplying M&S, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s; in the pet care and veterinary sector; and around 10% of UK dentists (this has doubled in recent weeks as dentists seek to enhance infection control to enable practices to re-open).

Certification Aqualution Systems is the dossier holder for the approved active substance dossiers for the use of hypochlorous acid as a disinfectant under the

Biocidal Products Regulation EU 528/2012 which is the European legislation that controls the registration and approvals for biocides.

The efficacy of the products has been validated by the European Chemicals agency and tested to rigorous internationally recognised standards, and comply with BS EN 1276, BS EN 13704, BS EN 1656, BS EN 14204, BS EN 14476 and BS EN 1500.

The company has also been involved in a number of NHS projects and work with leading aged care providers in application science, leading to a number of papers demonstrating the effectiveness of the product in healthcare infection control, in “real world” applications, as well as in the laboratory.

About Aqualution Systems Aqualution Systems was set up in 2002 by a team of scientists in the pharmaceutical industry with a strong commitment to solving real-world problems and making a real difference. Today, the business is striving to lead change in the hypochlorous acid revolution. Its biocide products represent a new era in health and hygiene that harnesses HOCl, a highly effective, weak acid that is naturally present in the human immune system.

Find out more at www.aqualution.co.uk

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WEDNESDAY 11TH – THURSDAY 12TH NOVEMBER 2020 VIRTUAL EVENT BOOKINGS NOW OPEN Plenary speakers • Parallel sessions • Workshops Symposia • Posters • Early bird sessions • Special events

We are pleased to announce that 15th UK Dementia Congress 2020 will go ahead as planned as an all-new virtual conference. The congress will feature a full programme, including plenary and parallel sessions, question and answer sessions, offer a virtual exhibition area and lots of opportunities to network with fellow attendees and more.

We hope you understand our decision to make this change. We have been continuously monitoring the ever-changing circumstances surrounding Covid-19, and are focused on keeping our delegates, speakers and supporters safe during this time. As an exciting virtual event, we look forward to continuing to build on the success of the UK’s most well-loved multi-disciplinary congress on dementia care.

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

PLENARY SPEAKERS

• •

People living with dementia and their supporters

• • • • • • • •

CPD certified conference programme Plenary sessions, keynote speakers and a wide choice of parallel sessions, symposia and interactive workshops Over 40 parallel sessions to choose from covering the latest in dementia care, research, policy and innovation People with dementia and carers sharing their experiences Large and lively exhibition Themed and facilitated networking sessions Congress app Poster presentations Panel discussions and audience question time Opportunities to network and socialise with like-minded individuals

Paola Barbarino, Alzheimer’s Disease International Professor Linda Clare, University of Exeter Jackie Pool, Sunrise Senior Living & Gracewell Healthcare Dr James Warner, Imperial College London

careinfo.org/event/uk-dementia-congress

Programme: theresa.ellmers@investorpublishing.co.uk Sponsorship opportunities: caroline.bowern@investorpublishing.co.uk Bookings: events@investorpublishing.co.uk

in association with

academic partner

stream partners

satellite symposium sponsor

Association for Dementia Studies

A strong theme will be the way the Covid-19 pandemic has demanded changes in dementia care practice in all settings, the innovative ways challenges have been met and the way ahead.

Sessions will include: • Covid-19 – review, reflection and the road forward in dementia care • Innovations and evaluations in staff development, training and education • Creative ways to connect through technology • Music and music therapy – Individual arts interventions – Intergenerational arts practice • The ‘uniform’ question • A review and new guidelines on responding to stress and distress • Self-management, peer and early support • Care and support at home • Experience of people with dementia from minority ethnic communities • New dementia service models: Co-producing services – Social prescribing of arts – Housing with care • Best practice in sustaining post-diagnosis support groups • Reducing polypharmacy / Supporting mobility – practical approaches – non pharmacological interventions • Younger people with dementia – diagnosis and support • Carers and Families – caring in lockdown – distance caring – living grief and bereavement • LGBTQ people living with dementia There are also dedicated special interest streams on: • End-of-life care in all dementia care environments – challenges for care homes, enabling a good death, advance care planning • Dementia care in acute hospitals – Covid-19 workshop, innovation and research, arts and intergenerational practice

organised by

JournalOfDementiaCare

@JDementiaCare

#UKDC2020

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laundry

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

C

ommercial laundry equipment manufacturer Miele Professional launched its new Little Giants range in mid-July.

The new range has officially become available from 1 August and comprises the ‘Performance’ washing machine and dryer and the ‘Performance Plus’ washing machine and dryer.

The online virtual launch event comprehensively showcased the range of the next generation of ‘Little Giants’ which offers one of the shortest washing cycles of just 49 minutes, with a load capacity of 8kg, as well as controls to suit a variety of channels and users.

Joint executive director and coproprietor of the Miele Group, Dr Markus Miele, said his company had designed

Miele Professional sets new market standard with next generation of Little Giants

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and developed these machines to deliver perfect results in sectors that need to tackle high volumes of laundry while adhering to stringent hygiene standards.

“This is the most important launch for Miele Professional for many years,” said Dr Miele. “We are now more futurefocused than ever before. The new connectivity of the Little Giant range means that we are ideally positioned to move into an increasingly digital world and adapt quickly to our customers’ changing needs. This new range is part of our continual improvement and we call this ‘immer besser’, meaning ‘forever better’. The new Little Giants are the best range yet on the market, with our focus still being on quality as the core value.”

Environmentally friendly Due to the speed capacity of washing cycles, the new range washing machines require 22% less water and 28% less energy. Reductions in cycle times on heatpump dryers have been cut by one-third, to now less than 60 minutes. While casing dimensions have remained unchanged, washing machines and tumble dryers now have a load capacity increased by 25%. The Performance washing machines have been given an A+++ energy efficiency rating, while the Performance heat-pump dryer has been awarded A++.

Quality cleaning and fabric care Miele’s new range of Little Giants include the patented honeycomb drum, allowing textiles to glide gently on a thin film of water while additional perforations in the rear drum panel ensure even more thorough wetting. The new EcoSpeed wash rhythm reinforces this effect – slowing down the drum's speed, so that the scoop ribs can transport as much water as possible to the top of the drum which then rains down onto the load. Then, at higher speeds, water and particles are rinsed out with greater force, thoroughly washing even the most delicate of items.

Shorter cycle times with high performance The new range comprises robust, commercial grade technology and highperformance washing and drying processes, with cycle times of only 49 minutes for washing and 38 minutes for drying. The new heat-pump dryer has outperformed its predecessor by one third, with a cycle time of less than 60 minutes, using 60% less energy than a standard condenser dryer.

Easy to use and highly convenient The Little Giant’s wide range of programmes and user interfaces are tailored to user requirements, with newly developed controls and text displays in up to 32 different languages, facilitating a

variety of user profiles.

The M Select controls then permit programme selection via a rotary selector, giving access to further settings using the touch display. The M Flex Touch controls encompass a full touch colour display, offering a simple and intuitive user interface with a broad range of programmes.

High-level operational safety and perfect textile care are both crucial for sectors in which hygiene and infection control are a key priority.

Installed as a washer-dryer stack on a footprint of less than 1m², Little Giants are promoted as the perfect solution for organisations operating compact onpremise laundry facilities.

Fully informed and connected, anywhere, at any time The new Little Giants from the Performance Plus series incorporate digital networking for efficiency and convenience. This is brought together through WiFiConn@ct, which allows the Miele appliance to connect to the internet via a WiFi router. Using the Miele@mobile app on a smartphone or tablet, users will be able to check status queries, receive notifications, such as the requirement to replenish the detergent, and place orders on the Miele online shop. The machines also feature the XKM module, enabling users to validate and monitor wash cycles.

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legal landscape

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

Is CQC about to adopt a covert surveillance culture?

A

s far as I am aware, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not currently carry out covert surveillance of care providers. On the CQC website, the Scheme of Delegation, dated 1 December 2018, refers to covert surveillance but says that decisionmaking in relation to authorising such surveillance is “not currently operational”.

A wide range of covert surveillance can be undertaken by public authorities in England without the need to get the approval of the courts and it is clear that CQC is reviewing its policy in relation to covert surveillance in light of the following two reports:

Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights - The detention of young people with learning disabilities and/or autism published on 23 October 2019 The relevant sections dealing with covert surveillance by CQC are as follows: “Substantive reform of the Care Quality Commission’s approach and processes is essential. This should include unannounced inspections taking place at weekends and in the late evening, and the use, where appropriate, of covert surveillance methods to better inform inspection judgements.”

[Summary, page 4]

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CQC inspections and regulation of Whorlton Hall 2015-2019: an independent review by Professor Glynis Murphy published on 18 March 2020 The relevant extracts dealing with covert surveillance by CQC are as follows: “Where a service does appear to be failing, CQC needs to be able to gather more in-depth data than it usually does in its inspections, perhaps through a ‘level 2’ inspection, where more data is gathered from staff (independently from the service provider), more time is spent observing on the ward, and priority is given to interviewing service users and carers.

“In addition, most interviewees thought that CCTV or other method of covert surveillance needed to be considered as a tool in such circumstances, given that as all the inspectors and advocates noted,

By NEIL GRANT, partner, health & social care, Gordons Partnership LLP. gordonsols.co.uk once punitive and devious staff know that a visitor is from CQC they may change their behaviour, and this is less likely to be sustainable with covert surveillance in place.”

CQC adopted all of Professor Murphy’s recommendations, including number five, which recommended the use of covert surveillance where there were concerns about the culture of a service.

The current position CQC highlights its work on covert surveillance in its Executive Team Report to the July 2020 Board Meeting in the following respects: “We are reviewing our policy position across the organisation on covert and overt surveillance in June and July, from how we regulate providers who use surveillance, to how we as an organisation use surveillance to collect information. This work will be then informed by international best practice as recommended by the Glynis Murphy review. Once we have scoped what changes are possible within legislation, we will be co-producing our policy position with people with lived experience and families for their views on this later in the year to discuss how CQC might change its approach to this. This is part of our delivery of the Glynis Murphy review recommendations.” [5. Restraint, Segregation and Seclusion/Closed Cultures update, page 6] Conclusion I am not adopting a position for or against covert surveillance of registered services

by CQC but wish instead to highlight that this is being considered by CQC. At this stage, it is not at all clear what covert surveillance might be under consideration.

However, any form of covert surveillance,

if adopted, would represent a major change in the way health and social care regulation is conducted in England.

Significantly, the co-production of the policy will not involve care providers or their associations, if the statement in the Executive Team Report is to go by. The coproduction will be with people with lived experience and families who I imagine will be supportive of covert surveillance.

It is perhaps surprising that the authorisation of covert surveillance is not something that CQC or its predecessors have ever deployed, at least as far as I know. After all, it is used by local authorities quite liberally across all manner of areas, including consumer scams and taxi cab regulation.

If covert surveillance can be used by local authorities and many other public bodies to enforce the law, one can see an argument that CQC ought to be able to use it in support of its statutory functions.

What seems clear is that CQC is taking this issue seriously in the context of its closed cultures programme following the Whorlton Hall scandal.

Given the complex legal and ethical issues at play, I hope CQC will engage with the sector about a possible change to its policy on the use of covert surveillance.

However, I would not be at all surprised if CQC does not engage with providers on this issue as the more it discloses about its plans, the more the relationship with providers will be fundamentally altered.

The era of the CQC secret shopper could be about to begin.

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building with care

T

he Covid-19 pandemic has dominated both the professional and personal lives of everyone in the United Kingdom since the virus was first detected on our shores in January this year. Six months on, and after weeks of lock-down, we are beginning to hear some encouraging news from several vaccination trials against the virus. And, with the race for a massproducible vaccine gathering pace, there is the emerging possibility that an effective treatment could receive emergency approval as soon as the end of this year.

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

By PHIL ANDREWS, senior development & property director, Sunrise Senior Living UK and Gracewell Healthcare.

Designing spaces with infection control in mind

30

Yet, while many are optimistic about a quick breakthrough in a vaccination, the reality is that we have a long wait until the population is vaccinated at a level which will achieve a degree of “herd immunity”. At Sunrise Senior Living UK and Gracewell Healthcare, we are responding to this new normal by maintaining our current infection prevention control protocols and by preparing for a future which acknowledges that viruses of a similar genetic makeup to Covid-19 may become more prevalent over the coming decades.

As part of this response, we are changing the way we approach the design of our buildings, systems and behaviours.

A useful way to visualise this change is to imagine that, embedded within all our designs, we have an ambition to create a force field which is similar to Earth’s atmosphere around our homes. Of course, it is possible that some meteors (or in this case, some viral matter) may get past our defences, but we have a holistic and absolute commitment to protecting all of our residents and team members.

While this may seem like an allencompassing and dramatic shift, we are building into this new approach a commitment to ensure that these changes are subtle, considered and allow our buildings to remain homelike. Key to this balancing act is the increasing use and embedding of technology in our care homes, for example, the use of integrated online communication through a variety of platforms will continue to expand in our homes, improving connectivity between team members, residents, and their families through a range of multipurpose consoles.

We understand that we must be incredibly

agile when communicating the latest proposals with our homes, so we have worked hard to improve our messaging.

We know that better connectivity and stronger internal communications will mean greater efficiency.

The use of such consoles will also become increasingly more reliant on voice activated services, creating contactless pathways by decreasing the need to physically interact with such technologies and reducing the ease of viral and bacterial transmission. This method of control, along with “near field communication” mobile applications on handsets, name badges etc, will also be used to open power operated doors, lifts, and other internal structures.

Where physical contact on communal surfaces is unavoidable, we are also considering introducing further antimicrobial and nanomaterials which act as a hostile environment for bacteria and viruses.

“We are also investigating ultraviolet light, where this intense radiation is precisely targeted at areas which may be harbouring viruses and bacteria, as a method of infection control.

Also, the use of automated machines to sweep and clean floors is a well-practiced method in hospitals, and we will be integrating this technology into our future designs in some form.

Visiting Access control into our buildings is a key part to our infection control in combination with promoting contactless pathways. On top of our current practices, we are trialling facial recognition software that identifies our team members, reads

their temperature and if in tolerance, will allow the automated doors to offer entrance. In addition to this, our new online appointment booking system will be able to control the number of visitors to an acceptable level for the home. The use of QR codes has also been proposed and form part of the trial for visitors and contractors and the like.

The introduction of Tele-Med services is also set to grow considerably. This will reduce the need for residents and their supporting team members to travel to medical centres or hospitals for assessments.

This welcome development will help keep our residents out of environments where harmful viruses, such as Covid-19, and bacteria may be present.

Another vital aspect to ensuring the safety of our residents is effective and hygienic heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.

While we don’t yet know enough about how aerosols interact with each individual environment, we do know that systems must be designed to deliver as much fresh air into our buildings as possible, ensuring that, where possible, there is no recirculation of air.

The outbreak of the Covid-19 virus should not be seen as a “flash in the pan” event. Rather, the effects of this pandemic will be felt for years to come and we at Sunrise Senior Living UK and Gracewell Healthcare are implementing and investigating new ways of protecting our residents and team members as we face this new reality. There are a multitude of ways of adapting care homes to match this task, while maintaining a warm and homelike environment.

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activities

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

Residents’ smiles and encouragement mean so much

O

32

f the 18 years I have worked in care, for the last 12 I have worked at Renaissance Care’s Jesmond care home, a 65-bed care home in Aberdeen. Starting as a senior care assistant set me up well for becoming activities co-ordinator in 2013 and gave me a solid foundation for understanding individual care needs, a skill which is crucial in my current role.

As activities co-ordinator I’m focused on delivering personalised, individual care, and I’ve never seen it have such a profound and obvious benefit to the residents as it has during the Covid-19 pandemic.

One of the key values we share at Renaissance Care is that we really “see” our residents for who they are. True care is about respect and understanding so, all year round, the team and I work hard to provide fun activities based on the range of hobbies, likes and dislikes of the individuals we care for.

However. when lock-down measures came into place, our residents were no longer able to socialise together which for many is not only hard because they enjoy the company of the friends they have in the home, but a lack of stimulus can have a very negative effect on elderly people’s mood, memory and general wellbeing.

We have a number of residents who live with dementia and we knew they would be particularly vulnerable as they can often find it difficult to understand or remember why they have to isolate, which can be very distressing for them.

Overnight, we went from group activities and regular visits from friends and family, to separating all residents into their own room with physical visits only from the staff in the home.

Spending that amount of one-to-one time with residents meant I got to know them even better than I did before which helped me come up with fun and exciting activities I knew would spark an interest in each

JADE McGOWAN, activity co-ordinator at Jesmond care home in Aberdeen, talks about the challenges of keeping residents stimulated during lock-down.

Spending that amount of one-to-one time meant I got to know them even better than I did before which helped me come up with fun and exciting activities I knew would spark an interest. resident. Activities in their rooms ranged from games of dominos to pamper days – whatever tickled their fancy really.

We were lucky enough to also have some socially distanced activities, including performers who came to give us a show from the window. These types of activities really raised the spirits of the residents as it gave them a feeling of togetherness with their friends in the home, even though they weren’t physically close.

Keeping residents and their families in good contact was one of my most important tasks during lock-down, not just for the benefit of the residents, but also their families.

Thankfully, our management had supplied iPads to each home at the beginning of lock-down to ensure the essential communication between residents and their loved ones did not cease completely during what was an extremely worrying time for many.

Being able to “meet” each other on FaceTime meant a lot to the residents and their families and also to the staff as it was

fantastic seeing our residents’ reactions to seeing their family – something we are looking forward to more of now sociallydistanced outdoor visits are permitted.

As you would imagine, delivering oneto-one activity sessions to 65 residents was quite an undertaking and I couldn’t have done it without the support from the incredibly dedicated team here at Jesmond. From the kitchen team who have personalised diets for residents needing to get their strength up after falling ill, to the management and staff who have been a source of support to us all and of course to the residents whose smiles and words of encouragement have meant more than they could ever know.

26-45CT0920gh.qxp_Layout 1 12/08/2020 15:17 Page 33

Case Study Inter-generational approach provides secret to happy Stirlingshire care home In partnership with Ontex Global

At Falls of Dochart care home in Stirlingshire, an inter-generational and fun approach to care has been a positive for the community. Previously a hotel, it became a care home in 1995 and a registered charity in 2002.

On Friday 1st November 2019, the Falls of Dochart Care Home ran one of its regular Community Tea Parties to bring together GLÎ?HUHQW FRPPXQLW\ JURXSV LQFOXGLQJ WKH village nursery, the school and Connect DQ RUJDQLVDWLRQ VXSSRUWLQJ SHRSOH LQ WKH community with issues such as mental health and isolation).

Care Home Manager Mandy Hay, comments, “Our residents come from the local area and DUH OLNHO\ WR NQRZ WKH VWDÎ? ZKLFK KHOSV WR FUHDWH D UHDO IDPLO\ DWPRVSKHUH Our residents are also very active in the local FRPPXQLW\ IRU H[DPSOH JRLQJ RQ ZDONV visiting the nursery and attending exercise classes in the local hotel.

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H[DPSOH ZH UHFHQWO\ KHOG D :RUOG :DU GD\ DQG WKLV LQWHU JHQHUDWLRQDO DSSURDFK UHDOO\ works. The home is run by 10 volunteers on a Board of Directors and it really is a case of being run by the community, for the community.

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Ontex nurse advisor commented, “We started working with The Falls of Dochart Nursing Home 3 years ago when we took on the 1+6 FRQWUDFW IRU VXSSO\LQJ FRQWLQHQFH FDUH SURGXFWV WR 1XUVLQJ +RPHV DFURVV 6FRWODQG This is an extremely well-run Care Home, with ORYHO\ VWDÎ? ZKR UHDOO\ PDNH D GLÎ?HUHQFH WR the lives of their residents.â€?

For more information or images, please contact Louise Pinchin Call 07815 307592 or email louise@whiterosepr.co.uk

26-45CT0920gh.qxp_Layout 1 12/08/2020 15:17 Page 34

recruitment/training

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

The last few months have been some of the most difficult and challenging the social care sector has ever faced. But we now have an opportunity to transform the way the sector is perceived and valued, says VICTORIA SYLVESTER, director of Acacia Training, owner of two care homes and a former nurse.

W

34

hen the Covid-19 pandemic began, the instinct to return to the frontline was overwhelming. I haven’t worked as a nurse for 20 years, but I immediately knew I had to do something to help and I certainly wasn’t alone in feeling this way.

Within days and weeks, the stories of people both within the care industry and in local communities coming together to contribute to the effort were incredible, and like nothing our nation has seen since wartime.

Staff working in the two care homes we own made enormous sacrifices to ensure the safety of residents. They completely changed the way they live, the way they interact with their own families, so they could make sure they weren’t putting them at risk. They have cared for our most vulnerable members of society with a happy, positive attitude and a warm smile despite the widespread fear and uncertainty.

At Acacia Training, members of the team asked how they could best contribute. Many of our staff have a background in health and social care, so they volunteered to cover shifts at the care homes so that we didn’t have to use different agency workers, reducing the risk of infection. Other staff provided free mental health first aid and infection control training to anyone who wanted it, in any sector. Through this, they supported around 2,000 people in the UK and across the world.

Across the country, people who have never worked in social care, or haven’t done so for years, volunteered to return to the health and care sector. They took part in our induction training so that they could hit the ground running. Everyone wanted to pull together, and they did.

After this storm, a rainbow can shine for the care sector Shining a light on the sector The way that the social care community has coped with the Covid-19 outbreak has been nothing short of phenomenal. It’s already a sector with challenges, but this pandemic has certainly been one of the biggest. So many different aspects have had to be factored in – keeping residents safe, supporting their worried and distressed family, managing staffing – all within a changing environment.

We will never forget the number of people who have lost their lives and we never should. But I believe that we can also take something positive from this experience. This pandemic has shone a light on the brave, determined, diverse and talented people who work in social care and has given the industry the recognition it deserves.

The care sector gets a lot of negative publicity. We regularly hear reports about a care home that hasn’t got something right or how it’s a low paid, low skilled industry. Now we have shown that this perception is far from reality.

People working in care say they feel proud and more valued by others and volunteers who stepped in to offer short term support are realising that it’s a hugely rewarding sector to be a part of.

If we can see past the challenges for a minute, there are some great opportunities to continue this momentum and transform social care for good. Over the last few months the industry has welcomed so many new people and they have come from a range of different backgrounds, including students, employees from other industries who

have been furloughed or those who just want to help.

We secured a £50,000 Skills for Care grant to support training within the care sector in response to Covid-19. This funded virtual training for volunteers and staff who were new or returning to the sector, and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training for existing staff. In just six weeks we had used nearly half of the grant, providing 102 four-day inductions and 131 two-hour CPD courses.

We expect to have delivered the full allocation of funded training by the end of the summer.

It’s been incredible to see how many people have wanted to take part and how engaged they’ve been with the training.

Feedback has included comments such as: “I never realised care was such a great sector to work in and now I understand it so much more than I did, I think this is the career for me.”

Keeping the momentum going The rapid success of this Skills for Care grant has highlighted just how beneficial training schemes like this are in attracting people to the sector. It has shown that, despite the headlines and reports of a skills shortage, there are people out there who are willing and able to work in social care and this is providing an entry route for them.

Acacia Training provides apprenticeships, short courses and government-funded qualifications in the health, social care, early years and dental nursing sectors. For more information, visit acaciatraining.co.uk.

■

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management

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

Clover HR managing director MICHAEL DOOLIN outlines the issues care providers need to consider as they begin to bring their staffing levels up to a ‘new normal’.

A

s the UK Government announces further measures to ease lock-down, many employers in the care sector will be formalising their return to work plans to establish the “new normal”.

From August 1st the government signalled a change in its policy of encouraging workers to stay at home to now asking them to return to the workplace if it is safe to do so. This return to work policy will increasingly be at the employer’s discretion, but consultation with employees is essential to ensure they have a say in how and when they return.

In order to avoid a second spike in

cloverhr.co.uk

Unlocking lock-down – why HR is the key to recovery

36

Covid-19 infections, the safety of residents, staff and visitors remains paramount, so any plans to bring a full workforce back into homes must involve communication with staff to outline new working practices and redesigning work spaces to adhere to health and safety and social distancing protocols.

This next phase of unlocking lock-down could be a daunting prospect for care home managers and staff alike. It’s likely that someone’s lock-down experience – and the wider impact of Covid-19 – will have a strong influence on how they respond to transitioning back to work.

After weeks of lock-down and a complete change of routine that for many has included home schooling, furlough or even shielding, the heightened level of anxiety felt by workers in care settings could make a return to “normal” a very daunting prospect.

For some, lock-down has been a time they have enjoyed with a slower pace of life and a focus on families, while for others it has been lonely, restrictive and worrying. Either way, it’s important to recognise what a return to work might mean for each individual and how best to support them in the workplace.

It’s vital that care homes consider both the physical safety and mental wellbeing of their staff before returning them to the workplace. Here are five key pieces of

advice for how to make this transition back to work a little smoother: Coping with anxiety As well as returning to work, workers may also be anxious about their commute to and from the work-place, especially those who rely on public transport. While mandatory use of facemasks may reduce the risk of transmission, employers still need to ensure they address any employee concerns when planning their return to work. If it isn’t handled appropriately, it could have an impact on an employee’s mental health and cause further issues.

Making the workplace safe Care home owners and managers must make every reasonable effort to ensure their setting is as safe as possible for staff, residents and visiting family members.

■ Do a risk assessment to identify what might cause harm and take reasonable steps to prevent it.

■ Follow government guidelines on working safely.

Two-way communication Employers should discuss return to work or new work plans with all employees.

These discussions should be done as early as possible to ensure a return to work or any changes in protocols is mutually agreed between employer and employee.

Self-shielding People who suffer from certain underlying health conditions remain at higher risk if they contract Covid-19.

Employees living with vulnerable or shielding people or who have childcare responsibilities will also want to stay protected from the virus.

Employees can take a reasonable amount of time off to take care of dependents; there is no set time limit for this and is dependent on the individual situation, so employers must work with staff to understand each individual’s situation and hopefully mutually agree next steps. Also, if an employee selfisolates because of a disability this also puts them into a high-risk category, so employers should beware of indirect discrimination in this case.

Employees refusing to work if they think it is not safe to do so Given the unique environment and the impact that Covid-19 has had on the care sector in particular, some employees may feel they are unable, or indeed just don’t want to return to work yet.

Employers need to listen to employees’ concerns, be understanding and address them directly, by outlining the measures in place to protect them. By doing this hopefully it can be mutually agreed for an employee to return to work.

26-45CT0920gh.qxp_Layout 1 12/08/2020 15:17 Page 37

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26-45CT0920gh.qxp_Layout 1 12/08/2020 15:17 Page 38

building with care

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

New Care acquires site in Worsley Development-led care home operator New Care has acquired land in Worsley, Greater Manchester, for a 71-bed care home.

The one acre site, on which formerly stood the Cock Hotel pub, will now be demolished to make way for a new care home with a value of about £15 million.

New Care has worked closely with planning officers from Salford City Council on the design of the care facility, which will be arranged over three floors featuring fully furnished bedrooms with en suite wet rooms, communal lounges, dining rooms, spa assisted bathrooms, a hair salon and nail bar, plus landscaped gardens and a first floor terrace.

New Care chief executive Chris McGoff said that, with planning consent granted, work would soon begin on site.

“Expertly designed, the care home will provide the highest standards of care in a comfortable, safe and stylish home-from-home environment,” said Mr McGoff. “The facility will undoubtedly help address the ever increasing shortage of beds in the area as well as provide an invaluable support framework for the local NHS.” New Care worked with Manchester-based law

firm Beyond Corporate on the transaction. James brokered the sale of the Cock Hotel to Flynn, head of Beyond Corporate’s real estate New Care on behalf of Greene King, said the site division, said the deal was the second with New was ideally located.

Care that had been completed under lock-down.

“It is situated close to local amenities and within “This is testament to the power of business close proximity to the main road networks including continuity, with our real estate, construction and the A580 East Lancs,” he said. corporate teams working together with New Care and other parties and advisors to achieve this immensely positive outcome, during what are undoubtedly challenging circumstances,” said Mr Flynn.

“To close any deal at the moment is difficult, to complete a real estate development facility is a credit to everyone involved.”

Nick Hiddleston, associate director within commercial property consultants CBRE’s Manchester operational New Care is to build a 71-bed care home, typified by this view of another real estate team, which of their facilities, in Worsley, Greater Manchester.

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building with care

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

Sanders Senior Living to develop new care home site in Worcester Global property adviser Knight Frank has advised Sanders Senior Living on the acquisition and strategy for a new care home development site in Worcester.

Sanders Senior Living has completed the transaction for a purpose-built scheme in Worcester, named The Belmont, which will encompass 74 beds over three-storeys on a 1.8 acre plot. Each room will have an en suite wet room

: Impression of The Belmont, a 74-bed care home to be built by Sanders Senior Living in Worcester.

and the home will also include a dementia café, hair salon, lounges and communal areas, as well as private dining. Sanders Senior Living develops luxury care homes and is a sister company to Runwood Homes Ltd, a major privately-owned care home group that owns more than 70 care homes nationwide, operating about 5,000 beds.

The initial planning application committee meeting was postponed due to the UK entering lock-down, however permission for the scheme, which was previously a car parking facility for the former Perdiswell Park and Ride, was granted in April by Worcester City Council during their first ever virtual planning committee meeting. The scheme will create between 50-70 jobs, providing both economic and social benefits to the local community.

Mandip Bhogal, associate in healthcare, Knight Frank, said demand for modern purpose-built and future-proof care facilities would only continue to increase, owing to the UK’s ageing population.

“This is a fantastic coup for Sanders Senior Living and we are thrilled to have sourced and advised them on this strategic acquisition and development opportunity which will provide a topof-the-range care home for the local Worcester community,” said Mr Bhogal.

“In addition to providing a significant facility locally, this development is also indicative of the types of opportunities we will see in the future as demand for fit for purpose care homes outstrips supply.”

Knight Frank’s research identifies a potential 6,500 care homes at risk of closure over the next five years, equating to 140,000 beds.

Advinia installs ground source heating systems in major green investment

40

Advinia Health Care plans to reduce its carbon footprint by replacing the heating systems in multiple care homes with zero carbon ground source heat pumps (GSHP).

The scheme will see Advinia take advantage of government grants, removing existing gas and oilpowered systems, and replacing them with the clean energy alternative.

The new system works by recovering heat from 130 metres below ground floor level, storing that energy inside 2,000-litre buffer vessels and then distributing it around the care home’s radiators.

Head of property services Darren Miller, who is leading the GSHP project for Advinia, said the system would bring a myriad of benefits for the company, residents and the environment and, over time, save the firm millions in reduced heating bills and maintenance costs.

“The GSHP system allows us to achieve a number of our main objectives at once,” said Mr Miller. “We can reduce our carbon footprint, lower the cost of heating our homes and enjoy the benefits of a system with vastly-improved reliability.

“The savings we will make on heating bills and engineering repairs to traditional heating systems can be used to enhance other aspects of our homes. We aim to redistribute the money into areas that will benefit colleagues and residents.”

Work has already begun on the first six of Advinia’s care homes which will be fitted with the GSHP system. It takes 10 –12 weeks to complete work at each home, but the impact on residents and residents in the surrounding areas is relatively small as it is not a noisy procedure.

Advinia has partnered with Renewable Heat Generation to complete the work. They are installing the GSHP systems and previously worked with Advinia to install biomass heating systems under a government green scheme.

“With Renewable Heat Generation drill teams taking on the installation work for us, we’re confident we can bring in the project in time and

within budget,” said Mr Miller. “As well as the GSHP scheme, we’ve changed over to eco-friendly LED lighting in our homes now, and I’m looking for more ways to improve our carbon footprint.

“We believe in the collective responsibility of all businesses in the fight against climate change, and the GSHP system is a significant step forward for Advinia.”

L-R: Mark Roberts, Renewable Heat Generation, Darren Miller, Advinia’s head of property services, and Dr Sanjeev Kanoria, Advinia Health Care founder and chairman.

26-45CT0920gh.qxp_Layout 1 12/08/2020 15:17 Page 41

REPUTATION

DISCRETION

To Buy: 0844 7011 821 To Sell: 0844 3877 498

Redwoods Dowling Kerr

KNOWLEDGE

www.redwoodsdk.com/healthcare

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Impressive domiciliary care business

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BUSINESSES ON THE MARKET Care Home, Surrey

Residential Care Home, East Sussex

tĞůů ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚĞĚ ĐĂƌĞ ŚŽŵĞ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ĞůĚĞƌůLJ͕ ƌĞŐŝƐƚĞƌĞĚ for 23 residents Fee income of £887k (y/e 2019) with an EBITDA of £270k Planning permission granted for a further 21 registered beds

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26-45CT0920gh.qxp_Layout 1 12/08/2020 15:17 Page 42

building with care

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

McCarthy and Stone launch £100m land acquisition fund A £100 million land acquisition fund has been launched by major UK developer and manager of retirement communities, McCarthy and Stone, and it is seeking to redevelop a variety of health and social care sites currently occupied by care homes, GP surgeries and other similarly sized medical premises.

In response to the Prime Minister’s call to “build, build, build”, McCarthy and Stone is looking to work with businesses and landowners to identify 60 or more sites over the next year which are suitable for the development of new retirement communities.

The move follows successful ventures between McCarthy and Stone and care home operators who are looking to re-purpose premises or sell surplus land to enable the renewal or growth of facilities elsewhere, along with many other care home operators and medical practitioners.

McCarthy and Stone is looking for sites between 0.5 to five acres on central brownfield locations, ideally with level access to shops, and in a prominent location close to the high street or to local amenities. It will consider every type of land deal, whether unconditional purchase, conditional contract or option agreement.

There is also an appetite to develop sizeable sites jointly if a healthcare element is required, and the company will also consider building a healthcare unit, a doctors’ surgery or pharmacy for instance, within the new building, with operators and the future residents benefiting from the end use.

McCarthy and Stone chief executive John Tonkiss said the 60 new sites would complement the company’s existing workflow, it having purchased 200 sites over the last four years. The sites would provide private apartments and bungalows across a range of tenures with on-site care and support services for older people.

“The Prime Minister is spot on in recognising that housebuilding will be central to the UK’s recovery effort, and more and better housing for older

JOHN TONKISS: We now need new land, and lots of it

people is a critical part of the mix,” said Mr Tonkiss.

“We believe our land acquisition fund has the potential to yield long-lasting knock-on effects for the health and social care sector, not least because the regeneration of brownfield sites will free-up capital for operators, business owners and medical practitioners looking to reinvest in growth and create jobs. What’s more, centrally located retirement communities have a role to play in the government’s drive to revive town centres, and new developments which bring new customers into an area could provide a lifeline for local businesses.

“We now need new land, and lots of it, in order to satisfy this vital initiative. For more than 40 years, we’ve accumulated a deep understanding of what our customers want – and also what is expected by landowners and other partners with whom we collaborate. Professionalism, efficiency, expertise – these are the qualities we’ve nurtured over many years so that when we agree to buy a site, we can perform a swift turnaround with an optimum return for sellers.

“With generous commissions available for the right sites, I would urge landowners to submit their introductions directly to us without delay. They will be treated in the strictest confidence.”

Despite a challenging few months of trading caused by the national lock-down, McCarthy and Stone is in a very strong cash position. The company has also secured £300 million from the Government’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) to support its plans.

The developer is predicting a strong increase in the demand for retirement living, given that those aged 65-plus are set to grow by 43% in the next 20 years. McCarthy and Stone says its 441 existing communities have also proved safe places to be for its homeowners during the Covid-19 pandemic, where the impact of the virus has been around half that seen among the 65-plus population generally.

■ To find out more, go to mccarthyandstone.co.uk/ about-us/land-planning-and-construction/landacquisition/. New site introductions can be submitted directly via email to landwanted@mccarthyandstone.co.uk

42 DEVELOPMENT SITE FOR SALE WITH FULL PLANNING PERMISSION FOR A 65 BEDROOM CARE HOME New Road, Studley, Warwickshire, B80 7LZ

Freehold Guide Price £1.8 million

REF: 4270213

• 65 bedroom “best in class” care home development scheme • Full planning permission granted • Site area c. 1.13 acres

• Consented gross internal area 3395.4 sq m equating to c. 52.2 sq m per resident Artist’s impression of proposed care home

Please contact Jordan Rundle at Christie & Co for more information T: +44 7711 767 180 E: Jordan.Rundle@christie.com

• Close to village centre amenities • )DYRXUDEOH GHPRJUDSKLF SUR̰OH

christie.com

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September 2020

www.careinfo.org

Report confirms that ‘Outstanding’ homes attract premium fees Research by care property consultancy Carterwood highlights variations in private elderly fee rates across the East of England, London, the South East, the South West, Scotland, and investigates how fee rates vary when factors such as regulatory rating, year of first registration and dementia care provision are taken into account.

Carterwood reports that care homes in England with an “Outstanding” rating have on average between 12% to 24% higher self-funded fee rates compared to homes rated “Good”. The total data sample set shows a 13.4% increase in fee rates for Outstanding vs Good homes. However, there is comparatively little difference between English homes rated across other CQC grades and there is, on balance, no difference in self-funded fee rates between a home that Requires Improvement and one that is rated Inadequate.

Carterwood has collected consistent, accurate self-funded quoted fee rates for 86% of the elderly care homes with 30-plus beds in the following regions: East of England, London, South East, South West, Scotland. Care homes in the South East charge the highest self-funded fee rates (£1,351 average). Homes in all five regions charge more than £1,000 per week for nursing care, and four of the five have average nursing care fees of more than £1,200 per week. There is, however, significant variation at the local authority level.

Across all regions, Carterwood reports a strong correlation between age of home and fee rates with the most recent developments able to charge a significant premium over older stock. Nevertheless, self-funded average rates across all homes in Scotland and Southern England are high.

Overall, 21% and 31% of nursing and personal care fee rates respectively show a premium for dementia care over general elderly frail rates where they are registered for both care categories.

Fees for nursing care dementia are on average 1.1% higher than standard older people’s nursing care, and personal care dementia fees are 2.7% higher than standard personal care. Where homes have specialist dementia units in larger mixed registration homes and they do differentiate fee rates then the premiums are significantly higher at 4.5% and 8.4%, for nursing and personal care, respectively.

Perseus appoints Duck as construction director Retirement living builder Perseus Land & Developments has appointed Tom Duck as construction director.

A chartered project manager with 20 years’ construction project management experience, Tom joins Perseus from Fed3 Projects, a niche project management consultancy focused on the healthcare sector, where he was a director. He has specifically spent the last five years working with Signature Senior Lifestyle on delivering its pipeline of luxury care homes in London and the South East.

Perseus was launched by care homes specialist Tom Duck Duncan Ford in September 2018 in a funding partnership with Barwood Capital, a Northamptonbased UK regional real estate investment and development specialist. Perseus has now acquired 12 sites across the UK for care homes, retirement accommodation and extra care accommodation.

43

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business & property

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

Making Space sells 20-bed home to NCC National Care Consortium (NCC) has acquired a 20-bed residential nursing home from Making Space.

Gables Manor, with a CQC Good rating, is a Lincolnshire home, providing care and support to adults living with learning disabilities and associated needs.

Adult health and social care charity Making Space has sold the service, commissioned by Lincolnshire County Council, as part of a strategic refocusing of its learning disability services.

Gaynor Chisnall, director of operations, Making Space, said the company had operated Gables Manor since January 2010.

“Since the beginning, we have been incredibly proud of how our team has operated,” said Ms Chisnall. “The love and affection they show for residents and their ongoing commitment to caring for people has always been extremely strong, which is reflected in the Good CQC rating.

“The current team will continue to support residents as they transfer to the new provider, NCC. With NCC's experience in providing quality, specialist care and the current Gables Manor team giving continuity, we are confident that Gables Manor and residents will have a positive future.

Gables Manor, a 20-bed nursing home in Lincolnshire, has been acquired by National Care Consortium from Making Space.

PROPERTIES AND BUSINESSES SOLD

Mapleford Nursing Home Location

Accrington, Lancashire

Registration

Longridge Location

Dunston, Stafford

Registration Buyer

previously 32 dementia

54 elderly

Buyer

Orbital Care Services Ltd

Seller

Sold on behalf of Administrators

Agent

Christie & Co

Tel

0113 380 2705

Agent Tel

Mr David Green DC Care 07825 353748

George Hythe House & Holmfield Dementia Day Centre

44

Location

Leicester, Leicestershire

Registration

S5 Care Ltd

Seller

Nottingham Community Housing Association

Tel

Location Registration Agent Tel

Southampton, Hampshire 23 elderly Christie & Co 01962 844455

43 elderly

Buyer Agent

Linden House

Let us know!

Email: editor@caringtimes.plus.com

Achieve together makes acquisition

Mr Gary Parker & Mr Greg Watson, from specialist childcare operators New Reflexions

Seller

Bought a care home?

NGA Care 07943 107 887

■ Information appearing in “Care Businesses Sold” is published in good faith that the information is accurate and cleared for publication. The onus for accuracy is on the property agent. Caring Times will not publish, in a subsequent issue, corrections or alterations to information supplied.

Agents, please note that items cannot be withdrawn once the copy deadline has passed.

We advise readers to confirm any details with the property agent concerned.

A major provider of support for people with learning disabilities, autism and associated complex needs, Achieve together, has acquired Norfolk-based care provider Progress Pathways.

Achieve together provides specialist support to more than 2,000 people in 350 services across England and Wales, including eight services across Norfolk.

Founded in 2008, Progress Pathways’ services include a 7-bed and a 3-bed residential service in the village of Marham and a domiciliary support service for young people and adults with learning disabilities and associated complex needs.

Achieve together chief executive Emma Pearson said the two organisations shared an outlook of putting the people we support at the heart of what they did, as well as a joint commitment to providing the highest standards of care and support.

“We are looking forward to continuing to work closely with the new services, as we endeavour to ensure that every person we support has the opportunities they need to reach their full potential,” said Ms Pearson.

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news

September 2020

www.careinfo.org

Armighorn Capital acquires Amberleigh House Amberleigh House care home in Aintree, Liverpool, is under the new ownership of West Midlandsbased healthcare provider Armighorn Capital.

The deal is the latest in a round of acquisitions for Armighorn Capital, which currently operates five homes across the Midlands and West Yorkshire, managing the care of about 350 elderly resident.

The acquisition was funded by a £2 million package provided by Frontier Development Capital, which includes funding for two more acquisitions in Liverpool.

The newly named “Abbey Wood Park Nursing Home” is located adjacent to Aintree Hospital and will soon be opened, following a full refurbishment programme that is currently underway. Abbey Wood Park will be able to offer beds and services for up to 38 residents.

Armighorn Capital director Navjot Singh said his company had a strong track record of reopening, and transforming, care homes requiring improvement.

“Residents are our most important priority and that is why, when acquiring a new site, we work hard to not only to make physical upgrades, but also assess and implement operational changes to raise service quality,” said Mr Singh. “We plan to apply the same principles to Abbey Wood Park, ensuring that existing and future residents receive the highest standard of care.

“This £2 million funding line, in addition to the initial £3 million investment received in 2019 from Frontier Development Capital’s growth capital team, enables Armighorn Capital to continue the delivery of our ambitious growth plans.”

Frontier Development Capital chief executive Sue Summer said the investor continued to invest across the UK during the pandemic, and expected businesses to require even greater support as lockdown was eased and for the foreseeable future.

“We welcome a dialogue with any UK company seeking a flexible funding package irrespective of the apparent impact that Covid-19 has brought," said Ms Summer.

A refurbished bedroom at Abbey Wood Park Nursing Home in Liverpool, recently acquired by Armighorn Capital.

Joint venture buys Tate House in Harrogate Savills, on behalf of the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), has sold Tate House, a 39-bed care home in Harrogate, to a joint venture between Angela Swift Developments (Harrogate) Ltd (ASD) and Burlington Care for an undisclosed price.

ASD will take full ownership of Tate House while Burlington Care will assume the operational side of the asset. In the coming months ASD will make significant improvements to the quality of the accommodation at the home.

RNIB director of care, safeguarding and education Nick Apetroaie said Tate House had

delivered excellent care over the decades, but it was now time to hand over the service to a specialist provider.

“We are pleased to have found such an experienced and respected care provider to continue running the service to a high standard,” said Mr Apetroaie. “We are confident that Burlington Care will continue to provide the highest standards of individualised care and support to all residents.”

ASD and Burlington Care were advised by HPC – Healthcare Property Consultants Ltd – who have worked with both organisations on a number of previous projects.

Homefield Grange joins Caring Homes Caring Homes has acquired Homefield Grange, a 64-bed care home in the Dorset village of Winkton, Christchurch, offering residential, nursing and dementia care.

All bedrooms are en suite and decorated to a hotel standard. Rooms come with flat screen TV, telephone point, safety features and nurse call system. Facilities at Homefield Grange also include a café, a cinema room, dining room and a hair and beauty salon, as well as landscaped gardens.

Caring Homes was established by registered nurse Helena Jeffery and her son, Paul, with one care home in 1994. Since then, the company has grown its portfolio to 69 homes, and remains a family-run business.

LEFT: Homefield Grange in Winkton, Christchurch.

45

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CT Compass false cover 2020 v2.qxp_Layout 1 13/08/2020 13:24 Page 3

company profile

Compass Associates

www.compassltd.co.uk

Compass core values during lockdown he elderly care sector has been a shining example of selflessness – even more so than usual – during the pandemic. Staff have gone above-and-beyond what is expected of them and are fully deserving of the national recognition they are receiving.

Just as the nation has recognised the hard work of health care professionals, Compass Associates have doubled our focus on both employee and peer to peer recognition in order to remind employees of their individual value to the business. Our peer recognition scheme enables colleagues to identify, appreciate and celebrate acts which embody the organisations core values daily.

It is often debated whether a company’s culture should influence its values or vice versa.

At Compass Associates we feel that regardless of origin our values are an honest and accurate reflection of how we work every day.

T

Our core values are: n n n n n n

Delivery of Service Teamwork Flexibility & Adaptability Entrepreneurial Spirit Professional Development Professionalism & Integrity

Enabling employees to nominate across both divisions and offices our values are continually instilled and daily nominations culminate in an annual award ceremony where these acts are rewarded more formally.

Lockdown has provided ample opportunity for the team to exceed client and candidate expectations through outstanding acts. We understand the importance of the work being undertaken by each and every person who works in the elderly care sector and are proud to be able to make a small impact through the provision of staff.

Consultants worked as a team to arrange Zoom calls across the business to share processes, advice, and practices between themselves. In turn this helped ensure all candidates felt adequately prepared for interviews and suitably informed of the provider and role.

Clients in need of quick hires were not delayed by the working from home restrictions and virtual calls provided an effective way to qualify positions rigorously. By facilitating two-

stage interviews through online mediums consultants were able to work adapt to the pandemic and minimise the impact on our client’s recruitment process in a time critical period.

Throughout the course of lockdown, multiple milestones were achieved ranging from the first entirely digital hire, first remote placement and the first remotely on-boarded candidate, to name a few. For the Compass Associates Care Home division in particular, delivery of service was not only maintained but exceeded through a number of business-critical hires. One client cited a placement as ‘the single most important hire they’ve ever had to make’.

Consequently, there have been more than 184 placements facilitated by Compass

Associates since the Prime Minister’s lockdown announcement; including 59 elderly Home Managers for providers who operate across the UK. As a result, the value in highlighting the excellent work undertaken by employees, particularly in the final 3 months of the year was more important than ever. For this reason, the end of 2019/20 Financial Year Compass Core Values Awards saw a slight difference to the previous year’s format. In lieu of being able to get together as a group for a ceremony, the entire company was invited to join a Zoom call.

With over 70 of us online the Directors were able to personally thank everyone for their continued hard work, and present awards for each of the six core values whilst referring to the peer to peer nominations which had resonated the most amongst Compass employees.

Compass Associates would like to take this opportunity to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone in the elderly care sector who have been working so hard – your actions have inspired generations, and we are grateful to be a very small part of that.

5 minutes with… Tom Berrisford – Divisional Lead (North), Elderly Care What made you choose a career in recruitment?

After finishing University, I always wanted to pursue a career in sales and marketing and enjoy the atmosphere of working in Manchester city centre.

Compass gave me the opportunity to try my hand in recruitment which I knew would allow me to utilise skills and attributes I had acquired whilst at university, playing sports and in previous jobs.

■

What do you enjoy most in your role?

The people I work with, both within Compass and externally, are a major reason for why I enjoy my role. There is an abundance of positive energy and enthusiasm amongst my peers and clients, which gives me the motivation to produce my best work and provide a high quality service to all my contacts.

■

How has recruiting in the elderly care sector changed for you during lockdown?

Although COVID-19 has brought with it a tragic loss of life across the sector, there are some small positives I think businesses will take from this experience when recruiting new talent in the future.

Gone are the days of candidates travelling across country to attend an interview. With the use of interactive technology (Zoom, Teams, Whatsapp, Facetime etc.) companies have been able to continue their recruitment drive from the comfort of their own homes! By adapting and modernising the way companies have recruited, I have seen an efficient turnaround in new hires and so far it has been a very successful experience.

■

What’s the best thing about working for Compass Associates?

As mentioned earlier, I really enjoy the unity and comradery we have within the business. I’ve made some lifelong pals, enjoyed some incredible memories and attended far too many end of quarters which have never disappointed.

■

What are you passionate about outside of work?

I’m a ‘wannabe Rory Mcllroy’ in the summer – all the gear no idea kind of golfer, as well a huge Stoke fan (when we’re doing well) and a part time cricket fan. Outside of sport I live and breathe Manchester, I love the city vibe and exploring all our incredible restaurants, bars and clubs.

■

3

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