Cornwall Care Autumn 2015

CornwallCare y Say Because we’re individuals

M

Autumn: 2015

CARE HOMES IN THE

SPOTLIGHT

FINDING OUT WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON

r o f e m o h A new

HOPE AT TRENGROUSE SUMMER FETES ACROSS CORNWALL

THE NEWS

Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards Summer at Cornwall Care

MY MOMENTS Sergio Oliveria

“Acting with Passion to Achieve Extraordinary Care… Because we’re individuals”

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to the Autumn Edition of

Cornwall Care Cornwall Care House Glenthorne Court Truro Business Park Truro, TR4 9NY 01872 261787 welcome@cornwallcare.org www.cornwallcare.com

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Contents

Over the last few months we have all been very busy; we have had lots of fantastic summer events to attend and organise, and there have been some pretty big news stories too.

Our homes have been creating fantastic experiences and events for our residents, our Maintenance team have been improving our homes across Cornwall in compliance with the CQC inspections, Property have been developing our Care Village plans (which we are very excited about), we’ve been part of the first-ever Truro & Penwith College Apprenticeship Awards, and our staff have been doing what they do best, working continuously to provide our residents and clients with the best possible care.

The biggest news that was released this season however, was the announcement that our CEO, Douglas Webb had decided to step down after 12 years in post.

Douglas has made a tremendous contribution to Cornwall Care in his time here, leading the organisation through the most successful period in its history, and we wish to place on record

My Say

our sincere thanks to Douglas for his deep commitment and his time. He shall be missed but we wish him all the very best for the future.

We are pleased to announce that Robert Black, who joined us early this year as Operations Director, has been appointed our Chief Operations Officer in Douglas’ place, leading our excellent management team.

Robert’s extensive care and commercial experience, including more than 20 years in leadership roles in the NHS, private and notfor-profit care sector, makes him ideally qualified to lead us as we all work continuously towards being the best at what we do.

Whether we are in Head Office, in the community or in our care homes, we all have a commitment to extraordinary care and actively encourage each other to take part in the different events we hold across our homes, the best of which have been included in this issue. Stories that haven’t been included can be found on: www.cornwallcare.com/news.

Happy

In the News...................................................................3 Feature Story of the Moment.....................................4 My Place, Homes in the Spotlight...............................6 Trewartha.................................................................6 Trevern......................................................................6 Headlands................................................................6 Redannick.................................................................7 Penberthy.................................................................7 Interview with Tertia Herman...................................10 My Moments...............................................................11

IN THE NEWS THE LATEST NEWS AND HEADLINES FROM CORNWALL CARE

OUR WINNERS! On Friday 9 October this year, Truro and Penwith College hosted the first ever Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards, as a celebration of individual and business achievement within the Cornish business community.

CORNWALL APPRENTICESHIP AWARDS CEREMONY It was a lovely surprise when we also received a prestigious award ourselves – the Highly Commended award – which we were absolutely delighted with!

The aim of the awards night was to showcase the amazing talent, energy and contribution that Apprentices make to the current and future strength of local companies, and for that, they were most definitely successful. Supported by Get My First Job, an online recruitment agency that specialises in helping young people find their perfect Apprenticeship, the awards offered us an opportunity to celebrate and support the young stars of our industries.

We had a wonderful time presenting the awards to our Health and Social Care and Childcare winners (pictured below) and hope that these awards will boost their confidence and open doors to further opportunities for development. Congratulations to you all!

Everyone that attended the awards ceremony had a fantastic evening, meeting the rising stars of Cornwall and greeting the different businesses. The apprentices seemed to be enjoying themselves and met many contacts that may be able to help develop their future careers in Cornwall. It was a very promising start to what will hopefully now be an annual event for the county.

Thank you to everyone that voted and well done to all those that won, you earned it!

A SPLENDID SUMMER AT CORNWALL CARE

This summer we enjoyed lots of lovely events and activities across our homes and in the community, but none were quite so colourful as our summer fetes, where we focused our energies on fundraising and creating a fantastic experience for our residents and staff.

Each home celebrated in their own way, with events as unique as themselves.

Friends, family, staff and members of our local communities were all invited to join in the fun. We made the most of every opportunity to enjoy the sunshine and had a brilliant time opening our doors and celebrating summer.

Alongside our fetes we have been to festivals, held garden parties, auctions and raffles, BBQs, car boot sales, pasty parties and many other great fundraising events. We have had a lovely time with relatives, friends, staff and local businesses and have been overjoyed and humbled by the amount of support we have received. There have been some really fantastic donations, events and participation this summer and we really cannot thank everyone enough. We are so grateful for your support.

Overall, our homes have raised over £12,000 this summer – an incredible amount – all to go towards our residents’ Comforts Funds, which pays for amenities like Christmas and birthday presents, entertainment, events and activities. It really means a lot to us.

Thank you to everyone involved!

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FEATURE

STORY OF THE MOMENT

HOPE MOVES TO TRENGROUSE! FOR SOME TIME OUR MANAGER AT TRENGROUSE, JULIE MCNAUGHTON, WAS LOOKING TO ADOPT A PAT (PETS AS THERAPY) DOG THAT HAD THE RIGHT TEMPERAMENT FOR OUR RESIDENTS. After a lot of thought and research, Julie was able to locate a dog rescue company for street dogs in Romania.

Street dogs are often abused and have even been found with serious injuries and have had to be put to sleep. Kindhearted as she is, Julie kept her eyes open, looking for the right dog that could settle in nicely at Trengrouse and start a new

life in Cornwall.

When Julie saw a picture of Hope on social media, she fell in love instantly.

It was the end of April 2015 and Hope had been rescued in Romania during the blustery, cold winter of 2014. Julie spoke with the lady who had rescued Hope and they had several conversations prior to her adoption, to ensure that Hope would be suitable for Trengrouse. A full report was provided and Julie was given updates as to how Hope was coping. When they agreed that Hope was ready and suited to the move, Julie adopted her,

“It was a very anxious time. Although people do adopt dogs from Romania it does not always guarantee they will arrive safely…but I would do it all again”, said Julie McNaughton, Manager at Trengrouse 4

paying for Hope’s passport to travel to the UK. “It was a very anxious time.

Although people do adopt dogs from Romania it does not always guarantee they will arrive safely…but I would do it all again.” said Julie.

Hope started her journey on the ‘happy bus’ to the UK on 18 May 2015, and she arrived on the 21st, much to Julie’s delight.

Julie was extremely excited the day that she collected her.

After so many cross-continent conversations, she was finally meeting her!

As Hope came off the bus, she just snuggled in and wouldn’t let Julie move. Of course, Julie was absolutely delighted.

Now, Hope has settled into Cornish life and comes to Trengrouse every day with Julie to entertain and comfort the residents and staff. Everyone

Hope started her journey on the ‘happy bus’ to the UK on the 18th of May 2015 adores her.

“I love having Hope here. Hope always says hello to everyone and is really good. We will miss her if she is not here”, said Gloria, a resident at Trengrouse.

Already, Julie and our other staff members at Trengrouse have noticed a significant response from the residents and have seen what a difference Hope can make.

When asked to expand on the positive reactions from the residents, Julie said: “I can certainly say that Hope has made a significant difference to our residents. I have spoken to relatives and one of them said that he loves to come in and see Hope.

He noticed how most of the residents smile when Hope approaches them and how they all bend down to stroke her. One lady in particular

can become very anxious at times, but when Hope is in her presence we notice that her facial expression changes to a smile. Some residents have also taken Hope out for a walk with me which has been amazing.

The relatives love that we have a PAT (Pets as Therapy) dog at Trengrouse.”

Recently, Julie had a resident who was unwell and Hope went to sit in the room with their family. Initially, Julie apologised and offered to take her out, but the family requested that Hope stay in, which Hope did.

“I enjoy having Hope at Trengrouse. Hope is a very nice dog and I enjoy playing with her. Hope is lovely, playful and spoilt.” said Eric, another resident at Trengrouse.

Hope arrives each morning and says hello to everyone. Not only do the residents enjoy stroking

her but they like to have Hope in the inner circle and give her treats. Julie is incredibly proud of how well behaved Hope is and how she brightens up the days of the residents at Trengrouse. Some of the visitors like her so much, they have even implied they are likely to steal her! Julie is, of course, very vigilant, but is just thrilled with the positive response.

“I think Hope is absolutely lovely and gentle with all residents, staff and visitors.

Hope has an amazing temperament and is a bundle of joy to have around the home.” said Sophie, a staff member at Trengrouse.

We’re delighted that after such a difficult start to life and such a hard journey, Hope has settled into Trengrouse so brilliantly.

Welcome to the family, Hope!

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MY PLACE HOMES IN THE SPOTLIGHT TREWARTHA Everyone had a wonderful day at our beautiful nursing home in Carbis Bay this year. Trewartha was one of our homes to open the season of summer fetes and there was lots to enjoy. We had fancy dress, a variety of stalls and activities, an amazing turnout from our friends and families, and great weather too!

The favourite activities of the day were the rodeo bull and surf simulator – there was lots of laughter as the contestants took their turns, holding on for dear life. The raffle was also good fun, with some really fantastic prizes that had been donated.

It was a great day for Trewartha. It was wonderful to see so many happy faces out in the sunshine and we managed to raise an amazing £1,400 for our residents’ Comforts Fund – a truly fantastic amount!

Thank you to everyone involved!

TREVERN We had a glorious day of sunshine at Trevern’s summer fete, where there was a cream tea and Pimms stall, tombola, a raffle and a plant sale to enjoy. Our regular entertainer Nigel sang for the whole time and the atmosphere was just lovely.

It was a really wonderful day, with everyone getting together and enjoying each other’s company. We raised just over £350 for our residents, which we are absolutely delighted with! Thank you!

HEADLANDS Everyone had a really lovely day at Headlands’ summer fete, where we enjoyed a fancy dress competition, dog show, BBQ, cake stall, tombola and a raffle.

The sun shone through for us, lighting up Carbis Bay and everyone got involved, having fun and laughing with each other. Together we raised just over £500, which we can’t wait to put towards our residents’ Comforts Fund!

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s e t e f r e m m u S r Ou

REDANNICK

There was a full house at Redannick’s summer fete this year, where everyone was having a great time chatting, playing games and looking at the variety of stalls. The atmosphere was very happy and loving, with lots of merriment and laughter throughout the day.

A particularly memorable moment was when Sue Tyack, our Deputy Manager at Redannick, bravely locked herself in the stocks and let people throw wet sponges at her! It was a really fun day, with some fantastic goodies that were donated.

We raised over £1,000 from the stalls and donations – a brilliant amount that will make a big difference to our residents – which really means a lot to us. Thank you!

PENBERTHY We finished our series of fetes with a nautical theme at Penberthy, where friends and families joined in for the fun, enjoying a BBQ, stalls, games, crafts, and home-made products such as some lovely cakes and ice creams.

The weather was kind and everyone spilled out into the garden where there was face-painting and children’s games. All the children attending walked home with arms full of prizes and big smiles! The stalls were full of lovely goodies, including many donated items and hand-made products from staff, friends, relatives and our local community. In particular, we had some beautiful hand-made owls, home-made cakes and a large amount of donated Cornish cheese, which went down very well!

As well as the amazing donations for the stalls, we also had some very generous donations from local businesses for the raffle and the auction.

The day was a resounding success and we raised a whopping £1,100 for our residents’ Comforts Fund! We really cannot thank everyone enough for their wonderful contributions.

If you would like to see more pictures and summer fete stories, please visit www.cornwallcare.com/news 7

MY PLACE STAFF IN THE SPOTLIGHT

MOUNTFORD SUE KIMPTON On Thursday 30 July 2015, our Deputy Manager at Mountford, Sue Kimpton received a brilliant surprise as grateful staff gathered round her to show their appreciation for her support and care, giving her a thoughtful gift in thanks and saying a few words about her impact at Mountford.

For her surprise gift, the staff booked Sue and her mum a night at the Hall for Cornwall, with an overnight stay and breakfast at Mannings Hotel, which she was delighted with!

Sue has worked very hard to ensure that all the staff at Mountford are happy and have felt included in the developments, supporting and caring for each person, keeping everyone up-to-date and involved.

She has had a great impact on the staff there and definitely deserves to be rewarded!

Well done and thank you, Sue!

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THIS IS WHAT SUE’S

COLLEAGUES HAD TO SAY: “We appreciate her support and care so much. She is the heart of Mountford! A huge part of why we all love to come to work, why we all feel supported and appreciated, and why our staff give 100% to providing a loving, caring, stimulating environment for our residents.”

“We could all see just how very hard she has worked in Alison’s absence and we wanted to show her our appreciation. You know Sue, she won’t accept a verbal compliment so we decided to arrange a special treat for her.”

“It was stunn ing. less than 10 m All that ground covered in inutes!” Man dy Brownlee

HEADLANDS MANDY BROWNLEE

TREVARNA

In celebration of 20 years at Cornwall Care, Mandy Brownlee chose to take a coastal Helicopter ride over St. Ives. Sitting in the front with the pilot, she had a perfect view of Cornwall. Mandy asked if it would be possible to fly over Headlands and was absolutely delighted when the pilot said yes! ! Not only did she get to fly over The Island in St. Ives, along the coast and to St. Michael’s Mount, but she got to circle Headlands and wave to Dawne and Darren, who were waiting on the fire escape!

We really can’t thank Mandy enough for the 20 years of hard work, love and care that she has given to us and we are delighted that she had such a wonderful time!

SUE EDWARDS One of our carers at Trevarna, Sue Edwards, has recently been awarded £3000 from Santander after applying for and winning a grant, all on her own initiative. We are absolutely delighted at her proactive fundraising efforts and cannot believe the amount that we have been given!

The money will be going towards moving and handling equipment (in particular, new hoists and swings), as well as an afternoon tea with the relatives and staff on Poppy Fields (the wing Sue works on). Thank you Sue!

ST BREOCK THE TEAM...

Everyone had a lovely time raising awareness at the Wadebridge Carnival this summer where our team at St Breock joined in the fun, dressing up for the occasion!

Our thanks go to Joy, who can be seen in her wheelchair by our banner, for first coming up with the idea of taking part and for choosing most of the nursery rhyme characters for those that took part. It was great to be out raising awareness and it was gorgeous weather, too!

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QA &

INTERVIEW WITH

n a m r e H a i t r e T

CONTINUING OUR STAFF INTERVIEW SERIES THIS AUTUMN, WE TALK WITH TERTIA HERMAN, CLINICAL SPECIALIST NURSE.

Q A

What led you to nursing for the elderly?

Well, my story starts back in South Africa in 1994, when I decided to start working as a General Nurse in a small nursing home in Cape Town. I remember that day as clear as yesterday, it was a beautiful sunny day and thinking back, I remember how nervous I was!

Little did I know that I was at the beginning of a path that was going to change my life forever…

When I returned to shift the next day, I knew that caring for the elderly was the right choice for me.

The home was much more personal than the hospital wards I thought I would be working in and the effect that it was having on me was coming from a very special place, deep within. Over the next ten years I was part of a team and later on leading the team alongside my mentor towards developing our small nursing home into a prestigious retirement village, called Andante. During this time I was able to develop my skills and knowledge in all aspects of caring for and nursing the elderly and their loved ones.

Q A

Q A

Q A

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daughter or a son who you have welcomed into your service, after Dementia takes away the person they love…

With these foundations I was able to develop my skills and provide the staff with the support and guidance that was needed to improve standards of care in our services.

I also worked in Athelstan and Trengrouse in the same role over the next couple of years.

Q How do you find working for Cornwall Care? belief in Cornwall Care and what we stand for is A My very strong.

When our new Clinical Team was established I was very happy to take on the role of Clinical Specialist Nurse, as I knew that this would provide me with more opportunities to share my 21 years of experience caring for the elderly with my colleagues and the staff working in our services. Although every aspect of the role is very fulfilling, I do find working with all the staff in a supporting role is of huge benefit to me as a person. On a daily basis I work with managers, nurses, care staff and all our amazing other staff that are so dedicated to their roles. I see that as a great privilege.

Why did you choose to move from South Africa?

I knew that it was time to move on, to experience something different, but little did I know that it would bring me to Cornwall in the United Kingdom, thousands of miles from home and away from all of my loved ones!

To be a nurse can be a challenge, however, being part of the Cornwall Care family makes it a positive experience.

What was it like moving from home?

Coming to the UK as a foreign nurse had its own challenges but very soon I realised that providing care for our residents was based on exactly the same foundation as in South Africa: love, respect and being able to be part of their daily lives. Experiencing all of these emotions in my work helped me to grow on a personal level.

What was it like when you joined Cornwall Care?

When I joined Cornwall Care I started as a Clinical Deputy at Cedar Grange, a role which was ideal for me. I have always found the clinical aspect of nursing very appealing, as it means getting personal contact with clients on a day-to-day basis. A smile, that butterfly moment in a day of confusion, standing with a family next to a loved one’s bed, crying with a

Q A

Do you have any other stories you would like to share with us?

I was supposed to stay in the United Kingdom for two years. This year it is eleven years later and I am still here…that in itself is a story for me!

Thank you Tertia, for giving us an insight into your personal journey to the UK and your experience of working as a Clinical Specialist Nurse.

If you would like to learn more about our staff at Cornwall Care, there are more interviews available at:www.cornwallcare.com/news

M Y MOMENTS with...

SERGIO OLIVERIA Sergio, one of our amazing nurses at Trengrouse, was nominated for a My Moment award by a relative of one our residents, for making a difference to people’s lives.

He received his award on Thursday 8 October 2015.

Conscientious, considerate and proactive, Sergio is well-loved by staff and residents alike.

This is what his anonymous nominator had to say: “Since Sergio has been working at Trengrouse I have always found him considerate of residents and willing to listen to relatives’ concerns and take action to correct things. For example, my Mum, like other residents, has had things go missing and Sergio has always made the time to actively search for things (such as my Mum’s teddy bear which I made her and also her bottom denture). He listens to residents when handing out medication and engages them in conversation. Sergio always gives the impression of having time for the important things.

I think he and his wife Sylvia, who also works there, deserve some recognition.”

Thank you Sergio for your dedication to the residents at Trengrouse and your passion for nursing care. You have clearly made a big impact to our residents and definitely deserve this award!

ZOE & ADAM BOLT We would like to offer our greatest congratulations to Adam and Zoe at Trevarna, who recently tied the knot! We hope you had the most wonderful day celebrating and wish you all the best for the future.

May your life together be full of love, laughter and happiness!

From all the staff at Cornwall Care

DO YOU KNOW A CORNWALL CARE INDIVIDUAL WHO GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND THEIR ROLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OTHER PEOPLE’S LIVES?

You can either fill in a My Moment card and return via internal post to Head Office, or email your nomination to:

MARKETING@CORNWALLCARE.ORG 11

Looking for Carers No experience needed, just people who really care about others.

Community Care Assistants

Health Care Assistants

£8.93 per hour inc travel time plus 35p per mile

up to per hour dependent on experience

• Fantastic career opportunities • Guaranteed hours • Excellent training and development • Free DBS and uniform • Flexible, Full & Part-time posts available

• Fantastic career opportunities • Guaranteed hours • Excellent training and development • Free DBS and uniform • Flexible, Full & Part-time posts available

Delivering Care across Cornwall

Our Homes across Cornwall

Bude • Launceston • Liskeard • Callington • Bodmin St Austell • The Clays • Camelford • Wadebridge Newquay • Padstow • Truro • Falmouth • Camborne Redruth • St. Ives • Penzance

St Ives • Helston • Camborne Redruth Truro • Newquay • St Austell • Wadebridge Liskeard • Callington • Launceston • Falmouth

£10.25

01872 261787 recruitment@cornwallcare.org www.cornwallcare.com

CornwallCare

Because we’re individuals

Nurses - We value you! work in one of our care homes across Cornwall

£2,000 to join us!

For the first 20 nurses.*

Funding for Degree

and Master level courses.**

£1,500 every year you

• Competitive salary up to £28,500 • Overtime rates and enhancements • Cover the cost of your NMC pin • Ongoing training and development • Pension scheme • Seminars and nurse meetings • Advice and support from the Senior Nursing Team • Clinical supervision

are with us - after your first 2 years of employment.*** ***

terms and conditions apply

Call Hayley Dorrington - Clinical Lead

01872 261787 recruitment@cornwallcare.org www.cornwallcare.com

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CornwallCare

Because we’re individuals