The Carer Digital - Issue #59

T H E P U B L I C AT I O N F O R N U R S I N G A N D R E S I D E N T I A L C A R E H O M E S

W W W. T H E C A R E R U K . C O M

The Carer Digital

THECARERUK

THECARERUK

Issue 59

Nine In 10 Councillors Back Call for Social Care Priority in Government

More than nine in 10 councillors from across the country and political spectrum have called on the Government to give greater priority to social care and start committing more resources to it now, an exclusive new poll for the Local Government Association reveals.

The survey of more than 600 councillors showed that 91 per cent agreed with the statement, coming in the wake of the devastating coronavirus pandemic which has exacerbated pre-existing pressures on the system and their conse-

quences for people who draw on care and support. It also comes ahead of a key House of Lords debate taking place today on social care provision and the role of carers.

The LGA supported the survey, which was run by Survation for Social Care Future (SCF), a movement campaigning to bring about major, positive change in what social care does, how it works and how it is understood by the public.

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 3...)

PAGE 2 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

EDITOR'S VIEWPOINT Welcome to the latest edition of The Carer Digital!

A warm welcome to the new Health Minister!

Taking over as health secretary during a pandemic is a monumental task and Sajid Javid will have several daunting tasks awaiting as he takes up his new post. The most immediate responsibility facing the new health secretary is to try to lead the country on a steady path towards lower infection rates, maximum vaccine take-up and the removal of all remaining coronavirus restrictions.

The most daunting task is social care, which is probably the most complex and expensive domestic policy problem facing of the government right now. Of course, the government has committed to resolving that issue by the end of the year at the same time as not raising taxes.

Detailed plans are promised “by the end of 2021”, according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the British Medical Association’s chair of council, said: “Sajid Javid has a huge and urgent task ahead. He must ensure completing the roll-out of the adult vaccination programme at rapid pace to control spiralling infection rates. He must also put forward a credible plan to tackle a backlog of care of unprecedented scale whilst at the same time rebuilding the trust of doctors and the wider healthcare workforce.”

Although Matt Hancock’s vaccination programme is deemed a success, the spectre and rights and employment law over mandatory vaccinations, social care staff shortages, pay and burnout are all issues requiring urgent attention.

There was precious little detail or sight of that on the horizon, and while there is no reflection on the previous health secretary, it was time for a fresh face, and a fresh face that has a wealth of Treasury and financial knowledge and experience behind him.

Our front page story makes interesting reading too! 9 in 10 councillors back calls for social care to be made a priority in government.

Rather surprised that it was only 9 in 10 - I would have thought it would have been overwhelmingly 100%!

Although I am not entirely sure that the call for preventative investment, which would allow people to stay in their own homes longer, is entirely the right policy.

A report a couple of years back highlighted the fact that older people staying in their homes longer and locking younger buyers out of family properties or homeownership all together. A failure to build enough retirement housing will lead to a surplus of 13m spare bedrooms in the homes of empty-nesters by 2040 while young people remain trapped in overcrowded accommodation, according to an independent report into housing for older people.

The government, as we know, made huge errors when the pandemic first broke, which was catastrophic for those in residential care. However, the sector has gone to great lengths to ensure those lessons are learned.

It is well known that the UK population is ageing, with more people living longer lives

Editor

Peter Adams

than previously. There are now over 15.5 million people aged 60 or over, making up 23% of the UK population.

The number of “older” elderly people is also rising. There are now 3.2 million people aged 80 or over, and almost 600,000 of these are aged 90 or over.

The largest increases in population growth are likely to come in the older age groups; by 2041 it is expected that there will be over 3 million people aged 85 or over – more than double the number that there are today.

A key to unlocking the UK’s housing crisis lies in tackling the under-occupation of family homes where there are more than 15 million ‘surplus’ bedrooms, which I understand is concentrated in the older population, who tend to live in couples or alone.

Residential and nursing care will pay a vital role in housing and caring for our elderly and may also help resolve the housing crisis facing the younger generation.

Don’t forget our latest “Unsung Hero Award”!!!!

A small token on our part to reward somebody who has gone that extra mile in in the residential and nursing care sector.

While mainstream media sometimes it would seem “relishes” the opportunity to dwell on negative news surrounding care homes, we have always done the opposite! And it is an absolute travesty that these feelgood stories and initiatives never seem to make mainstream news.

The nominations are coming in we are absolutely thrilled to say!

So, once again a luxury hamper will be delivered directly to a “UNSUNG HERO” at their care home, nominations are open until July 9 so please get nominating with a small paragraph of what your nominee has done and why you think they are worthy of recognition nominate@thecareruk.com Once again we have called on some of the industry’s “leading lights” for insight, advice guidance and best practice, and are always delighted to print the many “uplifting stories” we receive from care homes and staff around the country so please do keep them coming!

I can always be contacted at editor@thecareruk.com

PUBLISHED BY RBC Publishing Ltd Roddis House, Old Christchurch Rd, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH1 1LG

TELEPHONE:

01202 552333 (6 lines)

Fax: 01202 552666 Email: sales@thecareruk.com

WEBSITE: www.thecareruk.com EDITOR Peter Adams SALES EXECUTIVES Sylvia Mawson David Bartlett Guy Stephenson TYPESETTING & DESIGN Matthew Noades PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Shelly Roche Published by

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59 | PAGE 3

Nine In 10 Councillors Back Call for Social Care Priority in Government (...CONTINUED FROM FRONT COVER) The LGA, which represents councils, said the results are another stark reminder of the urgent need for long-awaited proposals on the future of social care and how we fund it to be brought forward at the earliest opportunity and before the summer parliamentary recess.

Ninety-four per cent of councillors agreed with SCF’s vision that the function of social care is to ensure that we can all ‘live in the place we call home, be with the people and things that we love, in communities where we care about and support each other, doing the things that matter to us.’ These findings build on SCF’s earlier polling which showed strong public support for this vision of social care.

Any long-term solution must therefore secure greater preventive investment in social care, allowing people to live their own lives independently in their own homes and communities, alongside long-term funding to tackle key issues facing social care beyond just protecting people from selling their homes to pay for care. This should include action on unmet need, provider market support and new models of

care, and greater support for unpaid carers.

Doing so also requires urgent action to begin building a workforce fit for the future, including action on pay, training and development, career progression and professionalisation, and recognition. This will help the skills of the future workforce match the aspirations of people who have cause to draw on care and support.

Other results from the survey showed councillors overwhelmingly (95 per cent) recognised the important role of councils in supporting and working alongside local communities to ensure people have the support they need to live good lives.

Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “Social care has been on the frontline throughout the pandemic and there has never been a more crucial time to find a long-term solution to how we support all those who draw upon and work in these vital services.

“As this survey proves, local councillors across the country and of all political colours are overwhelmingly in favour of social care being a

major priority for the Government along with the funding needed to not just get through the pandemic, but to build back better from it.

“As SCF state, we all want to live in the place we call home, be with the people and things that we love, in communities where we care about and support each other, doing the things that matter to us. This is the role of social care and 94 per cent of councillors agree with this vision.

“Millions of people who draw upon or work in the field of social care deserve to know that their and their families’ future is secure, after all they have experienced over the past 15 months. We look forward to government bringing forward its proposals as soon as possible and before the summer parliamentary recess.

“The work of Social Care Future over the last two years has been an important contribution to the debate about the kind of social care system we want and need, focusing on what people who themselves draw on social care need for them to live their best lives, which should be at the heart of any future reforms.”

“I Have Been Truly Fortunate” – Jewish WWII Survivor Celebrates 100th Birthday A Swiss Cottage-based care home resident has celebrated his 100th birthday with a spectacular party in the home’s gardens, attended by family and friends.

Ludwig Berlin, who resides at Rathmore House, turned 100 yesterday (Tuesday 29 June). On Saturday (26 June), he was treated to a medley of his favourite Frank Sinatra and old army songs, performed by professional musician Franz Black. An ice cream van also came to serve cold treats to party attendees, who also included several of the home’s 20 residents.

The achievement of reaching 100 is the latest milestone in Ludwig’s fascinating life.

Born in Nuremburg, Germany, Ludwig fled the country aged 18, shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, on account of his being Jewish. After some time in Paris and southern England, he was interned on the Isle of Man for a year.

In the latter part of the war, Ludwig spent time in No.9 Commando and then

Commando X Troop, a troop within the British Army comprised mainly of German and Austrian Jews.

In later life, Ludwig worked with the Anne Frank Trust, conducting some school visits to share his story. He made a number of return trips to his old home of Nuremberg, Germany – most recently in 2015 – to speak to his old school about his experiences. He was more recently an active member of the West Heath Lawn Tennis Club.

Ludwig’s daughter, Anita Berlin, said: “He regularly tells me that ‘I can’t believe I got here’ and ‘I have been truly fortunate’. I think it really influenced his character, knowing that he survived when so many Jewish people didn’t.

“Being banned from taking exams at school (a policy enforced by the Nazis against Jewish children) may have actually helped his longevity, as he developed a passion for fitness that he has held throughout his life!”

PAGE 4 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

Covid-19 Vaccinations, The Legal Challenges For Care Providers

By Leon Deakin, partner and Beth Hullah, Coffin Mew Solicitors (www.coffinmew.co.uk)

to have the vaccine as a condition of their employment.

However, and following on from a recent consultation, the Government has proposed to amend regulations in respect of those working in older adult care homes to mandate that they receive their Covid-19 jab. Mandating the vaccine in care home settings is thought to be justifiable as a high uptake of the vaccine will help protect those most at risk.

COMPULSORY VACCINATION AND ITS CHALLENGES

As the Government is set to announce compulsory vaccinations for care providers the employment challenges facing the care sector have just got significantly more complicated.

The issues surrounding vaccination were already tricky for care homes, but designating compulsory vaccination for just ‘care workers’ could lead to a plethora of issues, as many care providers will have flexible roles for many of their staff. The problem is further compounded as physical contact is far from the only way any Coronavirus is transmitted as most are transmitted by respiratory droplets – i.e. coughing. So it is therefore just as likely that a member of the support team could pass on the virus and a care provider might want to reflect this in their policies

BACKGROUND Until now, the Government had not made vaccination compulsory and therefore it would have been difficult for employers to compel staff

Whilst there are undoubtedly legitimate reasons for imposing vaccination as a condition of employment, doing so doesn’t come without its risks. One risk is that compulsory vaccination could be viewed as a potential infringement of an individual’s human rights. It’s therefore important care providers demonstrate that any interference with a worker’s human rights (such as a vaccination request) is justified and proportionate in order to protect the health and safety of others.

Whether or not care providers will be able to insist all staff such as catering and administrative staff are vaccinated rather than front line carers and/or visitors only will likely depend on the outcome of the Government consultation.

Until then it would be prudent to assume that those who come into contact with residents less frequently or can more easily work in a socially distanced way may have stronger grounds to contest a request for compulsory vaccination.

Be aware also that certain medical conditions preclude some people from having the vaccine. If vaccination becomes a condition of their employment, they may feel they have no option but to leave and could, therefore, bring a claim for constructive dismissal plus a discrimination claim on the grounds of disability. Similarly, there has been debate about how safe the vaccine is for pregnant women and, as such, pregnant workers may also have legitimate concerns about the effects of the vaccine on themselves and their baby.

Additionally, with debate over COVID ‘passports’ and ‘certificates’ still

ongoing, when asking workers if they have been vaccinated, it may be sensible to limit the information you request to a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

This is because, until clear guidance from the government is forthcoming, the situation regarding processing vaccine related data for GDPR purposes remains a little grey.

SOLUTIONS As we wait for concrete guidance from the Government regarding compulsory vaccination and its related issues, there is still much you can do.

Speak openly with staff about the vaccine and encourage them to have it. Inform them of the benefits and listen to any concerns they may have. Consider what alternatives you could put in place for those unwilling to be vaccinated. Could they be moved to a different role, for example?

Ensure that your Covid-19 risk assessment is up to date and outlines the approach you propose to take should a worker refuse to have the vaccine.

Adopt a vaccination policy that includes the Government’s position on the vaccine in the social care sector, the health benefits and risks associated with the vaccine, vaccine training and human rights and discrimination concerns. Also, outline your Covid-secure measures such as testing, mask wearing and social distancing and ensure that this policy is maintained and reviewed in line with latest Government guidance.

All care providers want to make their settings as safe as possible and any perceived gaps in virus defence will naturally be an area of concern.

Therefore, until clear guidance is forthcoming, decisions surrounding compulsory vaccination must be pragmatic and risk based.

Finally, it is likely there will be legal challenges to whatever the government proposes so we would advise keeping abreast of the issue and where necessary have a chat with your employment lawyer for guidance.

Armed Forces Day – Veterans Raise Flags and Enjoy Concerts Armed Forces Day has been marked by veterans at Royal Star & Garter’s three Homes.

Residents watched films, enjoyed concerts and raised the Armed Forces Day flag outside the charity’s Homes in Solihull, Surbiton and High Wycombe.

Royal Star & Garter provides loving, compassionate care to veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia.

Armed Forces Day, which took place on Saturday 26 June, supports the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community, from currently serving troops to service families, veterans and cadets.

In the week leading up to Armed Forces Day, residents in Surbiton raised the flag outside and enjoyed a traditional pub lunch at the Home. There was an afternoon tea with music, and on the special day, an Armed Forces Day concert extravaganza, given by the ‘Lest We Forget’ Association.

In High Wycombe, residents enjoyed an Armed Forces-themed bingo, took part in a singalong and enjoyed a reminiscence party.

Singer Molly Marie Walsh performed wartime classics live for residents at the Home on Armed Forces Day. At the Solihull Home, which was decorated with balloons and bunting, veterans baked red, white and blue cupcakes and enjoyed craft sessions. They reminisced with staff members who have served in the military and read war poetry. Live music was performed by vintage vocal harmony group Boogaloo Babes.

Royal Star & Garter Chair, Major General Tim Tyler, said: “This is an important day for everyone at Royal Star & Garter. It is a time to pay tribute to those who have served and continue to serve our country, and to remember the sacrifices that they and their loved ones have made. Despite the impact of the pandemic, we have still been able to gather to reflect, remember and thank our nation’s military family.”

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59 | PAGE 5

Adult Social Care Given Over £250 Million Extra To Continue Covid-19 Protections People in care homes or those being cared for at home will benefit from an extra £250 million to continue to protect them from COVID-19 transmission.

Made up of £142.5 million Infection Control Funding and £108.8 million for testing, the fund will help protect people in adult social care by continuing to meet the cost of rigorous infection prevention and control measures, as restrictions in wider society are eased, and supporting rapid, regular testing of staff to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

This funding brings the total funding given specifically to social care to £2 billion throughout the pandemic to help support the sector and keep people safe. This is on top of prioritising the sector for vaccines, providing regular, rapid testing to care homes and bringing in regulations to make vaccines a condition of deployment in care homes.

Minister for Care, Helen Whately said: “We are keeping up our support for social care through the pandemic. This new funding will help care services continue to protect those they look after and their staff from this cruel virus.

It brings our total support to social care to £2 billion during the pandemic, along with billions of items of free PPE, over 120 million tests and the prioritisation of social care in the vaccination programme.”

The new money will be a continuation of Infection Control and Testing Fund, which was due to run until the end of the month and will now last until the end of September.

Infection Control Funding is used by care homes and home care providers to keep their staff and residents safe. It can be used to: • ensure staff who are isolating receive their normal wages while doing so • ensure that members of staff work in only one care home where possible • limit or cohort staff to individual groups of residents or floors/wings, for example paying for extra staff cover to provide the necessary level of care and support to residents

• support recruitment of additional staff (and volunteers) if they’re needed to enable staff to work in only one care home Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive, Care England.

“The extension of the ICF and Testing Fund is very welcome and we applaud the DHSC in securing this extension. The adult social care provider sector has worked extremely hard to continue to protect the people it supports and cares for through extensive infection control and testing procedures. This funding is a recognition of these efforts.

“Care England is happy to work at speed to ensure the successful roll out of the money to the front line where it is most needed and where providers have been anxiously waiting for news.”

Testing funding will continue to support providers with the costs associated with ongoing testing in care settings. This includes funding to support visitor testing to ensure residents can see their loved ones as safely as possible.

Throughout the pandemic the government has sought to protect everyone working in the social care sector or receiving social care, particularly given the increased risk people in these settings face.

Free PPE is provided to the care sector until March 2022 and to date, more than 35 million PCR swab test kits and 85 million LFDs have been sent to care homes.

Over £2 billion has now been given to the sector including infection prevention and control measures and prioritised the sector for the vaccine.

West Sussex Care Home Awards Its Staff After Challenging Year A care home in Steyning recently held an awards ceremony to celebrate the achievements of its staff throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Staff and residents at Croft Meadow care home, which provides care for up to 60 residents including those living with dementia, enjoyed the celebrations with refreshments, a cheeseboard and selection of breads.

The awards included ‘Outstanding Support Award’, ‘Most Kind and Generous Award’, ‘Service to

Croft Meadow Award’, ‘Carer of the Year’, ‘Nurse of the Year’ and many more.

Anne-Marie Taylor, who was awarded for Outstanding Support, commented on her win: “It feels lovely to be given this award. I am extremely proud of the hard work that everyone has done at Croft Meadow.”

Carmen Flueras, manager of the Shaw healthcare operated home, added: “We all thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon watching our friends and colleagues receive their well-earned trophies.”

WE NOW SUPPLY A WIDE RANGE OF FURNITURE

PAGE 6 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

Data-Driven, People-Centred Solutions Are What Our Care Sector Needs Urgently

By Nick Weston, CCO, Lilli (www.intelligentlilli.com) It is no secret that the UK care sector is in crisis thanks to an ageing population, government budget squeezes and the impact of Brexit on recruitment. Added to this are longer-term impacts of the pandemic, including the unknown effects of further viral mutations and the requirements of the estimated 1.1 million people with long Covid symptoms.

Although the current government says it will come up with a reform plan this year, successive investigations into funding have failed to deliver anything tangible. Yet, irrespective of what comes out from Whitehall, carrying on with current practices is unlikely to give us a care sector fit for the future. The industry needs an injection of innovation so it can use data and digital technology to provide more proactive, preventive care with better outcomes for patients and more efficient use of resources.

Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are ready and waiting to transform the care sector. Many of us already use these technologies every day through smart speakers and phones. Employing them to help with care will make for better-informed decisions about patient needs, not to replace the human skills but to complement them and focus resources where they are most needed.

In practical terms, AI and ML solutions will use data to improve the quality of life for elderly people or those with chronic conditions who want to maintain a degree of independence.

An ML solution, for example, uses the masses of data from wearable lifestyle monitoring devices and discreet sensors in people’s homes to quickly establish what is their normal behaviour. Against this benchmark it spots signs and trends indicating they might be developing a problem – anything from a change in heart rate, failure to move around, increased toilet use or fewer hot drinks.

The technology will notice the difference in real time and alert carers or clinicians who can investigate and potentially intervene. This reduces the likelihood of more complex and costly treatment or admission to hospital.

Organisations can tailor provision to the individual, creating a “flightpath” with thresholds appropriate to their condition. The accuracy of the data and the insights reduces unnecessary call-outs and visits while providing reliable information for resource allocation. Whereas patients may be unable or unwilling to discuss symptoms of a new problem, the insights from the data provide care-givers, clinicians and managers with firm evidence they might never obtain otherwise.

Systems such as this are already undergoing trials within the NHS and local authorities where they are shrinking care costs, through reduced visits by carers and lower rates of hospital admission. Lilli’s ML behavioural analytics solution in Dorset, currently running as a pilot, is set to save in the region of £4,000 per person annually through reduced visiting, for example.

One important aspect of these more innovative, patient-centred solutions is greater acceptance. ML-based behavioural solutions work with fashionable lifestyle devices and unobtrusive sensors which are a world away from the sort of boxy, medical hardware that marks clients out as people who need help. Of course, that still leaves the question of consent to use the data, but that should not be too hard, given that so many people already share data from their Fitbit-style devices or personal assistants. Organisations (and relatives) will nevertheless need to explain the full benefits, including clear the gains in independent living.

Part of this consent will be about sharing data with other health organisations to optimise care and to remove the divisions between health and social care systems to improve outcomes and efficiency. This has become a priority within government and makes sense. It is no accident that the insights modern solutions create are easy to understand for carers and clinicians and work across different IT systems.

The future of care in the UK is certain to be heavily data-driven, resulting in far better outcomes than reliance on hardware-based, reactive alarm systems that generate costly and time-wasting false alerts.

Regardless of funding reform, it is time for the care sector to explore advances in technology so they can provide better results and improved lives for their clients and patients.

Home Care Worker Donna is a Lifesaver A home care worker turned hero recently when she saved the life of a client

during a care visit.

Donna Chidgey, who works as a Team Leader for Hampshire home care spe-

hospital and is hopeful of a speedy recovery.

Claire Scott, Whisper’s Responsible Person, praised Donna for her quick thinking and professionalism: “Donna has years of care experience and was able to

cialists Whispers Care Solutions, visited the home of a regular service user in

deal with this incident fantastically well, and we are all so proud of her. There is

Fareham to find her unresponsive.

no doubt that without her intervention the client would not be with us today. Our

Donna called 999 to raise the alarm, and was then able to administer CPR for several minutes until paramedics arrived on scene. The client is now stable in

care staff all receive first-class training and support, and are able to cope extremely well in serious situations where others would struggle.”

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59 | PAGE 7

New Health Secretary Urged to Press on with the NHS Bill or Risk Derailing Vital Reforms The new Secretary of State has been warned that any delay to the publication of the forthcoming Health and Care Bill before Parliament’s summer recess risks derailing critical elements of the Government’s NHS reforms.

The Bill had been expected in the last week of June, but it is now unclear when it will be published, leaving just three weeks to go before Parliament closes for the summer and when the Bill would need to be by tabled by in order to have its second reading.

In a letter to Sajid Javid, the NHS Confederation, which represents the whole health system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, has warned that any delays beyond mid-July will mean that key aspects of the reforms will not be ready before integrated care systems (ICSs) are timetabled to become statutory bodies in April 2022.

The leaders of ICSs, which the NHS Confederation represents, are concerned that any delays will distract from their real purpose of focusing on population health and delivering effective integration across the NHS and social care, widely supported elements of the Government’s reforms.

ICS leaders fear there is a real risk that vital momentum will be lost, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, which has shown the importance of integrating services and uniting in a common cause.

There are several key concerns, which include: • ICS leaders need to secure their governance arrangements, including appointing to key roles such as chairs. These roles are due to be advertised shortly and in place by October, but if the Bill is delayed until the autumn, this will not be possible.

• A number of local systems are also awaiting the outcome of important decisions on changes to their boundaries. The former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, had set out his wish that all areas adopt boundaries that are coterminous with their upper tier local authorities. If this change were to be enacted, it would require significant changes to local services in some parts of the country and those ICSs affected would need time to adapt to this change before April 2022.

• The impact of any delay on staff, as many senior staff working in Clinical Commissioning Groups are unsure of their futures and are not protected by the employment commitment published in June 2021*. They will need to be assured as to whether their jobs remain well before next April.

NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor said: “A slight delay in the legislative timetable is understandable, given we have a new health secretary, with a huge amount on his plate. But if a delay of a few days turns into a delay of a few weeks, this will risk derailing the reforms and risks leaving us in flux at a pivotal moment. At worst, it could set us back a year and lose the vital momentum NHS leaders and their colleagues in social care have built up both prior to and during the pandemic. After coming so far, it would be the equivalent of clutching defeat from the jaws of victory, so while we recommend that Mr Javid takes stock, we urge him to move quickly to publish the Bill.

“There is much consensus that this is the right direction of travel.

Seven in 10 of our members who responded to a survey we are due to publish shortly said they support the proposals outlined in the White Paper. This view has been bolstered by the pandemic, which has shown the importance of integrating services and uniting in a common cause,

including working together to tackle long-standing health inequalities.

“However, we can only really do this by breaking down barriers between services and working in partnership across health and care services, and the planned legislation will helpfully take this one step further.”

Gill Morgan, chair of the NHS Confederation ICS Network Advisorate, said: “I have said for some time now that April 2022 needs to be seen as the start for many ICSs, not the end point, so let’s be realistic about where systems will land. However, those affected by boundary changes do really need decisions soon, and ICS chairs do need to be appointed.

Most importantly, we need both NHS England and the Government to work hand-in-hand with ICS and CCG leaders to make this next stage a success.

“ICS and CCG leaders are working hard to meet what is already a tight timetable and one that could become much tighter if there are any significant delays. We need a pragmatic and realistic approach that keeps the show on the road, and allows leaders to get on and do what they need to do. Integration and working together is a culture that many ICSs already live in, not just a legislated change, and this will develop beyond April 2022.”

The NHS Confederation has also reiterated its concerns about the potential for greater centralisation of power in the Government’s reforms, particularly when it comes to the role of the health secretary in overseeing local service reconfigurations. In its letter to Mr Javid, the membership body encourages him to look again at this specific issue, which has been a long-standing concern of the Confederation and its members.

Local Care Home Residents Celebrate the Return of Live Entertainment On World Music Day Hugh Myddelton House care home in Enfield went all out for World Music Day this year. Residents and their visitors were invited to put their dancing shoes on and enjoy live music. Professional entertainer Ian James put on a great show for staff, residents and their friends and family to celebrate World Music Day. Ramona Stanciu General Manager at Hugh Myddelton House commented: “It is great to be able to have some live entertainment for our residents. We have really missed being able to welcome performers into our home during

lockdown and World Music Day was the perfect day to do it. Although we’ve had lots of virtual concerts, quizzes and talks. It’s lovely to be able to host events again and the atmosphere was fantastic.”

Charles a resident at Hugh Myddelton House said: “Staff here have been brilliant throughout lockdown putting on all kind of different events to keep us entertained, we have been very well looked after but it is lovely to have some live entertainment again. It feels like another step on the road back to normality.”

PAGE 8 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

Healthcare and Hospitality in a Pandemic

by Lizzie Pillinger, Senior Associate and Samir Nathwani, Senior Associate, Trowers & Hamlins LLP (www.trowers.com)

Healthcare and hospitality have been two of the sectors hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff and businesses have demonstrated remarkable flexibility and resilience and the synergies between the sectors have provided ample opportunities for those willing to seek them out. As we look towards a loosening of restrictions, we take a moment to reflect on the ways in which these sectors have adapted to the challenges of the past year and what lessons can be learned.

It's clear that Covid-19 is a game changer for the hospitality sector.

The immediate impact has been closure of restaurants and hotels and some operators who were already struggling have not been able to recoup costs and have been forced into financial difficulty, in some cases into liquidation. In the medium term, a huge creative effort is being mobilized to open outlets under restrictions and to make the transition period between lockdown and normality – for however long this lasts – work for operators. We had already seen a colossal increase in the amount of takeaways being demanded (predominately driven by app-based operators such as Deliveroo and Uber Eats) and new technology / the restrictions on outdoor dining have only increased this

demand. In the long term, the question becomes: what is going to change for good?

Elderly care has been hit with the double challenge of continuing to care for some of the most vulnerable to the pandemic's effects on health whilst at the same time seeing increased demand for its services.

That may be because people are unable to care for themselves at home, hospitals are needing to discharge patients to cope with increased bed demand or that people are being faced with the reality of social isolation and looking at a different way of living. That demand is particularly clear in extra-care settings which allow people, who may otherwise have been living in isolation, to become part of a community.

Even if they are isolating, they need not be isolated and can benefit from the efforts of operators to keep residents connected through initiatives such as "virtual villages", hot food deliveries and creating safe spaces for social interaction to take place. This is to say nothing of the challenges of staff shortages, illness and death, lack of PPE, funding shortfalls and constantly changing guidance.

Whilst both the hospitality and care sectors each face their own challenges based on, for example, very different funding models and customer demand patterns, they are both at their very core people-centred businesses where the focus is on caring for people and making them feel comfortable. Those who have spotted the synergies and similarities have been able to use these to their advantage.

We've seen so-called "Covid hotels" where the availability of self-contained living spaces has provided the background to shelter those who otherwise may not be able to (including, in many cases, care workers themselves).

Hospitality workers, so many of whom have been furloughed or made redundant, have skills covering customer service, cleaning, catering, entertainment and are used to the challenges of customer-facing roles.

Applying these skills in the healthcare sector is a no-brainer – these are exactly the sorts of skills required. For those without healthcare experience, there is the option of taking up back-of-house roles to free up

trained carers to provide the much needed care services. Cairn Group (which operates both hotels and care homes) has been protecting its employees by offering a buddy scheme doing just this.

We've seen how creative solutions can be applied to buildings to adapt them to the needs of a particular moment. But they will only really come into their own when they are designed with this flexibility in mind. Companies like Motionspot are making hotel rooms truly accessible without compromising on design and aesthetics that their guests enjoy. Items such as concealed ceiling hoists mean a room can be used equally by a person without complex needs. Not only does this make the buildings more flexible in exceptional times but there is evidence that it can increase revenue in the usual course of business. Those whose needs are met (and surely we all want to get out and travel as soon as we can?) may be more likely to return. In a care home setting, building with safe visitor spaces (screened spaces with speech enhancing technology and separate entrances), increased ventilation and consideration to how staff, residents and visitors circulate through communal areas is likely to help to improve infection control as well as making spaces feel lighter and more comfortable.

It has been shown time and again that younger generations are likely to have several careers in their lifetime. Given the synergies in skill sets between workers in the hospitality and leisure sector and those in the care sector, those looking to fill gaps might do well to consider recruiting from such areas, or even to offer schemes such as Cairn Group's "buddy schemes" in times where demand is low in one sector and high in another.

As the hospitality sector starts to reopen with restrictions lifted for people to sit indoors, only time will tell if those that have used their skills in the care sector choose to remain or return to their previous roles.

What is clear though is that the reopening of our hospitality industry will be a welcomed time for everybody across the industry.

National Cream Tea Day Is A Piece Of Cake For Local Care Home Ramona Stanciu, General Manager at Hugh Myddelton said: “It is so lovely to be able to host events like these again now that we’re able to have visitors back in our garden, the residents have loved having family and friends here today and who doesn’t love a cream tea? This is definitely one new tradition we’re going to be adopting! It was especially nice that The Southgate Rotary club could join us, as we have stayed in touch via zoom and they have been hosting seated exercise classes for us. It was lovely to see them in “real life”. ” Sultan, resident at Hugh Myddelton House commented: “We’ve all had so much fun today and the cream tea was absolutely delicious! It is so nice to be able to have visitors, it really does feel like we’re getting back to normal.”

Staff and residents at Barchester’s Hugh Myddelton House in Enfield brewed up a storm for National Cream Tea Day on June 25th by hosting an afternoon tea party in the garden room and inviting members of the Southgate Rotary club to join them for a wonderful selection of baked treats and of course, lots of pots of tea.

Refusing to pick a side in the controversial debate of cream before jam for the Cornish tradition or jam before cream as part of the Devonshire tradition, Hugh Myddelton House enjoyed homemade scones both ways, all washed down with a fes-tea-val of herbal and classic teas.

Residents and visitors tucked into the sweet and savoury goodies including, pastries, cakes and of course scones all baked by talented head chef Chris.

Hospice Launches Calendar of Training Sessions for Health Care Professionals Care home staff, district nurses and other health care professionals can access the specialist knowledge and skills of a hospice wherever they are in the country, tapping into expert advice and up-to-date guidance on Advance Care Planning, symptom management and more.

St Catherine’s Hospice, based in Lancashire, has launched a new calendar of educational courses and study sessions which will be delivered online throughout the year.

The charity’s Knowledge Exchange team – which specialises in palliative and end-of-life care – is introducing brand new topics and has updated and refreshed its most popular subjects, to equip health care providers with the confidence and skills to help people achieve quality of life to the end of life.

Sessions include Understanding Bereavement; Delivering High Quality End of Life Care to All; Advance Care Planning and Communication Skills; Syringe Drivers in End of Life Care; Palliative Care Emergencies; and Approaching End of Life with Parkinson’s Disease.

Brand new topics include a fully-funded ‘Symptom Management for Care Homes’ course, ‘Improving Your Communication Skills’ and ‘Spirituality and its Impact at the End of Life’.

Kath Wilkinson, Head of Knowledge and Technical, said: “The Knowledge Exchange team here at St Catherine’s Hospice is well known in Lancashire for delivering high quality education through interactive training opportunities.

We’ve adapted our study sessions over the last year and are currently delivering them online, meaning we can reach people across our area and further afield too.

“Our study sessions and courses are continually reviewed and updated, with new subjects added regularly to provide the most up-to-date guidance and expert advice, and to facilitate topical and diverse discussions amongst health care professionals.”

To find out more, visit www.stcatherines.co.uk, email education@stcatherines.co.uk or call 01772 629171. You can visit this link to see the full calendar of study sessions: https://bit.ly/3zQMCEu

Batley Care Home Makes Every Penny Count for AGE UK Fundraiser Staff and residents at the Batley based care home, Lydgate Lodge, raised over

been extremely challenging for charities like Age UK so having the local support of

£100 for AGE UK after being inspired by their dedication to supporting older people

Lydgate Lodge and their positive response has been amazing! We hope I can work

throughout the Coronavirus pandemic.

together again very soon’.

In order to show their support, residents decided on the coin trail idea at their monthly committee meeting after reminiscing about creating traditional penny trails throughout their childhoods.

The trail took over a week to complete and was a significant achievement for residents who were able to spell out ‘Lydgate Lodge’ and other inspirational hashtags such as #healthcareheroes out of the donated pennies and pound coins.

Fundraising Executive for Age UK Calderdale and Kirklees, Nikki Ayrton, who came

Speaking after completing the coin trail quotes, resident Diana Hornby, who laid the final coin said, ‘I am so pleased we have been able to do something good for AGE UK and spread some joy. Creating the trail was no easy feat but was so much fun - I really enjoyed myself’.

Home Manager, Gary Kent, said, ‘I am so happy to see how successful our coin trail has been! Our team have been brilliant in organising the donations and it’s been a

to collect the donation, said, ‘I would like to thank everyone at Lydgate Lodge for

huge team effort creating the trail. Thank you to everyone who generously donated.

raising money for Age UK in a coin collecting challenge. The past 16 months has

We are proud to be able to give to such a wonderful charity’.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59 | PAGE 9

Health Leaders 'Pleased' The PM Wasted No Time In Appointing A New Health Secretary England.

Responding to the appointment of Sajid Javid as the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “Health leaders will be pleased the Prime Minister has wasted no time in appointing a new Secretary of State as the NHS continues to fight the many challenges of a global pandemic. Also, they will be encouraged that the role has gone to someone who, as a former Chancellor, should know the Treasury inside out. It is imperative that Sajid Javid uses these connections to ensure the NHS gets the investment it desperately needs, alongside delivering long-term reform for social care.

“With COVID-19 cases on the rise again, more than five million people waiting for elective treatment, primary, ambulance, community and mental health care services seeing increased and more complex demand, and staff on the verge of burnout, we will need a Secretary of State who can adeptly lead and support the NHS’s recovery.

“Also, with new legislation for health and care on its way, Mr Javid will need to ensure momentum is not lost, particularly given that this legislation may see his role take on greater responsibility over the NHS, alongside working with a new chief executive of NHS

“We are ready to engage Mr Javid on these priorities and we look forward to working with him.

“On behalf of our members, we would like to offer our thanks to Matt Hancock for his three years as health secretary.

“In this time, he has played a central role in leading much of the government’s response to the pandemic, including the stellar rollout of COVID-19 vaccination programme. In addition, he has facilitated the health service’s journey toward delivering more integrated and joined-up care, overseen the launches of both the NHS Long Term Plan and the NHS People Plan, and raised the profile of the tech agenda.

“Leaders will appreciate Mr Hancock’s apology and recognition of how his actions may have undermined public confidence in – and adherence to – COVID-19 restrictions at a time when cases are rising. We have come so far and cannot afford for the Government undermining its own public health messaging.”

Care Home Resident Virtually Attends Family Wedding A Blaenau Gwent care home resident who was unable to attend her granddaughter’s wedding in person got dressed up and watched the ceremony through the messaging and video calling service on Facebook messenger.

Staff at Red Rose Care Home arranged for Deborah Morris, 63, to attend the nuptials virtually, after becoming accustomed to using modern technology to help residents keep in touch with their families through the likes of FaceTime, Zoom and WhatsApp. Because staff are now used to arranging virtual visits and residents attending special family occasions at the touch of a phone or tablet screen, they were able to arrange for Deborah to see her granddaughter, Aprill, marry Kieron Prothero.

Kerrie Davies, manager at Red Rose Care Home, said: “We’d been informed that Deborah’s granddaughter, Aprill, was getting married and we spoke to her daughter, Julie, to ask if we could do a call in to the wedding and it was arranged from there.

“We took Deborah to sit in a quieter room and she was able to watch the ceremony virtually; she was

really happy that she was able to attend!”

Deborah said: “It was lovely for me to still be part of Aprill’s special day. I felt as if I was there, even though I wasn’t.

“I loved dressing up and celebrating with a glass of fizz!”

A few days later, Deborah’s granddaughter surprised her with a visit in her wedding dress, carrying a special gift for her grandmother - her bouquet.

“We made special arrangements for her granddaughter to visit, including getting her granddaughter tested for Covid,” said Kerrie.

“They were able to spend some time together after not seeing each other for more than a year. We didn’t tell Deborah she was coming in and it was a lovely surprise!”

Deborah said: “I was so happy when Aprill came to the home in her dress so I could see properly how beautiful she was, and it was a surprise when she gave me her bouquet.”

Kerrie adds the home is now accustomed to using technology during lockdown, to enable residents to keep in touch with their families, particularly on special occasions.

“Covid has made us look at ways we can keep in touch with people, and I don’t know that we would have come up with that idea as quickly, if it hadn’t been for the leaps and bounds we’ve made with technology due to Covid.”

Bath Resurfacing and Chip Repair from the UK’s leading specialists ✓

Fraction of the replacement costs

✓

Room back in use 24 hours later

✓

Non-intrusive, no mess process

✓

Fully insured services

✓

Fully H&S safety compliant with CHAS and Safe Contractor accredited technicians

✓

Slip resist options

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59 | PAGE 11

RCEM: 16,000 Additional Beds Might Be Needed For The NHS To Cope This Winter The NHS urgently needs a rapid increase in bed numbers if it is to meet potential demand this winter according to new analysis from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.

The College’s new briefing document ‘RCEM Explains: Hospital Beds’ looks at how bed numbers have declined in the past decade, the impact of covid, and the potential number of beds needed this winter, based on previous levels of demand.

The briefing uses the ratio of emergency admissions to beds to model the numbers of beds that will likely be needed, based on the levels of demand seen each winter prior to the pandemic.

In the last five years in England this figure has fluctuated between 11.07 admissions per bed (winter 2015/16) and 12.50 (winter 2018/19). Excluding the most recent winters (both of which saw demand and capacity fall due to the pandemic), there was an average of 11.77 admissions per bed.

If the NHS is to achieve a similar ratio this winter, and there are a similar number of admissions as in the winter of 2017/18, the NHS will need just over 7,500 additional beds. If demand is similar to 2018/19, then this figure rises to 15,788 extra beds.

President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Katherine Henderson said: “We are currently seeing record levels of attendances at Emergency Departments and if this continues into winter – an

extremely likely situation – the NHS will have too few beds to be able to cope.

“The consequences of having too few beds could be dire. If we do not have the capacity to admit patients into hospitals, then A&E waiting times will go up, patients will end up being treated in corridors – a very real threat to their safety before the pandemic, but now with the added risk of hospital acquired infection – and the elective backlog will grow further as beds earmarked for surgeries will be used for emergency patients.”

The briefing also makes clear the relationship between high bed occupancy and an increased rate of cancelled elective operations.

Dr Henderson said: “Too few beds means higher rates of occupancy, which in itself puts patient safety at risk, but it is clear that this has a huge knock-on effect on elective care. Lack of beds is one of the top reasons for cancellation of surgeries and if we do not address the shortage now, before winter, the elective recovery will fail.

“We know that access to services is an issue throughout the NHS at the moment with resources short allround, but Emergency Departments act as the safety net for the NHS – if they cannot function properly the entire system stalls – so it is vital that the new Secretary of State does all he can to enable the NHS to expand hospital capacity.

“The safe restoration of bed capacity to pre-pandemic levels is no easy fix though – as we’ve seen with the Nightingale initiative, capacity cannot be expanded if we do not have enough doctors, nurses, and clinicians.

“The capacity and staffing issues we face now have been over a decade in the making. Social care is still unfixed. Waiting lists are growing. Structural reconfiguration is in progress. Covid is less of an immediate threat but is unlikely to disappear. The Secretary of State has much to do, but he must start by making the beds.”

Your Chance to Nominate The Carer’s Next Unsung Hero Once again we here at The Carer are looking for an Unsung Hero!

A super deluxe luxury hamper will be the prize for the lucky winner!!

Since the beginning of the Covid crisis we have been inundated with absolutely wonderful, uplifting and heartwarming stories from residential and nursing care homes around the country. It is always a delight to publish them! Fundraising, engaging with local schools and communities, baking, candlemaking, knitting, poetry, recitals, fancy dress, Chinese New Year – you name it we and have been receiving fun stories!

Behind the scenes we have also received stories of the dedication commitment and devotion staff have shown in particular during these testing times.

However, this the hard work and dedication that those working in the sector often in extremely challenging situa-

tions can go unnoticed!

In previous years we have sought to redress that by inviting residential and nursing care homes to nominate somebody in their home who they believe is that “Unsung Hero”.

Every care home will have somebody who goes that extra mile, and often receives little recognise or reward. Since we launched our Unsung Hero award we have always had a phenomenal response, with some absolutely heartwarming and uplifting stories.

Your Unsung Hero can be from any department, frontline care, laundry, maintenance, kitchen, administration – we will leave that up to you.

We will be drawing a winner on July 9th, so please get your nomination with a short paragraph on what your nominee has done to deserve recognition and please send to:nominate@thecareruk.com

PAGE 12 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

Sunrise of Bassett Care Home Celebrates Anniversary of Heart-Warming Friendship Sunrise of Bassett, a luxury care home provider, is celebrating the anniversary of two resident’s three-year friendship.

Since meeting in June 2018, Peggy Budd and Marjorie Muir have become best friends.

However, prior to arriving at the care home, Peggy was extremely apprehensive about her move. To join the care home meant leaving behind the familiarity and relationships she had established over 16 years of living in her flat.

Nevertheless, for Peggy, living alone had become increasingly challenging, with the management of household chores and cooking becoming more and more tedious.

However, since making the bold decision to move to Sunrise of Bassett, she has not looked back with any regret.

Sunrise of Bassett team could not have chosen a better match-up of residents.

The two established an instant rapport, sharing the same sense of humour, interests and values, even learning that they may well have crossed paths in the past. It was clear a bond had well and truly been formed between Peggy and Marjorie.

Over the past three years, the pair have spent much of their time

Anna Chaplaincy: Here To Help!

Anna Chaplaincy began just over 11 years ago with one person - the former broadcaster Debbie Thrower, in Alton in Hampshire. Now, it’s a rapidly growing, widely respected nationwide ministry with Anna Chaplains and people in equivalent roles, in places as diverse as Orkney and Cornwall, south Wales and the Scottish highlands, Cumbria and Kent, Cheltenham and Newcastle.

The purpose of Anna Chaplaincy – named after

the widow, Anna, in the Bible – is to offer spiritual care for older people and their carers, to advocate on their behalf and to champion their contribution to the wider community.

As Debbie Thrower explains: "Our vision is to see an Anna Chaplain in every small- and medium-sized community in the country, and for the Anna Chaplain name to become synonymous with spiritual care for older people."

Anna Chaplains work closely with care home managers and staff and carry out a wide range of activities in care homes and in the wider community.

In normal times, being an Anna Chaplain involves visiting older people wherever they may be living, meeting one-to-one, hearing life-stories, taking services and home communion, drinking tea, praying, making music or simply holding someone’s hand in

together. Whilst Peggy is now the Resident Shop Manager at Sunrise of Bassett, and Marjorie enjoys her own hobbies, including reading, knitting, and assisting in the decorative flower arrangements in the dining room. They always make time to enjoy their daily crosswords, chat during mealtime, and visit each other’s bedrooms for a catch-up.

Reflecting on their friendship, Marjorie Muir said: “Peggy is extremely thoughtful, caring and a supportive friend who always encourages and supports me. She helps me out with the food menu and often surprises me with a sandwich that she brings by my bedroom. These small acts of friendship mean a lot. When Peggy’s daughter visits, she brings me some food and snacks as my daughter lives far away.”

Santa Bukovska, Director of Community Relations at Sunrise of Bassett added: “Peggy joined our care home not knowing any of our residents, but, at Sunrise of Bassett, we try to introduce our new residents to others who they share things in common with. This is a perfect example of a friendship that has blossomed over the years. It is so encouraging to see that no matter what age you are and where you live, you can meet good friends for life anywhere.’’ companionable silence. They also offer pastoral support to front-line care home staff.

But for Anna Chaplains, as for everyone else, these have been far from normal times. They haven’t been able to go into care homes or make home visits for months but, ever creative and adaptable, they’ve switched to Zoom and FaceTime, window visits, telephone calls, handwritten notes and individual gift bags of tea and cake.

Former nurse, Sally Rees, was ordained priest and commissioned as Anna Chaplaincy Lead for Wales, in a small socially distanced but very special service at Brecon Cathedral late last September.

"I’ve been part of the Anna Chaplaincy network from the very first gathering,’ she says, ‘so I’ve been witness to Anna Chaplaincy growing.

"Lockdown has been very difficult for Anna Chaplains, their teams, and the people for whom we care. But in this time when we can’t ‘do’, our praying for people is no small thing – praying is never a small thing, but in these times I really do believe our

goal is to do that deeper prayer, which protects and holds and keeps."

As the whole area of social care, and support for the older members of our communities, moves centre stage as a result of the pandemic, (The Carer 12.04.21), Anna Chaplains are uniquely placed to share their wisdom and experience with practitioners and policy-makers alike. Increasingly, team leaders Debbie Thrower and Julia Burton-Jones are consulted by government, church leaders and academics and there is an increasing demand for Anna Chaplaincy training and resources. In an indication of the growing regard for the work of Anna Chaplaincy, Debbie Thrower was honoured to lead a special service on BBC Radio 4 to commemorate the 125,000 people who lost their lives in the first year of pandemic.

For more information go to www.annachaplaincy.org.uk.

Anna Chaplaincy is a ministry of the charity BRF. For more information go to www.brf.org.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59 | PAGE 13

Parliament to Hold First Ever Debate on UK Housing-with-Care MPs will hold the first ever formal debate on the housing-with-care sector tomorrow, Thursday, 1st July, marking a key milestone in the recognition and status of the fastest growing part of the social care system.

The Westminster Hall debate, secured by Jim Shannon MP and taking place from 3:15pm, will focus on the way in which housing-with-care offers a new, innovative model for delivering care, and keeping older people active and healthy for longer.

Housing-with-care combines independent living for older people with 24/7 onsite staff, CQC-registered domiciliary care for those who need it, and a range of communal services and facilities, keeping residents safe and shielded during the pandemic, while offering innovative ways to stay socially connected.

A recent study by St Monica Trust and the Housing Learning and Improvement Network found that fewer housing-with-care residents died from Covid-19 (0.97%) than expected between March and December 2020, compared with people of the same age living in the wider community. This builds on the long-standing benefits of housingwith-care for health and wellbeing, with NHS and social care costs reducing by 38% per resident, and average hospital stays going down from an average of 8-14 days to 1-2 days.

The housing-with-care sector has been celebrating World Wellbeing Week, with the representative body for the sector, ARCO (Associated Retirement Community Operators), sharing videos each day of residents and staff talking about the benefits of living in a Retirement Community.

The Westminster Hall debate signifies growing Parliamentary support for new social care options like housing-with-care, to complement exist-

ing options like care homes and homecare. Jim Shannon MP is one of 18 official Parliamentary Supporters for Retirement Communities, spanning six different political parties and groupings.

Earlier this year, MPs and Peers joined forces with over 30 charity and private sector leaders, older people’s representatives and academics to write an open letter to the Prime Minister calling for the 2020s to be the “decade of housing-with-care”. This came shortly after Parliamentarians and experts had collaborated to produce a “Housing-with-Care Grey Paper” with policy ideas to expand the sector.

Just 0.6% of over-65s in the UK currently have the opportunity to live in housing-with-care, compared to at least 5-6% in countries like New Zealand, Australia and the US. The sector has been calling for the creation of a cross-government Housing-with-Care Task Force to overcome policy barriers to expansion, which include a lack of clarity in the planning system and consumer protection regulation.

Michael Voges, Executive Director of ARCO, said: “We’re really pleased that the housing-with-care sector will finally be getting the Parliamentary attention it deserves at next week’s Westminster Hall debate. This represents a huge milestone for our fast growing sector which is ready to play a key role in the UK’s social care system in future.

“Retirement Communities up and down the country have shown their ability to keep residents safe, shielded and socially connected during the pandemic, and we need many more of them as part of a more diverse social care system.

“We look forward to hearing from MPs of all parties at the debate next week, and hope that it spurs the government action that we need to see

Love, Love Me Do – Care Home Celebrates Global Beatles Day Magnolia Court care home in Golders Green was transformed into the Cavern Club to mark Global Beatles Day on 25th June. The day celebrates the band’s music and also promotes their message of peace and love.

Rock group, The Beatles – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr – was formed in 1960, the band initially got together in 1957 but went through a few name changes before settling on The Beatles. Pop history was made on 25 June 1967 when the band performed All You Need Is Love to 400 million people via the first global live TV link which is why Global Beatles Day takes place on this date.

General Manager, Octavian Stanciu said: “Lots of our residents are

big Beatles fans and still love their music. We’ve had a fantastic day listening to all their hits, finding out about their lives growing up in Liverpool and what influenced them. We watched A Hard Day’s Night ! which brought back lots of memories for everyone. This afternoon we had a Beatles quiz, it is amazing how many songs they recorded. We all surprised ourselves by how much Beatles trivia we remembered!”

Bill resident ambassador at Magnolia Court said: “I have always loved The Beatles, they were the sound of my youth. Listening to all their old hits has brought back so many memories. We’ve all had a brilliant time reminiscing about dancing the night away to Beatles hits back in the day!”

for the housing-with-care sector to transform the lives of many more thousands of older people.”

Nick Sanderson, Chief Executive of Audley Villages and Chair of ARCO, said: “Next week’s Westminster Hall debate on Retirement Communities is extremely welcome, and a real opportunity to raise awareness of the sector’s vast benefits for older people, and our country as a whole.

“Housing-with-care has the potential to save the NHS and social care system billions, dramatically improve the health, wellbeing and independence of older people, and free up homes for all ages.

“We will only realise these benefits on a wider scale if the Government puts the regulatory framework in place for the sector to flourish, and hope that this debate is an important milestone in achieving that change.”

Jane Ashcroft CBE, Chief Executive of Anchor Hanover and Vice Chair of ARCO, said: “Housing-with-care has played such a pivotal role during the Covid-19 pandemic in looking after older people and keeping them active and well, so next week’s Westminster Hall debate is hugely timely during what will be a key year for social care.

“With only 0.6% of over-65s currently having the opportunity to live in housing-with-care, it is very important that we expand the sector to complement existing options like care homes and homecare.

“We’ve been calling for a cross-government task force to be set up and make this vision a reality, and urge MPs from all parties to support this idea at next week’s debate.”

PAGE 14 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

Who’s Looking After the Wellbeing of Healthcare Workers?

Sodexo Engage reveals the ways employers in the healthcare sector can make staff feel appreciated after a year like no other

This week marks World Wellbeing Week, an opportunity to raise awareness of the broad-spectrum of wellbeing, including mental, physical, social, financial and digital. For the UK’s business leaders, this is a time to ensure initiatives are in place to nurture all elements of employee wellbeing in the workplace. But who’s looking after healthcare workers?

Healthcare workers have seen wellbeing take a particular knock over the last 18 months. Many essential workers haven’t experienced the increased flexibility of working from home that other workers have and given the increased pressure on the sector, the workload for many has been unyielding and traumatic. In fact, recent data reveals 50% of staff reported a decline in their mental health during the height of the pandemic.

For managers in healthcare sectors, it’s vital to remember that carers need care too. Managers should implement strategies to engage with the workforce and understand what might make work more rewarding and help prevent burn-out as we continue to navigate our way through the pandemic. With this in mind, employee benefits provider, Sodexo Engage, has put together some tips for making healthcare workers feel cared for:

TALK IT OUT It’s been reported that 80% of UK adults feel awkward about discussing mental health with their employer. Of course, having these personal conversations should be up to the discretion of the employee, but creating an atmosphere that encourages openness and destigmatises mental health will be a sure-fire way to ensure employees aren’t keeping schtum about struggling.

For healthcare workers in particular, this year and a half has been unusually challenging. Many workers will be suffering from the aftereffects of witnessing very ill patients or battling extreme exhaustion with nearly half thinking of quitting. These employees will need to know they can have conversations about what they’re experiencing with more senior staff. There are also various benefits that can promote mental wellbeing, including having an Employee Assistance Programme, that

a great way to motivate team members.

Employees can be rewarded with cash prizes, eVouchers, gift cards or discounts. For healthcare workers, who have seen the volume of their work increase and working protocol transform, any positive incentives will go a long way to making working life easier.

STRONG LEADERSHIP

offers employees access to free counselling and other forms of support.

FLEXIBILITY IS THE FUTURE OF WORK One of the points raised in a recent study of deskless workers, which encompasses all those working in jobs that can’t be remote including healthcare, was a desire for more flexibility. With healthcare workers totting up the hours and spending time away from family and friends, seeing office-based peers work from home and spend quality time with loved ones has been hard. If managers can allow for more flexible working, it could benefit everyone involved. Of course, working remotely won’t be a possibility for many healthcare professionals, but being able to work hours more attuned to individual lifestyle needs will be appreciated by many. It’s also critical employees get time out and free time to pursue hobbies and socialise.

PEP YOUR TEAM WITH PERKS Benefits alone will not make a team effective, but by treating employees and offering little pick-me-ups, it’s bound to ease some of the pressures of working life. Peer-to-peer recognition, where employees are encouraged to publicly recognise their colleagues accomplishments, is

Leaders may seem rock solid, but they also need to look after their own wellbeing during this challenging time. They will, after all, be setting an example. However, it’s not always easy to know when you’re not alright. Leaders can upskill so they recognise the signs of poor wellbeing in staff and themselves. For example, programmes like Mental Health First Aid can help managers and team members identify the signs of mental health problems, such as withdrawal or snappiness, and take action.

Managers can also encourage peer-support programmes, so employees know they’re not alone when experiencing natural and human reactions to challenges at work. Healthcare workers are in a unique position in that witnessing traumatic scenes can become normalised and labelled ‘part of the job’. The reality is that dealing with extreme emotional pressure day in, day out, will take its toll. Leaders must communicate with employees, listen to them and get their thoughts on what support they need.

Jamie Mackenzie, Director at Sodexo Engage, comments: “The last year has been particularly challenging for healthcare workers who have been at the frontline during the pandemic treating sick patients, whilst battling isolation and time away from family. We’ve all recognised how important our essential workers have been throughout and continue to be and their hard work should be rewarded accordingly.

Work on the frontline has been extremely stressful and many workers in this sector are feeling the impact on their general wellbeing.

“Managers in healthcare can take action. It’ll always be a demanding sector to work in, but there are ways to offer support. Strong management, communication and of course the nice perks along the way as an added flourish, will all be positive steps.”

Surrey-Based Maritime Care Home Establishes Dedicated Health & Wellbeing Team to Support Staff and Residents Maritime charity The Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society, which runs a nursing care home for former seafarers, has established a brand-new dedicated Health and Wellbeing team to focus on individual person-centred care and support the emotional and physical wellbeing of its elderly residents.

Led by George Parlapan, the Society’s Health and Wellbeing team will work with the care and nursing teams to ensure each and every resident receives the best standard of individualised care. The team will also promote and celebrate diversity and inclusion within the organisation, with tailored support for their staff and residents’ physical and emotional wellbeing.

The Society, which delivers expert care to former seafarers and their dependants, including those living with dementia, supports nearly 70 residents at its care home, and provides sheltered accommodation for 24 individually living tenants.

George, the Society’s Health and Wellbeing Specialist started his career at the Society as a care assistant in December 2018 and has consistently demonstrated his dedication to supporting those in his care and to boosting their overall wellbeing. George has an NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care and is currently working towards a Level 2 Award in Supporting Activity Provision in Social Care with wellbeing-focused charity and membership organisation NAPA (National Activity Providers Association) to support his new role.

On his new position, the Society’s Health and Wellbeing Specialist, George

Parlapan said: “I couldn’t be happier with my new role at the Society, and I am excited to take on the challenge of leading our specialist Health and Wellbeing team as it grows in 2021 and beyond. When it comes to health and wellbeing, we know that one size doesn’t fit all, and we will be working towards individual wellbeing programmes for all of our residents as part of our goal to provide completely bespoke individualised care.”

George is one of a number of internal promotions the Society has made so far this year, including Alice Mitroi taking on the role of Home Manager at Belvedere House – the Society’s nursing care home – and Luiza Jipa replacing her as Deputy Clinical Manager after four years as a nurse and Infection Prevention and Control Lead at the home. The charity strives to support the career development of its long-serving team and this summer is looking to bring in new talent to its team, hoping to recruit two entrepreneurial and caring individuals to work with George as Health and Wellbeing Specialists.

On the formation of the Society’s new specialist team led by George, Alice Mitroi said: “George has always been passionate about improving every day for residents. From ensuring they are taking part in activities that improve their overall wellbeing – whether it be their mobility or mental health – to being proactive in suggesting new ideas to support wellness at the home, George is the ideal fit for the role of Health and Wellbeing Specialist, and I couldn’t think of better person to lead our new team.”

New Transparent Face Mask Shields Your Smile, Without Hiding It! Newly launched Smile Shield has a transparent panel to aid communication, whilst offering medical grade protection, and meeting all elements of the government’s Transparent Face Mask Specification. Smile Shield has also over 98% bacterial filtration efficiency, is breathable, splash proof and hypoallergenic.

It is a British invention, created by two founders Jennifer and Lisa, who also own TAD medical, known for its range of medical supplies, already widely used by hospitals, educational facilities and the emergency Services.

Jennifer Soboslay, Founder of Smile Shield comments: “Visual facial expression is a huge benefit to many industries, as communication is so important to us all, especially a smile, which can change the sentiment of the information being shared or be

encouraging without words. The Smile Shield allows lip reading, visible facial expressions, and a clearer understanding and connection between people to take place.”

The Smile Shield™ can also be used as a surgical mask.

The clear front panel makes the mouth visible, which is especially important for those caring for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, have a learning disability, or suffer with autism or dementia.

Soboslay, adds: “We saw a gap in the market for a medical grade mask with a clear panel, that can be used by healthcare providers.”

Hypoallergenic and latex free, the Smile Shield mask is comfortable to wear and offers over 98% Bacterial Filtration Efficiency. For more information about Smile Shield, please visit: www.smileshieldmask.com.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59 | PAGE 15

New Research Shows Two Million People May Have Had Long Covid Symptoms Over two million people in England are thought to have had one or more COVID-19 symptoms lasting at least 12 weeks according to one of the largest studies of the virus funded by the government.

The study is based on self-reported data from 508,707 adults aged 18 and above who took part in REACT-2 rounds three to five carried out between September 2020 and February 2021.

Around a fifth of those surveyed reported having had a COVID-19 symptom previously, with over a third reporting persistent symptoms lasting at least 12 weeks.

Around a tenth of those with symptoms said they lasted at least 12 weeks and were severe.

The findings suggest prevalence of persistent symptoms, or long COVID, increases with age, with a 3.5% increase in likelihood in each decade of life. It shows long COVID is higher among women, people who are overweight or obese, who smoke, live in deprived areas, or had been admitted to hospital. Persistent COVID19 symptoms were lower in people of Asian ethnicity.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock said: “Long COVID can have a lasting and debilitating impact on the lives of those affected. Studies like this help us to rapidly build our understanding of the impact of the condition and we are using these findings and other new research to develop support and treatments.

“We are learning more about long COVID all the time and have made £50 million of research funding available to support innovative projects, with clinics established across the country to help improve the treatment available.”

COVID-19 is still a relatively new disease and to better understand its long-term effects the government is providing scientists with £50 million of research funding through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to help ensure the best treatments are available.

To help people suffering the debilitating long term effects of this virus, the NHS has opened over 80 long

COVID assessment services across England and last week the NHS published a £100 million plan to expand support, including £30 million to help GPs improve diagnosis and care for patients with long COVID. Professor Paul Elliott, director of the REACT programme at Imperial, said: “Our findings do paint a concerning picture of the longer-term health consequences of COVID-19, which need to be accounted for in policy and planning. Long COVID is still poorly understood but we hope through our research that we can contribute to better identification and management of this condition, which our data and others’ suggest may ultimately affect millions of people in the UK alone.”

People with persistent symptoms at 12 weeks fell into two broad groups. In the first the most common symptom was tiredness and muscle aches. In the second, the most common symptoms were shortness of breath affecting normal activities, tightness in chest, and chest pain, with more people reporting that they had severe symptoms.

Health Minister, Lord Bethell said: “We are learning more about long COVID every day. Surveillance programmes like REACT-2 are absolutely essential to advancing our understanding of the long term impacts of COVID-19.

“We are completely committed to backing innovative research projects into long COVID. They add to our body of understanding and help us develop better treatments to make sure people get the support they need.”

The study was based on self-reported data and because many of the symptoms are common and not specific to COVID-19 it may overestimate the prevalence of persistent symptoms following COVID-19.

It adds to the growing body of evidence, including similar research from King’s College London and University College London

Scottish Care Provider Logs on to Virtual Viewing Trend Scottish care homes have invested in new technology to offer potential residents and their families virtual viewings from the comfort of their own homes.

Mansfield Care has produced virtual tour videos for seven of its 11 care homes across Scotland, showcasing both the interior and exterior of each to give an accurate representation of the building.

The homes include Belleville Lodge and Craighall House in Edinburgh, Pine Villa in Midlothian, and Peebles Care Home, Galahill House, Millfield House and St John’s throughout the Scottish Borders.

The care provider hopes the videos will allow potential residents or family members looking on their behalf to get a feel for the services without leaving their home, whilst reducing the number of people entering the premise.

Mansfield Care’s founder, Andrew Hume, said: “It is important for us to continue to adapt and innovate our processes and services as the care industry becomes more digital.

“On top of this, virtual viewings are a way to keep our current staff and residents safe,

whilst making the process easier for those looking to make the move to one of our homes.

“Virtual viewings will allow potential residents to see the apartment almost in person from the comfort of their own home for convenience, safety and to enable people who cannot travel easily to conduct a viewing.”

Personalised virtual viewings can be arranged for those interested in moving into a care home with one of Mansfield Care’s staff on hand to answer questions, and provide more information about the home and its care services.

PAGE 16 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

How The Call To Action For Compulsory Vaccinations Might Affect The Industry

By Katie Ash from law firm Banner Jones’ (www.bannerjones.co.uk) employment team It seems that the Government’s approach of positive messages regarding the vaccine and relying on people to voluntarily have the vaccine in order to protect themselves, and others, from the most severe symptoms of the virus has not been sufficient.

According to recent statistics from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) further to a consultation launched in April, and as cited by the BBC, ‘47% of English care homes for older people had more than a fifth of staff yet to take up the vaccine, despite staff at all eligible care homes having been offered vaccines, with the vast majority of homes having had repeat visits by vaccine teams’.

The Government has been reviewing the case for compulsory vaccinations in elderly care settings for the last couple of months and the decision will hardly come as a surprise to those who have been listening to the most recent narrative.

In fact, Boris Johnson recently commented that making vaccinations mandatory shouldn’t be alien to us when doctors are required to have Hepatitis B vaccines to protect their patients (and themselves).

However, the PM isn’t quite right on the Hepatitis B point, as doctors aren’t legally required to have a Hepatitis B vaccine. The General Medical Council states that it is good medical practice to have such a vaccine unless there are medical reasons not to, but it is not a legal requirement.

Whilst we await further information on the exemptions that will be available, at the present time these appear to be limited to medical reasons. That will help employers avoid claims for disability discrimination, but will no doubt, once again, put pressure on an already stretched NHS - with employees who fit the bill heading off to their doctor to obtain evidence to support their position that they are exempt.

It appears that the Government will now consider whether vaccinations should be compulsory in other health and care settings, including the NHS. Given this most recent development, it seems likely that Covid vaccinations in these settings will also become mandatory. However, the unintended consequence of that may be yet more pressure on the NHS, with the care sector already stating that making vaccines compulsory will make recruitment even harder.

For those outside of the health and social care sector it seems unlikely that vaccinations will become mandatory with Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, stating that there are no plans to extend the scheme beyond health and care workers.

It is expected that employers in elderly care will be able to dismiss employees lawfully where they refuse to have a vaccine and there is no medical exemption which applies, as it would be illegal to continue to employ them.

However, if an employee has more than 2 years’ service then they have the right not to be unfairly dismissed and although illegality is a potentially fair reason for dismissal, an employer must follow a fair process before dismissing an employee for this reason. Such a fair process would involve consulting with the employee and considering the availability and suitability of alternative employment.

We await further clarification on this from the Government once the legislation is passed.

If you require guidance on this issue in the meantime then our Employment Law team are here to help.

Life Doesn’t Stop In A Care Home: Sunrise of Hale Barns Keeps Church Service In House Sunrise of Hale Barns care home has continued to hold Church services throughout the Covid-19 pandemic; they didn’t want the restrictions to sacrifice aspects of life which matter to residents the most. At Sunrise, it’s a top priority to ensure that residents continue to ‘live with purpose’ and enjoy every moment.

With this in mind, each week, Sunrise of Hale Barns have held a Church service for residents, put on by one of their own, Alma Hepworth. This makes up for the regular Church service that residents used to attend, put on by Mary from All Saints and The Priest from Holy Angels. These services had to unfortunately end due to Covid restrictions.

The activities lounge at the home is carefully set up to emulate a Church layout, and services have been held every Sunday throughout the pandemic. The first service took place on Mothering Sunday March 22nd 2020, the week the UK first underwent lockdown restrictions.

hymns are provided on CD, whilst an online BBC service has been introduced recently.

What’s even more special is that residents from a variety of different preferred methods of worship have also attended and worshipped in unison.

Alma, leader of the weekly services, said “the key point for me is that it gives residents the opportunity to sit in quiet prayer, pray for loved ones, for people who are ill, people who are grieving, it doesn’t matter where we worship, we worship together, as Jesus said ‘Where two or three are gathered together there am I in the midst of them’.”

The services have given residents who otherwise would not be able to attend Church a new opportunity to attend a substitute worship place, to pray and sing hymns with their fellow residents. Prayer and

By continuing to be adaptable and innovative, the team at Sunrise of Hale Barns will always ensure residents live their lives to the fullest, are always happy and always fulfilled.

Attendee Of Acclaimed Dementia Training Programme Promoted To Manager After Strengthening Lancashire Day Centre’s Care Culture A social care worker taking part in an acclaimed dementia training programme has been promoted to manager at her Lancashire day centre, after reinforcing its care culture to reflect the coronavirus pandemic.

Lesley Bownass, who is taking part in Meaningful Care Matters’ ‘Free to Be Me’ dementia training course, has been promoted to manager at Senior Moments Care day centre, in Lytham St Annes, after successfully implementing The Butterfly Approach for its service users with dementia.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic having a significant impact on the social care sector, Lesley’s recent adoption of the dementia care model has seen the centre’s numbers grow considerably, after receiving more referrals from Lancashire County Council due to its “glowing” reputation.

At present, the centre can accept up to 30 people across two floors – significantly more than pre-pandemic.

She is currently enrolled on the care and culture consultancy group’s ten-day modular programme, which was reintroduced in September 2020 until July 2021, and aims to educate leaders in dementia care on how the quality of life for people living with the condition can be positively transformed.

Speaking of the success of implementing the course's learnings into her day centre, Lesley said: “Since applying the The Butterfly Approach, I’ve been made manager of the day centre, our numbers have increased tremendously, our reputation is glowing, and we get lots of referrals from the county council. When social workers visit us, they love what they see. We now have great reviews and go above and beyond a normal day centre.”

In response to the pandemic, the Free to Be Me course has been

updated to reflect the challenges care providers have faced from PPE, infection control protocols, social distancing, social shielding, visitation restrictions of family and friends, and more.

Run by veteran care consultants Luke Tanner and Sally Knocker, each course is broken into ‘threads’ which empower attendees to be able to articulate a truly person-centred approach in their respective settings, where people are free to be themselves. The course values emotional intelligence, domestic household living, and the core belief that everyone living with dementia has a unique story that deserves to be heard.

Lesley continued: “Upon starting the course, I quickly realised I had naturally been applying The Butterfly Approach without knowing. The concept looks at how, in a dementia setting, a few quality moments in a day can make all the difference. I have always shared the importance of making people feel valued and needed.

“The course helps you to understand the reasons behind what you’re doing and its benefits. It also helps attendees to further understand how those they care for think and feel. Ultimately, it promotes and encourages a person-centred environment where everyone feels valued and loved.”

Lesley has been holding regular meetings with carers where she shares her leanings on The Butterfly Approach, and plans to host similar meetings in the future with service users’ family members.

Peter Bewert, Managing Director of Meaningful Care Matters, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to see Lesley utilise her training to create such a prosperous and thriving environment, during a challenging period. These courses aim to empower people to develop and nurture a person-centred care culture where people are ‘free to be me’.

“Attendees are provided with the tools and knowledge to go away and establish an exemplary dementia care culture where people can live the best lives possible. We look forward to seeing other attendees like Lesley transform the culture of their services to create places where increased well-being is at the forefront of practices.”

To find out more about the Free to Be Me course, visit https://meaningfulcarematters.com/services/the-learning-lenses/.

Alternatively, for more information on Meaningful Care Matters, please visit: https://meaningfulcarematters.com/.

DO YOU KNOW THE CARER’S NEXT UNSUNG HERO? Regular readers will know we here at the Carer have been awarding an Unsung Hero each Summer and Christmas since 2016!

Now, in these unprecedented and testing times we are Say hello looking for another to some Unsung Hero! previous (How we wish we could winners! reward you all!)

Care Home urst of Cloverfield Marion Brockleh

Thelma O’Leary of Fern hill House Care Home

A Super Deluxe Luxury Hamper for the lucky winner! ro r last Unsung He Martyn Davies, ou

Tina Higginson of Sam brook care home

A no-frills, no glitz or glamour competition - all we ask is for you to send us a paragraph or two nominating your Unsung Hero from any department with a brief description of how they've gone that extra mile and deserve to be recognised.

✓ Do you know our next Unsung Hero?

Email your nomination to us by July 9th 2021 at

nominate@thecareruk.com

PAGE 18 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

Drugs Fail to Slow Memory and Thinking Decline in Rare Genetic Form of Alzheimer’s The scientific publication Nature Medicine has published findings from an international clinical trial (DIAN-TU) testing the potential Alzheimer’s drugs solanezumab and gantenerumab in people with a rare, inherited form of Alzheimer’s disease.

The results confirm top-line results originally presented in 2020, which showed the drugs failed to have a meaningful benefit on memory and thinking in people with familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD).

It also shows additional data on how the drugs affected key brain changes associated with the disease.

Dr Susan Kohlhaas, Director of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK: “Investigating potential new drugs in people with rare-inherited forms of Alzheimer’s disease not only offers us unique insight into the development of familial Alzheimer’s but also the more common, non-genetic form of the disease.

“While we have known for a while that gantenerumab and solanezumab weren’t able to slow down or reverse memory and thinking decline in this trial, the new data is further evidence that the drugs do target the biological processes in the brain they were designed to hit and have an impact on markers of neurodegeneration.

“There are also signs that treating early in the disease process may be most beneficial. As this was a very small study one key aim will be to get more people with this rare form of dementia involved in the trial so that researchers can learn about more subtle cognitive changes that occur early in the disease.

“We cannot thank the brave and committed volunteers who took part in this research enough, and we know as a field, we will have to redouble our efforts to help those with this particularly devastating form of

Alzheimer’s.

“Recently a drug called aducanumab was approved in the US for people with Alzheimer’s disease, but it is not yet clear whether it will be granted approval in this country and it is important that we work towards a range of approaches so that we can bring about effective treatments as soon as possible.

“For more information about this trial, or dementia research, contact the Alzheimer’s Research UK Dementia Research Infoline on 0300 111 5111.”

What is the DIAN-TU trial?

The DIAN-TU – the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Trials Unit – is an international drug trial to see whether the rare genetic form of Alzheimer’s – familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD) – can be slowed down by potential new medicines.

Scientists tested two potential drugs – solanezumab and gantenerumab – both targeting amyloid, the hallmark Alzheimer’s protein.

Participants in the trial were from around the world, including a centre at University College London in the UK. Volunteers either knew they have an Alzheimer’s disease-causing mutation or were unaware of their genetic status but had a FAD mutation in their family.

Why is this study important?

DIAN-TU is the first study of its kind, testing the use of antibody drugs to prevent or slow down the onset of Alzheimer’s in those who have a genetic risk of developing this disease early in life.

A build-up of amyloid around brain nerve cells is thought to start a cascade of processes leading to the death of nerve cells and eventually a loss of memory.

The drugs Solanezumab and gantenerumab target this protein. Both drugs have had a complicated history and both work in slightly different ways.

Solanezumab is designed to clear clumps of amyloid from the brain, and gantenerumab is designed to stop the large build-up of amyloid forming.

The way both drugs are given is also different. Solanezumab is given by infusion and gantenerumab was given as a monthly injection. The drugs were given in increasingly higher doses over a period of four years.

What did the study show?

The study failed to show benefit to study volunteer’s memory and thinking.

In this study, 52 people received gantenerumab, which led to a reduction in the amount of amyloid in the brain. Gantenerumab also lowered the amount of tau protein in the brain as well as slowing the rise of a marker of disease – Neurofilament light chain (Nfl). Nfl is a structural component of nerve cells in the brain. It leaks from the brain when these nerve cells become damaged and can end up in the bloodstream and spinal fluid.

How common is a genetic form of Alzheimer’s disease?

About one percent of people with Alzheimer’s disease will have the genetic form, known as familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD).

It is genetically inherited or passed down through families. Individuals who have a parent with a genetic mutation have a 50 percent chance of carrying the gene and many experiences an onset of symptoms in their 30s and 40s.

Open Study College Announces 39% Increase In Students Aged 60 And Over Leading distance learning provider Open Study College has revealed a significant shift in its demographic, with a 39% increase in new student enrolments from those aged 60 and over.

The statistic is based on figures comparing 2018 enrolments with those in 2020 during the global pandemic.

As part of research undertaken by Open Study College, there are a number of reasons people typically choose to follow the distance learning route including: those who are unable to physically attend a college or university due to suffering with mental or physical health; caring for family and home responsibilities whilst learning; individuals looking to upskill; or students that need to learn new skills and gain necessary qualifications for a new or change in career.

More recently however, a pattern has emerged as a significant number of older students have joined Open Study College purely because they want to keep on learning in their later years about subjects that are of interest to them, providing purpose and keeping their minds active.

John, 74, from South Gloucestershire said: “It's important to keep the intellect alive in later years and completing a course and receiving the accreditation acts as a tremendous boost to one's mental health.”

Marilyn, 70, from Truro said: “I am 70 going on 29 years old. Physically I am doomed but will not be mentally. This is my tenth course with Open Study College, and I hope there will be more. To retirees thinking about taking a course online I would say ‘go for it’.”

Linda, 75, from Worcestershire said: “I am enjoying the course at Open Study College and I’m lucky to have been able to choose, for the first time, what it is I study.”

CEO of Open Study College, Samantha Rutter, said: “Learning new skills shouldn't stop when retirement starts. We couldn’t be prouder of all the students in the Open Study College family, and those that are continuing to study and excite their minds well into their years of retirement really help solidify our ethos of making education accessible to all.

“It’s interesting to see how life-changing events such as the global pandemic can contribute to how people chose to spend their free time, and in our research it’s clear that some of our older students are keen to keep on learning about subject matters that really interests them or was once integral to their careers and lives.

“This increase in older generations studying proves that learning is more accessible than ever before. We work incredibly hard to ensure that we adapt our courses for the young and young at heart. Many of our courses come with the option of studying online or via a paper-based study pack where course materials are sent to your home. We know that this is often a preferred method of studying with our more mature learners.

"Our student support team and personal tutors are also on hand to guide students through their course, and for those with additional needs we can provide our materials in larger fonts or on coloured paper where required.

Making learning more accessible is always going to be one of our top priorities and we hope to see more retirees benefit from learning with us.”

To find out more or to register for a course visit www.openstudycollege.com or follow Open Study College on Facebook, Instagram, twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Introducing Panodyne Covid-19 Rapid Test Kits You Can Trust The Panodyne range of rapid test kits is designed for visitors and staff screening in the workplace, public and private settings, including care homes, schools, places of worship or entertainment venues:

ANTIGEN TEST For rapid detection of Covid-19 infection.

SALIVA TEST A non-invasive and user-friendly rapid test to minimise discomfort, easier for vulnerable and disabled people to use.

ANTIGEN & INFLUENZA FLU VIRUS TEST For regular testing during the winter months.

NEUTRALISING ANTIBODY TEST For effective evaluation of the body’s immune response to the vaccine.

ANTIBODY TEST Measures the protection provided by antibodies post infection.

All tests are CE certified for use under supervision of trained staff, company nurse and occupational health personnel.

Contact sales at info@multibrands.eu.com Tel: 01274 307310 Visit: https://panodyne.eu.com/test-kits/

PAGE 20 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

Statutory Duty to Maintain an Accurate Rating List Passes from the VOA to Every Ratepayer in the Country says Colliers Colliers concern new “streamlined system” may make it more onerous and expensive for businesses to appeal their business rates June 29th 2021 The Government has today launched a consultation regarding the frequency of future Revaluations.

We are told that the proposals are designed to make the system more streamlined and fair. The consultation has been announced as part of the Fundamental Review of Business Rates which will conclude in the Autumn.

Under the plans, revaluations of non-domestic properties would take place every three years instead of the current system of five - ensuring they better reflect changing economic conditions.

Colliers fully support more frequent Revaluations and feel that this will both reflect the constant change in the market and hopefully ensure that assessments are more accurate.

However as John Webber, Head of Business Rates at Colliers comments:

“Although on the face of it the Government announcement that it is move to three yearly valuations is to be applauded- no one certainly wants a repeat of the six or seven year Rating Lists we have experienced - there are certain caveats in the new proposals which are a cause for concern: Firstly the Government is now imposing a duty on rate payers to supply detailed information on an annual basis to the VOA about their properties- so this means there will be greater onus on rate payers and more paperwork for them to do so on an annual basis, even before they can access the appeals system.

Secondly the Government is considering removing the “Check” part of the CCA Check, Challenge Appeal, because of the above, and will consider whether appeals will go straight into a Challenge for which the rate payer would need to submit a fee. ( Currently there are no fees payable until the appeal stage of CCA).

Thirdly although the government wishes to move to three year valua-

tions, on the basis that rates will have a greater chance of mirroring the rental values, there are no plans to reduce the two year gap between the AVD+ date and the issue of the new list. We would favour a one year gap- so that 2023 rates liability is for example based on values in 2022, not 2021. This would give a fairer reflection on the market.”

Finally there are suggestions that MCC appeals will be a thing consigned to history. “ My worry is the proposed system would increase the bar to appeal against unfair rating assessments, and thus reduce the number of appeals. The VOA will have no need to inspect properties- or maintain the list- that responsibility seems to have passed to every corner shop in the country.”

“This reform seems to be less about helping the rate payer and more about benefitting the government and the VOA.”

Residents at Hunters Down Care Home Enjoy the Cromwell Museum Trail Cromwell Museum in Huntingdon – Cambridgeshire came up with a wonderful art project after being excepted for a £19.000 art fund grant and the backing from local businesses.

The Cromwell Museum hope this project brings art into the community who may not have engaged with their collections before, raising awareness of Huntingdon’s connections to this key period of its history.

The trail includes 12 works of art – using replicas of items from the museum situated at 10 locations around Huntingdon.

It has been put onto the following site for people to be able to view the artwork. https://smartify.org/tours/cromwell-town-art-trail Some of the residents in Hunters Down Care Home in Huntingdon have already been on the site and enjoyed the virtual trail.

Edith said she has been into The Cromwell Museum before, a number of years back now. She said the building is lovely from the outside and very pleasing on the eye inside with all of the interesting items to look at.

Nellie was intrigued when she was looking at the poster for The Royall Entertainment of the King, by the Royalist of HUNTINGTON. Saying they spelt it differently then.

Cathy thought it was a lovely idea as many of us do not really know all the history of where we live. When people go on holiday, they find time to explore the area they are visiting. Perhaps we should look more closely at where we live as well.

Dorothy and Daphne said it was a good idea to get the younger generation interested in history especially with the fun side of spotting the items at the various destinations.

Pearl, Lead of Lifestyle & Wellbeing said several years ago she took some of the residents to the Cromwell Museum which they thoroughly enjoyed a personal tour. Let’s hope soon we will be able to re visit The Cromwell Museum again in the near future.

World Music Day Inspires On-song Colten Care

From cardio drumming to performing song and dance routines, World Music Day inspired a harmonious week of uplifting sounds for care home residents and staff.

South coast provider Colten Care found a host of ways to celebrate the universal joy and power of music, bringing smiles and positive vibes all round.

Residents at Belmore Lodge in Lymington stretched their arms for a fun workout drumming on exercise balls to the rhythm of the 1961 Dion hit The Wanderer.

Those living at Outstanding-rated Woodpeckers in nearby Brockenhurst took part in a closely fought musical bingo tournament featuring lyrics from favourite pop songs.

And all four of Colten’s dedicated dementia care homes got in on the act too, staging musical experiences for residents.

There was a 1950s singalong at Outstanding-rated Linden House in Lymington and a song and dance afternoon at Outstanding-rated Fernhill in Longham near Bournemouth.

It featured Companionship team members Anne Marie Knight and Megan Fletcher dressing up and performing the Judy Garland song A Couple of Swells and the signature tune from the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

In a karaoke session, residents at St Catherines View in Winchester sang and played percussion instruments while The Aldbury in Poole held a name-that-tune competition.

Among other homes, Braemar Lodge in Salisbury invited residents to join the global dance challenge prompted by the success of the song Jerusalema by South African DJ and producer Master KG. And while singer and Companionship team member Rebecca Osborne performed ‘a musical trip around the world’ at Outstanding-rated Amberwood House in Ferndown, residents at Avon Reach in Mudeford enjoyed a trip down memory lane with music hall songs and reminiscence.

Voices and playing from all 21 Colten homes in Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and West Sussex are represented in a new music video celebrating their creative talent.

It features a special arrangement of Barry Manilow’s song One Voice by Colten’s Music

and Arts Partner Fiona Pritchard.

Opening with a solo from Kirby Sharp, a Healthcare Assistant at Abbotts Barton in Winchester, the video includes cello, flute, violin and guitar as well as singing.

Fiona said: “Some of the singers and players may have been nervous beforehand but everyone finished their parts with laughs and smiles.

There was a real sense of achievement and positivity as with all our Music Day activities. The homes came up with such a wide variety of ideas to celebrate the occasion, all supporting our residents’ wellbeing.”

Jo Gough, who lives at St Catherines View and is shown in the One Voice video in the role of conductor, said of her experience: “It’s wonderful, it’s beautiful.”

The film is available to watch on Colten Care’s YouTube channel www.YouTube.com/ColtenCare.

PAGE 22 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

New Funding Will Improve Research-Led Practice in Adult Social Care in the East of England A team of researchers from the University of Hertfordshire has been awarded funding of almost £1million by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to build research capacity in adult social care services across Hertfordshire and Norfolk.

Over one million adults in the UK receive personal and practical care and assistance from social care for a wide range of reasons, including critical support for age-related issues, health conditions and disabilities.

Led by the University of Hertfordshire in collaboration with the University of East Anglia, the project will pave the way for more social care practitioners to undertake relevant research, which can be embedded into their practice to inform and improve quality of care.

In partnership with Hertfordshire and Norfolk County Councils, the three-year initiative will see the researchers create four new Social Care Research in Practice Teams (SCRiPT). Each team member will receive funding to develop their research skills and confidence, and design and implement new research projects to advance social care in the region.

One of six similar schemes across England funded by the NIHR, the project also provides more opportuni-

ties for collaboration between social care practitioners in Hertfordshire and Norfolk. Participants will benefit from opportunities to share skills and best practices with colleagues from a range of areas of social care.

Kathryn Almack, Professor of Health, Young People and Family Lives and joint project lead at the University of Hertfordshire, said: “We are delighted to receive this funding that will enable us to significantly raise the profile of research within the field of adult social care. It is fantastic to have investment from the NIHR and backing from senior figures in Hertfordshire and Norfolk County Councils.

“Practitioner-led research has long been seen as a vital resource in healthcare, and I am very pleased to see its value being recognised in social care too. This funding will help us to upskill and empower staff, creating time and space for tailored research projects that directly contribute to better care for vulnerable adults across the region.”

Tanya Moore, Principal Social Worker in Adult Care Services at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “‘Practitioners have a great deal to offer research so it’s great to see this project being so thoroughly embedded in practice”.

The Future Is Bright; Nursing Degree Students From University of Gloucestershire Impress Their Lilian Faithfull Care Placement Hosts Lilian Faithful Care’s Cheltenham nursing home, St Faith’s, has been working in partnership with the University of Gloucestershire for over five years offering placements to student nurses studying for their nursing degrees. The latest cohort of students were just coming to the end of their fourteen week placement at St Faith’s when four of them shared their experiences. Pictured Kira, Monika, Becca and Takudza, alongside our nurse, Karen Barry who was one of three nurses to mentor the students.

Monika explains; “We have really enjoyed every moment. We have learnt so much. The team has been amazing - supporting us every single day. Being a student during the pandemic has been hard but those lovely girls [their nurse mentors], Sally, Pauline and Karen have kept us safe, they look after us and our mental health. It was the best placement I’ve ever had. I have felt very valued. We’ve seen how the nurses provide good leadership and we are learning every single day.

The knowledge I have absorbed is mind blowing.”

Takudza continues, “What I wasn’t expecting was the support we also got from other health professionals. The [visiting] Doctors have also taken time to actually explain everything to us, whatever they were doing. It might be explaining the signs of deterioration or talking us through what they are prescribing.”

Becca adds, “I hadn’t had any experience of end of life care before coming here and it has opened my eyes as to what can be done and what there is to offer.”

Nurse and mentor Karen Barry explains, “When the students arrive, for some of them it is their first time in a nursing home, whereas others have plenty of experience.” The students echo this and Becca comments “When I started I didn’t know how to communicate with the residents, I was nervous but I have learnt so much and now know lots of different ways you can communicate.” Takudza added, “Yes, you learn different ways to communicate, we have pictures residents can point to – it wasn’t something I had when working in a previous nursing home.”

What has inspired these students to train to become nurses in the first place? Each of them shared their personal stories which are motivating them through their studies.

Takudza spoke movingly about her inspiration, “I grew up in Zimbabwe and I looked after my grandmother when she was ill. Before she passed away ‘you are so caring, don’t just do it for myself but do it for other people.’ It is her that made me think I could do this.”

Becca has also been motivated by her family, “My mum is a nurse she has always said ‘you are really caring’. I did my A-levels but didn’t choose university straight away, I didn’t know if it was for me. I did a nursing and midwifery diploma and enjoyed it... I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my mum.”

Monika’s talent for caring was also spotted when she was a young age, “As a little girl my mother asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I said a wheelchair so I could push people about in one! So I have always been interested in healthcare. After coming here from Poland, I worked in a nursing home and in a hospital. Someone there told me I should be a nurse, but I was doubting my ability. I am 35 and starting

later you ask lots of questions especially about how you will pay the bills and manage the course but it’s the best decision I’ve ever taken.”

Kira also has a remarkable story. As full time nursing student she not only has a 3 year old but also a 12 week old baby. The students relate how she still came into moving and handling training when she was heavily pregnant! “It’s been crazy!” and she explains what lead her to the nursing degree course, “In my family there is me and my sister, but I have been always the one looking after her. After school I had my own mental health struggles and when I was thinking how about how to look after myself I thought I should care for others. I was a Health Care Assistant and then went for this course.”

It is fantastic to hear the students’ stories and hear how much they have benefitted from their time at St Faith’s but as nurse Karen explains all the supervisors and nurse mentors also really enjoy working with the students. “We’ve got such a lot out of having the students. When we started five years ago we had to learn all about teaching and assessing and we have grown with the students. Every time we learn more about how to help and support them and how to get the best out of them.

Nick Oxlade, Placements and Partnerships Lead at the University of Gloucestershire share their perspective; ‘’University of Gloucestershire have been working with Lilian Faithful Care from the very start of our Adult Nursing Programme in 2017. St Faiths was the first Nursing Home we sent our students to and the experience has been overwhelmingly positive. As a university committed to providing a health and social care workforce for the county and further afield, having a local provider with an established history in Gloucestershire has been fantastic. We have now sent adult Nursing, Mental Health Nursing, Paramedic and Physiotherapy students to Lilian Faithful Care and each time we are heartened by the feedback we receive from students about their experience and from staff about our students.”

The partnership is so successful that Health Education England have invited the University of Gloucestershire to their national conference in July where they will be running a workshop alongside Lilian Faithfull Care. Nick Oxlade explains; “We will be demonstrating to other placement providers (NHS and Private) and Universities, how to implement placements effectively in Nursing Homes – again this is testament to the success and dedication of the staff within Lilian Faithful Care in their support of health and social care students.’’

Nurse Mentor Karen’s final words encapsulates what a true partnership it is between Lilian Faithfull Care and the University of Gloucestershire; “We are really proud to be teaching and supporting the future nursing workforce. It’s very rewarding to see them develop and grow in confidence and skill. It definitely enhances the care we provide.”

The nursing students continue to be an inspiration. All the St Faith’s staff wish them every success in the future and look forward to giving a warm welcome to the next group soon!

Alliance Disposables Ltd Has Announced That It Is The First Major Supplier Within The Hospitality And Public Sector To Become Employee Owned Alliance Disposables is a major supplier of catering disposables and equipment in the UK and Ireland and is pleased to announce that it is now employee owned.

The company, which employs approximately 600 people between its Crewe headquarters and twelve depots around the UK and Ireland, was founded in 1999, and was previously majority owned by its founder directors.

Alliance has grown significantly to a projected turnover of £130m in 2021 / 22.

David Elder, Managing Director commented “Alliance has always been particular about maintaining a longterm relationship with its customers and staff.

To ensure that those values can be sustained, necessitated us taking a more progressive approach, and this has resulted in the transfer of the business to employee ownership.

Often, the sale of a business results in significant disruption and change. We see this as a solid way of maintaining stability and to continue the growth and development of Alliance.

We look forward to our employees sharing in the future success”

Further adding “Prospects for future growth are looking exceptionally positive“ Chris Poston, Client Relationship Director and Group Board Director for Royce Peeling Green chartered accountants who advised Alliance on the EOT said: “The Directors considered a number of options for the future of the company, but concluded that the transfer of 100% ownership to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) was the best fit for the culture and ethos which has been built up within the company. The directors are confident that employee ownership will further facilitate the continued growth and development of the business and provide secure employment for the team.”

The day to day management and running of the company will not be affected by the change.

The current Directors will continue to run the business and a trustee board has been established to provide a corporate governance framework which will ensure that the EOT acts in the best interest of the employees.

Alliance is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of non-food catering disposables and equipment, operating from a central NDC and multiple Regional depots. It recently opened a successful business in Ireland.

Customers range from hotels, pubs and restaurants to public sector NHS, leisure and care markets.

The Alliance team were advised by Chris Poston of Royce Peeling Green, and Rebecca Grisewood and Rachel Dean of Gateley Legal. The EOT was advised by Emma Hickman of JMW Solicitors.

0203 011 4070 | enquiries@thepolicycompany.co.uk

www.thepolicylibrary.co.uk

PAGE 24 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

Hospice Scoops Research Funds to Tackle the Care Crisis in the Elderly LOROS Hospice has announced a ground-breaking programme of research into care for older people at the end of their lives.

With a £3million research specific investment over the next five years, LOROS’ awardwinning research team will conduct studies to find out what care people prefer and what works most effectively.

Numbers of very old people in the UK are increasing substantially with those aged 85 years and older set to grow by 190% by 2040.

As a result, many older people will be living with frailty, and their care requirements will grow increasingly complex.

LOROS’ programme of research will provide vital information on people’s preferences for treatment as well as developing effective, personalised interventions to improve the care available.

It is likely to include a focus on better education for health professionals to improve conversations about end of life, trialling a system for expert treatment decisions when a frail person becomes very unwell and evaluating a peer mentoring scheme to support the families of people living in care homes.

John Knight, CEO of LOROS Hospice said: “We are delighted to be making this announcement today. Opportunities such as this are both rare and hard won. The clear aim is that this wonderful research effort results in even more enhanced patient care – that intention has always been central to LOROS’ mission, vision and values.”

“As the UK’s population ages, the clock is ticking to find solutions to adult social care.

We believe this study will make significant progress towards tackling this pressing societal issue and finding treatments which are both effective and affordable.”

The programme of research will cement LOROS’ reputation as a centre of excellence in palliative care.

LOROS’ research success is built on a unique collaboration with the 2,500 patients it cares for each year.

All learning that results from the Hospice’s research is used to educate health professionals and improve patient care, at LOROS Hospice itself but also nationally and internationally.

In addition, the study further develops LOROS’ work with the University of Leicester.

The charity is the University’s affiliated teaching hospice and works with medical students to ensure future generations of doctors have first-hand experience of great end of life care.

Professor Christina Faull, LOROS Research Lead, said: “I am delighted and very excited to be asked to lead research at LOROS into this next phase. We know that patients want the opportunity to be part of research in order to make a difference to others and this investment, the programme of work and our vision as a centre of excellence will enable those differences to be made.”

Hallmark Care Homes to Host a Jam-Packed Virtual Event to Celebrate Care Home Open Week!

Hallmark Care Homes will support Care Home Open Week and Championing Social Care on Thursday 1st July by hosting a live virtual event where attendees can experience a taste of all they have to offer residents.

The special event will be hosted by the Executive Chairman of Hallmark and Care England, Avnish Goyal and will be live-streamed from Henley Manor, the care group’s £15 million facility in Henley on Thames.

It is being held in association with Care Home Open Week which runs from 28th June to 4th July.

Care Home Open Week aims to connect care homes with their local communities, challenge misconceptions about care and remind everyone that the unique individuals who live in care homes are supported by dedicated and professional caring teams.

During the fun and informative event, attendees can get an insight

into what it is like to live in one of Hallmark’s multi-award-winning care homes. They’ll get to meet some of their experienced team members and trusted partners and find out what they do differently at the family-run care group.

The event will be split into a morning and afternoon session commencing at 11am and 2pm.

The afternoon session will feature a live panel discussion with some surprise guests, debating ‘How do we restore confidence in the social care sector following the pandemic?’

Throughout the day, team members and residents at each Hallmark home will be taking part in a Danceathon to raise money for Musica Music and Wellbeing, a social enterprise that supports people living with dementia and their caregivers to use music in their daily lives.

The Hallmark Team hopes to raise £1,000 which will enable Musica to deliver their online music activity library, Musica Connect, free of charge to individuals living with dementia.

Avnish Goyal said: “I am delighted to be hosting this event, which will showcase everything that is great about our caring communities!

“Our teams have worked hard to put together a full and engaging schedule of activities for attendees and after a difficult year for the sector, I cannot wait to make some positive noise as part of our extensive Care Home Open Week celebrations.”

If you would like to view the full schedule of activities and register for the event you can do so here: https://bit.ly/tasteofhallmark For further information about Care Home Open Week and to sign up, please visit, Care Home Open Week • Championing Social Care at https://championingsocialcare.org.uk/care-home-open-day/

Orchard Care Homes Launches 5-Year Dementia Care Strategy Orchard Care Homes, a leading provider of senior living in the UK, has launched a new Dementia Care Strategy outlining its vision to deliver safe, responsive, high quality and compassionate care in an individually planned approach by a highly skilled, accountable and effective workforce.

With a portfolio of 24 care homes in the North of England and the Midlands, the organisation aims to be at the forefront of driving improvements, working together with residents, families, and commissioners to ensure positive outcomes are achieved by all those affected by dementia.

Orchard’s Dementia Strategy is underpinned by its core values of Enjoy Life, Welcoming, Kind, Positive, Professional and Respectful and will be led and monitored by the Director of Quality and Care, Cheryl Baird. Cheryl has worked in the health and social care sector for over 28 years and will provide leadership, guidance and support to colleagues across the organisation to deliver the key objectives of the action plan.

Four strategic priorities have been identified as a means of delivering the 5-year plan:• To deliver outstanding care dependent on individual’s needs, wants and wishes • Provide a platform to build and strengthen dementia care

• Promote innovation • Be more efficient with resources.

Within each priority are a series of actions required to achieve goals. Quarterly reports on progress will be provided to the senior leadership team and Board of non-executive Directors and details will include training progress and colleague feedback surveys to show the correlation between increased knowledge and positive resident experiences that are measurable.

“As an organisation we all support the strategy and fully endorse its core principles”, said Cheryl. “It sets out our vision and pledge to deliver high-quality and compassionate care that truly makes a difference. While the health and social care sector continues to go through challenges, it is our aim to empower and support our teams in being able to deliver the best care possible. Our welcoming environments provide an enriched experience for all residents living with dementia.

“We expect to see less incidents of distress response that has led to safeguarding referrals which will be evident via our established audit process.

Auditing of care and support plans will provide detail on the effectiveness of outcome focused care. Regulatory reports and adherence to fundamental standards will also measure the impact of the strategy along with referral, occupancy data and resident satisfaction feedback, which is imperative to its success.”

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59 | PAGE 25

3 In 5 UK Adults Receive Both Doses of Covid-19 Vaccine

More than three in five adults in the UK have received a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, securing the fullest possible protection, as the vaccination programme continues at unprecedented pace and scale.

With 75,188,795 million doses administered in total, 43,448,680 million people across the UK have now been vaccinated with a first dose (82.5%), while 31,740,115 million people have had both doses (60.3%).

Recent analysis by Public Health England (PHE) shows that COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against hospitalisation from the Delta (B.1.61.2) variant. The analysis suggests the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 96% effective and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is 92% effective against hospitalisation after both doses.

The government met its target of offering a vaccine to the most vulnerable by 15 April and is on track to offer a first dose to all adults by 19 July, two weeks earlier than planned. NHS England has extended the offer of a vaccine to everyone aged 18 and over.

By 19 July, all those aged 40 and over and the clinically extremely vulnerable, who received their first dose by mid-May, will have been offered their second dose.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The vaccination team have been working incredibly hard to provide people with much-needed protection from this life-threatening disease.

“With more and more evidence emerging on just how effective two doses of our vaccines are in protecting against the Delta variant, it’s a

great to see three in five adults have been double jabbed, so we’re well on our way to the whole country getting the fullest possible protection.

“We’re so close now to ensuring the entire adult population is protected – now everyone aged 18 and above can make an appointment, so make sure you book in for your first and second doses as soon as possible.”

The successful vaccination programme is weakening the link between cases and hospitalisations. The latest evidence shows that two doses are needed to provide effective protection against the Delta variant.

To ensure people have the fullest possible protection against COVID19, second doses for all over 40s will be accelerated by reducing the dosing interval from 12 weeks to eight weeks.

The move follows advice from the independent experts at the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which has considered the latest available evidence and has recommended reducing the dosing interval to counter the threat of new variants of concern.

The government and its scientific experts are monitoring the evolving situation and rates of variants closely, and will not hesitate to take additional action as necessary.

Vaccines Minister, Nadhim Zahawi said: “Two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine are absolutely vital in ensuring the fullest possible protection the jabs have to offer – it’s extraordinary that three in five people have now been vaccinated with both jabs.

“No matter where you live, where you come from, your background or your beliefs – provided you are over 18, there is a vaccine available to you. I urge everyone eligible to get their jab and help us get back to normality.”

Vaccinated people are far less likely to get COVID-19 with symptoms.

Vaccinated people are even more unlikely to get serious COVID-19, to be admitted to hospital, or to die from it and there is growing evidence that they are less likely to pass the virus to others.

Data from PHE’s real-world study shows the vaccines are already having a significant impact in the UK, reducing hospitalisations and deaths, saving over 14,000 lives and preventing over 42,000 hospitalisations in England.

Data published by YouGov shows the UK continues to top the list of nations where people are willing to have a COVID-19 vaccine or have already been vaccinated.

ONS data published on 9 June, shows that more than 9 in 10 (94%) adults reported positive sentiment towards the vaccine.

Approved vaccines are available from thousands of NHS vaccine centres, GP practices and pharmacies. Around 98% of people live within 10 miles of a vaccination centre in England and vaccinations are taking place at sites including mosques, community centres and football stadiums.

Celebrations All-Round For Local Care Home A local woman has recently celebrated her 100th birthday with a garden party at a Llanidloes care home.

Vera Corfield celebrated her centenarian year with balloons, banners, cake and bubbly, alongside her close family.

She was born and raised in Manafon and later moved to Tregynon with her husband, where they lived for 60 years.

Now residing in Maes y Wennol care home, Vera has two daughters, six grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

Sandra Holt, manager of the Shaw healthcare-operated care home, said: “We had a lovely day celebrating Vera’s special birthday. We were lucky enough with the weather to host a little party for her outside, which she very much enjoyed with her family.

Freephone: 0800 917 7943 www.euroservice-uk.com sales@euroservice-uk.com Manufactured in the UK

“Vera says her secret to a long-life is hard work and getting a good night’s sleep!”

The Mid Wales home also recently threw a garden party with food from around the world, Pimms and cocktails to make the most of the good weather.

Emma Phillips, deputy manager, said: “The garden party was an opportunity to say a big thank you to Sandra, our residents, their families and friends, and every member of staff past and present - who have all helped us to survive COVID-19.”

Commenting on the event, Ms Holt added: “I am so proud to be a member of the team at Maes-y-Wennol - we feel like we’ve won the war, but lost a few battles along the way. We will always be scarred by the losses we encumbered, but we also celebrate the people who we helped to save from this devastating virus.”

H.W. PICKRELL

Celebrating 40 years of trolleys!

Providing practical and stylish trolleys to suit your needs.

Watch your resident’s eyes light up when the beautiful tea trolley arrives..! Or even the drinks trolley for an afternoon tipple?

Euroservice trolleys are an attractive and practical alternative to clinical aluminium trolleys given that antibacterial spray can be used freely to sanitise them.

Visit the website at euroservice-uk.com to see the full range.

NEW & USED ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORT AT AFFORDABLE PRICES • We specialise in the sale and purchase of quality used wheelchair accessible vehicles and ambulances.

• They can be bought as seen or refurbished and sign-written to your own requirements.

• Fully serviced, new mot & warranty • Engineers inspection supplied if required.

• Free delivery service available Moreover, when not in use the attractive trolleys can be used as a vending trolley, selling personal care products to residents or snacks/pastries to visitors.

Your lovely trolley could do so much for you and your residents!

Get in touch with our friendly, experienced sales team who will be happy to help!

www.euroservice-uk.com

• All buses comply with new legislation • Lease hire and purchase available • Always large stock of accessible vehicles

Tel: 01268 521033 Mobile: 07860 894331 Email: sales@hwpickrell.co.uk Gardiners Lane North, Crays Hills, Billericay, Essex CM11 2XE All current stock available to view at www.hwpickrell.co.uk

PAGE 26 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

Celebrities Join Anniversary Celebrations of M4D Radio In Honour of Carers and People Living with Dementia Specialist radio station m4d Radio is celebrating its first anniversary with a stellar list of celebrities and personalities contributing individual playlists for a week’s schedule of programming on the dementia-focused music station.

Each personal playlist has been chosen as a combination of favourite, joyous songs, and personal music that is significant to the individual and their relative living with dementia. Each day between 28 June and 3 July listeners can tune-in to enjoy the special programmes via m4dradio.com or Alexa.

Former ‘Strictly’ judge Len Goodman, Coronation Street stars Shobna Gulati and Jennie McAlpine, broadcaster Dan Walker, and actresses Phyllis Logan, Angela Lonsdale, Vicky McClure and Julie Hesmonhalgh have all contributed their favourite tunes and messages in support.

Grace Meadows, Campaign Director for Music for Dementia says: “It is noticeable how dementia has impacted the lives of many people including these celebrities, which reflects the situation in society as a whole. We’re grateful that they’re willing to share their experiences with our audience of carers and people living with dementia. Music has a powerful and unique role to play in dementia care and can enliven, stimulate and enable people to express themselves. It’s easy to see from looking at these playlists how some of these individual songs can uplift the spirits, calm someone if they are agitated, and use past memories to connect in the here and now.”

Actress, presenter and author of ‘Remember Me?’ Shobna Gulati says about her playlist: “I chose these songs because they were firm favourites of my mother Asha, and I like to remember her when I hear them too. We are very musical, and our family home was called Geetangali – the place of songs and poetry – because in the past we all loved to sing and play music together. My mum would sing along very occasionally – she insisted she was tone deaf, but despite this, loved to be involved.

“Through her journey with dementia, and as she lost her memory, her eyes would begin to sparkle, and a wide smile would creep across her face when she heard these songs and she’d begin to dance and sing; she would be once again joyously transported to those times and places and faces she remembered.”

M4d Radio was launched in June 2020 by Music for Dementia specifically for people living with dementia and their carers. A direct response to the cessation of live music performances and isolation due to the pandemic, it offers era-specific music 24/7 straight to people’s homes. It has won two care industry awards and multiple plaudits from listeners.

In addition to the playlists, the Music for Dementia and m4d Radio team have created a handy ‘5 ways to use music’ guide with how-to tips especially for carers. This is available on the m4d Radio website’s information page, ready to download and print off for easy reference, together with the full playlists from each celebrity.

The guide is written by experts in their fields or experts by experience, such as Music for Dementia’s Director, Grace Meadows, Dame Arlene Phillips and Neuroscientists Dr Sophie Scott and Catherine Loveday. It explains how listeners and carers can use music to change mood, physically connect, create conversation, encourage exercise and movement, and make new memories. Practical tips include information on volume and hearing, timing, personal care and routine.

Stacey McCann, Chief Operating Officer at dementia care village provider, Belong says: “The impact of music for people living with dementia is immense, often transporting people to another time, place or emotional state, helping to unlock memories and stimulate conversations that increase our understanding of residents. It also makes people more animated and interactive; those who struggle with verbal communication can still tap their feet, sing and dance for example. We aim to bring our villages alive with music as much as possible, working with a range of partnerships to facilitate live concerts, accessing resources such as m4d Radio, and harnessing technology such as Amazon Alexa’s and iPads to ensure residents’ personalised playlists are easily accessible.”

A downloadable activity sheet for the week is available, based on the 5 ways to use music, to help carers start to incorporate this versatile art into every day, harnessing the power of music to enhance the lives of those they care for.

In support of the week’s activities Dame Esther Rantzen said: “Music evokes memories and emotions with a unique power. Hearing a song we love lifts our spirits no matter how old we are, even when we are facing the challenges of illness and disability. This campaign reminds us all to share music with each other whether we are carers or cared for, so that we can create new happy memories together.”

The anniversary celebrations will feature a ‘dedication hour for carers’ on Saturday 3 July with messages of heartfelt thanks and support from individual listeners especially for those that care for them. Given the challenges of the last year on the care community, this dedication hour will be particularly emotional and pertinent.

Oakland Care Receives Ground-Breaking ‘Carbon Neutral Award’ Oakland Care has been revealed as the first care home group in Britain to be certified as a carbon neutral business.

The care home provider, who operate six care homes in the South of England, received the certificate by Carbon Neutral Britain, the UK's leading carbon offsetting organisation.

Carbon neutrality refers to the achievement of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be done by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal or alternatively by eliminating surplus emissions.

To achieve the certification by Carbon Neutral Britain, Oakland Care were required to follow two core steps. First, to calculate their carbon emissions, then to take steps to offset their carbon footprint by backing projects which support carbon offsetting.

After calculating their carbon footprint, Oakland Care are now supporting various projects around the world to offset their carbon emissions. This includes funding wind, solar, hydro and cook stove initiatives, all with a strong focus on providing lasting social and economic benefits in developing countries around the world.

As a result of the high standards that govern the certification process, Oakland Care’s accreditation has been regulated by strict rules, using the

international CER, VER and VCS Carbon Credit Standards.

Carbon Neutral status is also awarded annually, meaning that Oakland Care will continue to regularly assess and offset their emissions, as required, in the years to come.

Speaking of their Carbon Neutral status, Joanne Balmer, CEO of Oakland Care, said: “The climate crisis is a pressing issue that every sector should be taking steps to address, including the care home sector. In the UK, businesses alone account for over 85% of the country’s total emissions, meaning that taking corporate action should be a key priority in our efforts to stop climate change.

“At Oakland Care, we take responsibility for ensuring that our care homes are supporting efforts to mitigate global warming and are delighted to be the first care home group to have received this certification. This certification builds upon our existing commitment to the environment which saw the group achieve Green Mark Level 1 status a few months ago. Protecting the environment is a key part of our mission to create exceptional care homes where our residents can live, love and be loved. We are now working towards Green Mark Level 2 accreditation and are looking forward to learning about how our support for brilliant carbon offsetting organisations around the world are playing a vital role in the global fight against climate change.”

Well Pharmacy Partners with The Access Group to Support the Delivery of Outstanding Care Well Pharmacy, the UK’s largest independent pharmacy chain, is delighted to announce a new partnership with The Access Group, the largest provider of software to UK care and nursing homes, designed to support the delivery of outstanding care.

This partnership will highlight Access’ innovative Medication Management solution, which has already been successfully implemented in a number of care homes serviced by Well Pharmacy.

Access Medication Management is the UK’s most widely used eMAR system and is proven to reduce medication errors and make manual time-consuming processes like ordering medication and stock checking much more accurate and efficient.

Cited in CQC reports as helping clients achieve ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’ ratings, Medication Management is a quick and efficient way to introduce technology and help ensure residents safety.

Access Medication Management offers everything care home organisations need to support patient safety including all equipment, installation, training and technical support. They also provide the full range of solutions needed for care homes to transition to fully digital care provision.

Key benefits of Access’ Medication Management solution:

Access’ market leading electronic care planning system gives care and nursing homes a unified record of both medication and care notes/activities.

Full integration with Well Pharmacy making data transfer more efficient and improving communication between the local pharmacy and home.

Reduction in medication errors using pro-active alerts, alarms and best practice workflows to make sure medication compliance and safety for residents.

Greater visibility and compliance - provides all staff and management with a clear picture of medication administration.

Ben Smith, Care Homes Sales Manager for Well Pharmacy said: “We are pleased to highlight Access’ Medication Management solution to over 350 care homes we serve across the UK. At Well Pharmacy we are always looking for new ways to help and support our care home

customers. Patient and resident safety is our number one priority and we’re pleased to be working with The Access Group offer new solutions to give residents the best possible care.”

Steve Sawyer, Managing Director, Access Group’s Health and Social Care Division said: “At Access, we pride ourselves on supporting care staff to provide the highest quality of care to their residents. Access Medication Management reduces the risk of medication errors, while giving everyone in a care home more time back to interact with residents or focus on work that will improve care, capacity, and occupancy at their homes.

We're proud to be working with one of the largest pharmacy chains in the UK, who share our vision of using software in health and social care, to better manage all medication processes, encouraging fellow organisations so that this becomes a standard way of working across all UK care homes.”

For more information, about Well Pharmacy’s Care Home Service please contact: carehomes@well.co.uk For more information about Access’ Medication Management software visit: https://www.theaccessgroup.com/health-socialcare/care-management-software/medication-management/

PAGE 28 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

Pen Pal Scheme Helps Youngsters Strike Lockdown Friendships with Care Home Residents Derbyshire youngsters have been battling loneliness caused by the pandemic by exchanging letters and emails with residents at a local care home.

A group of students based at Victoria Park Leisure Centre in Ilkeston struck up correspondence with residents at the Canal Vue Care Home as part of a programme coordinated by the Prince’s Trust Team programme.

The Prince’s Trust Team Programme is delivered in the area by WCG, which is the largest provider of programmes for the Trust in England.

The young and young at heart built up meaningful friendships across a twelve-week pen pal programme, which culminated in a digital meeting which allowed participants to finally put names to faces.

Fun was had by all as the newly acquainted friends took part in a 1930s to 1980s quiz, sang along to old favourites, and took part in a virtual game of play your cards right to mark the occasion.

Rosemarie Vickers, a student who took part in the scheme, said: "Having a Pen Pal was like having an adopted grandparent. I became excited to get my letters and I wanted to write back straight away."

One unlikely pairing was 106-year-old Donald Rose and 17-year-old Jack Barker, who each discovered that their partner had a fascination

with firefighting. Jack will be applying to the local fire service’s training programme when he turns 18, while Donald, 90 years Jack’s senior, was able to check off the final item on his bucket list in June by riding in a fire engine for the very first time.

Naomi Allsop, who works at the Canal Vue Care Home, said: “I am absolutely thrilled that The Prince’s Trust decided to reach out to us to take part in their project and I’m thankful we were able to work together to make this project a great success.

“It has been fantastic and the residents have loved doing it. They have made lifelong friends now and hope that it will stay that way.

“The residents always have a huge smile on their faces when they receive their letter from their pen pals and cannot wait for them to visit their homes and hopefully can visit regularly.”

Jane Sandall, The Prince’s Trust team leader at WCG, said: “The scheme was a huge success for both parties, and extremely rewarding for everyone involved.

“We’d love to make this a regular feature of our The Prince’s Trust Team programme, particularly with the younger students who might never have spent time with people of this generation.

“It was great to be part of the virtual meet up and see everyone getting along and getting to know each other. I know that this meant a lot for certain people, both young and old, and goes to show what can happen when you talk to people you normally wouldn’t think to engage with.”

To find out more about The Prince’s Trust and programmes available through WCG visit https://wcg.ac.uk/page/25/princes-trust

Former Shepherdess Welcomes Lamb Reunion A resident at The Hall Care Home in Thornton Le Dale enjoyed a trip down memory lane when some woolly lambs visited for a cuddle!

Valerie Woodcock aged 91 previously spent many years caring for sheep as a shepherdess in West Yorkshire and loved looking after the animals she and her husband kept on their farm.

Valerie said “her heart skipped a beat” when she held one of the lambs, bringing memories of her time as a shepherdess flooding back.

Valerie and her husband kept Herdwick Sheep, which are normally found in the lake district.

According to The National Trust, Beatrix Potter was committed to their conservation.

Valerie and her husband’s farm was near Dewsbury, but Valerie says there wasn’t any money in the wool and they used to sell the sheep privately.

All the residents “loved” the visit from the animals.

The lady who arranged the visit works in the care home’s kitchen and a few weeks before she brought in the sheep, she also brought in some puppies.

The benefits of elderly people caring for animals are well documented, and include reducing feelings of loneliness, isolation and depression and promoting the release of “feel good” chemicals in the brain.

Holding or stroking animals is said to slow down the heart rate and have a calming effect.

Nicky Beach, home manager at The Hall, said: “It was wonderful to be able to bring back memories of Valerie’s previous life as a shepherdess and to create new memories for all our residents.

“At The Hall we work round the clock to ensure that our residents enjoy every moment they spend with us, living their lives to the full and experiencing new things.

“Enabling the people in our care to make new memoires as well as reminiscing about their lives is at the heart of what we do.”

The Hall is rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Preventing Infection In Care Homes with Effective, Sustainable Waste Disposal

The removal of human waste in care homes is a critical part of reducing the cycle of infection, and the global pandemic has highlighted the ease of transmission between healthcare workers and patients, and every effort should be taken to minimise the risk of infection to save residents lives.

The world health organisation estimates that “with good infection control practices and careful hygiene, Healthcare-associated Infections (HAI’s) can be reduced by up to 30%” Human waste disposal is being overlooked when it comes to infection prevention in care homes, with methods including manual handwashing and reusable receptacles still being used. According to the Department of Health, a mechanical system is the recommended decontamination method for bedpans and urinals in care homes. SARSCoV-2 (COVID-19) can survive 1-2 days in urine and faeces therefore

reusable methods must be avoided.

“94% of hospitals in the UK adopt the system of using mechanical macerators and disposable pulp products for collecting human waste on ward environments, especially those with bed bound patients, and care homes should be no different.”

“Using pulp with macerators is a safe, environmentally friendly way of disposing of bodily waste. It maximises healthcare workers time and having reviewed the evidence and used most of the methods throughout my clinical career, it is by far the most effective” Gary Thirkell, Infection Prevention and Control Lead Nurse.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organisation recommends that "all equipment should be single use and disposable to minimize the risk of transmission” The Vernacare human waste disposal system, features mechanical macerator machines which are installed into the home. Using a disposal pulp system for collecting human waste, the pulp items and associated maceratable wipes and gels are then put into the macerator and processed into a thin pulp which can be disposed of via the usual drainage system.

The sustainable single-use system uses 100% recycled newspaper to create all pulp products; manufactured in the UK, including urinals, bed pans and wash bowls.

Carole Hallam has worked as a lead nurse in the UK NHS and is now an independent infection control specialist, she commented on her

experience. “On personal experience of different systems, I wouldn't choose anything other than pulp bedpans with disposal in a macerator as this method is both efficient and easy to use with no worry of a failed disinfection cycle" Vernacare are global suppliers of innovative healthcare solutions.

Creating quality products which help to improve the lives of patients, residents and healthcare professionals whilst reducing the risk of healthcare-associated infections.

Vernacare is the market leader and inventor of the single use disposable system, with a history of over 50 years. Vernacare currently has a presence in more than 60 countries with over 20,000 macerators installed worldwide.

Vernacare is the only company in the world to manufacture an integrated human waste management and infection prevention system.

Their products are used by 500,000 patients every day worldwide.

They manufacture over 170 million medical pulp containers per year.

Vernacare pulp is medical grade, as it guarantees fluid retention for a minimum of 4 hours. It is composed of 100% cellulose fibres that make it 100% biodegradable in just 6 weeks. When macerated they break down to a similar size as flushed toilet paper A macerator machine consumes 60% less water and up to 96% less electricity than a bedpan washer.

For further information please visit www.vernacare.com or call 01204 529494

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59 | PAGE 29

Care Home Staff Take Part In Immersive Experience To Understand What It’s Like To Live With Dementia

Brook View, an Exemplar Health Care home in Liverpool, recently held a training day which welcomed colleagues aboard a ‘Dementia Bus’, to learn more about what it’s like to live with dementia.

The initiative, which was held in partnership with dementia specialists, Dementia Experience Bus, gave colleagues the opportunity to experience the challenges someone living with dementia may typically face, by completing a series of simple, daily tasks.

Colleagues working at Brook View, who support adults living with a range of complex and high acuity needs, including dementia, took part in a series of 15-minute sessions – testing both their physical and sensory reactions through various tasks.

Sharon Mcloughlin, Brook View’s Home Manager, said: “The virtual dementia bus has helped the team gain invaluable insight into what challenges people who live with dementia face, day to day. Colleagues found the experience very thought provoking; I would recommend it to anyone working or living with someone with dementia.

“The team were given woollen mittens, specialist shoes, headphones and glasses blacked out with black tape, to replicate common symptoms of dementia such as impaired hearing and pins and needles. They were also asked to do a series of tasks like writing a shopping list, use a small bathroom and kitchen facility.

“Colleagues realised that things that seem simple for us and we take for granted, are much harder for someone living with dementia. As a

result, the team is now more mindful of things like lighting, sound and personal space.”

Following the success of the Dementia Bus, the home is planning on holding a follow up training session later this summer.

71-Year-Old Care Home Carpenter Shows Younger Generation How Its Done!

Beaumont Hall care home in Leicester have recruited the help of 71 year old former Carpenter, John Murty, to create a new garden seating area ahead of summer BBQ’s and garden parties.

John was born and raised in Bannockburn, Scotland and worked as a Carpenter since 1964. John was initially interested in Carpentry as always felt he was good with his hands and knew he would be able to create steady and precise markings, he also loved the idea of being able to make something from nothing. Throughout the years, John loved making his own furniture and was never short on requests from his friends and family to create bespoke pieces.

John is not long retired however, his toolbox is always close to hand and John enjoys helping out and finding odd jobs to occupy himself, claiming he feels the most purpose and sense of achievement when he is working.

Knowing this, Beaumont Hall caretaker, Gordon Bayley, enlisted John’s help to create an outdoor seating area for residents to use through the summer months/

John sprung to action, with lots of ideas for the project.

The two tradesmen set to work for the 2 weeklong project enjoying the camaraderie as they worked. John said, ‘I am so pleased that Gordon asked me to join in with this project. I always like to get involved with things around Beaumont Hall and this was right up my street. I felt like every night I would go to bed proud of myself for a job well done and now I get to reap the benefits and share a refreshing glass of beer with my friends!’.

Caretaker , Gordon Bayley, welcomed the helping hands, he said, ‘Initially when John began helping me I joked he was my apprentice. However, it soon became clear who was in charge! It has been brilliant working alongside John and picking up some tips of the trade. It was nice to have his input on the new seating area and furniture and I think he made some great executive decisions on the overall design finish’

NDGAI Joins #GladToCare Awareness Week to Celebrate the Sare Sector NDG Artificial Intelligence Ltd (NDGAI) is delighted to announce its involvement in #GladtoCare Awareness Week 2021 - a national awareness week dedicated to celebrating those who work in the care sector, which has returned for its second year.

Following the great success of the inaugural #GladtoCare Awareness Week last year, NDGAI will be looking to get involved in the event, which aims to celebrate the extraordinary contributions that carers make to the lives of recipients of care, their families, and community members.

NDGAI knows how fantastic the employees of the care sector are, especially those on the frontline, and know that it is an underappreciated sector. So, they have decided to give a little treat to five home care carers.

Spearheaded by Person Centred Software and Autumna, two major players in the care industry, #GladtoCare Awareness Week 2021 will take place from Monday 5th July to Friday 9th July 2021.

Throughout the week, participants will be invited to join in with a variety of fun and engaging activities designed to get the entire care community and its residents involved.

During the #GladtoCare Awareness Week NDGAI will be giving away five £20 amazon vouchers to carers in the home care industry, one each day from Monday 5th July to Friday 9th July.

Discussing their reasons for wanting to participate, Lee Trueman Commercial Director at NDGAI, said: “NDGAI is delighted to show we care for those who care for some of society’s most vulnerable people, and give carers the recognition they so rightly deserve “The last 15 months have been very difficult for all of us - but our carers have been out on the front lines every day with very little recognition - this was just a little way to thank them for their exceptional contributions to society.”

Organisers Person Centred Software and Autumna hope that the

week will highlight the outstanding dedication displayed by carers since the start of the pandemic, who have gone above and beyond to make sure service users are kept safe, happy and entertained throughout this difficult time. It aims to champion their incredible work whilst simultaneously allowing them to shout about why they’re glad to work in the care sector.

Speaking of the initiative, Jonathan Papworth, co-founder of Person Centred Software, said: “The response to the inaugural #GladtoCare Awareness Week was fantastic and saw hundreds of care providers across the UK get involved at the height of the pandemic. One year on, and with COVID-19 still very much impacting the sector, we were keen for the event to return.”

"We hope that as many care providers and care workers will get involved as possible to shine a light on all of the incredible work that’s been done, and continues to be done, within the industry, much of which often goes unnoticed and underappreciated" Jonathan concluded.

For more information on NDGAI, please visit www.ndgai.com and follow www.linkedin.com/company/ndgai https://www.facebook.com/NDGArtificialIntelligence https://twitter.com/NDGAI_Ltd For more information on #GladtoCare Awareness Week please visit www.gladtocare.com. To keep up to date with the happenings of #GladtoCare Awareness Week please visit: https://twitter.com/gladtocare https://www.linkedin.com/company/gladtocare/ https://www.facebook.com/gladtocare/ https://www.instagram.com/gladtocare/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyfrGGsJau5MkHqituoiqTQ

ƂŜƖĎāƖ΄ÎĮåƖ΄iåƖƖĎƂƊ΄iŜƊƖ΄ ÔŜƞƂ΄ ĎƊijĈĎœƖƊ΄åœĈ΄*őſʼnŜƼĎĎƊ AŜƂ΄āŜőſʼnĎƖĎ΄ƵijƂƞƊ΄ſƂŜƖĎāƖijŜœ͕͚΄åĈĈ΄åijƂ΄ſƞƂijǙ΄āåƖijŜœ΄ƖŜ΄ hand and surface hygiene practices ΄āŜőſʼnĎƖĎ΄ĮƼħijĎœĎ΄ƊŜʼnƞƖijŜœ΄ƊĮŜƞʼnĈ΄āŜőĀijœĎ΄åijƂ͚΄ƊƞƂĦåāĎ΄åœĈ΄ĮåœĈ΄āʼnĎåœijœħ΄ƖŜ΄ĦƞʼnʼnƼ΄ſƂŜƖĎāƖ΄ åħåijœƊƖ΄ſĎƂƊŜœͲƖŜͲſĎƂƊŜœ΄ƵijƂƞƊ΄ƖƂåœƊőijƊƊijŜœ͟΄ ĎƂåiåƻ΄ ƂŜĦĎƊƊijŜœåʼn΄āŜőőĎƂāijåʼn΄ħƂåĈĎ΄åijƂ΄ ſƞƂijǙ΄ĎƂƊ΄ſƂŜƵijĈĎ΄őåƻijőƞő΄ſƂŜƖĎāƖijŜœ΄åœĈ΄ƞʼnƖijőåƖĎ΄ſĎåāĎ΄ŜĦ΄őijœĈ΄ƶijƖĮ΄¯ƂƞĎ΄I* ΄Ǚ΄ʼnĎƂƊ΄ƖĮåƖ΄āåœ΄ āåſƖƞƂĎ΄ƞſ΄ƖŜ΄̎​̎̎͟​̎μ΄ŜĦ΄åijƂĀŜƂœĎ΄āŜœƖåőijœåœƖƊ͚΄ijœāʼnƞĈijœħ΄ƵijƂƞƊĎƊ͕͟΄ ʼnĎåœ΄ƖĮĎ΄åijƂ΄ƼŜƞ΄ƊĮåƂĎ΄ƶijƖĮ΄ ĎƂåiåƻ΄ ƂŜĦĎƊƊijŜœåʼn΄ĦƂŜő΄AĎʼnʼnŜƶĎƊ΄ ƂåœĈƊ͟ AŜƂ΄ĦƞƂƖĮĎƂ΄ĈĎƖåijʼnƊ͚΄Ďőåijʼn΄¯ijő΄ ƂŜƶœijœħ͙΄tbrowning@fellowes.com΄ŜƂ΄ƵijƊijƖ΄EIVEQE\TVS GSQ YO

͕΄AĎʼnʼnŜƶĎƊ΄ ĎƂåiåƻ΄ ƂŜ΄åijƂ΄ſƞƂijǙ΄ĎƂƊ΄ƶĎƂĎ΄ĈĎőŜœƊƖƂåƖĎĈ΄ƖŜ΄ĀĎ΄Ďǖ΄ĎāƖijƵĎ΄ijœ΄ƂĎĈƞāijœħ΄åĎƂŜƊŜʼnijƊĎĈ΄åijƂĀŜƂœĎ΄āŜœāĎœƖƂåƖijŜœ΄ŜĦ΄Iƞőåœ΄ ŜƂŜœåƵijƂƞƊ΄̇​̇̎*΄ijœ΄å΄ƖĎƊƖ΄āĮåőĀĎƂ΄ ƂĎåāĮijœħ΄̎​̎̎͟​̎μ΄åijƂĀŜƂœĎ΄ƂĎĈƞāƖijŜœ΄ƶijƖĮijœ΄̆΄ĮŜƞƂ΄ŜĦ΄ŜſĎƂåƖijŜœ͚΄ĀåƊĎĈ΄Ŝœ΄ijœĈĎſĎœĈĎœƖ΄ʼnåĀŜƂåƖŜƂƼ΄ƖĎƊƖijœħ͟

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59 | PAGE 31

HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL CleanRite, Proves Efficacy of Hypochlorous Against SARS-CoV-2 to Offer New Generation of Alcohol-Free Sanitisers Launching in the UK CleanRite sanitisers, a new dermatologically advanced solution to keeping surfaces and hands guarded against COVID-19 is launching in the UK in April 2021. CleanRite is a new generation disinfectant range to ensure surfaces, the air in areas such as care homes, as well as hands - are all protected from the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

THE ‘WONDER’ OF HYPOCHLOROUS The CleanRite range of sanitising products are Hypochlorous-based (HOCl) which is an anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial solution, proven to kill 99.9% of germs on contact.

Specifically, Hypochlorous has been proven effective against SARS-CoV-2 in an independent lab test carried out by Richard Stanton, a Reader in Division of Infection & Immunity at the School of Medicine at Cardiff University. Fully regulated and child-friendly, CleanRite, which dries quickly and leaves no sticky residue, is perfect for use in care homes - as well as being dermatologically tested and suitable for use from birth.

Caroline Fogarty, Managing Director, CF Pharma, said, “In laboratory tests we were able to show that the Hypochlorous ingredient in CleanRite killed the SARS-CoV-2 virus within 30 seconds. Hypochlorous is a ‘wonder’ ingredient because not only is it free of alcohol and harmful chemicals, it is hypoallergenic and skin friendly. It is as natural as water and doesn’t need to be rinsed off. So not only is it people-friendly, but it is planet-friendly too.

“I believe that Hypochlorous is the future of everyday sanitisation. As we learn to live with the need for heightened sanitisation even after lockdown is eased, choosing something that is gentle on your skin, eyes, lungs and even the environment makes CleanRite ideal for long-term usage.”

CLEANRITE – BOTH POWERFUL AND SAFE CleanRite is an alcohol-free hypoallergenic sanitiser. It is highly effective without dehydrating, irritating, stinging or damaging skin or eyes making it perfect for all skin types, including sensitive skin.

CleanRite is highly effective on multiple surfaces and equipment including kitchen worktops (since it is food safe). And unlike most alcohol-based products, CleanRite is non-flammable.

Clare Hughes (MPSI BSc PHARM), Founder, CF Pharma said, “The advanced CleanRite formulation based on Hypochlorous, makes this ‘nature’s powerful disinfectant’. Indeed, Hypochlorous, which is produced naturally by the body’s white blood cells to support the human immune system in fighting infection and bacteria, has been used in wound-healing for decades.”

Caroline Fogarty said, “It looks like we are going to be living with the need for increased sanitisation for some considerable time. So being able to offer a sanitisation range that has a skin friendly pH for family use, from birth, makes CleanRite an essential tool for everyone as we navigate the new normal.”

AVAILABILITY CleanRite is manufactured in various sizes from 60ml to 4500ml with convenient 60ml and 150ml finger sprays for travel available, which are for sale on Amazon For further information, to view the full range of products or to place an order for your business, visit CleanRite CF Pharma http://cleanrite.ie

Protecting Residents From Germs And Viruses And Creating Odour-Free Environments Within care home environments, there is an intense focus on hygiene and cleaning standards to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the residents and mitigate the spread of viruses, bacteria, germs and infectious diseases. For elderly people, the threat of viruses such as COVID-19 poses additional concerns, given that they often have more compromised immune systems.

Despite the necessary measures of routine handwashing, PPE and disposable equipment, the spread of sickness, infection and viruses such as coronavirus and influenza are major concerns in the care home environment.

Between 2nd March and 12the June 2020, there were over 66,000 deaths of care home residents in England and Wales, compared to just under 37,000 deaths in 2019.

Whereas, due to the nature of care home facilities and the residents who occupy them, it is impossible to completely eradicate odours, sickness and the spread of infections and viruses, there is a factor that is often overlooked – indoor air quality.

However, though it may be more difficult to visibly recognise, poor quality indoor air can also have severe and lasting effects on cognition and health. According to studies conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in care homes and other large facilities, indoor levels of pollutants may be more than 100 times higher than pollutants found outdoors.

In the UK, the average person spends the vast majority of their time indoors, but due to restricted mobility or underlying medical conditions, most care home residents spend an even greater

proportion of their time indoors.

Therefore, adding the complementary process of an air purification solution to the hygiene mix is a vital requirement for care homes in maintaining a healthy living space.

99.99% EFFECTIVE AGAINST CORONAVIRUS One solution is the Fellowes AeraMax Pro air purifier, which utilises a unique fourstage filtration system, featuring HEPA filters, to provide maximum protection against harmful airborne contaminants – including being 99.99% effective against Coronavirus 229E. AeraMax Pro air purifiers remove germs and viruses, and eliminate odours, allergens and other irritants from the air, removing up to 99.9% of air contaminants.

AeraMax Pro uses EnviroSmart technology to monitor a room’s air quality and occupancy. It adjusts its performance to optimise effectiveness whilst reducing energy consumption and extending filter life. This is particularly important in the care home environment where occupancy levels may vary greatly in common areas and dining rooms throughout the day.

To learn more about the benefits of improving indoor air quality in the care home environment visit: http://aeramaxpro.com/uk/ *Fellowes AeraMax Pro air purifiers were demonstrated to be effective in reducing aerosolised airborne concentration of Human Coronavirus 229E in a test chamber reaching 99.99% airborne reduction within 1 hour of operation, based on independent laboratory testing.

How To Prevent Infection Spreading with Safer Bed Bathing

By Elizabeth Jamieson, Senior Product Manager, Vernacare (www.vernacare.com) Daily assisted bed bathing is usually provided for critically ill or immobile patients to help improve personal hygiene and skin care, promote comfort, and most importantly prevent infection. Poor hygiene can cause a build-up of pathogens on the skin, which can increase infection risk.

One research study found that 51% of patients in ICU were infected, the vast majority with a healthcare-associated infection (HCAI).

Moreover, it is thought that up to 39% of patients have at least one hospital-associated pathogen on their hands within 48 hours of hospital admission.

Critically ill patients are at greater risk for skin colonization and infection with multidrug-resistant organisms. Supporting those in hospital or community care settings with a lack of mobility, to cleanse regularly, is a fundamental aspect of nursing care.

There are several assisted bathing solutions available that help to provide a body wash for the elderly or those with limited mobility. Keep reading for our recommendations.

REUSABLE WASHCLOTH Reusable washcloths, which are often used across multiple patients, are well known for harbouring bacteria and should be replaced with a single-use disposable body wipe or cloth. This is particularly important for patients who are immunocompromised or critically ill, or those whose skin integrity is compromised, for example, patients with burns.

WATERBORNE BACTERIAL INFECTION Tap water meets stringent safety standards, but it is not sterile; as

DAILY CHLORHEXIDINE BATHING The use of chlorhexidine wipes in hospitals, as well as other CHG based products, has increased over recent years, leading to concerns that repeated exposure of bacteria to chlorhexidine might result in resistance. Some suggest that if clinical use of chlorhexidine continues to increase, it is important to be alert to the possibility that this may lead to the emergence of new clones with reduced susceptibility.

Indiscriminate chlorhexidine use in the absence of efficacy data should be discouraged.

RINSE-FREE BED BATHING TECHNIQUES – BEST PRACTICE

such bacteria and other microbes may be present when the water leaves the tap. For typical household uses these microbes rarely pose a serious health risk, however, in healthcare settings, patients might be more vulnerable to infection.

In recent years, research has indicated that water systems can act as a source of P.aeruginosa transmission in healthcare settings, and as a result, many infection prevention specialists advise that tap water should be avoided when caring for critically ill patients.

The development of water-free systems are giving healthcare providers a range of no-rinse body wash wipes to choose from when cleaning patients or residents.

Rinse-free washing eliminates: • Reusable components (such as reusable face washcloths) • The use of water (which can be responsible for waterborne infectious diseases) • The use of harsh disinfectants (similar to those used in CHG Bath wipes) The soft single use washcloths available contain a unique combination of skin cleansers to help remove sweat, dirt, urine, and faeces from the skin. Use one single-use cloth per anatomical region to ensure effective cleansing and minimised risk of cross-contamination.

If performed correctly, it is widely accepted that the mechanical action of wiping will remove most harmful bacteria from the skin, without the requirement for a biocide within the formulation.

PAGE 32 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL

Seconds Save Lives: Clean Your Hands Skin and surface hygiene specialist, GOJO Industries-Europe Ltd, supports the WHO’s annual ‘Save Lives: Clean Your Hands’ campaign

Skin health and surface hygiene expert, GOJO Industries-Europe, is proud to be part of the global movement to improve hand hygiene and is once again supporting the World Health Organization’s annual ‘SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands’ campaign. Its worldwide advocacy day falls on 5th May, and this year it is focused on achieving appropriate hand hygiene action at the point of care. Its ‘seconds save lives – clean your hands!’ slogan reinforces the message that taking a little extra time to practise hand hygiene makes all the difference.

To achieve this, healthcare workers should have access to good-quality alcohol-based hand rub products, clean water, soap, single-use towels and an adequate number of functioning sinks within patient zones. This enables hand hygiene practise at the five key moments: before touching a patient, before clean/aseptic procedures, after body fluid exposure/risk, after touching a patient, and after touching a patient’s surroundings.

2021 has also been designated the ‘International Year of Health and Care Workers’, so focusing on their protection is just as crucial. The PURELL brand’s focus on ‘formulation without compromise’ means that products in the range have been proven to maintain skin health and have high antimicrobial efficacy. In fact, in scientific tests, PURELL Advanced Hygienic Hand Rub was found to kill 99.99% of the most common germs that may be harmful, including Coronavirus, with a contact time of just 30 seconds.

Chris Wakefield, Managing Director UK & Ireland, GOJO IndustriesEurope Ltd comments, ‘As a founder member of the WHO Private

Organizations for Patient Safety group, we are strong advocates of making hand hygiene second nature to everyone – this past year has shown how this is more important than ever. We hope that this year’s campaign encourages everyone to do their part, as it takes commitment from all for

hand hygiene programmes to be successful.

‘We strongly encourage everyone in the healthcare industry to unite in support of hand hygiene improvement. As well as healthcare workers cleaning their hands, IPC practitioners need to continue mentoring and championing the act, facility managers must ensure that supplies are available at every point of care, and policy makers should invest now to enable hand hygiene for all. Everyone, the general public included, must make clean hands a habit. It protects us all.’

Backed by a wealth of scientific expertise, and specialist formulations, GOJO has the technology and experience to work in partnership with healthcare managers to implement effective hand and surface hygiene regimes, and promote hygienic and compliant hand hygiene behaviour.

Assets, such as posters and product placement guides are available to download from GOJO’s dedicated ‘Hand Hygiene Day’ page at www.gojo.com/WHO-May-5 from mid-April.

Free advocacy toolkits to support the WHO Save Lives: Clean Your Hands campaign are available on the WHO website: http://www.who.int/infection-prevention/campaigns/clean-hands/en/ WHO invites everyone to use the hashtags #CleanYourHands #HandHygiene #InfectionPrevention on social media to ensure Save Lives: Clean Your Hands posts are picked up by the campaign.

For more information, call +44 (0)1908 588444, email infouk@GOJO.com or visit www.GOJO.com

Take Maximum Control of Washroom Hygiene, Efficiency and Sustainability New from Kimberly-Clark Professional is the Scott® ControlTM Mini Twin Centrefeed Toilet Tissue system designed to deliver maximum hygiene, efficiency and sustainability in healthcare and hospital washrooms. Just launched, the new dispenser is the most hygienic in the marketplace1 and is the highest capacity centrefeed toilet tissue system available.

Launched as part of the Kimberly-Clark Professional 360 Hygiene & Protection programme, the new twin system provides the healthcare sector with optimum hygiene, with a one-wipe-clean dispenser that is designed with no shut lines or key holes.

“In the healthcare sector, hygiene plus the safety and wellbeing of staff and patients, is the highest priority as it copes with the ongoing pandemic,” says Richard Millard, EMEA Senior Category Manager, Bath Tissue, Kimberly-Clark Professional.

“The pressure on Healthcare Facility Managers and cleaning staff to deliver hygiene without compromising efficiency is higher than ever. This system is designed to reduce hygiene risks and refill events, enabling cleaning staff to be deployed to other more critical hygiene duties.”

Designed with fully enclosed, protected rolls for touchless dispensing, the new system avoids cross contamination as users only touch the sheet to be used. Controlled single sheet dispensing reduces paper usage for exceptional cost in use and maximum efficiency.

A never-run-out twin design delivers 100% tissue availability and reduces the need for refills for improved efficiency of staff and provides guaranteed dispensing reliability – every time.2 Fewer refills means less chance for cross contamination keeping staff, patients and visitors safe and confident that facilities are well stocked and managed for their comfort and convenience.

The most hygienic and highest capacity toilet tissue system ever from Kimberly-Clark Professional, the Scott® ControlTM Twin Centrefeed Toilet Tissue System is ideal for busy washrooms in high footfall environments. It has 1,666 sheets and a total of 408 metres of tissue per fully loaded dispenser which means it has 82% more metres and 426 more sheets than other twin centrefeed systems.

A full dispenser provides sufficient tissue for a huge 408 visits versus typically just 72 visits with a competitive

single bulk pack folded toilet tissue system. Compared with uncontrolled, toilet tissue systems, the new twin centrefeed dispenser provides up to 378 more visits than a small roll toilet tissue and up to 285 more visits than a 2x200 metre competitive jumbo toilet roll.

“Using a controlled toilet tissue system is the future for delivering maximum efficiency. The wastage generated from jumbo roll and small roll formats makes them not the preferred choice for high traffic environments”, adds Richard Millard.

In today’s world, hospital and healthcare facilities must ensure that heightened hygiene risks are managed with no concessions for efficiencies and sustainability targets. Meeting sustainability KPI’s is crucial for Healthcare Facility Managers with responsible and recycled products increasingly in demand.

Meeting such a demand, the new Scott® Control™ Twin Centrefeed Toilet Tissue is produced from 100% recycled FSC certified fibre, with roll packaging also 30% recycled and 100% recyclable. Additionally, the controlled dispensing of the new system reduces paper use and reduces the need for storage and transportation of supplies.

Washroom waste is avoided with this highest capacity system which has a roll change indicator to alert staff when supply is running low.

Domestic Managers need worry less about the hygiene and maintenance headaches of toilet blockages. The Scott® branded quality toilet tissue has excellent paper disintegration avoiding disruptive blockages.

“The Scott® Control™ range offers a complete washroom solution for the hospital and healthcare sector, delivering increased hygiene without compromising on washroom efficiency or sustainability,” adds Richard Millard. “As with all our washroom systems, the Scott® ControlTM Twin Centrefeed Toilet Tissue system delivers unmatched market leading hygiene and efficiencies, so our customers can provide facilities that support the safety, health and wellbeing of staff, patients and visitors during these challenging times now and uncertain ones ahead.”

To register your interest for a trial or find out more, visit https://home.kcprofessional.com/uk/scottTwin To see the system in action, watch our video here https://youtu.be/D1re4N1Bc_E

Angloplas Dispensers Help Reduce the Risk of Cross Infection Angloplas are a UK manufacturer who specialise in producing dispensers for the health and hygiene industry.

Although these are designed to keep the workplace tidy and uncluttered they are, more importantly, built knowing the control of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) are a priority for healthcare providers, and who are employing a combination of infection prevention and control strategies, including hand hygiene, cleaning, training and the adoption of new technologies, to tackle the problem.

As a result, a wide range of infection control products and technologies are emerging on the market, including antimicrobial technology.

Angloplas’ range of dispensers are produced in the world’s first proven Antimicrobial PVC with

Haigh Engineering Resident and patient waste is a day to day practical matter that simply cannot become a problem for frontline carers and nursing staff. With the raised awareness of cross infection risks, the proven reliable waste disposal systems from Haigh are recognised more than ever as being a key part of the toolkit for ensuring that human waste is effectively and efficiently removed as a source of risk, day in day out, without the risks and complications of either washing pots or manual bagging waste for collection.

The team from Haigh have been working hard to support this beyond just the manufacture of the Incomaster and Quattro waste disposers here in the UK, but also developing innovative and safe

silver ion technology and which is exclusive to Angloplas. This helps reduce the risk of cross infection by stopping the growth of bacteria and mould and works continuously for the lifetime of the product, reducing levels of bacteria such as MRSA, E Coli, Legionella, Salmonella and mould by up to 99.99%.

For non-clinical environments Angloplas has recently launched its new Budget Range of products which are made to the same exacting standards as the antimicrobial protected ones but with lower price tags.

You can order Angloplas products directly from its website by going to www.angloplas.co.uk and clicking Hospital, Health and Hygiene or by using the Quick Response code.

methods to enhance the servicing provisions that are available to customers. The recently launched allinclusive rental proposition has proven particularly effective and popular with new and existing customers alike, not least as it reduces the operational, maintenance and financing headaches from sites which have more critical matters to address.

For more information about incontinence and bedpan waste disposal please feel free to contact the Haigh team on 01989 763131 or info@haigh.co.uk

Please Please mention mention THE THE CARER CARER when when responding responding to to advertising. advertising.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59 | PAGE 33

HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL

UK Care Homes Use Groundbreaking Health Technology to Maintain Clean Air and Surfaces Care home owners have been among the first customers to purchase air and surface sterilisation products from Medklinn, the international health technology company, which recently launched in the UK. Following confirmation from scientists from Fujita Health University in Japan, that low concentrations of ozone gas can be used to neutralise coronavirus particles without causing harm to humans, UK care homes have an alternative method to sterilise the air and surfaces in their premises without the use of chemicals.

According to the university research, low-level ozone gas in concentrations of 0.05 to 1.0 parts per million (ppm) could be key to neutralising the spread of coronavirus in healthcare settings such as examination rooms and waiting areas.

Medklinn International, the health technology company that has pioneered research and development into negative ionisation and ozone in the sterilisation process, already provides air and surface sterilisation solutions in ASIA, the USA, Canada, Australia and Germany. Now the business has launched in the UK. Daniel Lu, chief technology and innovation officer of Medklinn International, said: “We are pleased to be bringing our health technology to the UK. The announcement from the team at Fujita Health University in Japan further demonstrates that ozone sterilisation technology is a viable alternative to the use of chemicals for disinfection.”

In addition to the latest breakthrough in neutralising coronavirus particles, Medklinn products are also proven to be effective in: • Killing 99.9% of harmful microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria, mould and fungi by destroying their RNA and DNA structure • Eliminating volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including those with adverse health

effects • Neutralising allergenic organic compounds such as pet dander and the protein in the faeces of dust mites, which are often the cause of allergies Steve Jones, Brand Manager Medklinn UK, said: “We’re really excited to be launching Medklinn UK. Our products are already used by some of the leading global brands in the healthcare, travel and tourism, retail, education, F&B and hospitality sectors, including Hyatt, Mandarin Oriental and Singapore’s Changi Airport. We believe that they will be particularly useful as we make gradual steps towards easing restrictions and reopening the UK following the lockdowns over the past 12 months.”

Medklinn UK offers a consumer range of products suitable for the home and for use in vehicles.

It also offers a range of air and surface sterilisers designed for business use including: • Permanent units for spaces up to 1,000 sq ft such as hotel guest rooms, washrooms, offices and classrooms • Permanent units for large spaces of 3,000 sq ft or more such as hotel corridors, washrooms, restaurants, halls, offices, exhibition centres, supermarkets, food processing and manufacturing plants • Portable units for ad hoc treatments of indoor odours recommended for hotel guest rooms, restaurants and facilities management It will also offer ozone water systems (for washrooms, industrial kitchens, food processing factories) and integrated sterilisation systems (for public washrooms, food processing and F&B outlets and supermarkets).

For further information about Medklinn UK please visit uk.medklinn.com or contact medklinn@tunnelight.net.

Portable, Hospital-Grade Air Purifier Rensair is a specialist in air purification, protecting and enhancing lives through clean air.

Developed to meet the strict standards of Scandinavian hospitals, ours is the only technology recommended by the WHO and UK SAGE committee and is independently validated by several scientific research laboratories.

In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, air purification has never been more important. Our mission is to get organisations back on their feet, destroying a minimum of 99.97% of airborne viruses to ensure clean air for every person.

Rensair collaborates with clients to develop the optimum indoor air quality for meeting care home requirements, as well as government recommendations for miti-

gating the risks of Covid transmission. Taking into account floor plans, existing ventilation systems and occupancy rates, we determine if there is a gap between existing air quality and that recommended by the WHO and UK SAGE Committee. If air quality is lacking, we will recommend a tailor-made configuration based on our portable, hospital-grade air purifier, in tandem with any existing HVAC systems.

Our no-obligation advice is based on verifiable data, research and experience, which is made freely available to ensure that decisions affecting health are wellinformed. www.rensair.com

%MV TYVMdzGEXMSR

*VSQ XLI GPIERIWX

GSYRXV] SR IEVXL

Rensair’s air purifier was invented in Denmark, the country ranked ‘cleanest in the world’ by the Environmental Performance Index 2020.

To meet such high standards, our unique combination of HEPA and UVC traps and destroys 99.97% of viruses and bacteria, including Coronavirus.

Leaving air that’s as clean as a whistle.

8S dzRH SYX QSVI EFSYX SYV LSWTMXEP KVEHI

ERXMZMVEP EMV TYVMdzIV

– TYPE

– TALK

– CLICK

GSRXEGX$VIRWEMV GSQ +44 (0)20 3973 8927 VIRWEMV GSQ

PAGE 34 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

CATERING FOR CARE

Foods to Ease Home Visits

By Jane Clarke BSc (Hons) SRD DSc, Dietitian and founder of www.nourishbyjaneclarke.com

The new Government guidance that residents can leave care settings to visit their families at home is much welcomed, as we know how difficult these past months of separation have been for so many and the impact it has had on health and wellbeing. But we mustn’t forget that this sudden immersion into a new environment may be unsettling for anyone used to the familiar routine and steady rhythm of their care home. Relatives, too, may worry about what food and drink to give their loved one, particularly if they have an eating challenge they know is well catered for in their care setting.

The following tips will help take the pressure off a home visit. Do share them with relatives to help give them more confidence, so they can focus on the pleasure of having their loved one with them again.

Pack a lunch Provide a small lunch with familiar foods you know a resident is happy to eat. The ideal is that they will be able to share a meal or snack with their loved ones, but this is a useful standby if they’d prefer their usual foods and means they won’t go hungry and run out of energy on their day out.

Discuss the menu in advance It can be disappointing for everyone if a much-anticipated meal goes uneaten. Chat with relatives and highlight any eating challenges their loved one may have, then you can discuss ways a meal might be adapted to make it easier to swallow, for example.

Remember to pack any adapted cutlery or tableware they prefer to eat with.

Go for a picnic Sitting down to a big meal at the dinner table and being served a plateful of food can feel overwhelming for someone used to eating in the dining room in their care setting, or even on a tray in their room.

A picnic or buffet can be less pressure, allowing them to pick and choose their preferred options in smaller portions. You may find they actually eat more this way, as they graze the tempting tastes on offer. Just be sure that the foods are those everyone can enjoy – cut crusts off finger sandwiches if chewing is difficult; watch out for ingredients that may cause choking, such as nuts; and include protein-rich foods such as hummus and mackerel pate, plus chopped salads and fresh fruit, for a balanced plate of nourishment.

Stroll down memory lane With loved ones who have a poor appetite, or whose eating may be affected by a condition such as dementia, rekindling memories of favourite dishes or special family occasions can help to tempt the appetite. Bring out photographs and recipe books (especially handwritten recipes handed down through generations), talk about foods you remember them loving and incorporate familiar tastes and ingredients in the dishes served.

Don’t forget drinks Staying hydrated is very important, as lack of fluids will result in loss of energy, poor digestion and potentially cause constipation and even confusion once the visit is over. Ask relatives or friends to offer beverages and ensure they have any straw or special cup the individual may need to help them drink. Having one or two meal supplement drinks on hand, such as my all-natural Nourish Drinks, is a great way to guarantee both nourishment and hydration on a day out.

leaves from 2 fresh basil sprigs 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra if necessary juice of half a lemon ground black pepper Method 1. Steam the broad beans for 2 minutes until they’re cooked but not mushy.

2. Rinse and cool thoroughly under cold water and remove the skins by squeezing the bean at one end – the bright green centre should just pop out.

3.Toast the pistachio nuts in a dry pan for 2 minutes over a gentle heat, being careful not to let them burn.

4.Put them into a food processor or blender and blend to a fine nut powder.

5.Add the beans and the basil, oil and lemon juice, and whiz to a mash.

6.You can add a little extra oil or lemon juice, if you like, depending on how smooth and tart you want the hummus to be.

7.Season with pepper.

TIP Serve as a sandwich filling, or on jacket potatoes or pasta. Or make a delicious salad with romaine lettuce leaves, new crisp baby carrots and sliced raw vegetables, which you can dunk into the hummus.

SMOKED TROUT & DILL PÂTÉ Trout is very rich in omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which benefit heart and circulatory health. This pate is fabulous slathered on toast or used as a dip with crudités.

PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES Ingredients 400g smoked trout fillet 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard pinch of freshly ground black pepper 100g ricotta cheese or cream cheese 100ml crème fraîche

BROAD BEAN & PISTACHIO HUMMUS Hummus is a real favourite for a picnic tea. While the traditional chickpeabased hummus is delicious, broad beans feel lighter on the gut and the pistachios provide a great source of protein.

PREP TIME: ABOUT 5 MINUTES COOKING TIME: ABOUT 5 MINUTES SERVES: 4 Ingredients 1kg (2¼ lb) frozen broad beans 2 tbsp shelled pistachio nuts

juice of 1 lemon large handful of dill Method 1. Remove the skin from the trout fillets and check that there are no remaining bones.

2. Place in a food processor with the mustard, black pepper, ricotta, crème fraîche and lemon juice and process until smooth. If you don’t have a food processor, you can mash with a fork, but the consistency won’t be as smooth.

3.Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve.

Are You in Need of Dysphagia Training ? *

*This training is intended for healthcare professionals only.

Did you know that between 50-75% of nursing home residents suffer from dysphagia1? Nutricia has a training solution for you, a FREE e-learning covering the fundamentals of dysphagia management using Nutilis Clear.

The training is divided into 4 sections and has been specially designed for busy health and social care staff caring for people living with dysphagia. It takes 60 minutes in total to complete, however you can complete one section at a time.

HOW CAN THIS TRAINING HELP YOU? • Easy & convenient online solution to dysphagia training • Visibility to track progress in your care home • Raise the quality standard of dysphagia care in a consistent way The quality standards aim is for all new health and social care staff members caring for patients with Dysphagia to complete the modules as part of their induction pro-

gramme. Existing health and social care staff members should also complete the learning to support their continuing professional development.

There is a certificate that can be downloaded once the training has been successfully completed.

Use the camera on your phone to scan the QR code to access the e-learning and get started!

For any questions contact your local Nutricia sales representative or our Resource Centre at resourcecentre@nutricia.com.

Nutilis Clear is a Food for Special Medical Purposes for the dietary management of dysphagia and must be used under medical supervision.

Reference: 1. O’Loughlin G, Shanley C. Swallowing problems in the nursing home: a novel training response.

Dysphagia 1998; 13, 172-183.( https://www.rcslt.org/speech-and-language-therapy/clinical-information/dysphagia)

Dysphagia Call to Action

By Sophie Murray, Head of Nutrition and Hydration, Sunrise Senior Living (www.sunrise-care.co.uk)

In the industry we know that the numbers are rising for those who have swallowing problems and the skills required to modify foods are greatly needed in some sites as catering staff need much more than an ability to use a blender to break food down. This is as a result of the safety framework which ,many of us know called IDDSI, standing for International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative which has been built upon research of swallowing to be able to give very precise levels which comprise of very specific food and drink test to deduce if it is safe for the Level. Most foods can be modified but not all and the modification process requires equipment, techniques and knowledge. As foods themselves vary in texture, it is not as simple as adapting a recipe – a banana or an avocado are 2 examples of foods which can vary greatly in their ability to be soft enough to push a fork through with little pressure, and other foods such as white fish do not blend smoothly to a puree so may need to be replaced with an oily fish for a person who requires a pureed diet There are publicised cases of fatalities such as in 2017

when a care home was prosecuted and closed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), after a resident choked on porridge twice in one day and died.

Protocols and processes between care and catering teams needs to be watertight so that only those trained correctly modify the foods and this includes all snacks too – careful management to ensure safety as well as choice are prime considerations – in itself this has challenges as a persons may have recommendations for Care homes seeking to buy in ready modified food need to ensure that this matches the menu properly and meets needs and choices so that there aren’t There IS only one qualification that can formally train and accredit Chefs called the Level 2 Award for Chefs in Healthcare but there are few providers offering this due to poor uptake and awareness https://www.cthawards.com/qualifications/culinary-programmes/cth-ioh-level-2-specialist-award-chefs-healthsocial-care/ There is also a framework for care teams called the Inter-

professional Dysphagia Framework (IDF) which sets out the knowledge and skills care staff require to do safely care for a person with swallowing problems. The IDF should be implemented in every care home to ensure residents receive safe and effective care but in reality care homes don’t all know about it and it needs translating to a workable process with solid training although it is written with good clarity.

Speech and Language Therapists are a great source of knowledge and support for care teams as they are the identified professionals who can diagnose a swallowing condition and recommend appropriate IDDSI Levels. IDDSI has set up a UK reference group so that best practice can be shared across the UK and organisations such as the NACC can provide support to care homes needing traning and awareness When risks are fatalities as a result of poor practice, there is much to do to ensure amazing food and choice is offered and residents are safe from harm as a result of choking or aspiration.

The high risk is choking and aspiration.

PAGE 36 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

CATERING FOR CARE Activities & Ideas For Your Vegetarian Care Home Residents Charity Vegetarian for Life (VfL) has plenty of inspiring ideas to help you cater for your vegetarian or vegan (veg*n) residents and celebrate their lifestyle choice.

Even if you don’t have veg*n residents at present, it's always a good time to introduce new foods. You’ll likely find your residents are happy to try some meat-free options.

Here are VfL’s top tips: Host a vegetarian supper club, planning and serving a three-course meal. Here’s a suggested menu: Starter: Carrot, Ginger & Orange Soup (https://vegetarianforlife.org.uk/recip es/budget-recipes/carrot-gingerand-orange-soup) Main: Mushroom, Nut & Cranberry Wellington (https://vegetarianforlife.org.uk/recipes/main-meals/mushroom-nut-cranberrywellington) Dessert: Sticky Toffee Pudding (https://vegetarianforlife.org.uk/recipes/cakes-and-puddings/sticky-toffee-pudding) Run a veg*n food tasting session: e.g. vegan ice cream, vegan cheese, plant milks, faux meat products, tofu, or hummus and veggie dips. You could even make score cards and pick a winner at the end.

Experiment with more unusual ingredients, such as banana blossom ‘fish’, or jackfruit curry. You might even use silken tofu to make a mousse, quiche, or scrambled tofu. Play ‘guess the ingredient’ first, and let residents suggest what you might make with it – a great way to start discussions and share experiences.

It’s also a good sensory activity because people can see, touch, smell and taste the different foods.

If the weather is good, why not host a vegetarian picnic or BBQ? Here are some recipe ideas: Black Bean Burger (https://vegetarianforlife.org.uk/recipes/main-meals/black-bean-burger) Sandwich Platter (https://vegetarianforlife.org.uk/recipes/soups-and-sandwiches/sandwich-platter) Coronation Chicken Pastries (https://vegetarianforlife.org.uk/recipes/lighter-meals/coronation-chicken-pastries)

Whether vegetarian or not, many people have a favourite meal that just happens to be meat-free. Those that do consider themselves veg*n will likely enjoy being able to reminisce and share why they follow this lifestyle. Print photos of common vegetarian products from years gone by or find old vegetarian cookbooks to encourage conversation. Here’s an example of some products that one older vegetarian misses.

Visit VfL’s website (https://vegetarianforlife.org.uk) for some suggested questions/conversation starters.

Invite a VfL chef to deliver a virtual or in-person cookery demo for your residents. They’ll take the pressure off your chefs and activity co-ordinators, and deliver a themed demo for you.

Here’s what recent participants have said: “It was brilliant, well presented, and the demonstrator was very likeable and did a great job.”

“I’ve taken part in lots of video cook-alongs recently and have found them quite stressful. However, this one was really informative and easy to follow.”

For a novel activity for residents, VfL runs a ‘virtual vegan lunch club’ on the fourth Tuesday of every month.

It’s open to vegetarians, vegans and meat reducers, aged 65+.

Recipes are sent in advance. Buy your ingredients, and cook the dishes on the day ready for the Zoom chat at 1pm.

Talk cookery, recipes and more, and meet likeminded people from across the UK. For residents that are less tech savvy, but keen to connect, VfL runs a veggie pen- and phone-pals scheme (https://vegetarianforlife.org.uk/pages/pen-andphone-pal-scheme). The scheme has linked tens of like-minded people from across the UK, and many lasting friendships have been forged.

One member said: “I love it, I really do. It’s the best thing I’ve done in a long, long time. I speak to a few people from the scheme and I’m delighted with how well it’s going” Caterers can get ahead of the curve with VfL’s accredited training. Topics include what veg*ns eat; plant-based nutrition and fortification; meal planning; and alternatives to meat and dairy. Each bite-sized module includes easy-to-follow recipe videos and fantastic, tasty recipes. What’s more, it’s British Dietetic Association accredited.

Carrot, Ginger and Orange Soup

Serves: 4 Dietary requirements: Dairy-free, Egg-free, Halal, Kosher, Vegan Ingredients Good glug of olive oil 4 small onions, chopped 4 garlic cloves, chopped 2–3 inch piece of fresh ginger, finely grated Zest and juice of 2 oranges 8 carrots, peeled and sliced 1 litre water with vegan stock or 4 tsp vegetable bouillon Couple of pinches of cayenne pepper or chilli powder (optional) Sea salt and pepper to taste To serve Coconut yoghurt or vegan crème fraiche (optional) Chopped coriander leaves Instructions • In a saucepan, gently cook the onion in the olive oil until softened.

• Add the garlic, ginger and orange zest. Cook for a minute or so and then add the carrots, stock, and cayenne pepper or chilli powder (if using).

• Simmer until the carrots are tender.

• Using a hand blender, blend the soup until smooth.

• Add the orange juice and season with salt and pepper.

Blend again briefly to mix.

• Reheat gently. Serve with optional dollop of coconut yoghurt or crème fraiche, and a sprinkle of chopped coriander on top.

LAUNDRY SOLUTIONS Forbes Delivers a Streamlined Solution for National Care Groups A national care group needs to know that they are delivering a consistently high standard of care and in order to do this they need to ensure that they are working with service partners that they can trust. When it comes to laundry provision, centralised procurement and management teams want to know that they will have access to a streamlined process for all on-going account and service management.

Forbes Professional offers a nationwide delivery of a localbased service, with the security and reliability that comes from being a long-established company. Our expansive network of depots and field engineers enables a highly responsive service and maintenance response, which is mobilised via a dedicated hotline at our head office. We work closely with clients to devise the solution best suited to their requirements; conducting comprehensive site-surveys, offering detailed CAD designs and always specifying the most

appropriate, industry compliant machines. We choose our manufacturers extremely carefully to ensure that we are offering the highest quality of both product and service. For the care sector, hygiene is always of paramount importance and our commercial laundry equipment fully adheres to the relevant WRAS and CQC guidelines for infection control.

All of our laundry equipment is available for rent, lease or purchase with maintenance.

Our Complete Care rental solution gives access to premium equipment without upfront capital outlay and with no repair or replacement bills for the life of the contract. National care groups are always assigned a dedicated account manager who remains their point of contact, centralising all account management for a highly efficient process that keeps things simple for both procurement teams and care management staff. www.forbespro.co.uk info@forbes-professional.co.uk 0345 070 2335

Cash’s Labels- “The Name Behind the Name”

At Cash's, we aim to capture, reinforce and communicate our clients’ brand equity through quality and innovation, from design to distribution.

Our product range fully caters for the needs of both small and large retailers and brand owners alike comprising of woven and printed labels, woven badges, care labels, branded and promotional swing tags, garment accessories, packaging and barcoding.

Our ground breaking labelling and security technologies are also able to provide an unrivalled level of protec-

tion to our customers' brand by assisting to combat counterfeiting and grey market activity.

Our industry leading eCommerce system is designed to reduce cost, improve efficiency and streamline supply chain management and will fully protect the integrity and accuracy of critical business data. The order entry process is very simple meaning suppliers and vendors can spend their valuable time on tasks other than ordering apparel labelling and accessories.

See the advert this page for details.

PAGE 38 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

TECHNOLOGY FOR CARE How Technology is Transforming The Future of Social Care

by Steve Morgan, Partnership Director, Agilisys (www.agilisys.co.uk)

Chronic underfunding, a workforce crisis, insufficient modernisation and COVID-19 are all testing social care to the limits. There is now, however, an opportunity to reassess, redesign and re-ignite a strategy for lasting, effective change as we emerge from the pandemic.

The social care system is complex and fragmented, with care being provided by around 18,500 organisations throughout the country. Good practice being developed in one part of the care sector is difficult to share. A joined-up view is needed to achieve a clear vision.

By thinking long-term and bringing together the fragmented sector, funding decisions can be made to drive efficiencies and modernise the traditional service, to benefit all.

ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY ARE LEADING THE WAY

Demand for care is not going to reduce, so it’s down to critical technologies to transform the future of care:

• Tools for collaboration

There is a growing movement towards a 'delivery ecosystem' of collaboration tools. You can plug a variety of options into one connectivity hub, which enables everything from telehealth and telecare to social inclusion and family contact, without the need to have six or seven different boxes.

• Reduced inbound demand, through automation

There has been a fundamental switch from inbound telephony-based contact services to proactive outbound ones. To make those services more productive, you have to reduce inbound demand.

That is where artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and robotic process automation (RPA) are important. If the repeatable and everyday tasks are automated, staff have more time to make a difference to the peo-

ple they care for.

• Advanced predictive analytics

Data is critical to any strategic, joined-up future of care. Predictive analytics can help understand when somebody is in danger of needing health or residential care, which can dramatically reduce the overall cost of care delivery.

Using data to inform more effective decisions is the way forward and with the use of the Integrated care system (ICS) and how it will bring together data collection and joined-up data usage.

• Data collection at home

Technology can identify when there are issues with damp, carbon dioxide, humidity and temperature. Having knowledge of the environment vulnerable people are living in, can reduce and remove any knock-on effects.

• Social care cost modelling

Social care makes up most of local authority spend. In 2018/19, total expenditure on social care by councils was £22.2bn. Using data to predict outcomes and effective routes, social care cost modelling enables users to take any cohort of children or adults and apply one or more of a huge range of potential scenarios to it. This shows authorities how much social care services are costing them, and what they can do about it.

• Microsoft Viva

The transition to permanent remote working raises a crucial question: how does an organisation create a culture, a sense of belonging, a mission and connection in the absence of a physical presence? Employee Experience platforms such as Viva focus on employee wellbeing to help avoid burnout, highlight efficiency gains, and bring knowledge together in one place.

• Remote working solutions

Providing frontline staff with remote working solutions, encompassing software and client information, allows professionals to spend more time with their clients, speed up data capture, decision-making and reduce transcribing errors.

USER ENGAGEMENT KEY TO SUCCESS

Technology alone will not drive the change. If the purpose of a new app or software is not apparent, then it already presents a cognitive issue to your

Fall Savers - Affordable Fall Monitoring Solutions Fall Savers®, are an experienced market leading healthcare provider of resident safety solutions for over 15 years.

FALL SAVERS ® WIRELESS MONITOR Eliminate all cables with our new generation falls management solutions!

Upgrade your falls programme with the latest technology from Fall Savers®. The NEW Fall Savers® Wireless eliminates the cord between the monitor and sensor pad. This results in less work for nursing staff, improved safety for patients and reduced wear and tear on sensor pads. Wireless advantages include the ability to use one monitor with two sensor pads simultaneously and support for many new wireless devices.

Benefits include:

Safer for patients; less work for staff Bed and chair pads available One monitor works with two sensor pads Integrates with most nurse call systems A variety of options, including: Call button Pager Floor sensor mat Wireless door/window exit alerts

TREADNOUGHT ®FLOOR SENSOR PAD

team. Only by engaging the intended users through a change programme will change have the opportunity to succeed. Stimulate conversations, test ideas and gain buy-in from those who will be using the technology everyday.

HOW CAN WE TAKE ACTION NOW? 1. Plan

Think of every aspect of care delivery. Is it the right thing to do? Is the level of spending correct? What is the value? Do this right and it will drive a fundamental shift in thinking; towards treating the delivery of care like a business.

2. Introduce strategic thinking

Care is one of those few areas in in the 21st century, where there appears to be little strategic thinking around the continual improvement of service delivery. It is time to mirror the NHS and implement a five-year plan.

3. Map opportunities for partnerships

Currently, different bodies deliver assessments dependent on the area.

Far better to bring those together and have them delivered by a single individual who is empowered to operate on behalf of those other organisations.

Joined-up, multi-agency thinking is required.

4. Think prevention, not cure

Preventative investment in social care will deliver benefits to society as more people will stay healthy, happy, and independent for as long as possible.

5. Embrace organisation-wide technology

A recent paper from Socitm showed social workers are more ‘digital ready’ than previously thought. More frontline staff need to be identifying opportunities for digital improvements; not just in service management and client outcomes, but in what the future of social care could be.

By investing in preventative, person-centred approaches, including assetbased solutions to reducing social isolation, shared lives and community agents, outcomes can be improved, and costs reduced.

Technology has a huge potential to support more people to live independently. Data, workforce and true partnerships are critical in delivering care at the right time, making differences for people.

The TreadNought® Floor Sensor Pad is built to last with a durable construction that far out lasts the competition. Our anti-bacterial floor sensor pad is compatible with most nurse call systems or can be used with a portable pager to sound an alert when a person steps on to the sensor pad.

Caregivers typically place the sensor pad at the bedside, in a doorway or other locations to monitor persons at risk for falls or wandering. An optional anti-slip mesh reduces the potential for slippage on hard surface floors.

Features include: Connects directly to most nurse call systems High Quality anti-bacterial Floor Sensor Pad Large Size Pad: Measures (L) 91cm x (H) 61cm Options (sold separately): Anti-slip mesh for hard surface floors See the advert on this page for further details.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59 | PAGE 39

TECHNOLOGY FOR CARE

A Digital Future of Care in a Post COVID-19 Era The New Year brings good news and light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel with the roll out of vaccination programs, despite this the UK has been forced into stricter lockdown regulations. Health and care sectors are acutely aware of their responsibilities and the importance to look after technology that is fundamental to caring for the vulnerable and their carers.

Should systems fail, technology suppliers should provide help and assistance remotely with telephone support and using remote diagnostic tools. At Courtney Thorne we find that most issues are resolved over the phone, where this proves difficult and further checks or reconfiguration is necessary this is done by remotely accessing systems and running diagnostics. 95% of the service inquiries we receive are resolved this way reducing the need to physically attend the site.

Inquiries that cannot be rectified remotely will require an engineer to visit. To ensure the safety of residents, staff and the engineers themselves, service providers need to adopt stringent policies with rigorous clarification processes concluding with written

The New MPCSA11 from Medpage Medpage is a family ran company, with a huge heart and resources gathered over our 35- year trading history. The majority of the technologies we design, manufacture and distribute originate from enquiries received from healthcare professionals and personal family care observations. Our product portfolio provides a wide variety of care solutions for epilepsy, dementia, senior care, special needs and sensory loss.

Our latest innovation, currently in use in

several Hospitals, presents an effective fall monitoring, detection and reporting solution.

The MPCSA11 is a complex software driven sensor monitor made to be user and operator friendly. This device has already proven successful in hospital and care home trials by reducing patient falls while also reducing false positives from a safe patient. The device can monitor and interact with up to three sensor products: bed and chair occupancy pressure pads, PIR movement detection sensors and proximity signal products.

In use, a patient or resident rising from their bed would be considered a falls risk, but what if they are simply moving to sit in a chair close to their bed? A standard bed monitor would raise an alarm alerting care staff, who would arrive to find the person safely seated. The MPCSA11 would only generate an alarm if the person was out of their bed or chair for a selectable time duration. Learn more www.easylinkuk.co.uk/mpcsa11 Or see the advert on page 15.

confirmation that there is no COVID-19 on site or where there is, that those suffering are suitably isolated. In the case of Courtney Thorne our process includes asking authorised care home management to fill out a questionnaire prior to our engineer turning up.

We also insist that our staff are regularly checked, including logging daily body temperature. Finally equipping field staff with necessary PPE, making sure it is always used and includes a hand washing regime before, during and after any site visit. Courtney Thorne provides our field-based engineering staff with overalls, gloves, face masks and plenty of hand sanitiser.

By diligently observing these protocols, and despite our staff visiting care homes and hospitals on a daily basis throughout the pandemic, not one of them has developed any COVID-19 symptoms at any time.

For further information visit www.nursecallsystems.co.uk or see the advert on this page.

Andy Bridgewater Expands Alarm Radio Monitoring's Team

Market Leading manufacturer of wireless nurse call and staff alarm systems, Alarm Radio Monitoring Ltd (ARM), has announced the appointment of Andy Bridgewater as its new Head of Sales & Marketing.

Former Royal Engineer with Her Majesty’s forces, Andy joined the business in late April, having over 15 years experience within the sales and engineering industry.

Andy’s appointment to the senior management team comes at an exciting time for ARM with numerous new products and systems being launched throughout the year, none more so than the Bed Angel, an innovative wireless bed occupancy monitor.

Stuart Ibbs, Operations Director for ARM, said: “We are delighted to welcome Andy to lead our sales team during what is an exciting period of growth for the business. With numerous new products entering the market over the coming year, his appointment is a big part of the company’s commitment to provide high quality products to the care and staff alarm industry” “Andy’s drive and passion for team management will strengthen our sales division, he will be crucial in mentoring our sales team to roll out the new products we are due to roll out” Andy’s role as head of Sales & Marketing will see him lead sales growth for ARM as their product range continues to expand throughout the UK. The Bed Angel, new monitoring software and 7’ touchpad display are either currently available or due to enter the market shortly.

Andy commented: “I am delighted to join ARM at such an exciting time as it continues to grow throughout the UK and innovate within the Health Care industry.

He continued : Alarm Radio Monitoring’s focus on people development and working as a team is something I firmly believe in, and I am looking forward to working with the sales team to exceed targets whilst continuing to deliver the outstanding customer service that ARM is renowned for” See the advert on page 31.

www.nursecallsystems.co.uk

PAGE 40 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

TECHNOLOGY FOR CARE Check EU Employees Right To Work, Warns Bizimply Care employers will need to keep clear records of their team members’ immigration and right-to-work status as the UK moves into the post-Brexit ‘hostile environment’ from 1 July. Care workforce specialist Bizimply is warning businesses that they need a clear and accessible record of every employee’s status in order to demonstrate compliance with the regulations.

Under UK law, employers face imprisonment and unlimited fines for knowingly employing someone who does not have the right to work in the UK. Conor Shaw, Bizimply CEO, said: “Just as the care sector is bringing its workforce back as the economy reopens, there is a real danger that many businesses now face a significant new challenge as key employees lose the right to work. Of course, there are legal penalties, but with the labour shortage a challenge across the sector, businesses also need to know they have enough trained and experienced staff at all times and at every site.”

A leak of Government figures this week shows that around 130,000 of the 820,000 Europeans resident in the UK have yet to apply for Settled Status, despite the hard cut-off of 30 June as the date to apply.

Without confirmation of settled status, EU, EEA and Swiss living in the UK lose the right to work, as well as access to healthcare and other benefits.

Shaw added: “Although the deadline has been known for some time, the uncertainty over COVID and the challenges of communicating with employees during lockdown means that many businesses may not know the status of every employee.

“That won’t be an excuse when the authorities start asking for proof of right to work. UK politicians haven’t

talked about the ‘hostile environment’ over immigration for no reason. Proof both that employees have the right to work, and that employers have checked and recorded that status will be essential.”

Employers using Bizimply’s suite of workforce management software can easily and confidentially record all the necessary status confirmation and supporting documentation for employees, and make it available to check if required.

Employers can be jailed for five years and pay an unlimited fine if found guilty of employing someone who they know or had ‘reasonable cause to believe’ did not have the right to work in the UK. Details of the Settled Status regulations are at www.gov.uk/eusettledstatus. An employer toolkit is at www.gov.uk/government/collections/eu-settlementscheme-employer-toolkit See the advert this page or visit www.bizimply.com

Nurse Call from Edison Telecom Please Please mention mention THE THE CARER CARER when when responding responding to to advertising. advertising.

We here at Edison Telecom Ltd have been providing specialist solutions to your call system requirements tailor-made to each customers needs for over 25 years, says director Bob Johnson.

Is your current Nurse Call “legacy”, obsolete, so full of software bugs or commercially not viable for your current supplier/maintainer to maintain?

We may have just the part and expertise that you are looking for to give your nurse call a further extension to life, adds Bob, “Edison will treat your nurse call with the same compassion that you give to those in your care. There will come a time when your equipment is beyond repair but Edison are experts in extending the life of obsolete systems.” www.edisontelecom.co.uk

NURSE CALL IT’S NOT OBSOLETE UNTIL THE OPERA LADY SINGS EDISON TELECOM LTD (IN BUSINESS SINCE 1984)

have spares, enhancements and expertise for wired and wireless systems abandoned by the original manufacturer, whoever they are.

Call us on 01252-330220 We can give most systems a new lease of life and maintain them into the future.

www.edisontelecom.co.uk

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59 | PAGE 41

TECHNOLOGY FOR CARE Make Your Nursecall Data Work For You and Your Residents Using your ‘Call Bell’ data can help improve the care you provide and even aid in getting an “outstanding” CQC rating. Yet, quite often this data is only used to help investigate an incident and ignored for the rest of the time. A lot of care homes still rely on a printer to record event logs making data analysis time consuming and difficult.

KAM Systems Limited have launched their Kloud Care Home data logging service. Kloud can be connected to any existing nursecall system using a Kloud shuttle that has a printer or paging interface.

All events are logged by the Shuttle & synchronised with the Kloud on any internet enabled device. The service then analyses the data into an easy to understand report which can even be automatically emailed to a home manager’s inbox.

The data can include KPI’s such as Average Response Time, Top Five Rooms that ‘call’ the most, Busiest Hours In The Day, No. of Night Checks and much more.

Longer response times during certain hours may indicate that not enough staff are on duty. The data can also show that a resident has started to ‘call’ for help much more than usual and this can be investigated and appropriate measures put in place.

Users can login from any connected device to access the Kloud and create custom reports or investigate a specific incident if required. Care Group administrators have a dashboard of all their care homes in one place making it simple to manage.

Harpal Momi - Managing Director says “When we asked our customers about Nursecall Data logging most of them said that it was too difficult to analyse or they didn’t have the time. We developed Kloud to help them deliver better care based on the data analysis.

The ease in which it can be implemented and the simple subscription model makes it suitable for anyone”.

Contact 0330 321 1040, info@kamsystems.co.uk or visit www.kamsystems.co.uk

Alarm Radio Monitoring Alarm Radio Monitoring (A.R.M) is a UK based manufacturer of wireless Nurse Call and Staff Alarm systems; offering a comprehensive range of Nurse Call, Staff Alarm, Fire Alarm, and Door Access bespoke systems. With over 30 years experience in the design & development of wireless Nurse Call & Staff Alarm systems, A.R.M has established itself as a key player within the wireless solutions market to the public and private healthcare sectors.

Wireless solutions are ideal for environments which do not lend themselves to running cables, for example listed buildings or busy environments. Wireless systems can be fitted while your home remains operational, so you do not have to close rooms off and they offer greater flexibility and ease for future expansion.

Care Homes choose A.R.M nurse call systems because they: • Are quick and simple to install.

• Make it easier for staff to identify the source of calls

because they give full text descriptions.

• Give management the tools they need to monitor and control best practice. The system provides a full audit trail of which buttons are pressed and response times.

• Failsafe eg alerts you in the event of a system fault or batteries are running low.

• Carry a year’s guarantee.

• Are supported 24/7, 365 days a year by specialist engineers over the telephone or online.

No matter how demanding your environment, A.R.M believes everyone – whether you’re a customer in a care home or team member – should be within safe reach.

Whether you need a combination of a Nurse Call, Staff Alarm, Fire Alarm, Door Access system, we have a team to help design a package that will meet your requirements.

For further details call 01568 610 016 or email sales@arm.uk.com

Please Please mention mention THE THE CARER CARER when when responding responding to to advertising. advertising.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59 | PAGE 43

TECHNOLOGY FOR CARE Reliant Care Solutions Ltd WHY SHOULD CARE HOMES MOVE FROM PAPER TO ELECTRONIC TIME SHEETS

The industry is under considerable financial pressures. An efficient electronic booking on/off system that will schedule, provide budgets, calculate hours worked, overtime and absence such as sickness and holiday entitlement will save Time and Money.

HOW IS TIME AND MONEY SAVED BY DOING THINGS ELECTRONICALLY?

Collecting payroll information from paper timesheets can be slow, prone to errors, and very labour intensive.

Staff rosters can be produced as far in advance as practical and accurate within budgeted hours. Staff book on and off-duty electronically, thus eliminating any time errors.

Wage queries are virtually eliminated and immediate checks can be made without wading through reams of paper which invariably are inaccurate, misfiled or even 'lost".

THERE ARE MANY SYSTEMS ON THE MARKET WHY FACIAL RECOGNITION IS IMPORTANT AND HOW IT WORKS

Some systems use tokens, which can be lost or left at home, requiring management involvement in the booking on/off procedure. Fingerprint systems can be beaten and Social media is awash with ways to copy fingerprints. Face recognition combined with a staff PIN is simple to use and manage using touch screen technology and web cams. Staff see their image displayed immediately when booking on or off and confirms their identity visually. It provides the best deterrent available as it builds a greater 'image knowledge’ of each employee, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Eliminates 'buddy punching' where employees can book colleagues on/off duty using someone’s tokens, swipe card or even fingerprint.

HOW IS DATA PROTECTED? With the correct security setup computer systems provide more data protection than paper-based records which can be easily removed or stolen. GDPR covers all data including paper records and therefore the chances of infringing the rules and incurring fines is greater with paper.

For further information visit www.rcscare.net or call 03333 444 562.

WristPIT from Pinpoint The WristPIT from Pinpoint,is a bespoke patient call transmitter designed to be worn on the wrist.

This wrist-worn personal infrared transmitter (WristPIT) is easily accessible and allows patients to activate a call for even if they are away from their bed or a fixed call-point.

Pinpoint’s renowned PIT technology (usually worn by staff for personal safety) has, for the first time, been designed around patient use. The WristPIT can withstand showering and brief submersion in water and also incorporates antimicrobial product protection, reducing the ability for bacteria to grow.

According to figures published by the National Reporting and Learning System, around 250,000 incidents where patients required assistance in hospital were reported in 2015/16. In many cases, nursing staff remained unaware that a patient had had a fall for quite some time.

Pressing the clearly labelled call button on the WristPIT notifies the personnel on duty that a patient is requesting help and informs staff exactly where the patient is. The call button is recessed and surrounded by a bump guard to prevent false alarms.

Pinpoint Alarm Systems are installed in thousands of medical facilities throughout the UK and USA. The new WristPIT is backward compatible and easily integrated into existing Pinpoint Systems.

A green LED indicates the WristPIT is ‘activated’ with good battery level. When the battery requires changing, the LED flashes red until the battery is changed and the device has been retested.

In addition to being water-resistant, the WristPIT has been designed to withstand harsh environments and user tampering, meaning suitability for facilities where service users may be at risk of self-harm.

Please Please mention mention THE THE CARER CARER when when responding responding to to advertising. advertising.

PINPOINT WRISTPIT The WristPIT is a wrist worn Personal Infrared Transmitter designed exclusively for patient use.

The latest call button is recessed and surrounded by a bump guard to prevent false alarms. It is also backward compatible, allowing seamless integration into existing Pinpoint Systems.

DID YOU KNOW? Biomaster Technology is incorporated into all surface areas of the product during manufacture, inhibiting the growth of contaminating bacteria 24/7 for the lifetime of the product.

www.pinpointlimited.com

PAGE 44 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

TECHNOLOGY FOR CARE Care South Invests In Ground-Breaking Care Planning Technology A not-for-profit charity in the South of England is the latest UK care provider to invest in ground-breaking technology proven to boost operational efficiency, reduce errors and dramatically improve care delivery.

Care South, which provides residential, nursing and dementia care to residents across its 16 care homes, also help people to live independently in their own homes.

Working with service users and their families, Care South tailors personal solutions in which all parties can feel secure and confident, with the dignity of those needing care central to the charity’s goals. To ensure that the highest levels of care are maintained, Care South’s care home portfolio benefits from ongoing investment and in-depth training programmes all year round.

Care South’s latest investment will see staff go paperless, using Person Centred Software’s award-winning Mobile Care Monitoring to evidence and monitor care interactions in real-time, in a move that will also save each carer up to 3 days per month on paperwork.

The gradual rollout will see Care South’s Sussexdown care home receive the software first, with the wider plan being to onboard up to two locations per month until all services are fully equipped with the software.

Using Person Centred Software, Care South will be able to make the

most of its unrivalled ecosystem of partners, which includes electronic medication management.

Discussing their reasons for adopting Mobile Care Monitoring, Aaron Whitehead, Director of Residential Care at Care South, said: “We first heard about Person Centred Software through word of mouth and, upon doing our research, it seemed the perfect solution for us. Being fully mobile and icon-driven, the software is incredibly easy to use and saves our carers time that had previously been spent completing paperwork.

“We’re delighted with the benefits that the software has delivered people living and working within our homes so far. We look forward to working directly with Person Centred Software as we complete the software roll out over the coming months,” Aaron concluded.

Having launched in Australia in 2018, Ireland in 2019 and the Netherlands in 2021, Person Centred Software’s innovative technology is improving systems used in social care globally and has won numerous prestigious industry accolades. In 2020, Person Centred Software was placed on the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 and top 10 SME in Digital Leaders 100, and the Deloitte Tech Fast 50 list in 2019. Furthermore, its new coronavirus-specific features were recognised at the Health Tech Digital Awards 2020 for Best COVID-19 Software Solution.

For more information about the benefits of moving to a digital care management system, please visit www.personcentredsoftware.com

First Installation of Game Changing Software for the Care Industry Installed at Nyton House in Chichester The first intelligent tech system that helps both carers and residents has been launched to market by Arquella and successfully installed at cutting edge care home Nyton House in Chichester.

Sheffield based Arquella was founded in 2019 –and provides innovative digital solutions for the care industry allowing the focus to be on the care of residents.

Combining modern nurse call equipment with advanced software they have created a higher quality of care and improved reporting system to help raise CQC ratings.

Paul Howell and Reuben Timoney are the very passionate and entrepreneurial drivers behind the care home gamechanger that is Arquella. CEO and COO respectively, they met by chance in 2018, changing their futures and the future of care home tech.

So, what is the digital system?

AIDA Assist is an advance nurse call system, a digital care reporter and a whole lot more!

The new system is a link between call-logging and care plan software with the most comprehensive automated compliance reporting available.

Most nurse call manufacturers use pagers to alert carers to a call on their system. Arquella’s wireless nurse call systems integrate with smartphones without the need for extra equipment to be installed. This allows carers to be alerted to call location instantly. So long pagers!

On top of that it can be used to provide evidence for care cost adjustments and supply in-depth specific and overall care analysis during an investigation. In conjunction with good quality home management, it provides unambiguous compliance data that shows the care home is doing

The Carer Digital Now Available Weekly thecareruk.com/backissues

more than just meeting the regulatory requirements.

Paul Howell, CEO of Arquella says: ‘It is not enough to be exceptional at looking after the needs of vulnerable people anymore. Alongside the hands-on care, you need to keep detailed care plans, compliance reports, in-depth care analysis, day by day monitoring of care delivery, accident and incident trend analysis, KPI monitoring against performance standards and so much more. The job of recording care is now so complex that some care facilities employ full-time compliance officers, a luxury that many other care homes don’t have. Our goal is to build a fully integrated digital world of care that helps the care homes take control.’

Arquella believes that their system will also help care homes with their CQC ratings which are often rated lower because of the recording of care, rather than actual performance.

Howell says: ‘To achieve a rating of ‘good’ or higher is not a matter of simply meeting the standards of the regulator. We all know how a classification of ‘Inadequate’ or ‘Requires Improvement’ can damage a facility’s reputation and income. It gives potential clients the perception that the level of care being provided is somehow substandard. However, the reality is that more often than not, it is the recording of care that has broken down.’

Along with care plan information, AIDA Assist provides global information for the care home. Average response times for each shift pattern, average staff attendance times and frequency and time of emergency calls. The data can be easily mined quickly for patterns and trends and key point indicators can also be entered into the system.

Harvey Hillary is a second-generation care home owner and owns Nyton House in Chichester, the first care home to have the system installed. After a successful career as Head of High Performance & Innovation for the British Sailing Team he came back to work with the family business and is a huge advocate of the Arquella system.

‘The vision at Nyton was to provide a ‘home-like’ experience by encouraging a ‘freedom to roam’ and for residents to spend less time isolated in their rooms and more time in communal areas. Arquella enables us to provide location-based calling from unique user pendants.

How to enhance your rresidents esidents experience -!

-!

Imagine a piece of e equipment for your car care home that can enhance the experience of your ts mentally y,, rresidents esidents mentally, physically and also emotionally

Mentally - Brain training apps, memory apps, board challenges.!! quizzes, boar d games, rreasoning easoning challenges.

Exercise Physically - Exer cise for the elderly online coordination, increased classes, hand eye coor dination, incr eased around large movement to move hands ar ound a lar ge screen.! scr een.!

Emotionally - Reminiscence tours on Google present YouTube Earth, past and pr esent clips on YouT Y ouT Tube of ! interests, eligious services and hobbies or inter ests, rreligious Group Gr oup ZOOM calls to loved ones who cant get person!!! to visit in your rresidents esidents person! ! w,, “We now, “W We use it daily and would not be without ut it now even the rresidents esid nd it easy and fun to use. esidents find Registered Manager, Thank you!” Sandie Evans, Register red ed Manager r,, Oakland’s Oakland’ ’s Care Car Ca arre e Home, Crickhowell

Inspir Inspired ed Inspirations have been working dir directly ectly with car care e homes in developing their interactive touch scr screen een activity tables over the last few years, to pr provide ovide a range of scr screen een sizes and units to suit every car care e setting. setting.!!

Our weekly digital edition supports the sector with all the latest news, expert advice and developments Sign up to get the latest edition direct to you at:

thecareruk.com/signup

!

Just think of a giant Andr Android oid tablet built into a solid oak surr surround, ound, on a base that houses a lar large ge battery to allow you to use it all day long and smooth running wheels for easy movement between rooms rooms in your care care home. !

“This amazing bit of technology is making a huge di!erence di!e !errence to ou our ur rresidents” esidents” Melanie Dawson, Manager, Manager r, The Lawns L at Heritage Manor The screen screen is 5mm temper tempered ed glass for your residents ingress residents safety and sealed against fluid uid ingr ess meaning a spill of a cup of tea won’ won’tt ruin your ! equipment. It also means an easy clean solution to stop cross cross contamination using any normal surface cleaner.! cleanerrr..!

‘Removing the clinical feel was one step but removing the triggers of challenging behaviour was a key focus. Our Coach House unit has been designed around people with Dementia and removing Nurse Call Alarms was a massive win. Arquella allows us to notify staff of a ‘Call’ using a mobile device and for a staff member to accept the call and then cancel the call once they have attended to the resident.

‘A huge frustration for me as a care provider was the inability for Nurse Call systems to inform care planning. Most systems can provide a list report of time and frequency of calls and the response time from staff.

From my perspective, this is a very limited data set that is missing the most obvious opportunity for the carer to log the ‘reason for call’.

Working with Arquella we are developing a carer input screen that will code all alarms and enable us to identify trends and inform care plans.

This will be followed by a Task scheduling functionality for prompting medication, pressure areas care, night checks and fluids. Using API exports, we hope to streamline the point of care records keeping that is recorded in or Electronic Care Planning system.

‘As a care home, ultimately, we all want to achieve an outstanding rating from the CQC, but it’s often the accuracy of recording the data that lets us down. This takes time, is labour intensive or has us juggling platforms when we have more important things to do! That is all solved with the Arquella system and we’re thrilled to have it in Nyton.’

The modern call units can be wall mounted or portable for maximum freedom and have been designed with practicality and user-friendliness in mind.

Key benefits include…

Call alert to mobile Nurse Call Panel Fall sensor Nurse call reporting dashboard Reports, CQC and Call logs For more info. see the advert on page 13 or visit the Arquella website: www.Arquella.co.uk Or call: 0333 242 7505

e

All tables are are made to order, orderr, if you’d like to enquire enquir e on a price guide and time scales for www.inspireddeliveries, just visit their website www .inspir spiredinspirations.com inspirations.c com or scan the QR code on the right. For general enquiries, please email ! ! info@inspired-inspirations.com! info@inspir ed-inspirations.com!

“We’ve didn’tt “W We’ve noticed ed that quieter rresidents esidents who didn’ interact too much with others have suddenly more more been mor re e active ctive and mor re e vocal.” Lindsey Manager, Davies, Home e Manager r,, Cwrt Enfys

See the advert on page 42 for details.

! !

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59 | PAGE 47

TECHNOLOGY FOR CARE StackCare UK Expands Offering with Launch Of Two New Client-Monitoring Systems – One for Care Homes CARE VISION and One for Home Care Professionals

StackCare UK, the market leading homemonitoring system provider, has expanded its product range with two new systems for the professional care industry - StackCare Pro and StackCare for Carers. Building on the original StackCare @home system that was launched earlier this year, the new systems provide care home managers and professional carers with up to the minute details on their clients’ wellbeing and activity levels, offering unrivalled extra levels of detail and resource to care packages.

Managers and agencies can monitor their clients both centrally, in their office using an online dashboard, and/or through an app on carers’ mobile phones. The systems allow staff to view the status of multiple clients, and, as with StackCare @home, managers and carers can monitor activity levels and data including the number of bathroom visits the client makes, room temperatures and sleep patterns, with alerts sent if a client’s behaviour patterns change.

Door sensors and help buttons are also available as optional add-ons to both systems for clients who would benefit from extra monitoring and /or a direct communication link to their care team.

FLEXIBLE, COMPREHENSIVE CARE SOLUTION

Care Control Systems Care Control Systems Ltd is proud to create the UK's best Care Management Software designed for use within all standard, niche and complex care settings. Care Control has been in constant development since 2010 and was made commercially available in 2016. Since then we have expanded across hundreds of providers within the UK and are well recognised as leaders in our field.

Care Control is used by over 15,000 care professionals daily across the UK in multiple service types ensuring their services have live, up-to-date essential information. Located in Tavistock, Devon our expert team is comprised of numerous industry specialists with many years of direct, hands-on care experience.

This is one of our key USP’s.

Our Managing Director, Matt Luckham started the creation of the original Care Control Software in 2010

Developed in Silicon Valley, and using enhanced AI and machinebased learning, both the StackCare for Carers and StackCare Pro systems use discreet wireless smart motion sensors placed in key locations around the client’s home, or care home room. There are no cameras or microphones, thereby ensuring privacy for clients. A central hub gathers the data from the sensors which is analysed and reported back to the carer / agency. The data is anonymised and held in line with GDPR rules.

The founder of StackCare UK, Noel Verbruggen, commented, “These StackCare systems give care providers an unrivalled resource that brilliantly compliments existing care packages. The cutting edge technology means carers can know that their clients or residents are OK even when they can’t physically be with them.

“We all know that carers often can’t be with their clients for as long as they would like to be, and for busy carers and care homes time pressures are a real issue. It’s here that our smart tech comes into its own. Having instant access to StackCare’s data essentially gives carers an extra pair of hands and gives reassurance to carers, clients and clients’ families”.

StackCare is offering agencies the option to partner with them to promote the use of the system to clients as an addition to the agency’s care package offering.

To learn more about StackCare UK’s solutions visit www.stackcare.co.uk with the aim to provide essential, accurate information for Spring House Care House in Devon. Matt had purchased Spring House in 2010. Matt developed the software and then spent 6 years proving its functionality within Spring House. It soon became apparent the software could add real value to other service providers and after numerous requests we decided to commercialise the software.

In 2016 Care Control Systems Ltd was founded and since then has gone from strength-to-strength with exponential growth.

We now have an exceptional team of more than 20 staff who have over 70 years of direct hands-on care experience between them. On top of this our team of Software Developers are experts in their field and are constantly developing our products to ensure they offer everything our customers expect in what is a particularly complex sector.

2020 has been a record year for Care Control with record numbers of customers choosing us, office expansion, overseas sales and an ever growing team to name just a few things. We are so excited for the future!

Visit www.carecontrolsystems.co.uk

At Care Vision we believe care may never be the same again. Outstanding care truly is at the heart of everything we do, with a clear purpose of Less Admin, More Care.

Growing up and working in a family owned care home, Rishi Jawaheer saw at first hand the main needs in the care sector; to cut down on the burden of manual paperwork while maintaining good practice and to encourage people to become more involved in care.

Using his experience as a registered manager, with some of the smartest minds in tech, Rishi was driven to create Care Vision, an all in one cloudbased care management, system incorporating all your care and admin into one easy to use system.

Presently the care industry has our work cut out to keep in line with statutory and legislative compliance in addition to the essential everyday tasks of looking after our clients.

Care Vision acts as a bridge which uses technology that organises care work, ensures a safer, better and more intimate experience for every member of the community, from administration, the carer to family, friends and the people we care for.

Care Vision provides An easy to use system for carers, managers, relatives; bringing care and admin into one platform; to manage time, attendance, rota, HR, housekeeping, maintenance and much more An E-mar system, fully compliant with NICE, reducing medication errors and keeping people safe An intuative daily notes section that can be completed at the point of service quickly and accurately A pictorial food order system that allows the individual to choose from a menu even if they forgot what a meal looks like Daily reminders in the form of care routines which reminds staff of key aspects of care for the individual

Care Plans / Risk assessments/ Life stories which allows you to customise care plans to specifically suit the person’s needs. Reminding all about one’s history and who Is important in one’s life A family app that allows families to keep track of their loved one’s wellbeing through videos and pictures, which has been essential during the pandemic.

Care Vision gives you the freedom to access it using mobile, tablet, laptop, or pc in real time whilst safely securing and storing data. within the platform.

Built flexibly to adapt to services of any size, large or small, Care Vision’s structured, interactive features engage carers in sharing information with the end-user and their family.

Registered manager and director of Summerhayes Care says “The carers have taken to Care Vision like a duck to water and the information that we are gathering is streets ahead of the previous system we used we are very impressed. They make it easy to understand and nothing is any trouble.

I highly recommend taking a look at this system if you are wanting to meet your quality standards and CQC requirements”.

Nationally our data has shown that working with homes Care Vision can save 2-4 hours every week per carer by reducing tasks that could be better spent with the people we care for.

As both carers and developers, we are unique in our focus on developing software that benefits the care sector.

This allows us to continually develop and update software for our clients.

The Care Vision team would love to talk to you about what the system can do for you, come and join us, we believe the future of Social care is in good hands with “Care vision” Contact us at info@care-vision.co.uk or call 0208 768 9809

PAGE 48 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Burlington Uniforms Burlington Uniforms are proud to provide healthcare uniforms to a variety of Healthcare professionals.

With our friendly, dedicated Team always ready to help, their combined wealth of knowledge within the Healthcare sector covers everything from your first enquiry right through to managing your account after despatch and beyond.

Supplying high quality garments to our customers is our passion, in an array of colours and sizes, our extensive healthacre ranges can provide everything you need, making us your one stop shop. We can also take care of personalisation through our talented embroidery team, giving you a final look you'll be proud of.

We can cater to the public and private healthcare sectors, so our collection of healthcare uniforms has been expertly designed with all medical settings in mind. Offering comfortable scrubs, dresses, tunics and coordinated trousers, our medical workwear is suited to every area of your industry.

Designed for comfort and flexability, these garments ensure staff enjoy ease of movement and are unrestricted throughout their shifts.

Besides our extensive stock service, our experience in manurfacturing and our wealth of textile expertise allows us to also provide end to end bespoke solutions for our customers, contact us for more details about working with us on bespoke requirements.

Call 08707 300 150 Sales@burlington-uniforms.co.uk www.burlington-uniforms.co.uk See the advert on page 11.

Yeoman Shield Fire Rated Door Edge Protector When specifying for a structure, it’s important to be aware of the level of wear and tear a door can be exposed to in a public building.

Door edges, in particular, can be easily damaged or worn down by regular use – which can then render them non-compliant for fire safety regulations. To ensure that a project remains compliant, an architect can specify durable door edge protectors to add durability and longevity to doors.

Not only will specifying edge protectors increase the longevity of doors, they will enhance the cost efficiency of a project by reducing maintenance demands and the possibility of having to replace unsafe fire doors.

Yeoman Shield fire rated Door Edge Protectors are unique with a 2.0 mm Vinylac outer and a specially formulated 9mm PVCu reinforced core. They are FD30 (1/2 hour) and FD60 (1 hour) rated

with intumescent seals that are in accordance to the fire door’s specification. Fire rated Door Edge Protectors are suitable for commercial applications such as residential blocks, schools and hospitals etc.

Door Edge Protectors can also be specified with different fire seals, from a plain intumescent fire seal to a brush, fire and smoke variant.

Of course, for doors that are non-fire rated in an architect’s project Yeoman Shield also provide quality edge protectors without seals to enhance durability and reduce wear.

Source a full range of door protection panels and kick plates from a single supplier by choosing Yeoman Shield. Our door protection panels and kick plates offer the same lasting durability and quality as our door edge protectors.

Visit www.yeomanshield.com for details.

Mendabath UK uses high quality bath resurfacing and bathroom repair products that are trusted all over the world. Aligned with our expertise, we offer a service that is simply unparalleled in the UK. Our experienced team is comprised of experts that will deliver a service that will exceed your expectations. From minor cosmetic repairs to bringing an old bath back to life, we can restore any suite. We offer resurfacing and repair services for baths, sinks and showers for care homes, private residences and commercial properties across the UK. Commercial bath repairs and resurfacing Discoloured and damaged baths can be resurfaced with a turnaround time of just twenty four hours, keeping lost occupancy days to a minimum.

This is more environmentally friendly than replacing your bath and will save you both time and money.

Slip resistant application We apply slip resistance the day

after the bath or shower tray resurfacing. This works well in busy hotels, where there is a strong duty of care to customers yet time is of the essence. For this process the room will be out of commission for a further twenty four hours while the surface cures and hardens.

Basin repairs and resurfacing We can repair and resurface cracked, stained and chipped basins, making them look new again.

Cosmetic bath and basin repairs Sanitary ware with minor chips and scratches can be cosmetically repaired. Our technicians fade-in each repair so that they are almost invisible to the naked eye.

Shower repairs and shower tray resurfacing We can fully restore any stained and cracked shower tray, giving it a fresh, new look.

See the advert on page 9 or visit www.mendabath.co.uk

CareZips Dignity Trousers Bath Resurfacing and Chip Repair ™

CareZips™ preserve dignity and privacy of people receiving care during diaper changes.

CareZips™ make diaper changes easier and faster, reducing workload, saving efforts, and saving time!

CareZips™ help to deliver better standards of care!

Fitted with unique 3-zip fastening system, the CareZips™ make changing of incontinence diapers more dignified and comfortable for the patients and easier and faster for the carers.

CareZips™ feature 3 strategically positioned zips, 2 of which run from the waist to the knees on both sides of the body. The 3rd zip goes from the inside of one knee up to the crotch and down to the second knee on the inside of the other leg. This zip facilitates total opening of the trousers at the crotch during diaper changes. The 3-zip system ensures fast and easy access to the abdomen and crotch without having to undress the patients or pull their trousers down.

CareZips™ are suitable for men and women. They

are available in 7 sizes for perfect fit. CareZips™ are soft and wrinkle resistant with stretch and give for extra comfort. Practical, durable, washable and noniron, the CareZips™ trousers are the perfect choice for daily use.

Contact Win Health Medical Ltd - 01835 864866 www.win-health.com

Spotta’s Early Warning System Prevents Bed Bug Infestations Smart pest monitoring system marks one year of real-world operations, detecting bed bugs in 94.2% of cases

In its first year of operation, Spotta’s monitoring and detection system identified bed bugs in 94.2% of cases, significantly reducing the number of encounters between bed bugs and residents in multi-room properties.

The ‘always-on’ monitoring service uses advanced recognition technology to identify insects and provide real time alerts. Spotta enables multi-room properties such as sheltered and residential housing accommodation and their pest control partners to identify occurrences of bed bugs and treat the problem early, limiting the damage caused and spread of the pests.

In its first year of real-world deployment in customer properties Spotta serviced over 91,000 room nights. Of

the detections made by Spotta, over half (52.2%) were in rooms with no recent history of bed bugs, proving the system’s effectiveness as an early warning against new infestations. Repeat detections in rooms help property managers assess whether extermination treatments are successful or if further, more extensive treatment is needed.

“For accommodation providers, most of the overall financial impact of bed bugs comes from contact between the occupant and pests, which leads to complaints, disruption and high treatment costs,” says Robert Fryers, co-founder and CEO of Spotta.

During the Bed Pod’s first year, 94.2% of cases were successfully detected by Spotta, with room residents reporting bed bugs accounting for just 3.3% of cases and staff identifying the remaining 2.5%.

Fryers continues: “The first year results of Bed Pod show we have a credible, proven solution with realworld efficacy. This represents a transformative step for pest controllers, accommodation providers and property managers by allowing them to proactively monitor for bed bugs, rather than just reacting when problems are reported.”

Find out more at www.spotta.co See the advert on page 15.

Jolly Trolley Brings Therapeutic Activity and Entertainment to Patients That Are Isolating The Jolly Trolley® is an essential for any care establishment as it promotes social interaction between the service users and their carers. This innovative system is fully mobile and battery operated, allowing residents who may be unable to leave their rooms to also be included with ease.

The Jolly Trolley® comes complete with its own videos, quizzes, karaoke and other content, but personal music, photos and films can then be added from a USB stick to really bring out the magic!

Don’t just take our word for it here are just some testimonials from our very happy Health and Social Care clients:

Chester Park- Megan Allan, Activities “The fact that we can upload what is relevant to the specific Individual is so meaningful for that person and I can assure you we have shed some tears being able to be part of that residents memory journey. It has been an amazing addition to our care home – from staff and residents – thank you.”

Pennine NHS Trust - Beech Ward“we have been able to provide therapeutic activity & entertainment with ease to patients that are isolating” To see what the Jolly Trolley® can do for you, call us for a free demonstration on 0800 093 8499.

See the advert on page 6.

Adaptawear Iona Nightie: Full Opening-Back Nightie Ideal for those bed-ridden, struggling with mobility or needing palliative end of life care - the Iona nightie from adaptawear.com has been specifically designed with these people in mind.

This unique product comes with a fully opening back, shoulder openings on both sides, and easy poppers, which fasten quickly with limited effort. As the nightgown opens up completely flat, it can be put on from a lying or seated position, ensuring less stress for both the wearer and carer. The open back function with a generous overlap also ensures dignity when toileting and a quick drying cotton fabric is

comfortable and practical.

As well as the Iona adapted nightie, Adaptawear have a range of other back opening nighties, including their popular Petal Back range, and also fully front button nightwear. Their men and women's ranges feature a full range of adaptive daywear, including front fastening bras and comfortable cotton underwear; with a customer recently sharing they had ‘regained their independence with such helpful items.’

All items can be found at www.adaptawear.com or call 0800 051 1931 for more info. Don’t forget to use code CR10M at checkout for 10% off your order.

Evaness 100% Biodegradable Consumables Range EVANESS is the only full range of biodegradable products for the care and health sector, from various sizes and strengths of bin liners, to clingfilm and food/freezer bags. EVANESS is a derivative from the word ‘Evanesce” meaning to vanish and the technology used in the biodegradable range is scientifically proven to degrade the material if it gets into the open environment and then facilitate the secondary process of biodegradation, without causing micro-plastics.

New recent additions to the product range include compostable bin liners which are manufactured to EN13432 certification for home and industrial composting, and the UK’s first ANTI-VIRAL Grip Seal bag, which although are non-biodegradable are specifically designed to combat the transmission of viruses and bacteria.

The pandemic brought about many concerns over how to store and handle a range of items, which were handled by many a person to avoid the transfer of viruses

and bacteria. Consumable Supplies created a Grip Seal bag which incorporates an advanced British technology D2P by Symphony Environmental, which provides protection to the surface of the Grip Seal bag against microorganisms or viruses for the lifetime of the bag and offers a 99.9% Anti-Viral reduction after 1 hour of contact.

Although the bag can be used for the storage and handling of any items you wish to protect, such as medicines, PPE equipment, laboratory samples, cash, keys etc, as the product is Food-Safe, it also offers its use to storing food. The initial bag size offered is 150mm x 200mm, so useful for smaller items and can form part of your existing health and hygiene protection routine.

Consumable Supplies strives to offer unique quality environmentally friendlier products at reasonable prices with a great no-quibble customer service. Free delivery on any order.

See the advert on page 21 or visit www.consumablesupplies.co.uk

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 59 | PAGE 49

RECRUITMENT & PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Should Care Home Professionals Be Concerned About Criminal Liability In Respect Of Covid-19 Cases?

By Jonathan Grimes (Partner) and Sophie Wood (Senior Associate, Barrister) in the Criminal Litigation team at law firm Kingsley Napley LLP (www.kingsleynapley.co.uk)

In late February 2021 it was reported that a care home worker had been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter after a patient died of COVID-19. Then in March, two further care home workers were arrested on suspicion of wilful neglect following a COVID outbreak at a care home in Sidmouth, Devon.

Should those working in care homes be concerned about criminal liability in respect of COVID-19 cases and on what basis can care home workers be prosecuted for incidents involving COVID-19?

THE APPLICABLE LEGISLATION There are three separate offences which may be relevant to such a situation.

Under section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 1) (“HSWA”) care home staff are required to take reasonable care for the health and safety of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.

Failure to do so is an offence punishable up to two years’ imprisonment.

If a resident dies, in rare circumstances a care home worker may 2) face prosecution for ‘gross negligence manslaughter’. This may arise where the death is considered to have resulted from a breach of the worker’s duty of care towards the deceased. The worker will only be liable if they breached that duty of care through a negligent act or omission; at the time of the breach there was a serious and obvious risk of death, which was reasonably foreseeable; and the negligence, which caused or significantly contributed towards the death, was so bad that it amounted to gross negligence and therefore requires criminal sanction.

Following the Mid Staffordshire Inquiry, new legislation was enacted 3) making it an offence for care workers to ‘ill-treat or wilfully neglect’ an individual in their care (section 20 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015).

‘Wilful neglect’ means deliberately neglecting to do something which should be done in the treatment of a patient. It is no defence for a worker to argue that even if they had administered the treatment, it would have made no difference to the patient’s health. ‘Ill-treatment’ means deliberate conduct which can be described as ill-treatment (irrespective of whether it actually damaged, or threatened to damage the health of the patient). The worker needs to appreciate that they were ill-treating the patient, or to have been reckless as to whether they were acting in that way. If found guilty, a person can be sentenced up to five years’ imprisonment.

ARE WE GOING TO SEE MORE ARRESTS OF CARE HOME WORKERS

RELATING TO COVID-19?

Potentially yes. At the beginning of the pandemic the understanding of how COVID-19 was transmitted and what could be done to protect residents was limited. One year on however, there is a better, albeit not perfect, awareness of how staff can help safeguard against outbreaks and deaths. For example, if a care home worker recognises a number of now-known signs of COVID-19, and fails to call a doctor, they could be accused of wilful neglect. Equally if that worker, after recognising the symptoms, fails to isolate that patient, they could be accused of a section 7 HSWA offence.

Due to this improved understanding of the disease, it will increasingly be possible to measure behaviour against a common standard. It will be easier to establish what was reasonable for the care worker to be doing at the time and/or demonstrate a causal link between the acts or omissions of the worker and the illness/death.

The arrests so far indicate that law enforcement no longer sees COVID-19 as a novel disease about which the risks are not fully understood. They suggest there is a confidence about what standards care home staff should be meeting when managing COVID-19, and where those standards are thought not to have been met, allowing an assessment of where criminal liability comes into play. Therefore irrespective of whether these arrests lead to successful prosecutions, they indicate a change in approach by law enforcement and so care home staff and their employer organisations should expect more enforcement action in this area in the future.

Care Home Finance from Global Business Finance

Global assists clients throughout the U.K. who specialise in the healthcare sector to achieve their objectives of purchase, development and refinance.

We have organised over £1.8bn for clients in the past 30 years, providing clients with competitively priced funding to refinance existing debt, ease cashflow and develop businesses further.

From helping clients make their first purchase through to allowing groups to grow significantly in size we

Considering A Career In The Care Industry?

Here's What You Need To Know...

With a wealth of experience recruiting for this sector, Jon Mason, Recruitment Manager at Maria Mallaband Care Home Group fills us in on what you need to know when considering a role in the care home industry.

WHAT ROLES ARE ON OFFER IN THE CARE HOMES SECTOR? Whilst direct care is the key purpose of course, care homes are also mini communities where there really is something for everyone. There are plenty of creative, practical and management roles in the team too, with positions in catering, wellbeing and social activities, administration, housekeeping, management, maintenance, quality control, and even transport.

DO YOU NEED SPECIFIC QUALIFICATIONS? Whilst there are some roles that do need specific qualifications there are many that don't. In fact, in many cases getting hands on experience whilst studying can be a much more effective way to learn plus some employers actually value the opportunity to align your learning to their own methods and practices.

For example, Maria Mallaband currently has a number of Trainee Nurse Associates studying with universities across the UK alongside their current roles. Being able to earn and learn like this gives them the opportunity to become fully qualified nurses without having to worry about funding.

ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR SECTORS THAT ARE WELL SUITED TO A CAREER IN A CARE HOME? With the pressures of the ongoing pandemic on

certain industries, many are needing to look elsewhere for reliable employment. We've seen more applications for those who want to completely change their career path and are now looking to build a long-term future in the care sector. Many of our most recent hires have come from completely different sectors, including project management, children's activities, hotels, and even personal training.

Those within retail, customer service and hospitality have developed great interpersonal skills and are able to work as part of a team. In sectors that are struggling, people are now considering where those skills could be applied elsewhere, and care homes have a lot to offer.

WHICH ARE THE RELEVANT SKILLS THAT YOU WOULD LOOK FOR? One of the most important skills you can bring to this field is passion! After all, it might be your place of work, but it is home for those who live there. It’s also important that people who choose this career are confident communicators and empathetic, whether they engage directly with those living there or not.

Those within retail, customer service and hospitality often cultivate great communication skills and have learnt to work well as part of a team.

As well as customer facing roles I have already mentioned, there are plenty of other roles that could provide relevant skills. Experience in the food industry could lead to a career in the catering team, or perhaps a role co-ordinating hobbies and activities for those with creative or artistic inclinations. More practically minded individuals may be well-suited to general maintenance, cleaning or transport positions.

A passion for people and companionship as well as the work you do can make such an impact on your role and those around you. With each home operating as its own community accommodating every need for those who live there - the possibilities really are endless.

assist at every stage of your business expansion.

Every proposal is individual and deserves to be treated that way, so we hope you will allow us to be of assistance to you and call us to chat through your plans and requirements, I am sure we will be able to tailor a facility to your requirements.

Call us on 01242 227172 or e-mail us at enquiries@globalbusinessfinance.net